ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) – A little more than a month ago, dozens of stateline residents revealed their favorite convenience store pizza .
Now it’s time to turn to the local Italian restaurant scene that has been delivering what has been called some of the best pizza in the country for many years.
But, what defines a signature Rockford pizza? Two longtime restauranteurs say it’s all in the ingredients.
“You have to treat your pizza like a baby, I guess,” said Frank Calvanese, owner of Deli Italia and the original owner of Little Italy that operated in downtown Rockford for many years. “Your dough, you gotta use quality cheese, premium cheese, good sauce, of course.”
Those ingredients, and everything else that creates the essence of a Rockford pizza, must be fresh.
“Fresh mushrooms, fresh green peppers, fresh onions, fresh garlic. Sausage. Homemade sausage,” said John Frisella, who’s been making pizza in Rockford at John’s Italian Restaurant since 1974.
“Not only are the ingredients, themselves, very important, how they’re used is crucial to making a true gourmet pie.