Don't Miss: Three Sons Pizza Pop-Up At Graduate Hotel Bar in New Haven
New Haven’s Graduate by Hilton Hotel is about a mile’s walk from Wooster Street, and in fact has a “pizza pay phone” in its lobby, with a direct line to Sally’s Apizza. But downstairs at its bar, a Connecticut dad has turned his own passion for pizza into a weekend pop-up with a loyal following.
Joe Pangia’s Three Sons Pizza got its start at Old Heidelberg last May, offering fresh-baked 16-inch pies and slices out of its bar kitchen on weekends. Pangia, who lives in Middletown, is an insurance professional and avid home cook who began to perfect his pizza recipes during the pandemic, working on the dough, sauce and toppings and asking for feedback from friends and family.
In 2023, he connected with a friend’s relative who worked for the hotel, who asked if he was interested in baking and selling his pizzas at the bar. The following spring, Pangia was firing up his first pies in New Haven, naming his business Three Sons Pizza for his three young boys: Leo, Max and Cooper
Pangia is a Long Island native, and he said his pizza style is “New York bar pie,” but with some New Haven influence.
“I make my pies a little more well-done than a New York pie would be,” he said. “I’m thinking New York, Long Island, where I grew up…it’s always thin, but mine is a little more crispy, a little more charred, because I like that New Haven influence, that charred flavor. It’s kind of a mix of both.”
The pies cook in an electric Bakers Pride oven at about 575 degrees, Pangia said, so he doesn’t have the high heat or coal-fired capability of some of New Haven’s other pizza hotspots. But his recipe features sugar, diastatic malt powder and olive oil to help strengthen the dough and promote browning, he said.
Three Sons’ menu started out small, with cheese and pepperoni options, but Pangia has expanded his regular offerings with two pies named for his boys: the Leo, with chicken meatballs and dollops of seasoned ricotta, and the Max, with pepperoni, hot honey and pecorino romano.
He offers specials on occasion, and showcased a few at recent event for local bloggers and influencers, including a classic tomato pie with pecorino and basil; a “New Haven Green” white pie with kale, garlic, Calabrian chili and a touch of lemon juice, and one with cremini mushrooms and shallots.
After nearly a year in business, Pangia said he doesn’t feel intimidated by his proximity to the Elm City’s world-renowned pizzerias. He’s not trying to compete, he said.
“I really believe in the pizza, and I love it, and I think I have a place in New Haven,” he said. “There’s plenty of room for me now. Just hearing the feedback from some of the bloggers, and now getting repeat customers…I have a handful of people coming back week after week, and it’s so cool to experience. I feel like if you have a good product and you believe in it, then you should go for it.”
Three Sons’ hours vary weekly, but Pangia keeps followers updated on its Instagram at @threesonspizza.
