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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING CONNIE’S PIZZA ON THE OCCASION OF ITS 55TH ANNIVERSARY
WHEREAS, Connie’s Pizza has been a Chicago beacon for 55 years, and
WHEREAS, the restaurant was founded by Connie and Raymond DeGrazia on 26th Street in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood, and
WHEREAS, in 1963, Jim Stolfe traded in his prized 1962 Oldsmobile Starfire for the small storefront pizzeria, and
WHEREAS, once Jim took over the restaurant he preserved both the name Connie’s and the recipe that continued to grow in popularity, and
WHEREAS, for the next five-plus decades, that drive and foresight has kept Connie’s at the forefront of the Chicago Pizza scene, and
WHEREAS, Jim’s ingenuity led to new ideas in the pizza world, including drive-thru pizza pickup and heated delivery trucks that made sure the pies were still piping hot when they reached the hungry customers’ homes, and
WHEREAS, Jim has since passed the business onto his son, Michael in 2003, and
WHEREAS, Michael continues to bring ingenuity to the pizza world, by perfecting a crust that allowed for the introduction of partially baked pizzas to Connie's inventory, allowing customers the restaurant experience in their own homes, and
WHEREAS, Michael employs more than 200 employees of diverse race, age, and backgrounds, and
WHEREAS, Connie’s has grown to become a permanent Chicago institution and has grown to include concessions at special events, and
WHEREAS, Connie's has expanded in larger catering events such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and corporate events, and
WHEREAS, Connie’s makes sure to give back to the community, celebrating its 55th anniversary by donating and working with Chance the Rapper and his non-profit SocialWorks.
BE IT RESOLVED by the President and Cook County Board of Commissioners that Connie’s Pizza, the Stolfe family, and the many employees who keep Chicago well-fed are honored on the occasion of the restaurant’s 55th Anniversary.
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