View source for Salvatore's Tomato Pies

'''Salvatore's Tomato Pies''' (often shortened to '''Sal's'''), is a pizza place with several Madison-area locations, the first of which was located in a Sun Prairie strip mall, later moving to downtown Sun Prairie in November 2016<ref name="mc-2016-11-27-salvatores-sun-prairie">Kalk Derby, S. (2016, November 27). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/restaurants/article_09daf711-0682-564c-9abb-b0d88a2f7584.html "New Salvatore's Tomato Pies opens Sunday night in Sun Prairie."] ''madison.com''.</ref>.

== Sun Prairie, 2011–2014 ==
Salvatore's opened in early October 2011 in a small storefront at 503 W. Main St., Sun Prairie, with [[Patrick DePula]] and chef Drew Griffin as co-owners. The tomato pies of Trenton, New Jersey, were built bottom-up: crust, olive oil, cheese, toppings, then a swirl of sauce, on dough fermented for three days and baked in a 650-degree brick oven; there was one size, 16 inches. A liquor license came about a month after the opening, and lunch service began on January 3, 2012<ref name="ct-2011-12-29-p6">Christians, L. (2011, December 29). "Salvatore's makes pizza from Sun Prairie with love." ''The Capital Times''. p. 6. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/522469422/ 522469422].</ref><ref name="ct-2013-03-13-p10">(2013, March 13). Square card-reader story: Patrick DePula opened his pizza parlor in October 2011. ''The Capital Times''. p. 10. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/520653639/ 520653639].</ref>.

The State Journal's first review, in July 2012, listed the suppliers: meats from the Underground Food Collective, vegetables from Harmony Valley, Hook's and Farmer John's cheeses, and flour from Lonesome Stone Milling in Lone Rock. The fig and bacon pizza cost $22<ref name="mc-2012-07-28-salvatores-review">Martell, C. (2012, July 28). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/reviews/article_c22dccd8-d822-11e1-bcce-0019bb2963f4.html "Local toppings take the pie at Salvatore's Tomato Pies."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. In a Capital Times poll of November 2013 that pizza took 20% of 2,716 votes, second to Glass Nickel's Fetalicious<ref name="mc-2013-11-17-pizza-poll">(2013, November 17). [https://madison.com/news/local/city-life/article_580ef10a-4faf-11e3-a40f-0019bb2963f4.html "Poll on Madison area's best pizza launches week's most-read items."] ''madison.com''.</ref><ref name="ct-2013-11-20-p13">(2013, November 20). Best-pizza poll photo page: Porta Alba's Alpina, Greenbush Bar, Glass Nickel's Fetalicious, Grampa's Barberini, Paisan's Super Hot and Salvatore's Fig and Bacon. ''The Capital Times''. p. 13. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/520984544/ 520984544].</ref>. Chef Tory Miller of L'Etoile cooked a guest pizza there in April 2014 for a school garden<ref name="ct-2014-05-21-p20">(2014, May 21). Madison Area Chefs Network: Tory Miller's guest pizza at Salvatore's in April 2014 raised $400 for a school garden. ''The Capital Times''. p. 20. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/520728149/ 520728149].</ref>.

In August 2014 DePula announced two more restaurants: the 900 block of East Johnson Street, taking over Madtown Pizza, and then a 3,000-square-foot flagship with a full bar on the Hyatt parcel along Highway 151 in Verona<ref name="mc-2014-08-14-salvatores-coming">Christians, L. (2014, August 14). [https://madison.com/news/local/city-life/article_58ffeadc-9ecb-5459-969b-2371c2d6499e.html "Salvatore's Tomato Pies finally coming to Madison (and Verona, too)."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. East Johnson Street was rebuilt that year, and one of the new sidewalk bump-outs for cafe seating was in front of the coming pizzeria<ref name="mc-2014-11-09-e-johnson-street">Adams, B. (2014, November 9). [https://madison.com/business/article_dca0fe72-8aa7-5e6c-9604-a1f611fd3a02.html "A new look and potential for East Johnson Street."] ''madison.com''.</ref>.

== Madison, from December 2014 ==
The Madison store opened quietly on Thursday, December 4, 2014, after planned dates in October and November slipped because the floors needed more work; the next day there was a 90-minute wait before the telephone number had even been published<ref name="mc-2014-12-08-salvatores-quiet-opening">Kalk Derby, S. (2014, December 8). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/blog/article_3e764f5a-93e8-5544-a751-8ea55bd71ed5.html "Restaurant News: Salvatore's Tomato Pies 'quiet' Madison opening not so quiet."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. It was at [[912 East Johnson Street|912 E. Johnson St.]], in the old Supreme Pizza spot that had just housed [[Madtown Pizza]] — a small room with a two-seat bar, eight tables and chef Carlos Nava, where waiting customers were sent next door to the Johnson Public House coffee shop. The reviews led with the Trenton, New Jersey-style tomato pies, made from a family recipe owner [[Patrick DePula]] put at about 100 years old<ref name="mc-2015-01-12-salvatores-review">Christians, L. (2015, January 12). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/article_9a8bed10-536d-5ec7-a949-9e48e6869de6.html "Restaurant review: Salvatore's brings bold, creative pizzas (and tacos!) to East Johnson Street."] ''madison.com''.</ref><ref name="mc-2015-01-15-salvatores-review">Kalk Derby, S. (2015, January 15). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/reviews/article_5c2f54fd-698a-5c23-8859-5a612189c410.html "Restaurant review: Salvatore's makes foray into Madison, followers rejoice."] ''madison.com''.</ref>.

In 2015 Salvatore's scrapped a planned Verona restaurant to concentrate on Sun Prairie<ref name="mc-2015-07-23-salvatores-verona">Christians, L. (2015, July 23). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/article_f2a5780a-88a2-5aa0-9d6b-a8ff98af2e7a.html "Salvatore's scraps Verona spot, looks to expand in Sun Prairie."] ''madison.com''.</ref>, and began making its own sausage together with [[Ian's Pizza]] — about 400 pounds a week, from Uphoff kurobota pork<ref name="mc-2015-07-16-ians-sals-sausage">Christians, L. (2015, July 16). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/article_28262af3-5725-55a5-b1ff-0abe7234fa4e.html "Ian's Pizza and Sal's Tomato Pies team up to make their own sausage."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. In December 2015 DePula bought the three-story brick building at 121 E. Main St., and hired John Jerabek and Beth Pieters<ref name="mc-2015-12-15-salvatores-moving">Kalk Derby, S. (2015, December 15). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/blog/article_617a50cc-d3c7-50a2-b7d5-862a50f044fa.html "Restaurant News: Salvatore's Tomato Pies in Sun Prairie moving to bigger digs."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. The Sun Prairie restaurant appeared on the Big Ten Network's "Campus Eats" in October 2016<ref name="mc-2016-10-10-salvatores-btn">Kalk Derby, S. (2016, October 10). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/restaurants/article_2a6766c9-7a76-531f-82a8-a940610186c7.html "Restaurant News: Salvatore's Tomato Pies to reach a national TV audience Tuesday."] ''madison.com''.</ref>.

The move down Main Street came on November 27, 2016: a soft opening Saturday night, official opening Sunday, in a 3,000-square-foot space three times the size of the original, in a 116-year-old building that had held the Mexican restaurant La Tolteca<ref name="mc-2016-11-27-salvatores-sun-prairie" />. An early-2017 remodel added a full bar; the new menu came from DePula with Jerabek, chef Bethany Pieters and sous chefs David Rocha and Danielle Broge<ref name="ct-2017-01-25-pO31">Christians, L. (2017, January 25). "Hearty entrees move Sal's ahead in Sun Prairie." ''The Capital Times''. p. O31. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/516780718/ 516780718].</ref><ref name="ct-2017-03-01-pO30">(2017, March 1). Follow-up review of the remodeled Salvatore's in Sun Prairie. ''The Capital Times''. p. O30. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/516784762/ 516784762].</ref>. From 2018 the East Johnson Street store had an exclusive delivery arrangement with EatStreet; "If you're a pizza place, people assume you're doing delivery," its general manager said<ref name="ct-2018-09-26-pO26">(2018, September 26). Delivery-app story: Salvatore's East Johnson exclusive with EatStreet. ''The Capital Times''. p. O26. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/508042493/ 508042493].</ref>.

In the Sun Prairie gas explosion of July 10, 2018, which destroyed buildings across the street and killed Fire Capt. Cory Barr, the restaurant was damaged and closed; it reopened August 1, helped by about $11,000 in crowdfunding, and its staff catered Barr's funeral<ref name="ct-2018-07-18-pO12">(2018, July 18). Sun Prairie explosion: destroyed buildings included Glass Nickel Pizza. ''The Capital Times''. p. O12. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/508043704/ 508043704].</ref><ref name="mc-2018-08-08-after-disaster">Christians, L. (2018, August 8). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/article_d8479ba2-5675-520f-99d7-c0959269ee8f.html "After disaster: When a restaurant suffers a catastrophe, the road to recovery is complicated and public."] ''madison.com''.</ref>.

== DarkHorse ==
The third Sal's location, sometimes called '''DarkHorse by Sal's''' over the space previously occupied by Sujeo until 2019.  This location features an expanded menu with a section changing with seasons.  The name comes from a time when a restaurant critic referred to [[Patrick DePula|DePula]] as a "dark horse" due his talent despite any formal culinary training<ref>Kalk Derby, S. (Nov. 18, 2019). “DarkHorse by Sal's taking over former Sujeo space.” ''Wisconsin State Journal''. 33.</ref>.

== The pandemic ==
DarkHorse by Sal's opened on February 18, 2020, with a pizza bar its owner called the "pizza confessional"<ref name="mc-2020-02-18-darkhorse-opens">Kalk Derby, S. (2020, February 18). [https://madison.com/entertainment/dining/restaurants/article_5fec4800-f636-5158-83d3-3bd5d14f43fe.html "DarkHorse by Sal's opens Tuesday with glam, rock n' roll look."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. A month later the COVID-19 shutdown closed every dining room, and Salvatore's went to carryout and delivery, with a $12 16-inch one-topping "community response pizza" for the duration of the emergency<ref name="mc-2020-03-19-how-to-help">Kalk Derby, S. (2020, March 19). [https://madison.com/entertainment/dining/restaurants/article_bd74a561-1dc8-5ffe-a55f-1796f3fc22df.html "How customers can help Madison's restaurant scene survive amid COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. A Monona store opened on June 9, 2020, for carryout and delivery only. The same month DePula and his partners, chef Jed Spink and John Jerabek, renamed DarkHorse as a Salvatore's, his fourth: "comfort food is what people are looking for"<ref name="mc-2020-06-21-darkhorse-salvatores">Christians, L. (2020, June 21). [https://madison.com/entertainment/dining/article_e7a8ee0d-036e-55e1-a02e-e2bd71d61aef.html "Coming at you like a . . . Salvatore's: DarkHorse restaurant changes name."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. At the end of 2020 the Livingston Street dining room was open at 25% of capacity, but sales were still 30% below 2019<ref name="mc-2020-12-03-salvatores-livingston">Kalk Derby, S. (2020, December 3). [https://madison.com/entertainment/dining/reviews/article_4dda7b4b-5a6c-5cde-88ee-123c2d35b14d.html "Curbside review: 2 people, 2 top dishes of the year at Salvatore's on Livingston."] ''madison.com''.</ref>.

The Monona store became the company's headquarters, with a commissary kitchen where Salvatore's developed [[Frozen pizza|frozen pizzas]]<ref name="mc-2021-08-30-salvatores-pandemic">Christians, L. (2021, August 30). [https://madison.com/entertainment/dining/article_f5434a86-7cb3-5480-aa03-f74f4f49e7ba.html "Salvatore's Tomato Pies swims through the pandemic, picking up speed."] ''madison.com''.</ref><ref name="mc-2021-08-20-dark-horse-artbar">Kalk Derby, S. (2021, August 20). [https://madison.com/galleries/article_b8dca43b-15b8-5a5e-b232-b158da60d69e.html "Dark Horse rides again: New gallery and music space taking shape in former Star Bar."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. In 2022 DePula refused to let Grubhub list his menus without permission; on the app a $22 pizza cost $38<ref name="mc-2022-02-08-delivery">Kalk Derby, S. (2022, February 8). [https://madison.com/entertainment/dining/article_92ef5c50-6546-5f48-ad1d-dec98d7f4835.html "Solving third-party delivery problems with sights set on Uber Eats, Grubhub and DoorDash."] ''madison.com''.</ref>.

== Johnson Street ==
The Johnson Street store, at [[912 East Johnson Street|912 E. Johnson St.]], was too small for safe dine-in in 2020 and sold carryout and delivery only<ref name="mc-2020-06-21-darkhorse-salvatores" />. It closed for the winter on January 3, 2021, "to remodel and refresh", and its work moved to Livingston Street; it was expected back in October 2021<ref name="mc-2021-08-30-salvatores-pandemic" />. A later account says it closed in August 2021, reopened for about nine months in 2022, and then closed again<ref name="mc-2024-06-25-molten-monkey-coming">Kalk Derby, S. (2024, June 25). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/article_16eaaefa-325a-11ef-99ea-d375d3f6ed42.html "Ale Asylum co-founder opening Detroit-style pizza place on Madison's Near East Side."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. It was still advertised in May 2023, when Salvatore's had four locations: Sun Prairie, Madison East (Johnson Street), Monona, and 10 N. Livingston St.<ref name="ct-2023-05-24-pO42">(2023, May 24). Salvatore's Tomato Pies advertisement, "4 locations to serve", and Madison Burger Week entry "The McTwist Pizza". ''The Capital Times''. p. O42. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/964131219/ 964131219].</ref> By June 2024 the space was to become [[Molten Monkey Pizza]]<ref name="mc-2024-06-25-molten-monkey-coming" />. In October 2024 Salvatore's had stores in Monona, Sun Prairie and Madison<ref name="mc-2024-10-15-salvatores-lombardi">Kalk Derby, S. (2024, October 15). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/article_fd812468-872b-11ef-b058-2bf1d35c44d7.html "Salvatore's backs the Packers with Lombardi pizza."] ''madison.com''.</ref>.

The DarkHorse closed its dining room after four weeks, when COVID arrived in March 2020, and became a Salvatore's<ref name="mc-2024-06-25-molten-monkey-coming" />.

== Trivia ==
* Each football season brings a Packers pizza: the Lambeaughini in 2023, with "over-the-top pepperoni", and the Lombardi in 2024, with cheese curds, jalapeños, pepperoni and hot honey. Playoff opponents get pizzas too; a Bears pizza had hot dogs<ref name="mc-2024-10-15-salvatores-lombardi" />.

== Locations ==

* 503 West Main St., Sun Prairie (early October 2011 to November 2016)<ref name="ct-2011-12-29-p6" /><ref name="mc-2016-11-27-salvatores-sun-prairie" />. Before Salvatore's, the storefront had been Pietro's Pizza around 1999; after it, briefly Gotham Provisions, then Meze Mediterranean from November 2018<ref name="ct-2019-05-08-pO22">(2019, May 8). Meze Mediterranean review: 503 W. Main St. was Pietro's Pizza, then Salvatore's. ''The Capital Times''. p. O22. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/561853204/ 561853204].</ref>.
* 121 East Main St., Sun Prairie (November 27, 2016, to present)<ref name="mc-2016-11-27-salvatores-sun-prairie" />.
* [[912 East Johnson Street|912 East Johnson St.]] (December 4, 2014<ref name="mc-2014-12-08-salvatores-quiet-opening" /> to between May 2023 and June 2024; closed for a time in 2021–22)<ref name="ct-2023-05-24-pO42" /><ref name="mc-2024-06-25-molten-monkey-coming" />.
* 5507 Monona Dr. (June 9, 2020-present)<ref name="mc-2020-06-21-darkhorse-salvatores" /><ref name="mc-2021-08-30-salvatores-pandemic" />. The State Journal gave the address as 5511 Monona Drive<ref name="mc-2020-03-03-salvatores-monona">Kalk Derby, S. (2020, March 3). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/restaurants/article_2703edce-0070-5094-a460-57327cd1338f.html "Salvatore's Tomato Pies to open in former Pizza Oven in Monona."] ''madison.com''.</ref>.
* 10 N. Livingston St., Ste. 101 (Feb 18, 2020-present)<ref name="ct-2023-05-10-pO31">(2023, May 10). Salvatore's Tomato Pies Mother's Day brunch advertisement: 10 N. Livingston St., Ste. 101, and 121 E. Main St., Sun Prairie. ''The Capital Times''. p. O31. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/958700830/ 958700830].</ref>.

== See also ==
* [[Frozen pizza]]
* [[COVID-19 pandemic]]
* [[Molten Monkey Pizza]]
* [[Item:Q728|Salvatore's Tomato Pies in the Madison Pizza Wiki database]]

== Notes ==
<references />