Grotto Pizza, the iconic pizza restaurant chain, is celebrating 60 years in business this summer. Grotto’s instantly recognizable swirl, a combination of sweet tomato sauce and a blend of cheeses, has been baked into the dining traditions of Delaware beach vacationers and pizza aficionados for decades. Cheese first, swirls of sauce second – that’s what makes it uniquely Grotto Pizza.

Dominick Pulieri, Grotto Pizza founder, was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., to Italian-immigrant parents. After graduating high school, Pulieri enrolled at Kings College and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1964. He taught biology, general science and chemistry in the Smyrna School District from 1965 to 1970.