- Original Post by NOW Magazine

Artist submissions welcome, so please email jpegs of your work to us.

Artist submissions welcome, so please email jpegs of your work to us.

September 26, 2011 –  Cosima Greco

October 31, 2011 –  Dan Soelberg

November 28, 2011 –  Arts For Children

January 2, 2012 –  Lorraine Langer

January 30, 2012 –  Katie Genaro

February 27, 2012 –  Kathryn Naylor

March 26, 2012 –  Discoverablity

June 25, 2012 – Ruby Zhang

The winner for Best Pizza goes to Vesuvio’s Pizzeria & Spaghetti House.

Type: Italian Restaurant
Neighbourhood: Junction

The family safeguarding the recipes at this long-lived west-end pizzeria and spaghetti house have long been loyal to the dual pillars of tradition and taste, and today this Junction legend (which claims to have introduced pizza to Toronto in 1957) continues to please. Reviewers spill ink over the golden, olive-oil-infused crust that provides the base for the signature dish. In addition, the famous Calamari Fritti should never be overlooked.

Last year’s winner: Caroline’s
2009 year’s winner: Terroni Restaurant

- Original Post by Dine.to

Ettore Pugliese, owner of Vesuivio Pizzaria and Spaghetti House on Dundas Street West in the Junction. Staff photo/IAN KELSO

There is still room for improvement, but the West Toronto Junction is a far cry from the crime riddled neighbourhood it once was in the mid-1990s, say Piera and Ettore Pugliese, owners of Vesuvio Pizzeria and Spaghetti House, a fixture on Dundas Street West near High Park Avenue since 1957.

“I think we’re doing well, really well,” said Piera, sitting in the dining room of the restaurant on a quiet afternoon recently.

Piera said she is pleased to see so many specialty shops opening up in the Junction.

“We have a gluten-free bakery,” she pointed out, referring to the Junction’s recent addition Bunner’s Bake Shop on Dundas Street West at Quebec Avenue. “I think this is exactly what we need: specialized, interesting and intelligent businesses.”

Once upon a time, the Junction was better than what some of today’s city shopping districts are like, said Piera and her husband, citing Avenue Road as an example.

“It was bustling, it was the place to be,” said Ettore (whom people call Eddie) of the retail strip during Vesuvio’s early years.

Hardware stores like Elliott’s, grocery stores such as A&P and fine dining establishments like The Alps were enticing to the many shoppers who frequented the Junction. New York-style pizza was a novelty when Ettore, his brothers Dominic, Attilio and Corrado and their father Rocco first introduced it to the neighbourhood.

By 1995, when Piera began her work with the Junction Business Improvement Area (BIA), she said the area had slid into a serious decline. The vacancy rate had risen to 17 per cent with as many as 35 storefronts sitting empty.

“We had a lot of crime in the area. Prostitution. There were a lot of problems,” said Piera.

Meanwhile, Vesuvio’s dining room sat empty. Ettore had decided to shut it down after a plebiscite (also known as a referendum) to allow the serving of alcohol failed in 1984. This one, along with two other plebiscites in 1969 and 1973 spearheaded by the Pugliese family had failed. To win, they needed 60 per cent of the vote. According to the West Toronto Junction Historical Society’s publication, ‘The Leader and Recorder,’ a “fiery crusader” by the name of William Temple worked for years to keep the Junction area dry. Editorials appeared in local papers while sermons on temperance were preached.

Not being allowed to serve alcohol was a serious handicap as far as the Puglieses were concerned – as were fellow restaurateurs. That’s why they attempted several times to change the law, but to no avail.

“We got to a point where we were fed up,” he said. “We shut down because of liquor issues.”

Ettore became so incensed as the results of the 1984 vote were announced (the 60 per cent still alluded them) at the pizzeria that he began boarding up the dining room while customers were still eating inside, according to the Leader and Recorder. Declaring every meal on the house, he vowed not another would be served again until it could be enjoyed with a glass of wine.

Although the dining room closed on April 9, 1984, Vesuvio’s popular take-out counter thrived.

“We always had business,” said Ettore.

The restaurant did not fully re-open until 2000 when the entire Junction had been deemed wet, following the successful plebiscite in 1997 and another in 2000. Piera had banded together with Santa Cuda owner of the Flamingo Banquet Hall and Maureen Lynett, whose family owned Lynett Funeral Home, and established the group ‘Working for Equal Treatment’ (W.E.T.) in an effort to overturn the ‘dry’ designation. The women vehemently believed the economic well-being of the Junction was dependent upon the ability to sell and consume alcohol. A vigorous year-long campaign resulted in a wet vote during the Nov. 10, 1997 municipal election.

Since then, the rejuvenation of the Junction has been slow, but steady.

“We haven’t arrived yet,” said Piera, “but I think we’re headed in the right direction. I’d like to see some green grocers with flowers out front and I’d like to see more galleries.”

As for Ettore, he said he wouldn’t mind seeing more fine dining restaurants. He isn’t worried about any competition.

“We don’t fear it. We know what we’re doing,” he said.

– Original post by Lisa Rainford

Using high-quality ingredients and maintaining customer relationships that span generations are just a few of the reasons that Vesuvio Pizzeria & Spaghetti House has been a customer favourite for 53 years.

Located at 3010 Dundas St. W. in the Junction neighbourhood, Vesuvio opened its doors the same year that Elvis was rocking the stage at Maple Leaf Gardens. The Pugliese brothers immigrated to Toronto from Italy. Domenico Pugliese, the eldest of four brothers, went to New York to learn everything he could about making pizza, bringing back with him a pizza dough recipe that has remained unchanged for decades. As Joe “Chicago” Rodrigues, a pizza maker and chef with Vesuvio since 1981, puts it: “After 53 years, you become perfect at something because you do it so often. The owners are hands on all the time, so they keep the recipe exactly as it should be.”

Today the west-end landmark is owned by Ettore Pugliese, one of the original brothers, and Rita Pugliese, wife of the late Corrado Pugliese, who, sadly, passed away last year. Through life’s changes, Vesuvio has remained a tight-knit, family operation, with Ettore’s daughter Paolo acting as restaurant manager. Of the more than 40 people on staff, many have been part of the business since they were teenagers.

“Most employees have been here for 10-plus years. They started out as teenagers, have gotten married, had kids and they’re still here,” Rita says fondly.

With a roomy sit-down restaurant and a separate side for takeout, pizza lovers can enjoy mouth-watering slices and homemade pastas. A typical Friday night sees more than 500 pizzas fly out the door, with 13 drivers criss-crossing the Toronto West streets, bound by Lake Ontario to the south, Lawrence Avenue to the north, Kipling Avenue to the west and Christie Street to the east. If an order is large enough, the accommodating owners say they will deliver anywhere, but Rita warns that on a busy night, the wait could be as long as one to one and a half hours for delivery. For Vesuvio’s loyal customers, it’s worth the wait to sink their teeth into that light, chewy crust sporting the freshest toppings available.

If customers choose to dine in, the restaurant side is an inviting, large room with an original mural dating back to the 1960s and beautiful art adorning the walls. Three vibrantly coloured paintings – created by Arts for Children and Youth, an after-school program for children living in high-risk communities – fill the west wall of the room. The east wall boasts local artwork provided by the Junction Business Improvement Association, with new pieces gracing the space monthly. The tables are topped with craft paper, and crayons are doled out to children to occupy their imaginations while they dine, making this spot perfect for a fun night out with the whole family. Rita says some of their clientele have been chowing down on made-to-order pizza and pasta since the beginning. “We have people who were coming here when they were going to school. They’ve since gotten married, had kids, now their kids have their own kids, and they still come.”

Customer loyalty can be difficult to cultivate. Rita attributes Vesuvio’s long-standing success in the community to a high-quality product. They visit the Ontario Food Terminal market twice a week, selecting the freshest ingredients to adorn Vesuvio’s traditional handmade dough and tomato sauce. Even with the rising prices of cheese, this pizzeria is shelling out for high-quality mozzarella, maintaining a quality pizza that west-enders have come to expect over the past half century.

While the success of a pizzeria hinges on a good product, every business also needs to bend and move with the times, making decisions that may be difficult but necessary to ensure longevity in the industry. The Pugliese brothers recognized this during the 1980s and made a difficult decision to close the restaurant side and focus on their take-out and delivery business, due to a longstanding ban on alcohol in the Junction. The Dundas Street West area had been proclaimed “dry” in 1904 and the alcohol ban continued until 2000, making it difficult for all restaurateurs in the area to compete with other Toronto eateries. Being prevented from serving a glass of wine or cold draught beer with a steaming pizza made it very difficult to grow the dine-in side of the business, and so the restaurant was closed and used for storage for almost 16 years. In 2000, a vote to lift the alcohol ban finally went through, and the restaurant was reopened the same year. The Pugliese brothers were able to make a tough decision back in the ’80s that allowed them to keep their business profitable and maintain their presence within the pizza industry. With both sides of the business operating again at full tilt, the original Pugliese vision for Vesuvio is right on track.

The Pugliese family enterprise that opened its doors when such classic cars as the Ford Mercurys were still rolling through the streets of Toronto, is a long success story summed up by Rita.

“I’m happy, I’m proud that my husband and his family started this business. They worked extremely hard to start it and to keep it going. To see people coming over and over again, it gives you a sense of pride, it’s nice. I mean how can you describe it. It’s pride in what we do and how we treat our customers.”

– Original post by Julie Fitz-Gerald

Diamond Award: Best Local Pizza

Platinum Award: Best Italian Restaurant (published: October 28,2010)

Diamond Award: Best Family Restaurant

Gold Award: All-Round Award

Silver Award: Lunch & All-Round Atmosphere

Their minestrone soup is fabulous; the salads are fresh and piled high (go with the Caesar), and Vesuvio actually makes many pastas from scratch. Or try the chicken parmigiano, New York steak or veal scaloppini.

– Original post from 24Hours by Marty & Avrum

Most of the deliveries we tested measure up. AMY PATAKI/TORONTO STAR

Technique, artistry, speed and precision. All while wearing a smile.

No, I’m not talking about the Olympic figure skating competition in Vancouver.

These were the criteria in the Toronto Star’s Pizza Delivery Challenge, in which eight pizzerias were judged on compulsory elements and artistic interpretation, with courtesy key and speed a given.

Here’s how it worked: We asked readers to email their favourite pizza delivery recommendations in the Greater Toronto Area, no chains.

If a pizzeria got more than three nominations, it was included.

Next, I ordered from each a small pizza with two standard toppings: bacon and onion. (This is reflected in the prices.) Unlike sliced pepperoni or canned black olives, bacon and onion provide tremendous opportunity for variation – the artistic elements, as it were: real bacon vs. bacon bits, white vs. red onions, diced vs. sliced, etc.

Also, in my house, where some of the judging took place, it’s what my children like. The crusts were standard issue, no special requests.

Along with service and speed, pizzas were judged side-by-side on appearance, crust, sauce, cheese and toppings, for a total score out of 10.

Craig Agranoff, a Florida consultant who runs WorstPizza.com, rates pies using the same elements (except toppings). He hates bubbled crusts (a sign of inattentive baking) and chunky sauce (“who want to be picking tomato skins out of their teeth all night?”) Hear, hear.

Timing was harder to judge.

Did the pizzas arrive when promised? By dividing the competition between two locations, we stayed within the delivery area of five pizzerias. The remaining three were ordered for pickup and the criteria for those was: Was the pizza ready when promised?

The gold medal winner was Vesuvio’s Pizzeria & Spaghetti House, the Junction legend that claims to have introduced pizza to Toronto in 1957.

Vesuvio’s entry was the swiftest, the prettiest and the best reheated.

In a 2007 review, I described the golden crust as “yeasty with a distinct snap at the narrow rim, all due to a 24-hour rise and the inclusion of full-bodied Italian olive oil in the dough … Like the politician’s ideal wife, Vesuvio’s crust supports the toppings gracefully.” So it remains.

Silver went to Metro Pizza, a North York institution with the best crust and the nicest people, while Amadio’s in Mississauga took the bronze for its crisp bacon and efficient online ordering system (but lost points for its harsh red onions).

So, while we sit on the couch eating pizza and watching the Olympics, let’s raise a slice to the athletes.

If only we could burn off the calories as quickly as they do.

– Original post by Amy Pataki