EDITOR’S NOTE: Happy National Pizza Month! This October, we are celebrating America’s favorite food and the people who make it by featuring pizzerias that give back to their communities.
Casano’s Pizza Parlor
Rutherford, New Jersey
Casano’s Pizza Parlor owner David Ligas named his restaurant after his grandmother, Marie Rene Casano, who died of breast cancer before he was born. Knowing this, it is no surprise that Casano’s supports initiatives that increase cancer awareness and benefit families fighting cancer.
“This cause is a part of my family’s story, and it’s important to me that it becomes part of Casano’s story too,” Ligas tells Pizza Today.
Casano’s donates $2 from every New Haven Tomato Pie sold to the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund, which supports families tackling childhood cancer. On Sept. 20, Casano’s hosted a block party to celebrate its one-year anniversary. It invited apparel brand Body by Rigatoni, The Secret Garden Italian Cafe & Eatery and DiCosmos Italian Ice to join in the celebration, with a portion of proceeds benefitting the nonprofit group.
This October and November, in memory of Marie Rene Casano, the pizzeria is donating $2 for every cheesesteak sold to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life team organized by the Rutherford Chamber of Commerce.
“Breast cancer awareness has always been personal to me. My grandmother passed away from breast cancer, and my mom is a survivor. Without them, I wouldn’t be the person I am, and Casano’s wouldn’t exist the way it does,” Ligas says. “Because of that, I want to use Casano’s as more than just a place for great pizza – I want it to be a platform to give back and spread awareness.”
The act of giving is just another way Casano’s is founded in honoring family, tradition and connecting with guests through food and meaningful impact.
