Legendary Di Fara Pizza patriarch dies at age 85, ran renowned Brooklyn eatery for nearly six decades
It’s a plain slice of Brooklyn heartbreak.
Dom De Marco, patriarch and founder of the borough’s legendary Di Fara Pizza, died after 57 years at the helm of the renowned eatery routinely acclaimed as the city’s No. 1 pizzeria, his daughter wrote in a Thursday post on Instagram. He was 85.
The Italian immigrant opened his mouth-watering business in 1965, drawing crowds that often clogged the sidewalk outside while awaiting a slice of his unparalleled pies. His legion of pizza-loving fans included Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio and singer Tony Bennett.
“I’ve been eating this pizza for 20 years,” said Israel Gonzalez, standing outside the shuttered Midwood pizzeria with his 6-year-old daughter Kylie. “I always used to stand there and watch him making the pizza. It was amazing. I can’t believe it. He was such a nice guy.”
The longtime owner indeed prepared the pizza himself for decades, with imported cheese, fresh basil and top-quality olive oil, while training the next generation in the family’s pie-making business.
“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 because it was his time,” his daughter wrote. “My dad ‘Dom’ was 85 years old and all our hearts will be broken.”
The restaurant was hailed across the decades as one of the top pizza destinations across the five boroughs and beyond, with a loyal clientele that kept coming back from generation to generation.
“His pies were different,” said Max Sutton, 24, who recalled telling his Arizona college pals about Di Fara’s. “He’s a New York legend, a pizza legend, and we’re all going to miss him.”
Food critics agreed, as illustrated in by a 2021 ranking of the city’s top pizza stops.
“If you’re gonna visit Brooklyn, then this place is a must-go-to spot,” read the rave review. “The pizza here is perfectly crisp to the point of its pure deliciousness.”
De Marco was often seen inside the Avenue J outlet carefully snipping up basil with a tiny pair of scissors for placement atop his pies. On Thursday, Mike Pergola stood outside tucking a bouquet inside its rolled-down gate near a sidewalk square etched with the words “De Marco Est. 1965.”
“I couldn’t not bring him flowers,” said Pergola, 60. “I’ve been coming here at least 25 years, maybe 30. Every pie was a creation. He was a craftsman, he went at his own deliberate pace. It was almost like a Japanese tea ceremony.
“Everything was done, and there was no rushing the man. He was an old-school guy.”
De Marco immigrated from the Italian province of Caserta, landing a job on a Huntington, L.I., farm before opening his own business back when Mayor Robert Wagner was in City Hall and Mickey Mantle in Yankee Stadium.
De Marco “was the hardest working man I know and he was a leader and will remain a leader through his legacy,” his daughter added. “Thank your for all the love and prayers.”
Longtime Di Fara fan Ernie Christopher, 61, mourned the loss of Brooklyn’s pizza perfectionist.
“Dominic was a legend,” he said. “I grew up down the block, I remember when it opened. ... He stayed and he just refined his art and made the best pizza. He made every pizza himself. Until he got quite aged, he would not let the kids do anything.”
