Sally's Apizza brings iconic New Haven slices to Boston Calling
For nearly 100 years, New Haven staple Sally's Apizza has been cranking out it's iconic crispy crusts.
"Some people say it's burnt, and if you've had Sally's, you'd say it's charred, not burnt," said Executive Chef Bret Lunsford.
Named after founder Salvatore "Sally" Consiglio, the proof is in the pie. It might look like "a pizza," but Lunsford says the name is just part of Sally's old-school charm.
"You know they were saying let's go grab some pizza, let's go grab a pizza," Lunsford said. "It started like, lets go get 'a-beets.' Lets get a slice of 'a beets.' So, they're going to get a pie. Let's go get 'a beets.' And so it became 'a beets.' And it kind of became like the trademark of New Haven, as it were."
Connection to musicians
For Sally's the only thing more serious than their commitment to good pizza, is their commitment to good music.
"I think for us, you know, being tied to Boston Calling makes a lot of sense," said brand advisor Christian Bonaventura. "Sally's has always been intertwined with iconic musicians, from like Frank Sinatra sending his drivers to pick up pizzas for the plane, from the Rolling Stones, U2, Whitney Houston stopping in on tour."
Now, the legendary pizza joint is taking its traditions to Boston Calling. They typically use coal-fired ovens, but don't be fooled - just because they're not in their home kitchen doesn't mean they will be compromising on flavor.
"You'll be getting a larger portion than you would standard in our restaurant," said Lunsford. "No pre-made pies. We are, though, sort of bringing some ovens in, so there are going to be fire, fire-cooked pies. We're going to be doing the same thing."
Between their festival offerings of pizza, wings and arancini, there's no shortage of those old-world flavors.
"This is the basil burrata, which we'll be serving right here," said Lunsford. "So, this is the vegetarian pie. It's a play on the Italian flag, and kind of like a margherita-esque type of pie."
Selling by the slice
This weekend they're planning on bringing more than just a little heat.
"We don't sell by the slice," said Lunsford. "So, for Boston Calling, it's a big deal for us to kind of sell by the slice. That being said, they're going to be coming fresh out and moving so quickly that you're going to have that same experience."
And that experience is something they pride themselves on.
"Music and Sally's are, you know, always family," said Bonaventura.
The Boston Calling Music Festival is being held at the Harvard Athletic Complex May 23-25.
