It seems that Pizza has been with us forever.  If you're under 60, it has.  But  pizza wasnt even known here until well after WWII.  And the odd thing is that it didnt REALLY catch on until the mid to late 60s!  Sure, the Italians made pizza  for their own use before that,  but who made and advertised the first pizza for sell to the public in the Kanawha Valley?  The answer might surprise you.   Most people might think Joe Fazio's... 



WAS IT ?

This ad ran in 1953,  and as far as I can tell, was the first for Fazio pizza.

But here's the funny thing:

The Parkette  (later to become Shoneys) also ran a pizza ad in 1953!


How about....

The Vesuvio was a very famous Capitol Street restaurant for many years.  It operated right behind the Daniel Boone Hotel.  This ad from 1951 lists pizza among it's Italian dishes.  But it's not the first to advertise pizza....



Or maybe....

"First Time In Charleston"?  Well... no....

Fred's Restaurant was also well known in it's day.  It was located on the North end of Capitol Street.  Fred Pantuso would cook anything you brought to him.  (more later)  This ad from 1949 wasnt the first pizza ad in Charleston however....




Would you believe.....

The Lido Club??  

Yes, the Lido Club ran this little ad in 1947!  Of all the places in town, who would have guessed?  And the fact that pizza has been around for SO long, yet failed to really catch on until the late 60s is pretty amazing.  Two things account for this:  1...Women in the work place. 2... Pizza delivery.  Domino's set the stage for others to follow.  Even Pizza Hut never took off like the quickie home delivery shops.


See more about the Lido Club here


It's still not uncommon in some parts of Europe to cook what you've brought to the restaurant.  I cant help but to wonder what the "etc" might have been however.