Images(2)

Peel, Pizza

Object number2013.59.10

Dateafter 1958

MediumWood

Credit LineGift of Robert Aloe

DescriptionWooden pizza peel. Rectangular board that is curved upward on one long side. Short wooden handle at one of the short ends.Dimensions1.437 x 18 x 31.875 in. (3.7 x 45.7 x 81 cm)
Historical NotesOriginal pizza peel from Frank's Pizzeria. Frank's Pizzeria has been a family owned and operated business at 618 Duss Avenue in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, since 1958. Frank and Costanza Aloe immigrated to Ambridge in the late 1940s from Amantea in Calabria. Frank worked in the steel mills until the mid-1950s when he decided to open a fish market in the storefront below his house. Having been a fisherman in Italy, Frank thought this would be a profitable venture. It was not. Next he opened a pastry shop, which was another failed business. In 1958, Frank responded to an ad in the Italian newspaper Il Progresso about a pizza making school in New York sponsored by the Mastro Equipment Company. For $600 he was trained to make pizza and set up with a pizza oven, work table, and several pizza peels and pans. Frank's Pizzeria opened on September 22, 1958, giving away free pizza for the evening. In the early years, pizza was $0.15 a slice and $0.25 for two slices. Calzones were added to the menu in 1983.

Related person Frank Aloe

Related person Costanza Aloe

Related institution Frank's Pizzeria (founded 1958)

Related institution Mastro Equipment Company

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