Patsy Grimaldi, a pizza pioneer who changed the game, has passed away at 93.
If there’s one thing New Yorkers take seriously, it’s a good slice, and Patsy delivered. He championed the coal-fired, brick-oven pizza and turned his businesses in Dumbo into major success stories.
His first foray into the NYC culinary world, Patsy played into his roots and worked at his family’s East Harlem restaurant, Patsy’s Pizzeria (where he had his first date with late wife, Carol Abbe in 1969.) From there, he took matters into his own hands, ventured into Brooklyn, and opened Patsy’s Pizzeria (later named Grimaldi’s) alongside his wife, Carol, in 1990. To top it off, he commissioned the first coal oven built in NYC in over 50 years for his business, according to The New York Post.
In the mid-90s, a controversy erupted after his aunt had sold the name of the restaurant, and he was forced to changed Patsy’s in Brooklyn to Grimaldi’s. In turn, Patsy handed over the biz to Frank Ciolli, who moved the restaurant next door to its current home (1 Front Street, Brooklyn) following a landlord disagreement. Patsy, however, had pizza sauce in his blood and didn’t take a long hiatus: In 2012, he opened Juliana’s in Dumbo, right next to Grimaldi’s, in honor of his mother.
More than just a pizza perfectionist, Patsy was well-known in the neighborhood for nightly visits to interact with staffers and patrons.
“Pasty was such a presence,” one user wrote on Instagram. “He seemed like a character out of a movie, but was so down to earth, so warm, so generous, he instilled every aspect of that place with love.”
Another added, “When I moved in with my brother into a 210-square foot studio on Remsen in 1998, eating Patsy’s for the first time was revelatory.”
And let’s not forget that his genius business move into Kings County is what brought this area of Downtown Brooklyn on the map. Before the pizzerias, the area was nowhere near as vibrant as it is today, with the exception of The River Café, one of the most beautiful restaurants in NYC.
Now, if you head to this sweet spot in Brooklyn, you’ll be waiting quite awhile for a table. And the wait is with good reason: the pies are delectable, the environment is welcoming, and Juliana’s — and Grimaldi’s — is where the city’s modern pizza shops fist got their start.
Juliana’s will honor Patsy’s memory and close on Wednesday, February 19th.