The 29-Year-Old Pizza Joint That's Closing Its Doors In New Jersey

In Bergen County, on the northern edge of New Jersey about 20 minutes outside of Manhattan, a popular pizzeria has sadly closed its doors after 29 years. In a post on Instagram, Napoli Pizza thanked all its loyal customers over the years. No details on the closing were given, other than having to manage many difficult situations. It certainly isn't alone – 2025 has been a rough year for restaurants.

Napoli was a true family business — the owner, Connie Panicucci, started working there when she was 22 and purchased the restaurant when she was 30. Her children could often be found behind the counter helping out. The pandemic was a difficult time; although the delivery side of the business went up, Napoli had regularly supplied pizzas to many schools that closed during that period. 

Other than being a longstanding part of the Bergen County community, Napoli (and its owner) was also notable for its surprisingly popular social media presence. The restaurant got big on Instagram, gaining over 56,000 followers. However, this social media stardom wasn't all due to pizza — unfortunately, the majority of comments on the company's posts are men objectifying Panicucci's body, which most local coverage ignored. On her TikTok, where she posts various trends and promotions, she sometimes has to turn comments off.

The unwelcome reaction to Connie Panicucci's social media posts may in part be due to the fact that it's relatively uncommon to see women running their own pizza places. In an interview with the Youtube channel Jersey Pizza Joints, Connie Panicucci and Big Guy From Jersey briefly discussed how rare it is to see a woman pizzaiola. It's a male-dominated profession, butpeople like Christy Alia and Alexandra Mortati are trying to change that. Together they started Women in Pizza month, which occurs every March. Mortati runs @womeninpizza on Instagram where she profiles pizzaiole around the country.

Notable pizzaiole include Sarah Minnick, who was profiled on Chef's Table. She is known for her pizzeria, Lovely's 50/50, in Portland, OR, one of our top 101 pizzerias in the USA, where she revolutionized pizza by creating unique, seasonal pies. Another name to look out for is Giorgia Caporuscio, the 2024 Pizza Maker of the year and pizzaiole running the number 7 pizzeria in the U.S. (according to the Italian Top 50 Pizza group), Don Antonio. She is the daughter of the founder, Roberto Caporuscio, and was the youngest winner of the famed Caputo Cup at just 22 in 2013.