PIES WITH THE CRISPY CHEESY CRUST, PLUS A RACING STRIPE OF THAT LITTLE SECRET SAUCE.
>> OH, SO GOOD. BUT WHAT YOU
MIGHT NOT KNOW IS SOME OF THE
ORIGINAL PIZZA JOINTS AROUND
TOWN ARE ALL CONNECTED. THIS
MORNING, WE’RE TAKING A LITTLE
TOUR OF THE DETROIT STYLE PIZZA
HISTORY.
>> THESE WERE THE TWO DOORS THAT
WOULD ENTER IN. AND THIS WAS THE
BAR AREA. AND IN THE 30S, IT WAS
A LITTLE RESTAURANT CALLED
FERN’S LUNCH. AND THEN LATER IT
STARTED SERVING DETROIT STYLE
PIZZA IN 1946. IF DETROIT’S
STYLE PIZZA WERE A RELIGION AND
MANY MIGHT ARGUE IT IS THIS
WOULD BE ITS CHURCH BUDDIES ON
THIS CORNER. IT’S ACTUALLY A
LEGENDARY CORNER SIX IN CONANT,
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN AND IT
SURVIVED THROUGH A LOT OF
DIFFICULT TIMES. IT WAS HERE IN
1946 WHERE GUS GUERRA SLID THE
FIRST SQUARE PAN PIZZA INTO AN
OVEN IN DETROIT.
>> IT WAS ALMOST INSTANTLY A HIT
. AND OVER THE NEXT TWO DECADES,
MANY WHO COOKED ONE WOULD
VENTURE OUT TO TRY AND
CAPITALIZE ON THE SQUARE PIE
WITH THEIR OWN BUSINESS. THE
BIRTHPLACE IS HERE.
>> THE DIFFERENT PLAYERS ALL HAD
A PART TO PLAY, BUT I ALWAYS
LIKE TO CALL THIS THE ORIGINAL
BECAUSE WHEN I STARTED TO THIS
DAY, THE PROCESSES, THE METHODS
, THE RECIPES, WE NEVER
DEPARTED.
>> BUT GUS GUERRA DID. HE BOUGHT
THE CLOVERLEAF BAR IN 1953, AND
HIS RECIPE HAS BEEN A STAPLE
THERE EVER SINCE.
>> FOR MANY YEARS. WE TRIED TO
KEEP THE RECIPE A SECRET. SO I
ALWAYS LIKE TO CALL THIS OUR 77
YEAR OVERNIGHT SUCCESS STORY.
>> THAT’S GUS’S DAUGHTER, MARIE
GUERRA EASTERBY. SHE CALLS IT
THAT BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE STILL
FINDING CLOVERLEAF FOR THE FIRST
TIME. AND AS FOR THE EXPLOSION
IN POPULARITY OF DETROIT STYLE,
I THINK OF IT AS A GREAT THING.
>> YEAH, I THINK MOM AND DAD
WOULD BE HAPPY. THEY WOULD BE
PROUD. THEY’D BE SMILING.
>> THE PANS ARE WHAT STARTED
DETROIT STYLE PIZZA AND
EVERYTHING CAME AFTER THAT. NOW
LOUIE’S PIZZA IN HAZEL PARK IS
AN INTERESTING SLICE OF THE
HISTORY HERE.
>> LOUIE TAUGHT WAS ONE OF THE
ORIGINAL CHEFS AT BUDDY’S. HE
FIRST LEFT FOR SHIELDS, AND WHEN
HE COULDN’T BUY THE PLACE, HE
STARTED HIS OWN BUSINESS
PEPPERONI, MUSHROOM. FOR THE
LAST NINE YEARS, HIS GRANDSON
NICHOLAS, HAS RUN THE PLACE THAT
MANY DECLARE IS THEIR FAVORITE.
THOSE ARE SOME SMART PEOPLE.
>> WE TRY REALLY HARD TO PUT OUT
THE BEST PRODUCT, AND WHEN I
TOOK IT OVER, I MADE A PROMISE
TO MYSELF AND MY LATE
GRANDFATHER AND MADE A PROMISE.
I PUT EVERYTHING INTO IT AND
THEN SOME.
>> THIS IS THE TWO SECOND
OWNERS, RIGHT HERE. SO FROM 1953
TO 1970, YOU GOT JIMMY
BONACCORSI AND JIMMY VALENTI.
AND THEN INTERESTING ME, THIS IS
THEIR PIZZA CHEF. THIS IS LOUIE
COURTOIS, WHO OWNS LOUIE’S IN
HAZEL PARK.
>> KAREN DEPASS WROTE THE BOOK
ON DETROIT STYLE PIZZA. NOPE.
SHE REALLY DID A DOUGH TOWN.
HISTORY IS OUT NOW, AND IT TAKES
A CLOSE LOOK AT THE THREE WAVES
OF DETROIT STYLE PIZZA MAKERS.
>> IT WAS A FUSION OF SAN MARINO
AND SICILIAN PIZZAS THAT LED US
TO THIS UNIQUE SQUARE, OUR SAUCE
ON TOP INNOVATION.
>> THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE
BRANDS ARE ALSO NO COINCIDENCE.
>> I DON’T THINK PEOPLE REALIZE
JUST HOW CLOSE OF A FAMILY
DETROIT STYLE PIZZA IS LITERALLY
, WE YOU HAVE EITHER, YOU KNOW,
PEOPLE WHO ARE IN-LAWS TO EACH
OTHER WHO ARE LITERAL BROTHERS
AND SISTERS, WHO HAVE KNOWN EACH
OTHER SINCE CHILDHOOD. SO THERE
IS A FAMILY FEUD OCCASIONALLY,
BUT IT ALWAYS COMES BACK TO THEY
LOVE AND RESPECT ONE ANOTHER.
AND ASK EACH OTHER TO EAT AT
EACH OTHER’S RESTAURANTS ON A
REGULAR BASIS. SO THERE’S A LOT
OF LOVE BETWEEN THE ORIGINAL
BRANDS. IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE
HONORED AS DETROIT STYLE. IT’S
VERY UNIQUE AND IT REALLY IS
ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR CITY THAT
WE LOVE.
>> I THINK DETROIT STYLE PIZZA
DAY SHOULD HAVE US ALL BE UNITED
AND HAPPY AND PROUD THAT THIS
PIECE HAS BECOME SO FAMOUS.
THERE’S THE NEW YORK PIZZA.
THERE’S THE CHICAGO PIZZA, AND
NOW THERE’S A DETROIT PIZZA. ALL
RIGHT, JASON, SO I KNOW YOU DID
YOUR RESEARCH AND SHE’S TALKING
ABOUT THOSE THREE WAVES.
>> WHAT EXACTLY DOES SHE MEAN?
>> WELL, AT THE END THERE YOU
HEARD MARY TALKING ABOUT HOW
IT’S BECOME KIND OF
INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN. IT’S BEEN
SO POPULAR LATELY. AND THAT’S
KIND OF BECAUSE OF THE SECOND
WAVE AND THIRD WAVE LIKE JETS
PIZZA, LIKE THE JETS BROTHERS
GREW UP WORKING IN PIZZA. THEY
STARTED THEIR OWN AND THEY KIND
OF TOOK PUT THEIR OWN SPIN ON
IT. BUT THEN YOU HAVE LIKE
DETROIT STYLE PIZZA COMPANY.
THAT WAS SEAN RANDAZZO, WHO
WORKED AT CLOVERLEAF GROWING UP.
AND THEN STARTED HIS OWN
BUSINESS. SADLY, HE PASSED AWAY
, SO HE’S GONE. BUT HIS WIFE AND
HIS MOM CARRY ON THE BUSINESS.
HE WON THIS BIG AWARD OUT IN LAS
VEGAS AND THAT KIND OF SHOT
EVERYTHING TO THE STRATOSPHERE.
AND THEN THERE’S JUST SO MANY
OTHER PIZZA JOINTS THAT SELL IT.