For 25 years of business, Rusticana Pizza's owners, Joann and Tony Genova, have done the same thing every morning; get up, and eat a slice of pizza. "My parents too, when we started in the business back in 1969 in Brooklyn, New York, that was the tradition," Joann Genova said. "Have a slice of pizza, the first pizza that comes out of the oven, so that's how we start our day."
Joann Genova said tradition has been a part of the family business since its inception; her parents Mario and Gina Persico, originally from Vizzini, Italy, first opening a small storefront in Brooklyn in 1969. Joann Genova said the family began their business with an authentic Italian pizza cook, but after he mysteriously stopped showing up for work, the Persicos made their own recipes. From there, the business became a family affair, with aunts and uncles helping cook pizza and children folding pizza boxes, she said.
