House representatives overwhelmingly voted 131 to 9 to designate pizza as Connecticut’s state food, with the legislation now headed to the state Senate and potentially Gov. Ned Lamont to be made official.
If approved, pizza will join sperm whales (Connecticut’s state animal), American robins (state bird), insect (mantis), mountain-laurel (state flower), almandine garnet (state mineral), and charter oak (state tree), among others in the State Register and Manual.
A complete list of state symbols can be found here.
“Pizza serves as a source of pride, appreciation and can be a source of economic promotion,” Stamford Congressman Dan Fox stated. “It has brought us many good times and good food.”
Food and Wine Magazine highlighted Connecticut pizza czar Frank Pepe, who launched his first pizzeria in New Haven before becoming one of the most popular eateries on the East Coast.
Others to get a shoutout from the prominent foodie magazine were Sally’s Apizza, Zupppardi’s Apizza in West Haven, Roseland Apizza in Derby, Colony Grill in Stamford, and Nana’s Bakery & Pizza in Mystic.
According to Food and Wine Magazine, “no state wields quite so much clout out of such a concentrated pool of talent, centered in New Haven, which has been one of America's most important pizza cities for as long as there has been pizza in America.”
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