THE TUNA SLICE.
I have been dreaming about getting the nitty gritty on the (famous) tuna slice at Gianfranco Pizzeria in North White Plains ever since I inhaled my first slice, crunch by crunchety fresh and beguiling bite, on December 8th, 2021. For three years, I have not only been loving this pizza but also relishing in watching the variety of fans that walk through the door at Gianfranco’s. On any given day, you will witness a constant stream of city workers, plumbers, executives, healthcare workers and everyday people… and more than half are walking out with at least one tuna slice.
So if you have never heard about the tuna slice, allow me to introduce it to you. I like to say that it defies logic. It is a cold piece of crunchy, thin crust pizza with an even layer of tuna salad, shaved iceberg lettuce and semi-thinly sliced standard tomatoes. It is then anointed with some Italian seasonings and red wine vinegar. Not a description that would melt your clothes off. Yet.
“Is there sauce on there?” everyone asks. Many guess “no” incorrectly. There is, in fact, a whisper of sauce painted on there. It plays an important role, yet is barely discernible. No, there’s no cheese. What’s wrong with you?
Angelo Carillo, the father of the tuna slice.
Angelo is not a warm and fuzzy man, and he would likely concur to this fact, so it took me a long time to muster up the courage to speak to him. Any press is good press, and I was super pleased that (after some nudging from me) Westchester Magazine included the tuna slice in their January feature titled, “These Are the Top Pizzas in Westchester County by Style.” While this article accomplished putting this beautiful slice on more people’s radars, it did not, alas, tell the story.
Last week, I inhaled my slice and washed it down with half a beer as I always do. I have found that 11:30 is the sweet spot. There are few foods that I don’t put down once I start eating, the tuna slice and the tuna slice. Never mind, there is only one.
I spoke with Felicia, who has only been at Gianfranco’s for one year, yet feels like a permanent fixture. I explained who I was and that I wanted to write about the tuna slice. And she said, “Oh ya gotta talk ta Tony.” Now, I don’t know who Tony is, but she meant Angelo Carillo, the owner. She brought him to the front, and I humbly explained, once again, who I was and that I wanted to write about him and the tuna slice. I could tell he was skeptical, but he agreed to meet me a week later at “One turdy. Afta tha lunch rush.” P.S. This writer is not making fun of her subject but rather emphasizing that Angelo is Italian and has a fantastically wonderful accent. (In case you may have been wondering if he was Scottish.)
I’m trying really hard to get to the “how, what, when” about this slice, but yagotta waitaminute.
Angelo came to the states from Italy in 1973 and opened up his first restaurant in 1978. He started out in Mount Vernon, then moved up to Mount Kisco. Tired of working in places with Mount in the name, he decided to open up a shop in North White Plains. The first Gianfranco Pizzeria, named after his son, opened on Virginia Road in 1990.
For the love of pizza history, get to the tuna slice!
When I asked Angelo when the tuna slice was born, he said, “The first day we opened, thirtyfouryearsago.” When I asked how he came up with the idea, he said, “We had a nice salad slice in Mount Kisco that was very popular. At our new location, I noticed that the deli next door had some nice tuna salad, so I said, ‘I can make something nice with this.’ So for the next three days, I put a tuna pie and a salad pie on the counter and everybody ordered the tuna.” He added that, prior to opening, he had shared his invention with “the ladies at the hair salon” and they “went crazy for it, and it was healthy.” So that was that.
I’m not done.
“So you have been serving this tuna pizza for thirty four years?” I asked. He answered that he did close for one month during Covid and they do take a few days off a year for the holidays, but otherwise (in addition to the pretty extensive menu that includes nearly every pasta dish known to man, creatively topped pizzas, calzones, freshly made soups and desserts), the tuna pizza has always been on the menu.
He actually credits the tuna pizza for the success of his business. “People come in for the tuna slice and try other things.” He also alleges that a few people have posed as reporters over the years in an attempt to steal his recipe. He even said that he had pinpointed one of the calls to a competitor's wife. (Perhaps she is reading this.)
At one point he opened a second location but prepped all of the vital components of the tuna pizza at the main location. Even though it was exactly the same pizza, customers claimed that it didn’t taste the same. He eventually closed that location.
Back to the pizza. When I am shouting the praises of this enchanting slice, I like to tell people that they even have designated refrigerators for the tuna pizza, but according to Angelo, these pizzas are never in the fridge for more than a few minutes at a time as they are always made to order.
Even though I am pleased that Gianfranco’s tuna slice has created believers out of many Westchester Foodies (and I loved sharing this fact with Angelo), I know that he doesn’t owe his success to social media - he has been selling an average of thirty to fifty tuna pies a day since the day he opened.
When asked how he feels about having invented the tuna pizza, he said, “I feel like I did something good.”
In Westchester Foodies on FB, the acronym IYKYK (if you know, you know) is used almost exclusively when referring to Gianfranco’s tuna slice and always invites a tirade of confusion and a string of FOMO-infused comments. Although I joked about Angelo not having the warmest pizza-side manner, I could see and feel a lot behind his gaze. Coming to a new country without knowing the language and working your fingers to the bone to provide for your family is not a story unique to Angelo. This is the story of thousands, but I didn’t want him to feel like I took all of that work for granted. I was weary of having him feel like I was just another content-hungry social media droid. My relationship with this pizza was love at first bite, as it is for most who try it, but sharing the story about the man behind it makes me feel like I also did something good. If you pop into Gianfranco for the tuna slice or another delicious specialty, don’t be surprised if Angelo doesn’t say much. He is saying everything with his food.
Founder Westchester Foodies on FB since 2016
Writer & Brand Consultant
Claudia’s Tasty Bits (everywhere, but X)
Mother & Occasional consumer of Vienna sausages
