Mention pizza in New Jersey and you're going to get a lot of Jersey opinions. In recent years Dave Portnoy, of Barstool Sports fame, has been crisscrossing the United States doing "One bite everyone knows the rules" pizza reviews. He has hit many pizza shops here in the Garden State and there's no other city bigger for pizza then Trenton.
Trenton is one of the "was" cities we have here in New Jersey. The heydays of Paterson, Newark, Jersey City, Trenton, Camden, and Atlantic City are far gone but their contributions are widespread and still felt today. Trenton, where the "Trenton Makes the World Takes Bridge" says it all, is also the home of the tomato pie. Well, maybe not the original home, but the second home, where many claim that pizzas that are made where the cheese is laid down first before the sauce, has it's strong roots in Trenton.
The story of Trenton pie is as follows, from the two-Joe's and from some loose research I did. The first tomato pie was made in a place called Lombardi's in Manhattan in 1905 (Above). Then a place called Joe's, in Trenton, started making them in 1910. One of the workers at Joe's left and started his own place in 1912, which is the original Papa's that was located on Chambers Street (below).
Papa's original location Chambers street, Trenton
Papa's holds the title as the oldest and longest running pizzeria in the world. Lombardi's was the first, and the earliest, but they shut down for 10 years in the 1980's before reopening, while Papa's has remained open, albeit in different locations, straight through. To note, the famous tomato pie place, De Lorenzo's Tomato Pies, now Pizza, opened in Trenton in 1947. There have been, and are, plenty of places that made and still make fantastic traditional tomato pies.
The Corner Inn, South Trenton
As far as Bob Popovics, tomato pies, and The Shady Rest, it all started when his father opened a bar and restaurant in 1946 called The Corner Inn located at Centre and Lalor Streets in South Trenton (above). Bobby told me that's where he first learned how to make pizzas. In 1964 The Corner Inn was sold and the Popovics family moved to Bayville.
The "original" The Shady Rest In 1966 a pizza parlor was built in the front of the house, which is The Shady Rest (Yes, that's it above) as it sits now, after some renovations over the years. Now we know Bobby was a fisherman, what about his Dad, the original O.G.?
Well that's him above with Bob's oldest sister Lorelie. Bob always talked about fishing trips with his Dad down to the Shore or locally in the Delaware River. Could this be the earliest photo I have a Delaware River striped bass? I don't know, those fish stuck on the fence make me think this is from a salty outing.
Bob would go on and continue making the Trenton tomato pie for nearly sixty years. I took the above picture in the kitchen at The Shady when Bob made a bunch of pies for The Atlantic Saltwater Flyrodders "Tie for Trenton Pie" night in November 2023.
It was last February when I took the two Joe's, Joe Armenti and Delaware Joe, down to The Shady Rest to meet up with childhood friend Bob Popovic's for some reminiscing and Trenton tomato pie. It was a great afternoon for me to take a back seat and just take it all in as they laughed and remembered their good times growing up in the city. Bobby was from South Trenton, Delaware Joe from Chambersburg, and Armenti from Villa Park. Between the three of them they had the entire city covered.
Between takes Bobby would excuse himself to get up and make another pie. It was Lent, and a Friday, so we had to bypass any sauseeeege and went with a hair pie, or one with anchovies, and another just straight plain. It was a day I'll remember and I know the three of them cherished it as well.
So to ring in the New Year, catch up, and have a slice in honor of Bobby, we headed to Papa's Pizza which is now located a few towns away from Trenton in Robbinsville. I was in the back seat just like last year when we drove down to Bayville.
We ordered a large sausage and it was done just right, and very similar to Bobby's pies, with good sauce, chunks of sausage, and a little crisp on the crust.
I find myself often in the company of older men. I don't know if it's they just have more time available to hang or younger men today are just to busy, or don't prioritize relationships like the men before us do. I enjoy hearing about the good old days and how things just seemed to be better in years past. Their stories are always centered around where they grew up, games and fights won and lost, and lives lived to their best. Every one of us has a good story to tell and keeping up with those who experienced life together is as important in the later years as it was when we were young.
I don't know if there is anything left to create, to originate and own, and pass on to the next generation. While enjoying a tomato pie at The Shady, or at Papa's in Robbinsville, is nice, it can't compare to those days when numerous pizza joints lined the old city streets, where the smells filled the neighborhood, and people and delivery boys crisscrossed each other bringing tomato pies back to the house. And from what I hear pizza was on the table several nights a week in the old Trenton neighborhoods.