Pizza lovers debate their favorite styles.Some people insist on a New York-style pizza or the even thinner New Haven, Connecticut-style.
It’s fair to say that people in the Northeast have an absolute beef with people in the Midwest who love Chicago-style pizza.
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New Yorkers, and people from New England, generally dismiss Chicago style pizza has not being pizza at all. They might like it in the way that you can like chicken Parmesan and chicken soup and know that those two things are not the same.
But, whether you love Chicago style pizza, or dismiss it as a variation on lasagna, it’s sad to see an iconic pizza chain close it doors.
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At a time when pizza restaurants are not immune from the general problems facing the industry, it’s difficult to lose a brand that has been in business for over 50 years.
It’s one thing to see Pizza Hut shutter locations and even to watch Bertucci’s teeter on the edge of going out of business after it’s chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. But it’s another entirely to watch a local tradition that once had a large presence close its doors for good.
A slice of pizza being served.
Image source: Shutterstock
Beloved pizza chain has a deep history
My Pi has a deep history in greater-Chicago area. The family-owned chain shares its history on its website.
“My father’s hobby is cooking and he studied cooking his whole life. In the early 1950s, he started developing his recipe for deep dish pizza. He continued to work on this recipe while at Northwestern’s Business School. To pay his way through school, he opened a hot dog stand on the Northside. He also worked as a steward at his fraternity,” it posted.
That eventually led to what would become his true passion, although it was not a very direct route.
“No fraternity has ever eaten so well because he had carte blanche to work on all of his recipes, from pizza to filet mignon. My dad based his pizza recipe on improving his favorite pizza. He studied and experimented with tomatoes that were not as acidic and he developed a “spice pack” that would enhance the flavor of the tomatoes on his pizza,” the company shared.
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Ultimately, that became a recipe he shared with the world.
“After college, he worked his way up the corporate ladder until he became a partner in a large financial brokerage company, all the while entertaining his family and friends and repeatedly hearing, ‘You should open your own pizzeria.’ So, on August 24, 1971, my father opened the first My Pi on Sheridan Road across from Loyola University in Rogers Park,” it continued.
The chain started with Larry Aronson’s deep dish pizza recipe that he had been working on since the 1950s. It eventually grew into more than 20 My Pi restaurants in 9 states.
My Pi closing its doors
Love it or hate it, you can credit My Pi with spreading the gospel of deep dish Chicago-style pizza.
“My Pi was the first Chicago deep dish pizza restaurant opened outside of Illinois and has been saluted as the best pizza in the towns where it was located. When I was fourteen, my father opened a small carryout version of his restaurant in our hometown. I started cooking there and continued to work at his restaurants for eight years. Then I moved onto restaurant management school and the Culinary Institute of America,” Rich Aronson, the son of the Larry Aronson shared.
Now, Rich has made the difficult decision to close.
“After more than five decades of serving its beloved deep-dish pizzas, My Pi, one of Chicago’s original deep-dish pizzerias, will close its door at the end June. Thank You, Chicago -and beyond- for 54 wonderful years,” it posted on its webite.
An Instagram post shared more information on the decision to close down.
“With heavy hearts, we announce that My Pi Pizza will be closing at the end of June,” the company posted. “…We’ve been honored to be part of your celebrations, your cravings, your late nights, and your family dinners. Your support means the world to us.”
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Rich Aronson blamed the uncertainty of the economy on his decision to close the chain’s final location. Fans of My Pi were upset over the decision,.
Many responses to the Instagram post lamented the loss of the company’s vegan pizza. Matthew_Jon22 summed up what most of the posts shared.
“This is a tragedy. This was easily the best deep dish in Chicago,” he wrote.
