Earlier this year, the legendary Elizabeth pizzeria, Santillo’s Brick Oven Pizza, suffered a major fire overnight that damaged the space beyond what many thought was possible to repair. However, owner and pizzaiolo Al Santillo, hasn’t lost sight of his comeback. In fact, he tells me that his devotion to the pizzeria is so strong, that giving up was never an option.
Santillo’s Brick Oven Pizza is one of our Top 40 Pizzas in NJ
Rebuilding “The Cathedral”: Santillo’s Century-Old Brick Oven
The Santillo’s fire was unique in that it damaged a piece of equipment that is crucial to the operation: the oven. Santillo’s oven was built over 100 years ago for baking bread when Al’s grandfather Lou opened the operation. When Alfred Santillo (Al’s father) overtook the operation in the 1940s, he added pizza to the menu and Santillo’s began to take off.
It’s not as simple as just replacing the oven, in fact, it’s virtually impossible to build an oven of this type today as many local fire codes bar it. Furthermore, the oven is part of the reason Santillo’s pizza has such a cult following. “The operation is really three things,” Santillo tells me. “Me, the oven and the recipe. They didn’t call it ‘the recipe’ back in the day though, they called it ‘the formula.’”
These three parts are what has established Santiillo’s as not just an institution in New Jersey, but a nationally recognized pizza landmark that aficionados will travel to sample. And without the oven, a necessary piece is missing.
Santillo has had several people in to look at the oven and draw up a plan for repair. For many of these professionals, it was the first oven of this kind that they had ever seen in person. “They can’t conceive that this oven is 100-years old. It was built to last.” That last part is no joke, a fire of this magnitude would have completely destroyed any modern oven, but the Santillo’s oven still shows hope. Santillo equates the craftsmanship of it to the Roman aqueducts—this idea that before modern technology, things were built to last.
Resilience aside, the product speaks for itself. Santillo’s pizza is unmistakable—in its own category of excellence. “Everybody knows the product is better coming out of a brick oven like this,” says Santillo. “But it took two bakers all night to make 600 loaves, and that’s on a good night. Now, you can have two bakers make 1500 loaves in modern ovens. The bread was better, but the price point wasn’t.” The same idea goes for pizza, bagels—you name it.
A Lifetime Dedicated To His Craft: Al Santillo
It’s this dedication to his craft that has made Al Santillo a legend in the New Jersey pizza scene, and his commitment to a full comeback is the plainest example of this. Shortly after the fire in January, Al was hospitalized with an abdomen infection. The misfortunes were piling on, and the idea of coming back began to look more and more unrealistic—maybe even impossible.
However, Al recovered, and when he did, he went right back to the rubble to develop a plan.
He is set to receive two separate estimates this week on the oven rebuild, but it will be costly. The bricks alone could cost over $15,000 and when coupled with the repair, the receipt will likely add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Fire insurance is not part of the equation at Santillo’s—the building and its oven are simply too old. Insurance companies are not willing to take on a grandfathered-in brick oven as liability. Al luckily had money set aside for emergencies like this, but it only covers a fraction of the expected cost.
Santillo’s Superfans Lend a Helping Hand
However, when I said Santillo’s has a cult following, I meant it. Fans of the pizzeria—and Al in general—set up a Facebook page called Santillo’s Volunteers. The page was set up for volunteers to help rebuild the operation following the fire. Additionally, Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy gave a glowing review to Santillo’s just a few years back, and when the news broke out about the fire in January, he stated on social media: “I’m aware that Al Santilllo’s had a fire this morning. Al is okay thank god. Obviously Barstool will be there for whatever Al needs.” A GoFundMe was set up by Portnoy. T-shirts are also being sold to raise money.
Now, with Al recovered and ready to get the ball rolling on rebuilding Santillo’s, the future looks bright. For a few months, many pizza obsessives, including myself, doubted the ability to come back from such a series of tragedies, but Al Santillo should never be counted out.
He tells me that he will do whatever it takes to get back to slinging pies out of his century-old shop, but it’s not easy work. “I love the finished product and I am willing to sacrifice for it. You have to suffer for it. Most jobs aren’t like that nowadays,” he tells me. “It’s more than love. It’s love and devotion. I’m devoted to it.”
Want to help Al out? Check out Santillo’s Volunteers on Facebook and consider donating to the rebuild here.
About the Author/s
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.
