Pizza loving artist pays homage to Queens’ iconic pizzerias
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TIMESLEDGER | Q 16 NS.COM | FEB. 18 - FEB. 24, 2022
shops and restaurants
had closed their doors
and Holland said that
drawing those storefronts
helped him deal
with the sense of loss
and sadness he was
feeling.
“I love the aesthetics
of NYC pizza parlors:
the booths, the lighting,
the trays of slices waiting
there, fountain Coke
…perfection,” Holland
said, adding that his
usual order is “two plain
slices, not too hot.”
During that two-year
creative, culinary journey,
the curious pizza
connoisseur decided
to venture to the outer
boroughs and made his
way to some of Queens’
most popular and iconic
pizzerias, where he captured
several unique
storefronts through
striking illustrations.
Holland recalled sampling
a variety of the
pizza shops’ tasty offerings,
with toppings as
diverse as the borough
itself. Of course, part of
the fun was schmoozing
with the hard-working
pizza makers, who made
those places even more
special.
The artist’s 50 pizza
parlor portraits include
a handful of Queens
spots that he loves: Mano’s
Pizzeria in Ridgewood
and Levante in
Long Island City. While
each had eye-catching
storefronts, both also
served up tasty pizza and
more, according to Holland,
who emphasized
that they represented
“delicious, exquisite examples
of what New York
pizza is all about.”
In addition to those
shops, Holland also
sketched other Queens
pie joints that intrigued
him including Brother’s
Pizzeria in Fresh Meadows,
Rizzo’s Fine Pizza
in Astoria and Tommy’s
Pizza in Jamaica. Mostly
drawing with ballpoint
pen on paper and occasionally
some other
materials, Holland explained
that his work
was always made “with
lots of love.”
The multi-talented
artist, who can also
make a mean thickcrusted
pie for family
and friends right in
his own kitchen, first
posted his work on Instagram,
to the delight
of his many followers.
Eventually, those popular
illustrations led to a
book titled “NYC Storefronts,”
which is set to
hit shelves in the fall of
this year and features
about 280 Manhattan
storefront illustrations.
Another book of London
storefronts will be out
the following year.
While sketching his
way around Manhattan
in early 2020 in search
of popular mom-and-pop
pizza shops, the wandering
creative was also
drawn to other small
businesses that piqued
his interest, like corner
stores, cafes, bakeries,
florists, book shops,
galleries and even laundromats.
Many of those
storefronts are also featured
in the book.
Holland’s entire collection
consists of 400-
plus drawings, including
50 NYC pizza parlor masterpieces,
and he said he
may consider creating
a Brooklyn and Queens
edition in the future.
He described his
hometown of Mount
Joy, Pennsylvania, as
“a town so small, that it
only had two pizzerias.”
The creative said that
pizza is both a perfect
food and “also makes for
great conversation.”
Holland said that his
perfect slice is “all in
the basics — the freshest
ingredients, the heart of
the pizza maker. It’s also
very personal,” the artist
noted, adding, “I like
circle pies, triangle slices
and classic NYC-style,
with red pepper flakes
or Mike’s Hot Honey.”
When he’s not pursuing
his current side
hustle, Holland said
he really enjoys “soaking
up everything in
the city” while doing
additional illustrating
and hand lettering.
His work had appeared
on book jackets, in advertisements
and in
magazines. He has also
worked for The New
Yorker, The New York
Times, Apple, McDonald’s
and numerous
publishers and his art
has been exhibited in
New York and London.
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
They say you can’t get
great-tasting pizza anywhere
but in New York
City.
Living here, it’s easy
to take your favorite
neighborhood pizzeria
for granted and to forget
that like other small
businesses, pizza parlors
have been struggling
to stay open during the
pandemic. But thousands
of pizza lovers
across every borough
— like professional illustrator
and dad Joel Holland
— have practically
ensured their survival.
After all, no one can resist
a hot, cheesy slice of
oven-baked goodness.
Combining his two
passions, Holland, 45,
would turn a hobby into
a “saucy” obsession. As
COVID-19 reared its ugly
head back in March 2020,
the Manhattan-based
artist found himself
needing a creative outlet
more than ever before.
Feeling motivated by a
desire to support local
businesses, he started
sketching illustrations
of Gotham’s pizzerias
that caught his eye, looking
for shops that had
character and interesting
architecture.
“Pizza shops were
a natural,” Holland
noted. “My drawings
were an advertisement
the businesses didn’t
ask for but hopefully
could’ve helped out in
some way. We rely on
our local businesses so
much; they are essential
to our quality of life and
existence.”
At that time, many
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