518 Pizzerias Magazine™

518 PIZZERIAS ™

True Tomato Pie

Created by Italian immigrants in the early 20th century, true tomato pie has a spongy thick crust topped with Red Gravy and grated Romano

Veteran Pizza Makers

Army Veterans Brendan Hewson, and Allison Ross came home to America, and partnered to take over Prima Pizzeria at 3610 State St.

New York-Style vs. Neapolitan Pizza

Pizza Stars

Local pizzeria managers and owners donated pizzas for the First Annual Pasta & Pizza Event and Best-Made Pizza Contest™

A Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

Life after serving in the military

Dough & Poolish Perfection

New York-Style vs. Neapolitan Pizza

OUR MISSION is to honor ALL Active Duty who serve, ALL Veterans who served, our late veteran parents, late veteran mentors, late veteran cousins/siblings/uncles, and friends who served this great country in the military as well as their surrounding community… National Pizza Month, in October, gives foodies and pizza-makers 31 days to explore the world of pizza and all the flavors it offers... We help non-profits and Veterans' associations fundraise through pasta & meatballs, sausage-onions-peppers, pizza, and dessert tasting events... We can plan a Pasta & Pizza Event™ for your non-profit organization to receive One-Hundred (100%) percent of the ticket sales! ALL YEAR LONG WE SUPPORT VETERANS' CAUSES!

Thank you to everyone who made our annual PASTA & PIZZA EVENT AND BEST-MADE PIZZA CONTEST ™ a huge success hundreds attended! SPONSORED BY: Ace Endico, Bellevue Cafe, Best Fire Hearth & Patio, Canali's Italian American Restaurant, Broadway Lunch, Capri Imports Italian Deli, Cardona's Market, DeCrescente Distributing Company, Fred the Butcher, Gabriel's Supermarkets, Grände Cheese Company, Homecrest Kitchens, Marcella's Appliance Center, Mastroianni Food Distributor, Pede Brothers Italian Specialty Foods, Price Chopper® / Market 32®, Restaurant Depot, Sal's Quality Meats, ShopRite, Taste of Schenectady® and Beyond ™ magazine, Villa Italia Bakery, Zhu's Kitchen, and many of the best pizzeria restaurants in the surrounding area Annabel's Pizza, Broadway Joe's Pizza, Capri Imports Italian Deli's pizza, Highbridge Pizza, JC'S Slice, Johnny C's Pizza, Harvest Grain Pizza, Paesan's Pizza,

Letter From The Editor-in-Chief

DAVID J. LONG, JR., CDM, CFPP, KOFC

October is National Pasta & Pizza Month

Pizza Michelina, Prima Pizza, West Avenue Pizza and wood-fired pizzas made by Best Fire Hearth & Patio. We wish to thank Nick Piccirillo from the Order Sons of Italy in America Gabriele D'Annunzio Lodge # 321 (OSIA Lodge #321 Rotterdam) for helping serve the Sausage, Onions & Peppers we made as well as for serving Pede Bros.’ ravioli, Canali's Italian Meatballs, and ziti & marinara sauce cooked by the VFW Auxiliary and Veteran committee…

Italian cheeses were sampled and served by Steve Grabkowski from Grände Cheese Company Italian specialties were served and wood-fired pizzas made by Mario Tricomi from ACE Endico…

Thanks for reading 518Pizzerias… Make sure to patronize the mom & pop-owned businesses in this magazine!

Meet Part of the Pizza Event Team

MARIO

JIM CANNISTRACI Judge / Logistics

RUSSELL MCDONALD Pizza Expo Staging

MARIO CARDENAS Pizza Games / Judge

DAVID LONG Event PR / Judge

A 55+ Year Legacy — Pede Brothers Pasta

The story began in Rome, Italy where the late Romolo Pede Sr.. first learned the art of making handmade pasta.

In 1963, Romolo carried his love for his Italian heritage and authentic Italian pasta recipes to America. In 1967, Romolo Sr. started making his traditional Italian pasta here in the United States, resolving to use nothing but the finest ingredients available. The family established Pede Brothers Italian Specialty Foods in Rotterdam, New York. Romolo Pede, Sr., passed away at the age of 79 years old on Wednesday, November 30, 2022, surrounded by his loving family. Born on December 4, 1942, in Castelliri, Italy, he was one of seven children to the late Ignazio and Sofia (Paolucci) Pede

We were privileged to entertain Romolo Pede, Sr., and his wife, Rose, at the First Annual Pasta & Pizza Event on Saturday, October 22, 2002, in Rotterdam, NY… Today, Pede Brothers remain family owned and operated. Romolo’s children continue the family tradition of pasta making by combining the finest quality ingredients, traditional family recipes, and use of modern technology. Pede Brothers have been fortunate to provide loyal customers with Pede Brothers pasta products and other Italian specialty foods for over fifty years. Visit the store, 582 Duanesburg Rd, Schenectady, NY (518) 356-3042 • pedebrothers.com

ACE ENDICO is a family owned/ operated specialty food distributor purveying high-quality ingredients from all over the world, for over 40 years… ACE ENDICO provides a wide variety of specialty food offerings, Italian imports, and the freshest produce available.

A Family Tradition of Quality and Service

Romolo Pede, Sr. (1942-2022)

Help is always available to Vets

On October 17, 2020, President Donald Trump signed S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Cory Gardner (RColo.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.)… This bipartisan legislation designates 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline . Disability advocates, calling for equity, petitioned the FCC to implement a text-to-988 service for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and speech-disabled people... “ I applaud the President for signing my common-sense, bipartisan legislation to shorten the national suicide hotline from ten digits to three easy-to-remember numbers: 9-8-8,” said then US Senator Cory Gardner (2015 to 2021).

30,177 active duty personnel and veterans who served in the military after 9/11 have died by suicide

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 200+ crisis centers that provide 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 9-8-8. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. The caller is routed to their nearest crisis center to receive immediate counseling and local mental health referrals. The Lifeline supports people who call for themselves or someone they care about

In 2021, a research paper released by Watson Institute International & Public Affairs at Brown University titled, HIGH SUICIDE RATES AMONG UNITED STATES SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERANS OF THE POST-9/11 WARS, found that 30,177 active duty personnel and veterans who served in the military after 9/11 have died by suicide — compared to the 7,057 service members killed in combat in those same 20 years. Signed into law in October 2020, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act authorized 988 as the new three-digit number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline . As part of the law, all telephone service providers in the U.S. had to activate the number no later than July 16, 2022. Veterans can use this new option by dialing 988 and pressing 1 to contact the Veterans Crisis Line. Veterans may still reach the Veterans Crisis Line with the previous phone number— 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1—by text (838255), and through chat (VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat ).

Local Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, contact the Albany Samuel S. Stratton Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center Homeless Veterans Care Program by calling Toll-Free 1-800-698-2411 or national, CLICK

Veterans, when you’re struggling, soon becomes later becomes someday becomes ...when?

Don’t wait. Reach out .

Whatever you’re going through, you don’t have to do it alone. Find resources at VA.GOV / REACH

Life after serving in the military

Allison Ross and Brendan Hewson came home to America, and took over Prima Pizzeria, located at 3610 State St, Schenectady, NY

Veterans Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the US Armed Forces.

Allison Ross and Brendan Hewson came home to America, and took over Prima Pizzeria, located at 3610 State Street… Brendan served for 11 years from October 2009 to September 2020 . He was awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Arcom 4th Award, AAM 4th Awar, and a bunch of other service medals… He started working at Prima Pizzeria in the summer of 2007 and split his time

between the pizza shop and the US Army until he was out. On September 1, 2021, Brendan Hewson, and his Army Veteran girlfriend, Allison Ross, took over Prima Pizzeria from his old boss John (Giovanni) Isopo Allison Ross served for 10 years from 2010 to 2020, as an Army Medic We thank ALL VETERANS for their service!

John (Giovanni) came from a traditional Italian family growing up surrounded by relatives and lots of homemade food. His focus on food started at a very young age with his mother, father, brother, and sisters all working at their family restaurants, pizzerias, and bakeries. Under their guidance, he was inspired to open Prima Pizzeria in 1985 and Mario's Restaurant in 1998 with his wife Katrina.

primapizzaschenectady.com

Prima Pizzeria continues to use the same Isopo family recipes that have been passed down from four generations… Mario Cardenas of West Avenue Pizza, Allison Ross, and Brendan Hewson donated pizzas for our 518BestPizza.com Pasta & Pizza Event — benefiting Veterans, on October 22, 2022.

Our Family Story: JC’s Slice Pizzeria, Deli & Bakery

2994 Guilderland Ave, Schenectady, NY (518) 344-6730

I was first introduced to the restaurant service industry in the early ’90s at downtown Schenectady’s Perrino’s Restaurant owned by my uncle. Busing tables and washing dishes at 16 wasn’t an exciting job but I got to see how the industry worked.

A few years later, once I graduated from SUNY Schenectady County Community College’s culinary program, I joined family friends in their new pizzeria, deli, and bakery business, Nikki P’s , in the Cumberland Plaza off Highbridge Road. I was mentored by owners Mike and Kris. I learned the art of making pizza and providing the value of delivering consistent high-quality pizza and sandwich products.

As time went by I worked very closely with Mike learning many loaves of bread, rolls, and Eastern European baking recipes.

Within a handful of years, we outgrew the original small location and built a brand new building across the street on Community Rd. We had discussed for many years a second location and in 2017 we opened Nikki P’s West on Guilderland Ave Rotterdam as co-owners. After 15 years I was running the backend operations of the second location. Nikki P’s West was a very successful hometown eatery providing a consistent product to our customers.

Fast forward 5 years with Mike and Kris retiring from the day-to-day food service business at the end of 2021, my wife Kelly and I are continuing as JC’s Slice Pizzeria, Deli & Bakery at the same location.

My staff, Kelly and I look forward to continuing to serve you high-quality pizza, deli, and bakery goods. By JC Mangano

NOTE: JC’s Slice has a US Veteran / pizza maker on staff.

Dough & Poolis h perfection

We recommend Vito Iacopelli’s Pre-Fermented Poolish for better tasting pizza: Add 400 ml of cold water to a container, add and dissolve 5 grams of dry yeast, and 5 grams of honey (3/4 tsp) — let stand for 3 minutes. Next, slowly mix in 400 grams of 00 flour. Allow the Poolish to sit at room temperature for 1 hour, and then refrigerate from 16 to 24 hours. To make the dough add the Poolish to 700 ml of water, and add half of 1,250 grams flour, and 40 grams of fine sea salt and mix. Add the rest of the flour and mix. Turn the dough out onto a clean cutting board, and gently knead the dough, turning and folding — let the dough rest 15 minutes. Oil your hands with EVOO and use Vito’s method — CLICK & WATCH: https://youtu.be/G-jPoROGHGE

Pre-fermented dough gives pizza a richer taste. The three most popular types of Caputo 00 Flour: Caputo Classic, Caputo Pizzeria, and Caputo Chef’s Flour, all have a protein content of around 12%.

Caputo Classica • 11.5% protein

Caputo Pizzeria • 12.5% protein

Caputo Chef’s Flour • 13% protein

Protein in pizza flour is important because it’s what makes the dough stretchy and elastic. The optimal amount of protein in the flour to

When you’re kneading the dough, gluten proteins start to form gluten strands. These gluten strains grow longer and stronger the longer you knead the dough. When you’re kneading small pockets will also form in the dough, which will be filled with gas during rising. More gluten development also makes the pizza crust crispier during baking, because the gluten proteins are hardening when they’re heated.

The combination of gluten protein and kneading is therefore very important for making great pizza dough. If you want to know more about gluten in pizza dough, check out our in-depth article: How to CLICK HERE

by Food & Travel Editor David J. Long, Jr., CDM, CFPP, FOP, KOFC

Cardona’s Market is a family-owned Italian specialty foods market and catering company serving the Capital Region since 1945. They take pride in offering top-quality Italian products with family-friendly service.

Opening 77 years ago, the original market was operated by Augusto Cardona, and his son Robert. Recently, Robert passed ownership of Cardona’s Market down to his sons, Anthony, and August, who now operate the store — extending the family’s culinary tradition!

From left, Robert Cardona, Thomas (T.J.) Conti and August Cardona

MR. C. (ROBERT CARDONA) STILL ASSISTS HIS SONS IN THE BUTCHER SHOP AT CARDONA’S MARKET IN LATHAM

Cardona’s Market is the quintessential family-owned Italian import & specialty foods market in the Capital Region, featuring a stocked delicatessen, an old-world butcher, and an extensive catering department offering an array of homemade meals for take-out — served hot and ready to eat, or cold for easy grab and go. Cardona’s butcher shop features all-natural beef, poultry, and pork, hand-cut Prime grade steaks, house-made Italian sausage, fresh seafood, lamb, veal, wild game (subject to availability), Holiday Turkeys, Hams, and Prime Rib… And many of the core recipes are handed down from Augusto Cardona, who learned them from his mother in Italy, before opening in 1945, in Albany.

Cardona’s Market was VOTED BEST CATERER 2022

9 Cobbee Rd, Latham, NY (518) 785-7480

340 Delaware Avenue, Albany, NY (518) 434-4838

222 Washington St, Saratoga Springs, NY (518) 587-6004

New York-Style vs. Neapolitan Pizza

Mario Cardenas of West Avenue Pizza makes a hybrid pizza—FIND OUT MORE at h4ps://youtu.be/tALR7UNBz1Y

With its typical large, foldable slices and crispy outer crust, New Yorkstyle pizza is one of America’s most famous regional pizza types. Unlike its thin crust counterpart, the Neapolitan pizza, New York-style pizzas can handle a wide range of additional toppings, from cooked bacon, ham, pepperoni, and cooked sausage to mushroom and anchovies. Another New York favorite is Sicilian pizza, also known as “sfincione". It provides a thick cut of pizza with pillowy dough, a crunchy crust, and robust tomato sauce. This square-cut pizza is served with or without mozzarella cheese (see “tomato pie” on page 22).

“Cornicióne” is the Italian word for the cornice — decorative puffy edge of the pizza — the airy and crispy rim of the pizza that’s soft inside!

The cornicióne of a Neapolitan pizza is an airy, raised edge that’s crunchy on the outside and light and soft on the inside. Pizzas with a puffy cornicióne and 12-inch diameter are regulated by the European Union (EU) and Naples, Italy as “ true Napolitan Pizza Margherita ” — the classic wood-fired pizza consisting of; sauce made with tomatoes grown in Italy, with just sea salt added to the sauce, fresh basil, and sliced Buffalo mozzarella made from the milk of Italian Mediterranean buffalo, applied last. Many people will tell you that in order to make " true Neapolitan pizza ,” it must be baked in a wood-fired oven that's heated anywhere from 800 - 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, similar to how it was made in the 18th century in Naples, Italy. Baking the pie at this high of a temperature only takes around 90 seconds to fully cook. TIP: Use your pizza peel to lift wood-fired pizza from the side and bring it to the front of the wood-fired oven to turn — keeping the ash off the bottom and sides of the pizza. ■

Traditional and True Tomato Pie

By J.A. Reuscher • The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia

See our True Tomato Pie / Sfincione Palermitano at https://youtu.be/xpwbgztyMiw

Served by Italian bakeries in South Philadelphia since the early twentieth century, the tomato pie became known by many names: church pie, square pizza, red pizza, granny pizza, and red pie. Although made in a rectangular or square shape similar to Sicilian-style pizza, tomato pie within the city and the surrounding region remained distinct from contemporary pizza because of its thicker, spongier texture more akin to a focaccia-like bread from Palermo, Sicily, called Sfincione Palermitano. Tomato pies also can be found by

other names throughout the United States. They became known as grandma pizza in Brooklyn but were not served regularly in New York City pizzerias until the 1990s. Farther north, the Utica [tomato] pie of Utica, New York, resembled the Philadelphia-style pie in taste and texture.

While the tomato pies of many Philadelphia bakeries retained the shape of the Sfincione, gastronomical similarities to the Palermo recipes ended there. Unlike the Palermo-style recipe, with onions, anchovies, and Caciocavallo cheese,

CENTO’s Garlic Tomato Pie

Broadway Joe’s (Schenectady, NY) Tomato Pie

in Philadelphia tomato sauce or gravy became the essential ingredient of tomato pie. Over the decades of the twentieth century, many Italian bakeries focused on creating tomato pie with grated cheese and sauce—sometimes garlic, too.

Dough preparation varied as well. Many aged the dough before baking, and others used bread dough or dough similar to zeppole pastry or American stromboli. According to some oral traditions, tomato pies were a profitable way to use leftover dough from baking rolls for hoagies.

However, Philadelphia bakeries in the early decades of the twenty-first century made their tomato pies from scratch each morning. Like its Sicilian counterpart, tomato pie is baked in a pan and at low heat, traditionally in a brick oven. After baking, the square pie is usually dusted with a sprinkling of Parmesan [Parmigiana] or Romano cheese (never mozzarella), oregano, parsley, and cut into square pieces—and can be served hot or more typically cooled to room temperature.

In an era of high immigration from southern Italy, tomato pie became a Philadelphia staple at establishments such as Iannelli’s Bakery (established in 1910), Sarcone’s Bakery (1918), and Tacconelli’s (early 1920s). It continued as an offering of mid-century bakeries such as Gaeta’s (originally Scalea’s) Italian Bakery (1941), and Cacia’s Bakery (1953). J.A. Reuscher is a reference librarian with the Pennsylvania State University Libraries. ■ BTW: CENTO Fine Foods has a recipe for a thick tomato pie — topped with a mixture of garlic, basil, oil and crushed red pepper then baked until golden and crispy…

CENTO’S GARLIC TOMATO PIE

Ingredients

2 packages Active Dry Yeast

1 tsp Sugar

3 tsp Cento Fine Sicilian Sea Salt

1 1/2 cup Warm Water

4 cups Anna TIPO 00 Flour

1/4 cup Cento Classic Olive Oil Tin

1 can Cento Chefs Cut Tomatoes (28 oz)

1/2 tsp Cento Ground Black Pepper

3 tbsp Bellino Minced Garlic

1/4 cup Cento Imported Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 cup Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped

1/4 tsp Cento Crushed Red Pepper

1/4 cup Romano Cheese

Directions

Mix flour and 1 tsp salt together and add to a mixing bowl. Create a well in the center and pour water into the well. Add the sugar and yeast to the water and mix within water. Gradually mix flour into the water in small increments and as the dough begins to form, take it out of the bowl and continue to work it by hand on a floured surface. If the dough is too sticky, add flour in small increments until the dough no longer sticks to your hands or the kneading surface. Knead the dough thoroughly until it becomes smooth, then place a small amount of extra virgin olive oil on the bottom of a bowl and place the dough into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and leave it out until the dough has completely risen, about 15-20 minutes. To tell if the dough is fully risen, make a small indentation in the center. If the indentation does not rise, the dough is ready. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Drizzle classic olive oil evenly over a 9x13 inch or similar sized baking tray, then spread dough evenly from edge to edge of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 40 minutes. Once the dough has risen, remove wrap and again push edge to edge. Cover and set aside for an additional 35 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, basil and crushed red pepper. Spread sauce evenly over the dough and finish with Romano cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until tomato pie is golden and toasted. Serves 6

NOTE: True tomato pie has a spongy thick crust made from bread dough, topped with Red Gravy and grated Romano.

Creole-Italian Cooking: A Family Thing!

My family knows great modern and traditional Italian food when we taste it... My paternal grandpa started farming and cooking with Italians circa 1912... My late father learned to cook in Sicily. Italian-Americans helped the USA and its Allies defeat Hitler and Mussolini during CLICK: OPERATION UNDERWORLD.

My late Sicilian Godfather, Michael Aidala, served in the Korean War. Our family’s in-laws, the Ciccio family, hail too from Sicily — I think it’s ironic “Don Ciccio” was the character and head of the “Black Hand” in The Godfather: Part II — starring Brando, De Niro, and Pacino (“The Corleone Family”). Corleone is an Italian town and commune of roughly 11,158 inhabitants in the City of Palermo, in Sicily, Italy… We have imported and private labeled EVOO from Italy, and marketed the Tinazzi family’s wines from Italy for years.

Thirty-five years ago, I entered the Italian restaurant and pizza business. Frank Cappello, his grandmother, and I ran Cappello's Pizzeria and Italian Ristorante, on State Street, in downtown Schenectady, NY, at a time when the city was struggling... My Creole (Caribbean, French, Italian, and Spanish) Army Security Agency (ASA) Veteran mother, who had served in Frankfurt, Germany, came to Schenectady after being honorably discharged from the United States Armed Forces... Mom later met my OPERATION HUSKY Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Creole/Irish 301st Fighter Squadron dad who served during WWII, in Sicily, Italy.

Anthony Bourdain always said “chefs are just storytellers”… My Lombardi Staten Island family lady and I believe that 100%. BTW: Restaurants in NOLA call their cuisine Creole-Italian. CLICK

Sal's Quality Market is a locally owned and operated shop with a large selection of fresh meats, deli, heat & serve entrées, and home made Italian sausage.

Chicken Sausage, Pork Butt, Ribs, Steaks

Our 518Pizzerias.com and Taste of Schenectady® and Taste and Shop™ system for making Sausage, Onions & Peppers with #10 can NAP 64 PIZZA Tomatoes with Basil and San Marzano tomatoes…CLICK here for GIAMBOTTA.

Slice CEO Ilir Sela, says, "The really delicious Neapolitanstyle pizza, I advise people to eat that at the restaurant… ”

By David Johnson Long, Jr., Editor-in Chief

Istarted as a pizza delivery person before ever making my first pizza… So, what is SLICE? Slice offers a software solution to independent pizzerias, allowing them to take digital orders. Founded by Ilir Sela, an Albanian immigrant from a long line of pizzeria-owning relatives, Slice does not employ its own drivers. Instead, Slice is an App that pairs consumers with nearby pizzerias through its cutting-edge technology and marketing.

Local pizzerias have long been the heart and stable go-to place for businesses, families, and organizations in our communities. Until the launch of Slice, local mom & pop pizzerias lacked the resources to compete with large pizzeria chains for today’s digitally-minded pizza lovers. Slice’s platform of services powers online search engine optimization (SEO) and ordering for independent pizzerias — connecting them to a large network of new and existing customers who enjoy a frictionless experience through the Slice App and website. This technology proved essential with the surge in demand for curbside pickup and delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In May 2020, Slice announced that it raised $43 million in Series C funding. KKR led the round with participation from existing early investors, including GGV Capital.

As of May 2020, during the pandemic, over 80% of Slice's network had first-party delivery — delivery drivers in-house — about 18% did not have their own delivery personnel but were moving to firstparty delivery. At the time, Slice saw an acceleration of pizzerias that never did delivery, wanting to do delivery in-house. Therefore the company enabled a delivery platform for both national and local third-party logistics companies to compete for the delivery business of small pizzerias.

Slice provides end-to-end services including websites, marketing, online ordering, and payments to help local pizzerias provide customers with a digital experience that competes with the largest international pizza chains and food delivery Apps. Slice also offers access to its nearly five million customers who want great, local pizza through its App.

Serial tech entrepreneur Ilir Sela started Slice to solve the digital challenges of his family’s New York City pizzerias. Today, the company partners with over 12,000 pizzerias across all 50 states forming the nation’s largest marketplace for authentic pizza.

Ilir Sela, an Albanian immigrant from a long line of pizzeria-owning relatives, says, "...not all pizza is created for delivery: The really delicious Neapolitan-style pizza, I advise people to eat that at the restaurant, it's not really meant for delivery.”

Slice allows pizzeria owners to offer their products to their customers using a mobileoptimized website and their customers can place orders through the Slice App and social media channels… In 2020, Slice got more attention due to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing restaurants to shut down and focus on delivery and take out.

" We have the ability to be profitable whenever we choose to do so because we are more of a software business; we're not a logistics business," Ilir Sela told writer Shakeel Hashim. Slice was founded in 2010 by Ilir Sela and was originally called MyPizza ■

OBITUARY — JOSEPH MARK LONG, born August 7, 1970, Age 50 — loving brother, son, husband, and friend to many passed away from COVID-19, and medical procedure complications, on June 30, 2021, in a hospital, in Puerto Rico… Joseph Long graduated from Mont Pleasant High School, in Schenectady, NY, in 1988. Like his late military veteran parents, Long enlisted in the United States Military and served overseas in the US Army from 1989 until 1992… PFC Long received the South West Asia Service Bronze Service Star, National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Expert Marksmanship Badge Rifle, M-16, Combat Infantryman Badge, Army Lapel Button, Kuwait Liberation Medal — Saudi Arabia… Long was part of the United States Invasion of Panama, codenamed Operation Just Cause — mid-December 1989 and late January 1990. He was honorably discharged from the United States Army, after sustaining injuries and disability honorable discharge during the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War… Joseph loved to dine out!

Joseph Long returned to live in Schenectady for a short while, before living in Florida, Georgia, and Texas. He returned to Schenectady to care for his disabled mother with his Cuban girlfriend, Jennifer Mateu, who he married on November 2, 2018. The three of them eventually moved to a retirement community, in Miami, Florida… After his mother passed away on February 3, 2021, Long and his wife moved to Puerto Rico to open a part-time business — while maintaining his late mother's estate as executor. He contracted coronavirus and was hospitalized in an incubator in June 2021… My sister-in-law, Jennifer, said the hospital in Puerto Rico refused to transfer Joseph to the Veterans Administration (VA) hospital — and that they performed two (2) DIALYSIS procedures on him the same day causing his heart attack…Joseph Mark Long, Age 50, passed away on June 30, 2021... He is survived by his wife, Jennifer Mateu-Long, stepson, Izak Mateu — full-blood brother, David; half-siblings, Denise Williams-Ciccio of Irvington, Westchester, NY (Dr. Joseph Ciccio) and Steven Williams of California — adopted siblings, Claudette Fennicks-Long of Schenectady and Erick Long of Utah — as well as many foster siblings, nieces, and nephews. We were away on vacation and sadly did not find out from my older adopted and half-siblings that Joseph passed away on June 30 because they are bitter that our late mom left her entire estate to my brother Joseph , his wife and our mom’s grandkids—with my blessing in November 2018 … God will repay evil.

I am eternal grateful for my U.S. foreign service veteran parents, my dad, David Johnson Long, Sr (d. 7/1/08), mom, Sheila (d. 2/3/21), and my late U.S. Special Forces veteran younger brother, Joseph M.Long (d. 6/30/21), respectively. I am grateful to my parents that they never taught religious dogma (“am god” backward) in our home. My parents were married 39years and instilled in us children a personal faith. I am grateful for all my mentors; My first Hebrew mentor, Ben Slee, Mr. Sarnacki, Dr. Robert Ludwig, Mr. Fred B. Wong (China Inn), the late 28-plus-year WRGB CBS6 and Daily Gazette reporter Dan DiNicola, my 4th Degree KOFC, Secular Franciscan, Korean War Veteran, and Sicilian Godfather, the late Mr. Michael Aidala, psychologist Dr. Frank McManus, Zionist Sam Rosenberg, Esquire, and ACT News founder Joe Ball… Dan Di Nicola is credited with launching the career of Rachael Ray, and others… A Pittsfield-born first-generation Sicilian American, DiNicola rose to become a respected high school teacher of Russian literature, film critic, and three-time Emmy Award-winning reporter for WRGB CBS6 as well as a veteran reporter for the Daily Gazette—both for 28 years. I laugh, because from 1988 to 1994, I lived in the Berkshire Mountains, for a time in the same duplex as the only neighbor of Dan’s niece, Renee DiNicola—a Godly woman, and piano teacher… DAN DI NICOLA LAUNCHED RACHAEL RAY'S CAREER

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 • The Hope of the Resurrection—Click here to read.

In 1963, the late Spiro Mikropoulos migrated to the United States from Greece and opened up Brandywine Diners. A few years later, in 1987, he along with his family moved to Rotterdam to open the Bellevue Café at 2630 Broadway. For our Pasta & Pizza Event™ Didi and Michael of Bellevue Café and staff prepared Antipasto to feed the close to 300 attendees Thank you!

NOTE: Artisan bakers and professional pizza makers NEVER STOP LEARNING about different types of flour, the cell structure of the dough, gluten, and protein — developing better flavor — grating cheeses, new equipment, peeled tomatoes and toppings — and the plethora of pizza styles made all over America, and in Italy... Making great-tasting pizza is a lifelong learning process and passion — and why professional pizza makers attend pizza expos in Las Vegas — and compete in local Best-made Contests! A Pizzaiolo is a chef who specializes in making pizzas and who has been trained to make real, Italian-style pizzas. In fact, the UNITED STATES PIZZA TEAM® is a group of pizza acrobats and decades-seasoned pizza makers who compete in national and international pizza competitions... CONTACT US to Check out your CAPITAL DISTRICT pizzeria CLICK HERE

For our Pasta & Pizza Event™ Philip Menagias and staff prepared Broadway Lunch’s Italian Meatballs to feed the close to 300 attendees. Thank you!

518PIZZERIAS ™

OUR FAVORITE PLACES©

For our First Annual Pasta & Pizza Event and Best-Made Pizza Contest™ Canali’s Italian American Restaurant prepared their Italian Meatballs to feed the close to 300 attendees. Thank you!