As a self-proclaimed pizza-holic, I can honestly say I will wait for hours for a good pizza! Whenever I’m visiting a new area, I do a cursory search for the best pizza available and usually make an effort to visit. Based on the Daily Meal’s 101 Best Pizzas in the country list, I’ve managed to visit 10 of the top 30 in the USA, alright!

When Gregory and Valerie Norton moved from New York to North Carolina to open an authentic Brooklyn-style pizza joint, the couple thought through every conceivable facet — even down to replicating water from the Big Apple to make the dough.

It was around 2012 and I was living in Hell’s Kitchen. At the time, a friend of mine was on a major pizza exploration kick — frantically hitting up every pizza place in the tri-state area that made it onto any ‘best of’ list, starting with the NY institutions: Grimaldi’s, L&B Spumoni, Patsy’s, moving on to the newer legends like Lucali in Brooklyn, and even heading out to Jersey and New Haven for De Lorenzo’s and Frank Pepe.

One of New York City’s most renowned pizzerias recently opened a new location in Downtown Cary, and we can’t wait to get a “pizza” it. The legacy of original owner Dominic DeMarco (who established Di Fara Pizza in 1965 in Brooklyn) will live on in the Cary digs through authentic pies starring dough made with a New York WaterMaker—which replicates the signature thin yet chewy crust for which The Big Apple is known.