Hartford Business Journal

20 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JUNE 10, 2024 U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (left) recently traveled to Washington, D.C., with members of the state's "pizza delegation" to declare New Haven the pizza capital of the U.S. She was joined by Richard "Ricky" Consiglio (center), the son of Sally's Apizza founder Salvatore (Sally) Consiglio, and Sally's chef Bret Lunford. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Hidden Gems From pizza to oysters, CT focuses on smaller attractions to boost tourism efforts Pizza at The Brick Oven, Next Door, Big Green Truck Pizza, BAR, Est Est Est Pizza, and Cast Iron Chef Chop House. DeLauro said the state's more than 1,300 pizza-making establishments are the most of any state per capita, and they produce over 150 million pizzas annually, equaling $3.5 billion in sales. New Haven's 75 pizzerias generate over $100 million in annual sales, feeding 2 million customers annually, she said. New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said the city's pizzerias are local, national and international destinations. Sally's and Pepe's have been on Wooster Street for decades, and their growing popularity in recent years convinced them both to expand, with new locations throughout New England and beyond. Pepe's now has eateries as far away as Virginia and Florida. Sally's has three locations in Connecticut and one in Massa- chusetts, with five more in the development pipeline. Christian Bonaventura, a spokesperson for Sally's, said the pizzeria's original and new locations have contributed to steady growth, with a higher percentage of tourists visiting the Wooster Street site, while the new locations are more popular with local customers. Bonaventura said Sally's reve- nues have grown more than tenfold from adding the new locations. The average unit volume for Sally's is more than $3.8 million per restaurant location, he said. Anthony said it's attractions like Wooster Street in New Haven or local By Hanna Snyder Gambini hgambini@hartfordbusiness.com O ysters have been harvested from Connecticut waters for thousands of years. New Haven has produced world-famous pizza for more than a century. But, can these mainstays in the Connecticut economy and culture help draw more tourists to the Nutmeg State? State and local officials think so, and they are looking to add native gems like pizzerias, oyster farms and other smaller attractions to the growing list of popular Connecticut tourist destinations, hoping to boost the overall number of visitors to the state, while also attracting more residents and businesses. U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) in May entered an official statement into the Congressional Record declaring "New Haven the pizza capital of the United States." A "pizza delegation" of state officials, restaurateurs and tourism industry leaders traveled to Washington, D.C., for the event. Also last month, the state Depart- ment of Economic and Community Development (DECD) released a short film about the aquaculture industry to coincide with the debut of Connecticut's first "oyster trail," high- lighting local oyster farms, seafood markets and restaurants. The film, "Rising Tide to Table," was directed by the state's Chief Marketing Officer Anthony Anthony, who said tourism continues to be a major focus area for state economic development officials. Former DECD Commissioner Alexandra Daum, in outlining tourism as one of her top priorities, said smaller or lesser-known attractions deserve some of the spotlight as they collectively contribute to the state's economic vitality and help attract visitors and residents. Anthony joined the Lamont admin- istration under Daum in early 2023, when he learned that state tourism objectives were intertwined with other DECD efforts to recruit businesses, grow jobs and make Connecticut a desirable place to live, work and play. Since then, Anthony has helped spearhead marketing efforts — including the launch of a new "Make It Here" statewide branding campaign — that aim to bolster not only outsiders' perception of Connecticut, but also raise and leverage home-state pride. "Connecticut's identity is that of creators, makers, innovators and entrepreneurs," he said. "The marketing plan included giving Connecticut a strong identity, and making people think of us as a place to visit," and incorporating stops to smaller boutique and craft attractions while here. "And if we do all that, it will help us grow the economy," Anthony added. Promoting pizza For native and longtime Nutmeg- gers, New Haven's reputation for outstanding pizza is well-known. Sally's Apizza in New Haven is one of the many historic pizzerias along Wooster Street that has helped the Elm City earn its reputation. Sally's took part in the pizza delegation trip to Washington, D.C., along with other popular New Haven establishments such as Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, Modern Apizza,

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