The Italian-American society developed from the immigrants arriving from the East Coast gave rise to a gastronomy with its own personality. Although widely disparate varieties exist throughout the United States, there are still New York is the pizza capital of America.with its own unique culture. Domenico DeMarcowhose death was reported this week by the family, was largely responsible for his well-deserved fame.
Born in Caserta, southern Italy, in 1936, DeMarco emigrated to the United States in 1959 seeking to carve out a better future for himself, settling in up-and-coming New York. Already in 1962 he founded what would be a great company in his life, the Di Fara pizzeria, on Avenida J, in Plezo heart of brooklynalong with his initial partner Farina, whom he bought out in 1978.
Faced with the certain snobbery of New York society that looked with disdain at the rise of pizzerias and places with fewer resources, already detached from the pure Neapolitan tradition, DeMarco, with a humble kitchen and authentic devotion to his work, built a bridge of twinning between cultures , embracing pizza more than neighborhood. Di Fara demonstrated that a quality and tasty snack could also be offered with gas oven and without having to import expensive Italian ingredients, making concessions to the multiculturalism of American cuisine.
The pizzas, whole or in generous portionsin the purest New York style –pizza slices-, they did not take long to create devotion in the neighborhood and even beyond the city itself. Di Fara Pizza is not often missing from the lists of the best pizzas in the country, as an essential gastronomic destination or unavoidable appointment for anyone who passes through New York. Although the first years the menu included other pasta or soup options, the fervor for pizzas ended up unseating to the other dishes.
DeMarco, often nicknamed “the godfather of pizza”, also earned the sympathy and affection of his neighbors and customers, among whom were such well-known names as Anthony Bourdain. The often long lines on the street led the family to open a second location in the same neighborhood, but DeMarco continued in her kitchen until the end of his life, cutting fresh basil from the same plant that was always on the premises. He passed away yesterday, March 17, at the age of 85.
Images | Di Fara Pizza
Direct to the Palate | 31 pizza recipes: a pizza for each day of the month
Direct to the Palate | Homemade pizza dough recipe: the easiest and most effective version