Amazing America: Inside the tradition of Old Forge, the ‘Pizza Capital of the World’

OLD FORGE, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — In Old Forge, the “Pizza Capital of the World,” there’s only one rule: don’t ask for a pie, ask for a tray.

Old Forge-style pizza is baked in a rectangular pan and served by the tray, with each slice known as a “cut.” While every pizzeria has its own spin, the style is best known for blending mozzarella with white American or mild cheddar cheese. It typically comes in two varieties: red, topped with tomato sauce and cheese, and white, featuring a double crust filled with onions, herbs, and melted cheese.

Old Forge pizza traces its roots to the early 1900s, when local grandmothers baked affordable rectangular pizzas for coal miners and card players. Many consider Ghigiarelli’s the birthplace of the style, where “Grandma” Ghigiarelli began serving pan-baked rectangular pizza at her tavern in 1962.

Meet the team at Arcaro & Genell, a local favorite since 1962. While best known for its signature pizza, the restaurant offers much more. Amanda Krappa highlighted the menu, while owner Angelo Genell shared what makes their pizza unique, and how customers can enjoy it nationwide.

“We sell a lot of our homemade pastas, homemade desserts. In the last year, started bottling our sauce. You can get those in all your local grocery stores. We really sell anything the customer wants,” said Amanda Krappa.

“Everybody’s a little different, but it’s all basically the same style pizza. We make our dough here fresh every day. We blend our cheeses, our tomato sauce, our pizza sauces are made here all the time, which, like Amanda said, are bottled. We started making sweet sauce recently. We ship pizza everyday through Goldbelly. So, you can get it nationwide, and into Canada from Goldbelly every day, along with the sauce. And we also do a lot of catering. Whether its pizza, and then full-service catering, on and off premise,” said Angelo Genell.

Arcaro & Genell said it welcomes customers from across the country and around the world.

“It’s amazing how many people come. Like the other day, Pop told me about these people,” said Amelia Genell.

“They were coming in on their way to Washington to go to the 4th of July event in Washington. They stopped here on their way,” said Angelo Genell.

“I also know people who come here when they go to Canada to see their people,” said Amelia Genell.

Next, meet Mary Lou Verdetto and Joe Janesko of Mary Lou’s Pizza. Fresh off celebrating 25 years in business, Janesko shared what it means to be part of Old Forge’s pizza tradition and what keeps customers coming back.

“There’s a long tradition of Old Forge pizza that we’re proud to be a part of. It’s somewhere in the middle of a Sicilian and a New York style,” said Janesko.

“We have homemade pasta, homemade sauce, pizza. We make our dough fresh every day. We offer takeout, dine in, and then on Saturday nights, we have pasta nights,” said Janesko.

Also meet Pat Revello of Revello’s Pizza, where family tradition has shaped every tray since 1967. Revello noted how generations have passed down the restaurant’s signature approach to Old Forge-style pizza.

“We do fresh dough here every day, seven days a week. We’ve been having the same people now, I can’t tell you how long. My cousin works here. She’s been here forever. Her mom’s been here forever. So, we have a lot of people that have been doing the same dough and cheese and sauce for a long time,” said Pat Revello.

Over the years, Old Forge pizza owners said their greatest reward is seeing customers return time and again, with many families making a visit part of their tradition.

“You see different generations coming through of the same family. They become family after a certain amount of time,” said Janesko.

“They came with their parents, now they have their own children or grandchildren. So, when you’re here 64 years, you go through a lot of different generations. It’s always good for them to come back. Even when they sit in the restaurant, they say, like, this is where we used to sit when we were kids. And this is what we had. But we’ve changed a little bit here, but we’re still basically where we started,” said Angelo Genell.

Being part of this close-knit community means more than business, said Revello. Explaining that while they may be competitors, they continue to support and help one another.

“These are not only our best friends, but best neighbors in the world. And each one of them will tell you the same thing. We’re kind of like, ‘Who’s going to borrow what? Who’s going to run over here and grab that?’ We look out for each other and like I said, we’re best friends,” said Pat Revello.

Old Forge is home to 14 to 15 pizza shops within its three-square-mile town.