Pasquale (Patsy) D’Amore started making pizza in Brooklyn in 1925. It became a favorite from Brooklyn to the North End of Boston. In 1939, Patsy and his brother closed their east coast shop and moved to Los Angeles. Patsy introduced his first pizza in Los Angeles in 1939 at Casa D’Amore, the restaurant he and his brother opened in Hollywood. Ten years later, he and his brother opened a food stall at the Los Angeles Farmers Market, and a year later in 1950 they opened another restaurant, Villa Capri, in Hollywood. All three locations became destination points for locals, tourists and celebrities. Villa Capri was a favorite restaurant of Jackie Gleason, Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and many other Hollywood elite.
While Villa Capri and Casa D’Amore are no longer standing, Filomena D’Amore, Patsy’s daughter, continues the family recipes and traditions at
Patsy D’Amore’s Pizza at the Farmers Market. Patsy D’Amore’s offers patrons their famous pizza in slices and full pizzas. Other menu offerings include calzones, sandwiches, pasta, soups, salads and much more. Everything from the sauces to the salad dressing is made fresh daily.
Celebrating Pizza and the Pizza Business
Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the U.S. In fact, Americans consume over 3 billion pizzas each year, with a typical person eating 46 slices of pizza per year. That's a lot of pizza! According to
Pizza Magazine’s 2018 annual report, the U.S. pizza market is a $45.1 billion industry containing 75,200 pizzerias of all shapes and sizes, from independent shops to franchise operations. Today’s pizza ranges from the traditional pepperoni and cheese to gluten-free, cauliflower crust and specialty toppings ranging from potatoes to shrimp or BBQ chicken.
The first pizzeria opened in Italy in 1738 and the first one in the U.S. opened in New York City in 1895. Italian immigrants have been sharing pizza in the U.S. for decades. But, it was the returning American World War II troops who brought pizza popularity to new heights. In fact, pizza is so popular in the U.S. that it is celebrated twice in a year: October is National Pizza Month and February 9 is
National Pizza Day. The origin of National Pizza Day is lost to history. However, we do know the origin for
National Pizza Month; the month-long designation was created in 1984 by Gerry Durnell, a pizzeria owner from Indiana and the founder of Pizza Today, who chose October because the first issue of his new magazine was being released that month.
Today,
94% of Americans say that they eat pizza on a regular basis with thin crust pizza being the most preferred (61%) and meat toppings beating out the vegetables for favorite toppings at 62% to 38%. The top pizza sales days are Super Bowl Sunday, New Year’s Eve and Halloween.
Protecting Family-Owned Small Business Dreams
Family-owned small business, like Patsy D’Amore Pizza, are a vital part of the U.S. economy. Filomena D’Amore is the second generation to run the stand at the Los Angeles Farmers Market. According to
reporting by SCORE, of the 28.8 million small businesses in the U.S., 19 percent are family-owned with 1.2 million of these businesses run by a husband and wife. Family-owned businesses attribute their long-term success to good governance and a positive culture. They keep money in their local communities and promote strong customer service values.
AmTrust Financial focuses on the needs of family-owned small businesses across the country. We offer an extensive menu of risk management solutions from workers’ compensation coverage to loss control services, proactive claims management and additional protection for our insured’s day-to-day operations. Our
Loss Control Department works with businesses like Patsy D’Amore’s Pizza to make the work environment safer for workers and customers.
AmTrust Inspired
Patsy D’Amore’s Pizza is #AmTrustInsured and we are excited to be able to tell their story. Our insured inspire us every day by the
hard work and dedication they and their employees put into their small businesses. We recently launched
AmTrust Inspired, highlighting the relationship and sharing the inspirational stories between agent, insured and AmTrust.
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This material is for informational purposes only and is not legal or business advice. Neither AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. nor any of its subsidiaries or affiliates represents or warrants that the information contained herein is appropriate or suitable for any specific business or legal purpose. Readers seeking resolution of specific questions should consult their business and/or legal advisors. Coverages may vary by location. Contact your local RSM for more information.