A brand new pizzeria is open for business at 3579 E. Tremont Avenue, in Throggs Neck.
More than great pizza, Cousins Pizzeria is serving up years of family history.
“What’s up Cuz!” is how they greet one another. It’s been said that cousins are one’s first best friends. That couldn’t be truer for Cousins Pizzeria co-owners, Nat Giraldi and Mike Ragusa.
Bronx born and raised, Nat and Mike are two ‘regular guys’ with a rich family history and recipe for a quality pizza pie.
Coming to America from Calabria, Italy in the 1960s with very little money in their pockets, their parents’ big dreams inspired their families’ hearts.
Like just about everyone else, they hoped for a better life for their children.
So, they settled in the Bronx and began working in pizzerias to earn a living. Little did they know that they were starting a family tradition that over 20 pizza men would follow for generations to come.
“I was about 12-years-old when I started helping my dad in his pizzeria in West Farms,” said Nat. “He would serve fountain soda and wipe tables while he watched his dad make fresh dough and stretch the pizza out just right,” he added.
Soon, Nat would find himself making pizza and working every day after school and eventually opened up his own pizza shop in the Financial District of Manhattan.
Meanwhile, Mike reminisced about waking up on Sunday mornings to the delicious aroma of tomato sauce cooking in the kitchen. Yes, he says, it’s sauce, not gravy.
“Our mothers were always the most amazing cooks. They could make a gourmet meal from the simplest ingredients,” said Mike.
So, Cousins’ owners decided they wanted to share these great recipes and family traditions with their fellow Bronxites and bring their authentic cooking to the neighborhood on East Tremont Avenue.
Nat and Mike are excited to offer a wide variety of specialty pizzas, pastas, heroes, entrees, salads and more.
All food is made fresh on the premises daily and passersby can smell the aroma.
The pizza shop has a welcoming feeling, the staff is friendly and the walls are decorated with beautiful photos that depict “a pizza (piece of) our history,” as the owners say.
You’ll often see Nat and Mike’s family members working behind the counter, too.
That’s how their tradition continues.
They look forward to sharing their Italian cuisine with their fellow Bronxites.
Be sure to stop by to enjoy their delicious food and say “What’s up Cuz!”
The phone number for Cousin’s Pizzaria is (718) 431-0055.
