Pizza Wagon of Bay Ridge

Nunzio’s Pizza Wagon

On May 6th, 2013 Victoria Parente and Gabriella Perrina go to Brooklyn to visit Nunzio’s Pizza Wagon.

Interview with one of the managers Vitangelo Parente:

-Who is Nunzio?

Nunzio Zingaro has been the owner of Pizza Wagon since 1985. He was born in a small town in Italy called Baia E Latina in 1935. He immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of 19. In order to help support his family he began working in the United States immediately upon arrival. He had various jobs for many years. After about two years he had the opportunity to go to a barber school. He opened a barber shop in Manhattan with his father that was very successful. The Barber Shop is still owned and operated by members of his family today. Although Nunzio is the owner of Pizza Wagon he never actually physically worked there. The reason he purchased the Pizzeria was to give his children the opportunity to run the business.

-Was he the first and only owner?

No Nunzio was not the first and only owner. He purchased the pizzeria in 1985 from his wife’s brother, Philip Tucciarone who opened the business in 1966. Even though Philip owned and operated the Pizzeria, he never actually made the pizza or the dough.

-Where was the original owner from?

Philip Tucciarone was from a small town in Italy called Minturno.

-When did he come to America? How old was he?

Philip and his family came to America in 1946 when he was 17 years old.

-When and why did he open up the pizzeria?

He opened up Pizza Wagon in 1966 to start a business opportunity for himself to help support his family.

-Why did he open it up in Bay Ridge?

Philip found the store for rent and thought the high traffic neighborhood would be good for a pizza establishment.

-How was it running a business in America as an Italian?

It was a little difficult but the neighborhood was mostly Italians, Irish, and Greeks making it a bit more ethnic friendly.

-How many managers are there and who are they?

There are two current managers. Anthony Zingaro who is the son of Nunzio and Vitangelo Parente who is Nunzio’s son in law.

-When/Why/how did you start working here? ( To manager Vitangelo)

Vito started working at the pizzeria in 1984, when it was still owned by Philip. Vito’s brother started working at the pizzeria before him and then Vito came to get a job as well.

-Did you have prior experience in working in a pizzeria or restaurant?

Yes. Vito’s brother in law owned a pizzeria/restaurant as well, where Vito would work from time to time.

-What were your immediate responsibilities when you first started working here?

Vito immediately started making pizzas and serving customers.

-How many employees work here?

There are about 17 employees.

-When does your average work day begin and end?

Vito gets to the pizzeria at 6:00 A.M. and leaves by 3:30 P.M. (on Fridays, holidays and other busy days the day can end much later).

-What time does the pizzeria open and close?

Pizza Wagon opens at 10:00 A.M. and closes at 1:00 A.M.

-Why do you go to the pizzeria four hours before it opens?

Everything at the pizzeria is made fresh daily. The work space is very small. There is no kitchen, what you see is what you get. After everything is made and prepared for the day, the mess has to be cleaned up before customers arrive.

-How much was a slice of pizza in 1966?

When the pizzeria first opened a slice of pizza cost 15 cents.

 -How much is a slice of pizza today?

A slice of pizza today is $2.25.

Our Visit as a whole:

Our visit to Pizza Wagon taught us a lot about the pizzeria. We learned the history of the pizzeria and how it started. We also learned a lot about a day in the pizzeria. We got to see Vito make a batch of dough for the day and also make pizza. Both the recipes for the pizza and the dough have stayed the same since the pizzeria opened back in 1966. The pizzeria is a very small place but is a very well known place in the neighborhood. We made sure to taste both a regular slice and a Sicilian slice. An additional fun fact that we learned during our visit was that Gino’s Italian Ices (establishment from our last visit) are sold at Pizza Wagon. During the warmer months the managers at Pizza Wagon order ices from Giovanni Grano to sell at the pizzeria.