Gary Bimonte, co-owner of Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, dies at 61

Gary Bimonte, co-owner and operator of Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, passed away at his home on Wednesday of a heart attack. He was 61 years old.

Photo by Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media

Bimonte was a grandson Frank Pepe, the Italian immigrant who founded the family”™s first pizzeria in New Haven in 1925. Over the years, Pepe”™s thin-crust pizza became known as New Haven-style pizza, while its white clam pizza became a distinctive menu trademark.

Today, the Pepe Pizzeria chain spans 12 locations in four states; within this region, Pepe Pizzerias are found in Fairfield, Danbury and Yonkers.

Colin Caplan, author of the 2018 book “Pizza in New Haven,” stated Bimonte was “one of the master pizza chefs of the world.” In an interview with Albert Grande, author of “The Legends of Pizza,” Bimonte stated the family-owned business never deviated from its patriarch”™s vision.

“We are continuing using the top-quality ingredients that my grandfather did,” he said. “We haven”™t changed anything from my grandfather”™s tradition and the way he did things as far as proofing the dough and all the quality ingredients we import.”

“Gary was the pride and joy of the Pepe”™s family, and there are no words to express the immense void that his passing has left in our hearts,” said the company on its website. “He truly loved and cherished our family”™s history and he was so proud of the legacy that has carried through all these years.”