The New Haven Museum (NHM) will open a new free-admission exhibit titled “Pronounced Ah-Beetz”, exploring the history, culture, and legacy of New Haven-style apizza.
The exhibit traces pizza’s origins from Italy’s working-class food to its rise in New Haven, highlighting the city’s “Big 3” iconic pizzerias — Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana, Sally’s Apizza, and Modern Apizza — and how they became national favorites. It will also showcase other local pizzerias such as Ernie’s, Zuppardi’s, BAR, Zeneli’s, Olde World, and the Big Green Pizza Truck, portraying the deep ties between family, food, and community.
Co-curated by Jason Bischoff-Wurstle (NHM), and Gorman Bechard, Dean Falcone, and Colin M. Caplan — the team behind the documentary “Pizza, A Love Story” — the exhibit features:
- Artifacts, oral histories, and memorabilia from local collections.
- Video footage from the documentary.
- Replicas of the “Big 3” pizzerias, complete with a realistic brick oven.
- Short histories of Foxon Park Soda and locally served beers
The idea originated in 2009 during the making of the documentary, with Caplan recognized as the main historian of New Haven pizza. Recently, following a trip to Washington, D.C., where Representative Rosa DeLauro declared New Haven the “Pizza Capital of the U.S.”, the curators expanded the project with new materials.
The exhibit’s title, “Pronounced Ah-Beetz,” reflects the authentic New Haven pronunciation of apizza (from Italian la pizza). It will be on display through October 2027.
