Ellio's Pizza
Ellio's Pizza is an American brand of frozen pizza owned and distributed by McCain Foods, a Canadian corporation, and sold in grocery stores in the Northeastern United States.
History
In 1963, Ellio's Pizza was founded in the Long Island, New York town of Great Neck by Elias Betzios and George Liolis.[1] Four years later, Ellio's introduced its signature "9 slice" pizza in a box comprising 3 rectangular pizzas, each divisible crosswise into three slices.[1] The pizza would retain this formulation—without toppings—for almost 40 years until 2004, when Ellio's began selling pepperoni pizza. In 2009 Ellio's began selling italian sausage pizza.[1] In 2006, Ellio's added a microwaveable pizza to its product line, adopting the more common round pizza form.
Popularity
When McCain foods acquired Ellio's in 1988, the frozen pizza brand was outselling all competitors in the New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia markets.[2] In 2007, despite a distribution limited to the Northeastern U.S., Ellio's was the 9th best selling brand in the country, with sales totaling $34,880,060.[3] According to Ellio's, their pizza remains the top selling frozen pizza in the Northeast.[1]
Preparation
The classic Ellio's pizza may be prepared only in a conventional or toaster oven. In each instance, the baking temperature is 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 °C), with the pizza baking either directly on the rack for about 9–12 minutes, or on a baking sheet for 14–16 minutes (not more than 14 minutes in a toaster oven).