Patsy Grimaldi, an iconic determine in NYC’s pizza scene who most lately owned the Dumbo pizzeria Juliana’s, died of pure causes on Thursday, February 13, the New York Publish experiences. He was 93.
Grimaldi is a legend within the obsessive world of NYC pizza-making. A New York native, Grimaldi labored in his household’s pizza restaurant, Patsy’s Pizzeria in East Harlem, earlier than branching out and opening his personal model of Patsy’s Pizzeria (ultimately referred to as Grimaldi’s), along with his spouse Carol in Brooklyn in 1990, in keeping with the Publish. He commissioned the primary coal oven in-built NYC in over 50 years for his pizzeria.
“It’s additionally essential to do not forget that Patsy modified the New York Metropolis pizza panorama without end when he opened his eponymous pizza emporium in 1990 and made it ‘cool’ to come back to Brooklyn!” Juliana’s wrote in an Instagram submit saying Grimaldi’s loss of life. “Though he’s not a ‘residing’ legend, he’ll without end maintain his rightful place within the pantheon of pizza icons.”
Within the ‘90s, Grimaldi’s coal-fired, brick oven pizza modified the native pizza-making recreation. He’s largely credited with sparking the overarching wave of recent pizza outlets that are actually a elementary a part of NYC’s pizza scene. “He was really an artist and paved the trail for all of the elevated pizza outlets of right now,” Anthony Mangieri, the proprietor of celebrated Decrease East Aspect wood-fired pizzeria Una Pizza Napoletana, wrote in a submit on Instagram.
The pizza legend was additionally concerned in plenty of old-school NYC pizza showdowns. Grimaldi needed to rename Patsy’s Pizzeria to Grimaldi’s in 1995 following a lawsuit over the title, the Publish experiences. A couple of years later, Grimaldi bought out of the sport and bought the pizzeria, plus naming rights, to Frank Ciolli in 1999, who moved the pizza store subsequent door following a landlord dispute. However Grimaldi’s retirement was non permanent: 13 years later, he debuted his new pizzeria Juliana’s (named after his mom) on the web site of the unique Grimaldi’s — which was proper subsequent to the present, Ciolli-owned Grimaldi’s. Each pizzerias are nonetheless going robust right now.
“We’re deeply saddened by the passing of Patsy Grimaldi, a real icon within the pizza world,” Grimaldi’s Pizzeria posted on Instagram. “Patsy’s ardour for coal-fired, brick-oven pizza and his dedication to high quality set a normal that continues to encourage us daily.”
Since his loss of life, Juliana’s has been retaining Grimaldi’s desk empty “to start to honor his legacy,” the restaurant wrote in its Instagram submit. The pizza store may even be closed on Wednesday, February 19, to honor the late pizzaiolo’s reminiscence.
