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PIZZA WARS: New Jersey residents balk at Connecticut’s claim it’s the ‘Pizza Capital’

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont recently changed his state's welcome signs to read "Home of the Pizza Capital of the United States." This did not sit well with New Jersey officials and residents.

Jim Murdoch

Sep 5, 2024, 5:56 PM

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There's a war taking place - and it's being fought with cheese, dough, and sauce.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont recently changed his state's welcome signs to read "Home of the Pizza Capital of the United States."

This did not sit well with New Jersey officials and residents. Gov. Phil Murphy fired back, tweeting "You're not even the pizza capital of the Tri-State area.”

[twitter] https://twitter.com/GovMurphy/status/1831433349153624472 [/twitter]

Everyone in New Jersey already knows the whole world is jealous of our pizza. Why? Because we have something for everyone. From thin crust to Trenton tomato pie to upside-down square, the Garden State has it all right here.

"There is no bad pizza in the state,” says Christian DeLucia.

DeLucia is a fourth-generation pizza maker - where wait times often exceed two hours at the 107-year-old Raritan Borough pizza powerhouse.

[twitter] https://twitter.com/GovMurphy/status/1831794702422778054 [/twitter]

"You can't go wrong with it. You have that nice, thin dough with a nice snappy crunchy crust and if you do it right, the sauce the cheese ratio should be perfect," said DeLucia.

"This is a religious experience," said Chicago native Stefan Osdene after biting into a DeLucia's slice. "This is so phenomenal I think it would be hard-pressed to find a better piece of pizza anywhere."

"It's crispy yet fluffy. It's like a pillow," said Peter Grippo, describing his upside-down Brooklyn Square Pizza in Jackson.

Grippo left Brooklyn 20 years ago to open his own shop in Jackson.

"From Wildwood to Mahwah, there are places in Jersey all over the state,” said Grippo.

“Not up there in Connecticut?” asked reporter Jim Murdoch.

“No. You hear one town. New Haven, New Haven, New Haven!" Grippo replied.

"If you want a classic traditional Trenton tomato pie there's no better place to come than DeLorenzo's tomato pie," said Matthew Pizza, manager at DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies in Robbinsville.

"This is what pizza was probably 100 years ago when Italian immigrants came to this country and that's why this is so special," said Osdene.

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