Made in New Jersey: Papa’s Tomato Pies keeps a 114-year-old family tradition alive
Owner Michael Hardwick says the family business dates to 1912, when Giuseppe Papa opened his first pizzeria in the Italian section of Trenton.
More Stories
New Jersey is full of history and pizza, and at Papa’s Tomato Pies in Robbinsville, the two have been coming together for more than a century.
Owner Michael Hardwick says the family business dates to 1912, when Giuseppe Papa opened his first pizzeria in the Italian section of Trenton.
“Being an immigrant looking to better themselves and start a family,” Hardwick said. “They had the passion for pizza.”
Papa’s has moved since then, but the business has stayed in the family for three generations.
The approach remains traditional and no-frills. Every pizza is made by hand, and Papa’s only sells whole pies, not individual slices.
“Each pie is like a snowflake,” Hardwick said. “The placement of the sauce is always different.”
Along with its traditional pizzas, Papa’s has become known for its unusual mustard pie, which uses mustard as a base and continues to grow in popularity.
The restaurant now makes more than 100,000 pies a year, but Hardwick says that growth hasn’t changed the family feel of the business.
“It means that you have a larger family than what you think you have,” Hardwick said.
More than a century after Giuseppe Papa started making pizza, the family is still serving up its recipes and traditions in New Jersey.
