Rest in peace. Patsy Grimaldi, the pioneer behind NYC’s coal-fired, brick-oven pizza trend in the 1990s, passed away from natural causes on Thursday night, as confirmed by close acquaintances. At 93 years old, Grimaldi was remembered as a visionary with an exceptional passion — some might say an obsession — for crafting and sharing exceptional pizza. His longtime friend and business partner, Matt Grogan, expressed to The Post, “He will be remembered for his boundless generosity and for kickstarting an era of artisan pizza-making in New York City, as well as for paving the way to make Brooklyn a cultural hotspot.”
Born in the Bronx to Italian immigrants Frederico Grimaldi and Maria Juliana Lancieri Grimaldi, Patsy Grimaldi began working in the family business at just 10 years old after his father’s passing. Starting as a busboy at his uncle Patsy Lancieri’s renowned pizzeria in East Harlem, he quickly rose through the ranks to become a skilled pizza maker. Briefly departing the business in the 1950s to serve in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, Grimaldi eventually returned to manage the restaurant.
In 1969, Grimaldi met his late wife, Carol Abbe, and their initial encounter took place at Patsy’s Pizzeria. They tied the knot in 1971, raised a family in Queens, and remained together until Carol’s passing in 2014. Grimaldi opened his own establishment, “Patsy’s Pizzeria,” in June 1990 at the former site of a hardware store on Old Fulton St. in DUMBO. This location, originally surrounded by industrial structures, later became a focal point for upscale condominiums and the nearby Brooklyn Bridge Park due to a real estate surge.
Having invested in the first coal oven constructed in New York City in over 50 years, Grimaldi aimed to recreate pizza-making techniques from a century ago. Although he had to alter the business name to “Grimaldi’s” in 1995 following a lawsuit related to his uncle’s passing and the sale of the Patsy’s name by his aunt, his pizza-making legacy persisted.
After relinquishing ownership of his namesake eatery in 1999 to Frank Ciolli to prioritize time with his son Pat, who had developmental disabilities, Grimaldi returned from retirement in 2012. Alongside Carol and Grogan, he launched Juliana’s at the original location, named after Grimaldi’s mother. Despite disputes, the culinary rivalry continued between Grimaldi’s and Juliana’s, eventually joined by L&B Spumoni Gardens.
In addition to his wife, Grimaldi was preceded in death by his son Pat and four of his siblings. He is survived by his daughter, Victoria
Grimaldi, even in his later years, regularly enjoyed meeting and greeting customers from the comfort of his cherished corner table at Juliana’s. Every now and then, he would even show off his culinary skills by playfully tossing pizzas. He maintained a traditional approach to life, remaining staunchly opposed to the modern trend of capturing photos of meals before even taking a single bite. “It bewilders me,” Grimaldi remarked on one occasion, “how folks nowadays enter a place and immediately whip out their cameras to snap shots of their food. My advice to all is simple – resist the urge to photograph. Instead, savor the piping-hot pizza before it cools down and loses its appeal. The true enjoyment lies in relishing it while it’s fresh.”
