Who was Domenico DeMarco? Tributes pour in as Di Fara founder, 'Godfather of Pizza' in Brooklyn, dies aged 85

Domenico DeMarco recently died at the age of 85 (Image via Susan Saltzman-Gonzalez/Facebook)
Domenico DeMarco recently died at the age of 85 (Image via Susan Saltzman-Gonzalez/Facebook)

Brooklyn-based Di Fara Pizza’s founder Domenico DeMarco recently passed away at the age of 85. His daughter Margie Mieles shared the news through social media on March 17 and said,

“It is with a broken heart that I must share that he has left my mom, my brothers, my sister, myself and all those that loved him because it was his time.”

She continued and said,

“My world revolved around my dad. I worked alongside him since I was a little girl. He was the hardest working man I know and he was a leader and will remain a leader through his legacy.”

The cause of his death remains unknown, and his son Alex told Brooklyn Paper’s Ben Brachfeld that his father has been on dialysis for the last few weeks. The store will remain closed until further notice.


Domenico DeMarco’s name became popular all these years because of Di Fara Pizza. People expressed their grief on Twitter when they heard about his death.


Everything known about Domenico DeMarco

Domenico DeMarco's cause of death remains unknown (Image via Pat Zoffreo/Facebook)
Domenico DeMarco's cause of death remains unknown (Image via Pat Zoffreo/Facebook)

Born on December 4, 1936, DeMarco was mostly known as the founder of Di Fara Pizza on Avenue J in Brooklyn in 1965. He even received national recognition for his restaurant and was considered the 'Godfather of Pizza' in Brooklyn.

He emigrated from Caserta, Italy in 1959, and opened Di Fara Pizza in 1965 with business partner Farina. The joint’s name is a combination of his and his business partner’s names. Although he bought out Farina in 1978, he kept the original name.

Domenico heavily influenced Brooklyn Pizza, including younger pizzaiolos like Mark Iacono of Lucali and Frank Pinello of Best Pizza. Lacano described DeMarco as the Joe DiMaggio of pizza.

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The Italian native received a haircut in the pizzeria in 2015 on the occasion of his 79th birthday from Brian Girgus, a drummer, barbershop owner, and pizza lover from Los Angeles.

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Tourists who came to the pizza joint used to wait for hours for a bite and catch a glimpse of DeMarco. Di Fara Pizza’s impact increased later and Hollywood celebrities also paid visits to the iconic pizzeria.

Edited by Abu Amjad Khan
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