Domenico “Dom” DeMarco, the founding father of Brooklyn’s famed Di Fara Pizza, has died at 85.
DeMarco’s daughter Margie Mieles shared the information on social media Thursday. “It’s with a damaged coronary heart that I need to share that he has left my mother, my brothers, my sister, myself and all people who beloved him as a result of it was his time,” she wrote.
“My world revolved round my dad,” the Di Fara heiress and spokesperson continued. “I labored alongside him since I used to be a little bit lady. He was the toughest working man I do know and he was a pacesetter and can stay a pacesetter by means of his legacy.”
The pizzaiolo was the center and soul of Di Fara, persevering with to work up till his final days. Their beloved pizza is owed to DeMarco’s dedication to simplicity and genuine elements — and his signature scissor-cut contemporary basil and olive oil garnish insisted upon each slice.
DeMarco emigrated from Provincia di Caserta in Italy in 1959 and wasted no time opening the unique DiFara Pizza by 1965. As their repute soared, Di Fara was later dubbed New York’s greatest slice by chef Anthony Bourdain, Mayor Invoice de Blasio and others, together with The Post.
Vacationers to the storied pizza joint have been identified to attend hours for a chunk, and an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the legendary Dom at work.
Regardless of overwhelming demand by means of the a long time, solely in recent times had they expanded. First, with an outpost in Las Vegas, then extra domestically within the Lower East Side and Williamsburg (now closed) — DeMarco most popular to maintain his iconic Midwood store tied to its central Brooklyn roots.
Their ageing Midwood store has confronted its fair proportion of hurdles in keeping with each New York Metropolis well being code requirements, as well as the state’s Division of Taxation.
However the metropolis has all the time made clear its dedication to Di Fara. After they had been slapped for an unpaid tax invoice of greater than $167,000 in 2019, Gothamist reported, de Blasio stated, “I’m able to do something I can to get them reopened.”
DeMarco’s reason for dying is unclear. “It’s going to come as a shock to many as a result of we selected to maintain it non-public for good causes,” wrote Mieles in her dedication.
DeMarco’s son Alex told Brooklyn Paper’s Ben Brachfeld that his father has been on dialysis for the final couple of weeks. The shop will stay closed this week till additional discover.
