Iconic New Jersey pizza maker Al Santillo is counting the days until he is back in action.
ELIZABETH, NJ — It was in the chilly, early morning hours of Jan. 6, 2024, when Al Santillo’s world turned upside down. The iconic Santillo’s Brick Oven Pizza building on South Broad Street in Elizabeth caught fire and badly burned the back end of both his main floor business and second-floor residence. Despite the rapid arrival and heroic efforts of the Elizabeth Fire Department, the damage had been done and it looked like just another Garden State landmark that was going to be lost forever.
The cause of that blaze to this day has never been officially determined, but Santillo has his own suspicions. He points out that many older bakeries and pizzerias have succumbed to fires that start above their ovens due to antiquated codes and insufficient safeguards. Making matters worse, Santillo had been denied fire insurance by countless companies through decades, telling the frustrated pizza maker that they “did not have a program that you fit into.” In other words: Too bad, not our problem.
Santillo’s grandfather started this business back in 1918; his father took over in 1957 and Al himself has been at the helm of the family dynasty, making award-winning pizzas and bread since 1985. This fire wasn’t just about another old structure burning down. It was about tradition. Local history. Family legacy. This blaze was personal and painful but Santillo is a resilient fighter with a heart of gold. The pizzeria had to be resurrected… but how and how much?
Things were looking bleak for Santillo, when Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage stepped in and declared, “I want this legendary family business to reopen as soon as possible.” Bollwage made sure that all red tape would be cut so the rebuild could happen as soon as possible. The only problem, Santillo found out quickly, was that this renovation and rebirth was going to cost a lot of money … maybe too much money to make this comeback a reality.
Enter dynamic Dave Portnoy, the charismatic mastermind behind Barstool Sports and devoted pizza connoisseur. Santillo had made a memorable appearance on a classic November 2018 episode of Portnoy’s Barstool Pizza “One Bite Review” video series and they became fast friends. When asked why the two bonded so quickly, Santillo replied it was more than just because of their mutual love of pizza: “Dave has become my No. 1 supporter. What I love about him is that you instantly know where you stand with this guy. He’s a straight shooter like me who doesn’t tolerate any (expletive).”
Within weeks of learning about the Santillo blaze, Portnoy channeled his popular public persona and considerable clout into helping the Santillos rebuild the family business. He had organized the inaugural Coney Island One Bite Pizza Fest in 2023 and, one year later, turned it into a fundraising event at Randall’s Island to cover Santillo’s rising expenses. All proceeds raised have gone to and continue to go to helping Al rebuild and a Facebook page called Santillo’s Volunteers allows the general public to make smaller but much-needed donations.
As far as the newly completed oven is concerned, will it be safer? Santillo turned to master bricklayer mason John Rennie at nearby Duddy Contracting Refractories to handle the task. Modern precautions and procedures have been implemented for maximal safety, including three thick layers of sheetrock to prevent above-oven overheating. As far as insurance is concerned, Santillo is shopping around but still getting the old run-a-round.
Santillo is a good-natured, hardworking survivor and the local and national news outlets and social media have been drawn to his story as well as his family’s place in Elizabeth lore. He may be an undeniable titan of the east coast pizza kingdom, but Santillo is a humble and grateful one. He has appeared on the aforementioned “One Bite Reviews” with his pal Portnoy, as well as countless features on CBS News, WPIX-11, News 12 NJ, Star-Ledger, nj.com, Frank Pinella’s “Pizza With Frank” show and several lighthearted segments with his old friends “BatDave & Strochak: The Bite Guys” on their popular foodie video series.
Despite his endless energy and boyish charm, Santillo is now into his mid-60s, but insists that he still has a few good pizza-making years left in him. As of this writing, there is no heir apparent to his century-plus family empire, although his wife of 47 years, the lovely Lorraine, is probably hoping that Al finds a worthy successor sooner than later. Santillo has not announced an official grand re-opening date yet, but he is confident that if all goes well, he will be back creating pizza magic by late-September.
When asked how the last 18 months have felt not being in the ring, the feisty pizza champ replied without hesitation: “It hasn’t been easy because making pizza is more than just a passion to me; it’s my very being.”
To purchase tickets for September’s mouth-watering One Bite Pizza Festival at Randall’s Island, go to onebitepizzafestival.com. Check out santillopizza.com for updates and information concerning Santillo’s grand reopening celebration.
Photos by David VanDeventer
