John’s of Bleecker Street, the historic pizzeria in Greenwich Village, replaced their classic benches in 2024 and donated two of the original benches to Slice Out Hunger. They’ve been a key part of the pizzeria’s identity, with the names of decades worth of customers etched into the wood. When the pizzeria pulled out the old benches, they set two aside for me. I called up Frank Pinello of Best Pizza and he met me with his trusty pickup truck to cart the benches to safety at an undisclosed storage unit location in Brooklyn. They’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity and that opportunity just so happens to be TONIGHT!
Both benches are currently available at auction, with 100% of proceeds benefitting Slice Out Hunger! The auction is accessible here and we’ll have one of the benches on display at F&F Pizzeria for anyone who would like to see one in person. The end of the auction at 10:30pm ET actually coincides with the end of tonight’s F&F Pizza Series event featuring Sally’s Apizza from New Haven and Wylie Dufresne of Stretch Pizza. You can get tickets for that event here.
John’s of Bleecker Street is one of the most iconic pizzerias in NYC and its history is actually more interesting than most people know. Although they claim to have opened in 1929, the pizzeria actually dates back to 1916 (possibly even earlier). It’s called John’s Pizzeria today, but it was actually founded under the name Pizzeria Port’Alba by John Sasso’s wife’s uncle (Filippo Milone). It’s been passed down from generation to generation through marriages and in-laws. The current owner is Bobby Vittoria, whose uncle was the brother-in-law of John Sasso’s daughter Lucy. The pizzeria moved to its current location in 1938, which is when its name changed to John’s Pizzeria Port Alba. John’s son-in-law Joe Vesce sold the business to his brother Augustine “Chubby” Vesce, whose wife’s sister Kitty (Katherine) married a guy named Rudy Cascone. That’s the guy who made these benches for the main dining room in the late 1950s. This is all according to current majority owner Bobby Vittoria.
We’re excited to be auctioning off two of Rudy’s benches! This is a huge opportunity for any pizza lover, NYC lover, or really anyone with a love of history.
