Ray's Pizza
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ray's Pizza, or variations such as "Ray's Original Pizza," "Famous Ray's Pizza," "World-Famous Original Ray's Pizza,", etc, is the name of dozens of pizzerias in New York City. These establishments do not form any single franchise (although a few Ray's owners have multiple locations) and are generally completely independent of each other, although many have near identical menus and may even share signs and logos.
Contents |
[edit] History
The oldest of the current Ray's Pizzas was opened by Ralph (Raffie) Cuomo of Little Italy, Manhattan at 27 Prince Street in 1959 near the country's first pizzeria Lombardi's. His pizzeria was probably better known for serving something other than pizza. Cuomo was sentenced to four years in 1998 for running a heroin ring out of the pizzeria with the Lucchese crime family.[1] Now out of jail he still operates the restaurant. He has never taken credit for the boom in the Ray's Pizzas. He does display articles in the restaurant noting that his is the oldest existing restaurant of that name.
The spur for "a Ray's on every corner" in the 1970s, was Ray's at 6th Avenue and 11th Street owned by two brothers who immigrated from a town named Roio del Sangro in the Abruzzi region of Italy. The marquis now has in big letters "The Famous Ray's Pizza" and in smaller letters "Famous Ray's of Greenwich Village." It served a thick "eat it with a fork" slice which overtook New York in the ensuing years for a time making a classic thin-crusted New York street slice difficult to find.
Mario DiRienzo, the former owner, had this explanation for the name:
- It's a small town I come from. Although I am a Mario, in Roio I am also a Ray. The name Ray is a nickname for the family name of Di Rienzo. Every family has a nickname in my town. Someone asks, 'Did you see Mario?' and there are so many Marios in town you have to ask 'Which Mario?', so the answer is Mario Ray. And so my restaurant became The Famous Ray's Pizza. If it were The Famous Mario's, you would have to ask 'Which Mario?'[1]
There was a Ray's avalanche of the '80s. In 2006 there were 47 (according to the telephone directory).
The number of Ray's Pizza pizzerias became so ridiculous one pizzeria owner opted to name his pizzeria Not Ray's Pizza.
[edit] Ray's Pizza in popular culture
The ubiquity of "Ray's Pizza" restaurants in New York City, and the similarity of their names, has been spoofed in popular culture:
- On The Simpsons, the 1997 episode "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson" depicts a pizzeria displaying a sign reading "Original Famous Ray's -- Not Affiliated with Famous Original Ray's."
- On Seinfeld, in the 1998 episode "The Maid", Kramer becomes lost in Manhattan and calls Jerry for help, leading to the following exchange:
- Kramer: I miss home, and I don't even know how to get there.
- Jerry: What's around you?
- Kramer: I'm lookin' at Ray's Pizza. You know where that is?
- Jerry: Is it Famous Ray's?
- Kramer: No. It's Original Ray's.
- Jerry: Famous Original Ray's?
- Kramer: It's just Original, Jerry!
Other references:
- On Futurama, the 2001 episode "A Tale Of Two Santas", Bender becomes the new Santa Claus and gets accused of crimes against humanity at "Famous Original Ray's Superior Court."
- Another Futurama episode features the characters eating at "Original Cosmic Ray's Pizza".
- In the Will Ferrell movie Elf, Santa Claus warns the title character of the dangers he will face in New York, including that "there are, like, thirty Ray's Pizzas. They all claim to be the original. But the real one's on 11th."
- The music video "Me and Mia" by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists takes place above a Ray's Pizza.
[edit] See also
- New York-style pizza
- Chicago-style pizza
- St. Louis-style pizza
- California-style pizza
- The Maid (Seinfeld episode)
