Windsor Pizza History

Droves of Italian immigrants settled in Windsor, Ontario between 1940 and 1970 because of its proximity to the United States and because of the growing automotive industry and its promise of jobs.

Along with the Italians came many traditions and recipes from the old country, including pizza. Many credit what we know as Windsor pizza today as being the brainchild of the beloved Volcano Pizza, owned by Frank Gualtieri and Gino Manza, who were cousins.

Volcano Pizza gave rise to many other pizzeria founders. While each put their own signature touch on their pizzas, a few things remained the same – shredded pepperoni, canned mushrooms, a dusting of cornmeal on the crust, and, of course, Galati Cheese.

What was previously a local delicacy has begun attracting attention from pizza connoisseurs throughout North America. Heck, George Kalivas was so proud of our local pizza that he made an entire documentary about it: The Pizza City You’ve Never Heard Of. More recently, a local teen got over 11 million social media views just from sharing a picture of Windsor-style pizza.   

We welcome you to come to Windsor to figure out which is your personal favourite. You will understand why we consider Windsor our own little slice of heaven.