As a boy in Naples, Italy, Tony Scotti-Belli fell in love with cooking. He combined the recipes of his mother and grandmother with his own cooking skills. He brings true Italian food to the United States. He landed at Staten Island in 1968 and months later opened his first pizzeria, Snappy Snacks, in Brooklyn.

Two years later, Antonio’s family left New York for Southern California. Antonio found his first job at a Pasadena pizza restaurant, but he quickly became disappointed when he tasted the pizza in the West. He wanted to introduce Angelenos to true New York pizza pie. After searching for months for the perfect location for his own pizzeria, he found it: San Marino. With the help of his friends and family, along with the love and support of his wife, he opened Tony’s Pizza on March 5, 1973.

The people of San Marino enjoyed his food, which became an overnight success. In 1979, Tony’s Pizza relocated to its current location and has been a city landmark ever since. He’s proud to say that his son, Michael, runs the business now, working from the family’s tradition of quality and great taste.

In 2000, Michael became the boss, and he has 2 full-time employees and 8 part-time employees. And the employer and employees have a good relationship, like family members.

The biggest challenge was his lack of staff during COVID-19. There was no one willing to work, even though the salary was good. 

Tony’s Pizza contributes a lot to the neighborhood. Local residents like to hold parties and gatherings there on Fridays, and everyone is very close.  “We have always focused on our customer service. I’m trying to be consistent in everything we can do. So everytime you walk in the door, you’ve got the same smile, the same good food, great service. I want everything to be the same every time as best as I can”, that’s what Michael said. Michael’s audio

Thank you to the English as a Second Language (ESLN) students from Pasadena City College for partnering with us on this special project. As part of their U.S. Cultural Traditions and Social Change class in Spring 2024, the students gathered stories and information directly from local legacy businesses, capturing their unique contributions to our community. We are proud to showcase their authored profiles and celebrate their hard work. A special thank you to Dongmei (May) Liu, Sarah Wang, Dan Dai, Maohuan (Simon) Sun for working closely with Tony’s Pizza. Your dedication has brought these stories to life beautifully!