The Legend is Gone: Vincent Chianese- 03/02/1925 - 03/07/2010

 *This is re-printed from the Tribune Review
The maestro is no more.
For more than a half-century, Vincent Chianese kneaded the dough, flung it effortlessly toward the ceiling then slapped on it enough ingredients to comfortably satisfy the collective appetites of a mid-sized military battalion.
He did so all the while with his trademark cigarette dangling precariously from his lips.
Chianese, the founder of Vincent's Pizza Park on Ardmore Boulevard in North Braddock and several franchise locations, died last week at the age of 85. He had been in declining health after selling the business he began in 1950 about five years ago.
Friends and former employees will gather at the pizzeria today from 4 to 9 p.m. to toast his memory and -- let's be honest -- probably indulge in a piece or two of his famous pizza.
"We've lost a legend," said Nina Burdell, 44, one of those former employees and North Braddock council president. "He was one of those larger-than-life figures who doesn't come around very often."

An Independent Review by JP

well, i was so determined to get some vincent's in me this weekend i decided to give it another try today. called first. the message on the machine said they're in their grieving period and will open back up soon. so i went to trusty old google on my android phone and found that i was closest to the penn hills location. called them and they were open! HUZZAH! so i drove there and got a vinnie pie. considering that this was not a tpc meeting, the review i'm about to give is unofficial and completely off the record. first thing i had noticed was that it was a vincents pizza/rudy's subs restaurant. sounds to me like the entrepreneur couldnt make up his/her (i'm thinking more along the lines of her ;) ) mind on which pittsburgh favorite franchise he or she wanted to open. i'm not a fan of rudy's subs because they give me migranes. dont know why. anywho, i didnt care for that too much. the girl making the pies looked to be about 19 years old and was texting between tosses. a far cry away from the woman that works at the plum location that i'm used to who's been doing it for 18 years and is the only other person that know's vinnie's secret at that location. if she cant come in, the place doesnt open. so as far as the actual restaurant i would give it a 2/5.