Brought to America by Italian immigrants, pizza exploded in popularity after World War II, quickly gaining a hold on Bellingham’s hearts and stomachs.
Pizza: From Page to Plate
Even before local restaurants started serving pizza, the Bellingham Herald began publishing recipes. “It’s called pizza,” the first recipe, published November 18, 1948, explained to readers. This recipe called for topping an English muffin with canned tomato sauce, shredded cheese, and a rolled anchovy before grilling or baking.
Future pizza recipes called for roll/biscuit dough or mix. But many readers struggled to even say its name. It is “pronounced peet-za,” the Bellingham Herald had to remind readers in an April 30, 1953 article.
Pizza became even more popular when pizza mix, sometimes sold as a complete kit with crust mix, pizza sauce and cheese, hit the market in the 1950s. Convenient and quick, “anyone,” the Bellingham Herald assured readers on January 12, 1956, “can turn out an authentic pizza these days with such good mixes on the markets.”
Besides national brands, there was Bellingham-made Tony Sapolino (sometimes spelled Sap-O-lino) pizza mix. Some stores, like Albers Bakery at the Bellingham Public Market (1400 Cornwall Avenue), also sold pre-baked crusts, allowing cooks to add their favorite toppings at home.
Frozen pizza hit the freezer aisle in the late 1950s. In the 1960s, supermarkets also began offering their own fresh-baked pizza.
Pizza Party Time in Bellingham
Easily able to feed a crowd, pizza is perfect for gatherings and parties. While adults enjoyed pizzas at club meetings, it became known as a teenage favorite. Pizza parlors became popular places for teenagers to hang out, celebrate sports victories and hold club meetings.
Betting on the popularity of pizza in 1968, the Bellingham High School PTA held a pre-game feed” in the BHS cafeteria before a home football game. The Raiders Club and faculty served over 600 pizzas to raise money for the PTA’s “Rooter Bus” bus fund, which took fans to away games. And to celebrate the school’s graduation, the Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce) sponsored annual all-night “graduation frolics,” including a 3:30 a.m. “pizza breakfast.”
With such a youthful love for pizza, it was no surprise that the 1960s saw it earn a regular spot on Bellingham school lunch menus. Pizza was often served with vegetables and fruit to the side. For example, on January 14, 1960, a slice of pizza was accompanied by vegetable sticks, a fruit cup, and a half pint of milk.
Pizza on the Menu in Bellingham
While homemade pizza (even on an English muffin) or frozen pizza is good, for many, the only pizza is one fresh out of a wood-burning oven. Bellingham restaurants began adding pizza to their menus in the mid-1950s.
The Magnolia Grille (103 West Magnolia Street) was among the first. It began serving pizzas from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily in 1956. Tony’s Cafe (211 East Holly Street) added pizza to the menu the following year. The Leader Sandwich Shop (1227 Cornwall Avenue) followed in 1958, with three varieties to choose from. All these restaurants offered dine-in and take-out options.
Bars, taverns and cafeterias also added pizza to their menus. As the decade changed, independent pizza parlors began opening their doors. Bellingham’s first was the Flame Tavern and Pizza Oven (201 East Holly Street). Opening in 1959, it welcomed families to the pizza section of the restaurant. Ads proclaimed their pizza as “out of this world.”
More local pizza parlors tested the market, like Lil’ Johns Pizza (627 High Street), which opened its doors in 1964. All these independent pizza parlors rounded out their menus by serving other entrees like spaghetti, sandwiches, seafood, and steaks.
Enter the National Pizza Chains
The 1960s also saw the arrival of national pizza chain restaurants in Bellingham. First on the scene was Shakey’s Pizza Parlor and Ye Olde Public House (1234 State Street). Better known simply as Shakey’s, it offered 21 varieties of pizza and live music in a nostalgic 1890s atmosphere, complete with two roaring fireplaces and picnic tables. Company founder Sherwood “Shakey” Johnson was there for the opening. The first managers were childhood friends from Laurel, Fred Muenscher and Ed Chasteen. Chasteen was a Meridian High School teacher, while Muenscher worked as an advertising salesman and dairy farmer.
Seattle-based Pizza Haven (411 Magnolia Street) arrived in 1968, its eighth location in the Northwest. Besides pizza, they sold spaghetti, fried chicken, sandwiches and salads alongside specialties like sloppy pizza burgers. They served an estimated 3,500 people a night during their two-day opening. The Mediterranean-style store was initially managed by Jerry Clark, former manager of the Northgate Seattle location. And the store offered home delivery.
Home delivery would become critical in the 1970s and 1980s as familiar national chains gained a foothold in Bellingham. Domino’s Pizza arrived in 1981, Pizza Hut in 1971, and Godfather’s Pizza in 1981, to name but a few.
Pizza Forever in Whatcom County
But local pizza parlors were not going anywhere. For example, Bellingham Pizza House (111 East Magnolia Street) opened in 1969, serving “old world style” pizza alongside grinder sandwichesand spaghetti. Venus Pizza (1304 12th Street, Fairhaven) opened in 1974, serving 25 varieties of pizza. It changed its name to Stanello’s in 1988.
Pizza has come a long way in Bellingham, from topping English muffins to a wide choice of local and national restaurants. Any way you slice it, from fresh to frozen, pizza remains a Bellingham favorite.
