Zuppardi's Apizza

The rich history of Zuppardi’s Apizza began in New Haven, CT with Dominic Zuppardi. Having learned his trade on the southern coast of Italy, Dominic was a master bread-baker in New Haven throughout the 1920s. He worked in a variety of bakeries making artisan Italian breads, as well as “abeetz”, now well known as apizza. In 1932, Dominic decided to open his own shop, Salerno’s Bakery, on Donnelly Place in New Haven. Two years later, in 1934, Dominic moved his business to Union Avenue in West Haven, CT. Union Ave has been the home of Zuppardi’s ever since!In the late 1940s, Dominic became ill due to a stroke and could no longer fulfill the needs of the bakery. Dominic’s son, Anthony Zuppardi, decided to step in. After completing his duty as a cook in the Navy during World War II, Anthony took over the daily operations of the business. He recognized the popularity of the bakery’s pizza and decided to make it his primary focus. At first, he made a small variety of pizzas, including the traditional plain pie, consisting of tomato sauce and grated Pecorino Romano cheese. After seeing success, the menu grew.Anthony expanded his menu by adding a variety of meat and vegetable toppings, most notably, his homemade Italian fennel sausage. His customers loved it immediately and the demand for his pizza grew exponentially! Anthony inevitably made the decision to leave the bread business behind entirely and to serve pizza only. In 1947, he changed the name of the shop from Salerno’s Bakery to Zuppardi’s Apizza.As decades passed, Anthony and his family worked passionately to accommodate their customers. The restaurant became a cornerstone in West Haven and is widely considered an institution within the subject of New Haven-style pizzerias. Anthony Zuppardi passed away in 1988, but his legacy lives through his children and grandchildren who continue to operate Zuppardi’s today.