For some reason the Chicago crowd shied away from the beast so, Sewell shifted gears and started giving away free slices to everyone at their bar, and this time the idea took off.įrom there, the deep-dish pizza's popularity grew. Now they had to convince their customers to try it, which was a whole lot harder than they thought. The two men set out to experiment with a variety of crusts, cheeses and other ingredients, and finally came up with a thick crusted, deep-dish, weighty wonder made by placing cheese over the bottom crust, covering that with the toppings and finishing it off with the sauce. Once again, if a Texan didn't invent it, they're apt to make it bigger and better. He countered with a suggestion that they create a more substantial, meal-size pizza, which was more in line with the budget-stretching, one-dish casseroles made popular during the depression and post-war era. Well, Sewell gave it a try but complained that the thin-crusted pizza was more of an appetizer than a meal. Sewell wanted to feature Mexican food, but when Riccardo became sick after eating a test enchilada, he wanted nothing more to do with Mexican food, and suggested serving something called pizza. Samuelson states that some people credit Riccardo for the idea and Sewell for its fame.Īs the story goes, Sewell and Riccardo's plan to open a bar & grill had one problem – what kind of food to serve. Italian Food in Texas by John Raven, Ph.B.Īccording to Chicago historian, Tim Samuelson, there's been a long-standing debate as to which of the partners actually invented the final deep-dish recipe. Several years later he changed careers and became a liquor distributor in Chicago where he met Riccardo, and the rest is pizza history, only no one seems to know for certain the whole story. The deep-dish pizza became a Chicago icon in 1943 when partners Richard Novaretti (better known as Ric Riccardo), and native Texan Ike Sewell opened their restaurant, which was first named The Pizzeria, then Riccardo's Pizzeria, and finally Pizzeria Uno.īorn in Italy, Riccardo was a ship's mate, painter, dancer and musician who eventually made his way to Chicago where he sold his paintings and tried working a number of straight jobs before opening Riccardo's restaurant and speakeasy.Īt the opposite end of the spectrum, Sewell came from the small Texas town of Wills Point and went on to become an All-American football star in 1924 at the University of Texas, where he graduated and then joined up with American Airlines. What's more, a Texan had something to do with it! Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.When thinking about great pizza, most of us envision some little restaurant with checkered tablecloths in Brooklyn or Chicago, but there's a big difference between the thin-crust New York-style pizza and Chicago’s deep-dish pizza. 2, a book of "Day Trips," is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. The only Pizzeria Uno in Texas is at 300 Houston St. Now there are 136 Uno locations around the country, most in New England. Sewell opened the original Pizzeria Uno in 1943 at the corner of Ohio Street and Wabash Avenue and changed the way the Windy City and the world thinks of pizza. After graduation he worked for Standard Brands of Chicago, selling Fleischmann's Yeast, Chase & Sanborn Coffee, and other food products until he retired as a vice president in 1965. As a lineman for the UT Longhorns from 1926 to 1929 he earned All-Southwestern Conference and All-American honors. By the time he died at age 86 in Chicago, he had lived the equivalent of several lifetimes. "Ike" Sewell was born in Wills Point, Texas, about 50 miles east of Dallas, in 1903. The original Pizzeria Uno in Chicago's Near North Side is a neighborhood eatery of national proportions. A 3-inch-thick slice of tomato sauce, meat, and vegetables gives "pizza pie" meaning, flavor, and substance. If you've never tasted a genuine, Chicago-made deep-dish pizza, then you must add it to your bucket list. Pizzeria Uno in Chicago is the birthplace of this most wonderful of culinary delights. Chicago-style, deep-dish pizza was invented by a Texan.
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