Raffaele Esposito

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Raffaele Esposito was the Italian owner of a tavern called Pizzeria di Pietro e Basta Cosi in the Nineteenth Century. It is suggested by some that he was the father of the modern pizza, having cooked one for Queen Margherita of Savoy to welcome her to Naples in 1889. Deeming the traditional garlic topping to be unfit for the royal palate, Esposito instead used a combination of tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil to emulate the colors of the Italian flag.