Popular Bayside pizzeria set to celebrate the big 6-0
VIPizza team to throw anniversary bash featuring giveaways and slices for less than a buck
BY JENNA BAGCAL
This weekend, an
iconic Bayside pizzeria
is celebrating 60 years in
the business.
VIPizza at 43-02 Bell Blvd.
is hosting a day of giveaways,
live music and 60 cent slices
on Saturday, May 18. From
noon to 1 p.m., the pizzeria
is selling 60 cent regular or
Sicilian slices and will be
giving away free VIPizza
T-shirts for the first 60
customers to purchase any
large pie starting at 1:30 p.m.
“We’re gonna have live
music. We’re gonna be giving
out some gifts, keychains
and stuff like that,” said
Luigi D’Ammassa, one of the
store’s owners.
D’Ammassa, Peter
Agorious and Francisco Lara
currently own the pizzeria,
which has been in the family
since 2008. Prior to them, the
Oddo brothers owned the shop
in 1985 and were responsible
for moving it to its landmark
corner location.
Since its inception in
1959, D’Ammassa said that
they used the original
owners’ recipe to make their
signature pies. D’Ammassa
shared that what sets VI
apart from other pizzerias
is that they only sell pizzas
and calzones.
“The most important
thing is that VIPizza has a
reputation of maybe having
the best Sicilian. We’re
known for our Sicilian.
Everything else is also great
but the Sicilian is the one
that really stands out,” said
D’Ammassa.
He added that when
customers move away, they
come back from as far as
California to indulge in a
slice of tasty nostalgia.
“The people that move
away, they come back
because they remember for
years since they were kids,”
D’Ammassa said. “I hear
so many of the stories, it’s
unbelievable. They come
Luigi D’Ammassa of VIPizza in Bayside Photo by Jenna Bagcal/QNS
back to visit and they come
to VIP.”
D’Ammassa credits
their longtime success to
a dedication to creating
a quality product for
customers. Most days he’s
in the shop as early as 8 a.m.
preparing pies for their 11
a.m. start time.
“The clientele is great,
the community is wonderful.
We love everybody here,
we appreciate them coming
back. We try to do our best to
accommodate them in every
which way — service, quality
and everything else.”
VIPizza’s 60thanniversary
celebration
is on Saturday, May 18
starting at noon. For
more information, visit
their website at
vipizzabayside.com.
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by email at jbagcal@
qns.com or by phone at (718)
224-5863 ext. 214.
When you’re ready
to feel better,
we’re right around
the corner.
Gastroenterology and Advanced Endoscopy from
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Call us at (718) 461-0163
or visit QueensGastroDoc.com
241-02 Northern Blvd #1, Douglaston, NY 11362
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