New York City is mourning the loss of a legend, after Domenico DeMarco — founder of the iconic Di Fara Pizza in Midwood — has died at age 85.
His family confirmed their father's death on Instagram, with his daughter saying "he was the hardest working man I know and he was a leader and will remain a leader through his legacy. It is with a broken heart that I must share that he has left my mom, my brothers, my sister, myself and all those that loved him."
DeMarco came to the country in the '50s from southern Italy, setting up shop on the corner of Avenue J and East 14th Street back in 1965. Through the years, he never stopped doing what he loved: making pizza.
Word of his pies spread, and he would go on to earn the reputation of having the best pizza in NYC — depending on who you ask. Anthony Bourdain, former mayor Bill de Blasio and many others believed it was the best slice in the city, but anyone who had a taste would at very least call a slice from Di Fara the quintessential New York pizza.
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Mayor Eric Adams also called DeMarco a "legend," saying his "legacy will live on anytime someone picks up a pie from Di Fara."
