One of America’s best pizzerias is turning 100 — sorry NYC, it’s in Connecticut

Now that’s amore.

Frank Pepe’s iconic, coal-fired pizza associated — a favourite of celebs and locals alike successful New Haven, Connecticut — is celebrating its 100th day this month.

Opened connected June 16, 1925, by Italian migrant Pepe and his woman Filomena, nan no-frills “apizza” spot helped specify nan city’s signature herb pies and sparked a cult-like devotion complete nan years — deliberation agelong lines astir nan artifact moreover successful nan rain, sleet and dense New England snow.

Now tally by nan family’s 3rd generation, Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana has kicked disconnected a yearlong ceremony pinch a caller tribute video narrated by hometown hero, New Haven pizza person and Oscar-nominated character Paul Giamatti — and fans from some “pizza capital” New Haven and New York City are, well, eating it up.

“When I would service nan New Yorkers astatine our New Haven restaurant, they would show me, ‘I’m from New York, and I travel backmost and distant for your pizza — hands down,’” Pepe’s granddaughter, Jennifer Bimonte-Kelly, told The Post.

“New Yorkers are nan toughest critics. When they said it was good, I sewage chills connected my legs.”

Connecticut metropolis and authorities officials joined nan Pepe family — on pinch Giamatti, who has agelong touted nan magic of Pepe’s and has been a instrumentality since he was a kid — to grant nan milestone past week by christening nan corner of Brown and Wooster streets arsenic “Frank & Filomena Pepe Corner” successful nan bosom of nan city’s legendary Italian-American neighborhood.

Signature ‘crunch’ baked correct in

A period in, Connecticut residents aren’t nan only ones still drooling complete nan celebrated pizza — location are 16 different Pepe’s locations passim nan country, including outposts successful Yonkers, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Florida, Maryland and Virginia.

What makes this pizzeria truthful typical that it has a cult-like pursuing and attracts A-listers for illustration Giamatti, filmmaker Ron Howard, Oscar victor Meryl Streep, erstwhile presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, and more?

When it opened successful 1925, Pepe’s helped specify New Haven-style “apizza” (pronounced ah-beets), which is fundamentally bladed pizza made successful a coal-fired oven astatine 600°F aliases higher, which seals successful moisture and creates a crispy, charred but chewy pizza.

The style is often imitated by different section pizzerias, but devotees opportunity it can’t beryllium duplicated — which is what keeps quiet fans coming back.

“It’s for illustration our signature. When you wound into it, nan spirit from nan crust … tastes amended than Italian bread. It conscionable has that crunch to it,” Bimonte-Kelly told The Post.

New Yorker Joey Pascale agreed: “When group opportunity New Haven pizza is burnt, they don’t understand it’s a char.”

Even aft moving to NYC, nan New Haven County autochthonal said he’s made nan 90-minute travel to Pepe’s astatine nan petition of friends and co-workers who “crave it that badly.”

‘Apizza’ nan history

The pizzeria’s agelong history kicked disconnected erstwhile Pepe — who immigrated from Italy to nan U.S. successful 1909 — returned from WWI and settled successful Wooster Square.

After marrying chap Italian migrant Filomena Volpi, he hustled herb pies retired of a bakery wherever he worked astatine nan time, balancing trays of his signature “apizza” connected his caput arsenic he peddled them done nan market.

By 1925, he’d saved capable money to unfastened Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, which quickly became a vicinity staple.

In 1937, he moved nan cognition into a bigger abstraction adjacent doorway — still nan main Pepe’s Wooster Street location coming — wherever he and Filomena lived upstairs pinch their 2 daughters, Elizabeth and Serafina.

By nan early ’60s, Pepe was fresh to bent up his apron. With nary sons to return complete nan coal-fired pastry shop, trading nan business seemed for illustration his only option.

But his daughters had different plans.

Elizabeth and Serafina stepped successful to support things afloat while their mother, Filomena, continued to beryllium nan bookkeeper for complete 40 years.

Today, pursuing nan passing of her mother and aunt, 68-year-old Bimonte-Kelly is keeping nan family bequest live arsenic co-owner of Pepe’s original New Haven spot.

Fired up

The pep successful Pepe’s celebrated pizza is its base.

New York pizza mixed is usually whipped up pinch American breadstuff flour — pinch a dash of sweetener and lipid successful it — giving it a thin, foldable crust pinch a crispy edge.

On nan different hand, nan New Haven landmark uses a wetter, longer-fermented dough, which helps it create a rich, almost ciabatta-like texture.

Pepe’s pizza is past crisped successful 100,000-pound ceramic ovens heated pinch ember — replicas of nan original built a period ago.

Every constituent utilized successful nan pies is handpicked — from nan tomatoes grown successful volcanic ungraded adjacent Mount Vesuvius to nan clams shucked regular from nan Long Island Sound.

Even nan pecorino food is imported from Sardinia, Italy.

New Haven vs. New York

That exceptional operation is what has kept Pepe’s lights connected and its doors unfastened for nan past 100 years — and what’s sparked an 85-mile pizza rivalry betwixt NYC and New Haven, arsenic immoderate diehards committedness Pepe’s blows Manhattan’s slices retired of nan water.

“New York style is what I telephone a ‘lifestyle pizza’ — made to beryllium sold successful portion form, connected a inexpensive achromatic plate, connected nan go. New Haven style is meant to beryllium eaten astatine nan array pinch family and friends,” Frank Zabski, laminitis of New Haven Pizza School, told The Post.

Nicholas Aucella, a New York City resident who grew up successful New Haven County, is besides a instrumentality and has been going to Pepe’s pinch his family ever since he was born.

“It’s a true, authentic experience,” he explained to The Post. “The pizza is worthy each infinitesimal waiting successful line. The emotion you get from each pastry is indescribable.”

Despite nan praises from quiet customers, Bimonte-Kelly believes Pepe’s existent concealed condiment is simply a heaping dose of humility and gratitude.

“My grandpop taught maine successful life to dainty group pinch grant and respect,” Bimonte-Kelly said.

“’You don’t boast,’ he’d say. There’s thing to boast astir because it could beryllium taken distant from you for illustration that,” she added, snapping her fingers.

And it’s not conscionable nan delicious pizza that brings successful hordes of customers — nan New Haven location is besides a spot of nostalgia for locals.

“When you look astatine aged pictures of Wooster Street and Pepe’s, it each looks nan same,” Pascale said. “Nothing tops nan aged schoolhouse atmosphere. I emotion getting a bully spot successful nan edifice pinch a position of Wooster Street and watching group locomotion by.”

‘Energy, humility, beingness and passion’

“I’m conscionable truthful grateful and humbled. I admit nan emotion that nan customers springiness to us. I’m ever truthful blown away,” a teary Bimonte-Kelly told The Post of her grandfather’s agelong legacy.

“I spell retired into nan statement whenever I visit, and I convey nan customers for coming successful and for waiting successful line,” she continued.

It’s thing she learned from her grandpop, who she says utilized to “tip his hat” astatine group lining up for his pizza and shake hands everyone pinch a welcoming smile.

“I look astir nan edifice to this time and consciousness nan energy, humility, beingness and passion of nan group from nan past and nan present. I consciousness light, energy, love, togetherness, teamwork and resilience.”