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Outside of Joe’s Pizza - Ann Arbor location. Red incandescent letters on the storefront are reminiscent of NYC. November 2, 2025, by Stella Moelis.
The Slice with History
The Slice with History
by Stella Moelis
The slightly sweet sauce, perfectly seasoned with basil and oregano burns the roof of my mouth. Hot grease drips down my hand and the bubbling cheese almost slides off right onto the sidewalk. This is the most convenient food in New York City.
Growing up in Manhattan, the large, warm, red incandescent letters spelling out “pizza” above the entrance to the corner store are engrained in my mind. Inside each of these stores is a glass case containing 16-inch, thin crust pizzas with a wide variety of toppings. My go-to pizzeria, Little Italy, has everything from the classic regular cheese (my personal favorite), to the ever-debated pineapple, to one topped with pasta, of all things. Something for everyone. There’s one thing for certain, in NYC you’re going to get a reliable slice of crust, sauce, cheese, and any topping you can imagine (Akpan and Leventhal). That is how the New York slice catapulted to fame on the world stage: dependability.
New York’s pizza connection all started with immigration. “By 1920, nearly a quarter of the 1.6 million Italian immigrants in America lived in New York City — and they brought along a bunch of bedroom-sized coal- and wood-fired ovens” (Akpan and Leventhal). This presence is still prominent and an integral part of the “melting pot” that is NYC today. On my own adventures in downtown Manhattan, I’ve seen red, white, and green lights strung across the streets, welcoming me to explore Little Italy. The wafting aromas of fresh tomato sauces, pastas, and pizzas have pulled me in to come grab authentic Italian food. It is one of the most lively parts of the city, with some of the best food.
Photo of the inside of Joe’s Pizza - Ann Arbor. The glass case holds the thin NY style slices. November 2, 2025, by Stella Moelis.
Pizza’s history goes back much further though, to the 1800s in Naples when it was viewed as a food of the commoners. It was Queen Margherita, who according to legend, forever changed the way people viewed pizza. When people saw a royal enjoying a commoner food and giving it approval, they decided it was acceptable for them to eat as well (Nowak). Whether or not this rumor is true remains to be definitively decided, but it is a large reason why pizza rose to popularity amongst all classes in Italy and beyond.
The first pizzas in the US were made in coal and wood fired ovens. Lombardi’s in lower Manhattan is said to be the first to begin using these ovens in the early 1900’s, possibly even before then (McCart). These ovens require immense precision as they cook at very high heats and produce charred crusts, making cooking in these a hard art to master. These pies, despite being delicious, are hard to reheat, making the slices unsuitable as grab-and-go meals for the fast paced city, a necessity of the NY slice (Akpan and Leventhal).
Two classic cheese slices from Joe's, larger than the plate and glistening with oil. November 2, 2025, by Stella Moelis.
Thankfully, the gas fired oven was developed and the New York slice was born; savory tomato sauce and bubbling cheese on top of a perfectly thin, chewy yet crispy crust. These ovens cook at a lower heat than coal fired ovens, at around 600 instead of 900 degrees (McCart). This dries out the slice and makes it very easily reheatable, having the same great taste hours later. This ability to reheat sparked the classic New York pizza, making it easy for New Yorkers like me to walk out of any store with a single slice that tastes just as good as it did fresh out of the oven.
Growing up in New York City, I’ve eaten thousands of pizza slices, each triggering the same feeling of instant pleasure, and initiating a flood of memories. The oil running down my hands reminds me of the time my favorite cashier at Little Italy on 72nd and Broadway gave me and my friends free garlic knots just for being regulars. The warm aromas of freshly cooked dough transport me to Pizza Pizzazz in Shrub Oak, NY with my family after a long weekend of camping. The New York slice holds weight and memories for everyone who grew up or lived in NYC, thanks to its dependability and the world-changing invention of the gas fired oven.
Works Cited
Akpan, Nsikan, and Jamie Leventhal. "How the New York pizza slice became universal." PBS
News, PBS, 15 Mar. 2019, pbs.org/newshour/science/how-the-new-york-pizza-slice-became-universal. Accessed 6
Nov. 2025.
McCart, Melissa. "New York Pizza Is an Evolution in Four Acts." Eater, Vox Media, 6 Aug 2024, New York, ny.eater.com/24203592/new-york-pizza-history-evolution. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Moelis, Stella. Outside of Joe’s Pizza - Ann Arbor location. 2 Nov. 2025. Author's personal
collection.
Moelis, Stella. Interior of Joe’s Pizza. 2 Nov. 2025. Author's personal collection.
Moelis, Stella. Two slices of NY style pizza from Joe's. 2 Nov. 2025. Author's personal collection.
Nowak, Zachary. "Folklore, Fakelore, History: Invented Tradition and the Origins of the Pizza
Margherita.” Food, Culture, & Society, vol. 17, no. 1, 2014, p. 103-124. Taylor & Francis Online, doi.org/10.2752/175174414X13828682779249. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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