Ralph's NY Italian Pizza offers authentic NY-style pizza

Ralph’s New York Italian Restaurant doesn’t have a sign on its building yet. In fact, the only thing letting passers-by know Ralph’s is a restaurant is a handwritten board standing in the grass at 315 N. Granville Street, advertising its hours.

But who needs a sign when word of mouth and Facebook chatter about your New York-style pizza is spreading so fast, you can’t keep up with the orders?

Ralph Casbarro’s new restaurant on Granville Street sold out of pizza every day and night since it opened five days ago.

The fast, non-stop pace had Ralph Casbarro looking exhausted. His wife, Leslee had been taking orders and checking out customers at a steady clip, sometimes with customers backing up. Many customers were calling in pizza orders in the morning to make sure they got filled that evening.

Casbarro seems to have a runaway hit on his hands. Customers are saying Ralph’s is the only place in the area where they can buy authentic New York-style pizza.

Casbarro said that style of pizza, made with premium ingredients and featuring a thin crust and broad fluffy rim, is something rare in northeastern North Carolina.

“Compared to what most people around here are familiar with — the kind you get from chain stores — one of the big differences (in our pizza) is the sauce,” Casbarro said. “Other stores buy cheap, canned tomatoes. They open the can and throw it on. We don’t do that. I make my own sauce from scratch.”

Casbarro said Ralph’s pizza sauce has a different flavor.

“It’s made with garlic and has a more authentic Italian flavor to it,” he said, adding that an authentic Italian sauce is not as sweet as what many customers are used to when buying pizza-chain pies. He said he also uses 100 percent natural cheese in his pizzas and spares no expense to get top-quality ingredients, ordering his Italian sausage from Layden’s Country Store in Belivdere.

Casbarro said he came to Edenton from New Jersey with his wife after quitting his job on Wall Street and going to culinary school. He and his wife moved to Edenton where they purchased and restored a home. After that, they decided to open a business in order to have something to keep them both busy.

Casbarro’s biggest problem at the moment is labor. He said he’s had to cut back on the product he can offer until he hires several more workers. For example, he can’t offer individual pizza slices on the weekends and he currently offers pizza in only one size — 18 inches.

Other innovations, like ready-to-heat meals, baked cookies, and a delivery service, will have to wait until the business grows and even more workers can come on board.

Ralph’s New York Italian Restaurant, located at 315 N. Granville St., Edenton, is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The restaurant’s phone number is (252) 263-7047.