Grandma Slice's Mobbed-Up History.

[gohnjotti]

Not your usual Colombo Mafia article, fellas. This one covers the story of Angelo Giangrande, the originator of the grandma-style pizza, who was indicted in 2008 alongside Tommy Gioeli, Sonny Franzese, and other family bigwigs. I've tried to write this article to appeal to a more mainstream audience; New Yorkers that are less well-versed on the Mafia than us on the forum, so bear that in mind if I oversimplify or "dumb things down."

As always, let me know of any inaccuracies/typos/constructive criticism/pizza-related puns I should use. I appreciate all the criticism I get.

Long Island's best-kept culinary secret is finally catching on. Over the past decade, the grandma-style pizza - square, thin, and crispy - has surged in popularity among foodie circles. What was once a Long Island cult favorite has slowly crept to the rest of New York, and now further along the East Coast. In September of 2008, back when the grandma pizza renaissance was starting, Long Island's Newsday narrowed down the originators of the pizza to three Italian-born Long Islanders; Umberto Corteo, Ciro Cesarano, and Angelo Giangrande. It's not that the three invented the centuries-old pizza but instead brought it into the mainstream. In a nutshell, the story goes; Umberto developed his take on the pizza back in the 1970s at his restaurant. Two of his employees, Ciro and Angelo, "saw its potential," and put the grandma-style pizza on the menu. After it caught on, the pair both branched out into their own successful pizzeria ventures.

In 1991, Angelo Giangrande started Cugini's Pizzeria in Mineola. He honed his craft and developed a unique style of the grandma-slice, which his brother Mario helped spread across the Island. In 2000, with his two cousins Angelo and Antonio Franzella, Giangrande founded a second pizza parlor, "Cugini Due," in the nearby township of Albertson.

But what most food articles don't mention when discussing Giangrande is how his career took a dark turn when he started quarreling with his cousins. Things escalated, families were torn. One thing led to another, edging closer and closer to violence, until the FBI kicked in Giangrande's door at 6 AM on June 4, 2008. How did Angelo Giangrande, the pizzamaker who made culinary history on Long Island, end up in a Brooklyn courtroom, stood next to a mob boss accused of six murders?

It all started in 2000, when Giangrande and his cousins bought 815 Willis Ave., Albertson, for $525,000, taking a hefty loan from the bank. Money was tight, and there wasn't much to go around between the three co-owners. Proving time-and-time again that business and family don't mix, things went sour. Sources say the dispute reached a boiling point for several reasons; Tony Franzella gave Giangrande "a beating" in front of his son, and then began telling people "Tony was going to throw Angelo out of both places," meaning he would cut Giangrande out of both Cujini restaurants.

Although not too adept with his fists, Giangrande had one thing that the Franzella Brothers didn't. He had what prosecutors called a "criminal association" with John 'Sonny' Franzese, a legendary caporegime (captain) in the Colombo crime family, the smallest but most violent Mafia group in New York City. Angelo approached the Franzella Bros. with an almost-mocking offer to buy them out of both restaurants for $300,000. It's unknown what both restaurants valued at, but court documents note that the Willis Ave. building itself cost a cool half-million.

Read the full article here, exclusive to thecolombomafia.com:
https://thecolombomafia.com/the-grandma ... nd-the-mob

[eboli]

Great write-up, gohn! Artie from The Sopranos is not a fictional character afterll.

[Bklyn21]

Great article! Thanks for the extensive info and background since this info cant really be found with random searches . Sonny had a huge, wide ranging LI crew of members and associates which info/Background is really hard to find , Guys like Sammy Galasso and junior Galasso, Sonny's supposed right hand man for a time who wore a wire for a long period Guy fatato. Uvino, Christian Tarantino who who was an associate, Or, Some say a member of the Colombo or lucchese families who owned and operated a Synergy fitness gym in Levittown LI until his arrest and indictments, For the murder of louie dorval who was found in the 90's shot and stuffed in a cooler found floating in the waters off fire island, He was involved in Extortions, Arsons, Drug dealing, Chop shops other scams and amassed a fortune, His bail in the coffin was the murder of his best friend, Forgot the name who was shot point blank in the head entering a Manhattan construction site where he was a union foremen over his getting cut out of a 100 grand payday in some scheme they were involved in. Any information/Background on these guys and others involved with sonny would be Great if you can find ! Nice work

[gohnjotti]

Thank you fellas. I was originally going to put this article on the shelf until one of the people I messaged replied, and was willing to give some background information on Angelo Giangrande, such as the nature of his dispute with the Franzellas and his background/association with Sonny Franzese.

[gohnjotti]

Great article! Thanks for the extensive info and background since this info cant really be found with random searches . Sonny had a huge, wide ranging LI crew of members and associates which info/Background is really hard to find , Guys like Sammy Galasso and junior Galasso, Sonny's supposed right hand man for a time who wore a wire for a long period Guy fatato. Uvino, Christian Tarantino who who was an associate, Or, Some say a member of the Colombo or lucchese families who owned and operated a Synergy fitness gym in Levittown LI until his arrest and indictments, For the murder of louie dorval who was found in the 90's shot and stuffed in a cooler found floating in the waters off fire island, He was involved in Extortions, Arsons, Drug dealing, Chop shops other scams and amassed a fortune, His bail in the coffin was the murder of his best friend, Forgot the name who was shot point blank in the head entering a Manhattan construction site where he was a union foremen over his getting cut out of a 100 grand payday in some scheme they were involved in. Any information/Background on these guys and others involved with sonny would be Great if you can find ! Nice work

Sonny Franzese is one of the most interesting characters in the underworld... I've been compiling as much information on him as I can so I can drop some good information for when he eventually kicks the bucket.

I'll look into Louie Dorval, and I've got some other Franzese-related articles in the works.

[maxiestern11]

Very enjoyable article Gohn..... good info also, especially what was talked about on those tapes John Jr. made

[slimshady_007]

Another great write up Gohn

[Amershire_Ed]

This is great stuff. Thanks.

[Amershire_Ed]

Is Sonny the only mobster that could have his 2 sons flip and it not really impact his standing with those in the life? If he were 78 instead of the 102, would be have been shelved upon release? Or his reputation so above reproach that it doesn’t matter?

[maxiestern11]

Is Sonny the only mobster that could have his 2 sons flip and it not really impact his standing with those in the life? If he were 78 instead of the 102, would be have been shelved upon release? Or his reputation so above reproach that it doesn’t matter?

If the mob was what it was fifty years ago, there’ll be hell to pay! But because the life’s been watered down, and in the last 30 years or so there’s been so many rats, from family bosses on down, that today there is pretty much no accounting or “vouching” as in the old days. Plus who’s gonna pull him up on the carpet? Most guys don’t even really know the life today, or the real inherent rules (so called “good fellows” included) and look at Sonny as an icon! 90% couldn’t even carry his jockstrap! He’d talk circles around them! Lol..... NOBODY, but NOBODY is gonna “school” him or wag a finger at him......especially at 102. It’s just the way it is!

[Bklyn21]

Is Sonny the only mobster that could have his 2 sons flip and it not really impact his standing with those in the life? If he were 78 instead of the 102, would be have been shelved upon release? Or his reputation so above reproach that it doesn’t matter?

If the mob was what it was fifty years ago, there’ll be hell to pay! But because the life’s been watered down, and in the last 30 years or so there’s been so many rats, from family bosses on down, that today there is pretty much no accounting or “vouching” as in the old days. Plus who’s gonna pull him up on the carpet? Most guys don’t even really know the life today, or the real inherent rules (so called “good fellows” included) and look at Sonny as an icon! 90% couldn’t even carry his jockstrap! He’d talk circles around them! Lol..... NOBODY, but NOBODY is gonna “school” him or wag a finger at him......especially at 102. It’s just the way it is!

Your right about that ! Who in the hell is gonna say shit to Sonny? I thought the funny thing was when he knew an indictment was coming down cause he wasn't violated and inducted and immediately upped his nephew Catapano to acting captain to specifically insulate sonny and weed out anymore informants in his camp . There were quite a few informants ratting sonny out including Guy Fatato who did alot of damage