Jody Robbins <h1>The History of Chicago Pizza </h1><p>Chicago is obviously home to deep dish, sauce-on-top, Chicago-style pizza. Still, says <a href="/directories/569"><strong>Pizano's Pizza & Pasta</strong></a> owner Rudy Malnati, Jr., "Everybody likes different kinds of pizza. Chicago pizza is what it is, but there are lots of good thin-bread pizzas here, too.</p><p>"It depends on what you're looking for, a down-to-earth, meat-and-potatoes-type pizza or a designer pizza; I think there's room for both, but they are two different products," says Malnati, noting, "it takes Chicago water to make Chicago-style pizza; that's just the way it is."</p><h2>The Beginning of Chicago-Style Pizza <br /></h2><p>He should know, as his father, Rudy Malnati, St., was one of the pioneers of Chicago-style pizza, opening <strong><a href="/directories/573">Pizzeria Uno</a></strong> in 1943 and thereby making a meal of pizza. "Rick Ricardo pushed the spark and he worked at Pizzeria Uno," says Malnati. "When the property became available, it was Ricardo's building and he wanted to start a pizzeria.</p><p>"Where they get this story screwed up is that my dad was a bartender at Ricardo's, not Pizzeria Uno," continues Malnati. "When Pizzeria Uno opened, it was Pizzeria Ricardo, but they couldn't sell the pizza, so they stood on the corner and gave it away, handing slices out for people to try--deep dish was unheard of at the time.</p><p>Another integral player, Ike Sewell, wasn't involved until later, but his wife, Florence, was a silent partner from the beginning. "I don't think Ike got involved until he retired in the late 1960s and 1970s," says Malnati. "Just my father and Florence were the partners there after Rick passed away--and the rest is history."</p><h2>Chicago Pizza: Next Generation<br /></h2><p>Charting his own course, the junior Malnati struck out on his own, family tradition or not: "I saw that people liked the thin crust. People looked at our pizza as a very filling product and they could eat one piece, or two at the most," he says. "Then, thin crust popped up and there are a lot of pioneers in thin crust pizza in Chicago--<a href="/directories/1918" target="_blank">Home Run Inn</a>, Colletti's had one of the first thin crusts, and Nick and Vito's.</p><p>"At first, my mother asked, 'Why are you messing around with this when your father invented Chicago deep dish pizza?', remember Malnati. "Then, she tried it and liked it, so we opened Pizano's in 1991. We feature great food steeped in Italian tradition, skillfully prepared from the highest-quality ingredients, and served in an inviting atmosphere in which to celebrate friendship and family."</p><p>Speaking of family, you'd think the Malnati family lived on pizza; not so. "Growing up, you would think my family would have pizza once a week, but it was more like once a year," says Malnati. "We'd go to the Shrine Circus at the Medinah Temple and we'd go across the street for pizza and it was a big deal."</p><h2>Today's Chicago Pizza </h2><p>For Chicagoans and visitors to the city alike, getting a taste of Chicago pizza is a must and it's not easy to make. "The deep dish pizza is hard to handle; you have to do it right from beginning to end, from making the dough to ensuring the crust rises correctly. The difference with us is that my 81-year-old mother makes all the dough for the restaurants where others have multiple people making dough," says Malnati.</p><p>The Pizano's Pizza & Pasta legacy is still expanding with Malnati opening his latest location in suburban Glenview in late 2007, and, yes, mom is still making the dough. </p> 2008-02-04T15:02:02+00:00 <p>A first-hand account of the history of Chicago-style pizza takes a look at the origins of putting the tomato sauce on top and serving it up hot and deep. </p> true

91 Chicago Pizza-A Delicious History

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