How many types of pizza do you figure you’ve eaten in the past year? A dozen? Most likely you’ve had some of the more popular choices: cheese, Margherita, Veggie, Hawaiian or the flatbread type but unless you’ve been to northeastern Pennsylvania, you haven’t experienced Old Forge pizza, the city self-proclaimed as the “Pizza Capital of the World.” Until now. The Twisted Tomato has recently opened in the King’s Point Shopping Center on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach. The restaurant is family-run by Jordan Thomas, the owner, with Jordan’s father (they make the pizza), Chef Walter (who makes the other dishes), Jordan’s wife, Adrienne, who is the front manager and hostess, and Jordan’s mother, Debbie, and his 16-year-old daughter who are waitresses. They are all excellent at their jobs AND they all moved here from Northeast, PA, with the desire to share their passion for the pizza recipe which is used in all of Old Forge with just a tweak of different takes on the sauce. In fact, Old Forge is a former coal mining town of roughly 8000 immigrants mostly from Felitto, near Naples who flocked to the area to find work in the coal mines in the early 20th century. A woman named Nonna Ghigiarelli accidentally discovered her style of Old Forge pizza in 1926 when she made it for her regular customers at the bar that she and her husband owned. Not having a round pizza tray, she used a rectangular tray and ingredients she had on hand. Little did she know that she was creating a new style of pizza. Almost 100 years later, Old Forge pizza pies are still called “trays”, still cooked in rectangular pans and cut into slices called “cuts.” The Twisted Tomato uses only the freshest ingredients and they promise to “create a unique and delicious pizza experience that you won’t find anywhere else.”
Of course, there are other truly wonderful items on the full menu from appetizers, wine and beer to desserts such as Italian gelato and rich, chocolate lava cake. Don’t miss their savory meatballs served with a dollop of fresh Ricotta cheese in a tasty tomato-y sauce and also an absolutely awesome Pasta Bolognese with a mouth-drooling presentation. Be sure to taste their perfectly prepared, exquisite Chicken Parm which is an oversized, ultra-generous portion that is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. You won’t be disappointed. However, it’s only fitting that we focus on their specialty: Old Forge pizza. Come hungry because the thick squares are filling and simply delicious. Perhaps most noted of Old Forge is your basic choices of “Red or White.” Their 6-cut “Red Square” pizza is the most traditional, with a sweet plum tomato sauce topped with a “secret” blend of cheeses and seasonings. It can be served “as is” or topped with slices of cut, fresh tomato, peppers, mushrooms, sausage or pepperoni. The “White Pizza” is unique because, that’s right, it doesn’t have any tomato sauce. However, it is tantalizing and can also be eaten “as is” or double stuffed like a traditional calzone with the crust folded over special cheeses and seasonings.
Jordan’s story is truly remarkable. He said that he “worked every day after school from the age of 12 years old at the nearby “Terry’s Diner’, a popular eatery in the town next to Old Forge called Moosic. When he grew older, he worked in Italian restaurants called “Salerno’s” and “Colarusso’s” where he honed his cooking skills for later when in Old Forge his family restaurant would sell 250 trays of pizza a day, especially during Lent.” Still, Jordan worked as a volunteer firefighter with a dream of enrolling in the academy and getting a paid position. However, his goal was cut short when he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma which crushed his optic nerve and left him almost totally blind.
Remarkably, Jordan carries on capably at The Twisted Tomato, greeting customers, helping to make the pizzas, and catering huge parties for companies such as the nearby Walmart. Shipping pizza to the Carolinas is just another example of the demand for their specialty pizza. The local TV stations did news segments about Jordan’s undaunting drive to continue on making pizza despite his disability. Jordan said, “Our pizza in Old Forge was so popular and our family felt the pizza in Florida couldn’t compare. Our customers said we should bring our pizza to Florida, and we made the move.” It took 2 years for the Thomas family to locate an acceptable place for the restaurant, and in April it will be one year that they have occupied the spacious corner of the plaza in Delray that offers plenty of free parking to accommodate those who dine in or take out. Despite the fact that Americans eat up to 3 billion pizzas each year, averaging out to almost 40 pizzas per person—you still owe it to yourself to see what all the fuss is about at The Twisted Tomato and experience authentic, thick breadlike crispy crusted, square cut Old Forge pizza. Once you do, you may find your car leading you either to Old Forge, Pennsylvania or, much easier now, to that corner in the plaza in Delray.
The Twisted Tomato
6600 West Atlantic Avenue
Delray Beach, FL 33446
www.TheTwistedTomatoDelray.com
561-808-8120