Defunct Major Brand Frozen Pizzas I Remember

Tree Tavern is still readily available in most New Jersey supermarkets, and in many supermarkets in the NYC metro area. Here is the manufacturer's store locator:
http://treetavernpizza.com/storelocations.html

We had a few discussions about Tree Tavern on this forum. The consensus is that the product sold now is not as originally made in Paterson, but better than it was for a spell a while back.

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Originally posted by David_NYC

Tree Tavern is still readily available in most New Jersey supermarkets, and in many supermarkets in the NYC metro area. Here is the manufacturer's store locator:
http://treetavernpizza.com/storelocations.html

We had a few discussions about Tree Tavern on this forum. The consensus is that the product sold now is not as originally made in Paterson, but better than it was for a spell a while back.

The current tree tavern pizza marketed is not even close to the original recipe which was much better than the current one which simply tastes like repackaged Ellios. They relied on the name to fool us.

The original had fresher tastier it is ashame they destroyed the original recipe from a tavern in NJ.

This reply sounded straight from corporate marketing 101 monitoring this website. I wish we could buy back the original recipe and put it back on the market sales would skyrocket!!!

Mick:

I stand behind my statement that Tree Tavern is still available. The title of this thread is "Defunct Major Brand Frozen Pizzas I Remember". Most of the brands you see in this thread are not sold under that brand name anymore, by anyone, using a formula that may or not be the same as that used on day 1 of sales. Furthermore, what is sold under the Tree Tavern name today is closer to what I remember to the Tree Tavern from 35 years ago than Mister P's, Totino Party Pizza, Tombstone, Jeno, and all formulations of Red Baron. Also, many prepared foods have changed their formulas over the years. I invite you to look at these two threads, and also to read the previous four pages of this thread.
http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17222
http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=18737

I am taking present brand-owner Provision Foods word at face value that they believe they are using the original formula. But, there are too many people that have commented here that the formula is not the same. Provision Foods almost certainly got a recipe when they bought the brand. But, was this the formula current in use at the time of sale, or the one people fondly remember? In one of the threads I cited above, I wrote the following:

"Maybe the folks who really remember what Tree Tavern was like should state what years they first bought the product, and how they think today's product is lacking. Then we invite the management of Provision Foods to comment."

I am hoping that someone can produce a smoking gun, such as a cardboard box from the old days, with the ingredients list. This may be information that Provision Foods does not even have. If it differs from what is on Tree Tavern's current box, Intenet bloggers and message boards may be able to get the current formula changed to a previous version due to the negative publicity.

One of the things we discussed on other threads is the fact that people can add ingredients such as mozzarella chese to get a pizza closer to what they remember of Tree Tavern in the old days. The biggest issue I have with the current formulation is that Tree Tavern uses cheddar cheese. Old timers claim it used to use mozzarella cheese. But the same contract manufacturer that makes Tree Tavern also makes Krasdale (C-Town Supermarkets, etc.) square pizza and makes that pizza with part skim mozzarella cheese.

By the way, I did send an email to Mike Ryan of Provision Foods last spring inviting him to look at these threads. He never did reply to my email.

Edited to reflect that Mike Ryan is associated with Provision Foods and not Pinnacle Foods.

quote:

Originally posted by efuery

quote:

Inside are three rectangle shrinkwrapped pizzas that can be broken into thirds

That sounds like Elio's pizza.

Is Totinos still around? I can't find it here in CT.

Oh, yea!! Elio's!! I just love how this site reminds me of things I totally had forgotten about! Fun!!!

Tree Tavern Pizza really meant one thing to me growing up in south Jersey, "Hot Damn, Mom and Dad are going out!!!"

Yes, probably close to 95% of the time we'd have Tree Tavern pizza was when mom and dad were going out for the evening. This took on a much different meaning as a teen as you could imagine!

Jim

True in our family...a quicky(that means when mom didn't make her homemade pizza) was Tree Tavern or Celentano's...Celentano's was i remember,more like a sicilian pizza....both were better than some fast food pizza today....not good...but not toooobad, either.

lee--Celentano's was good also-spicier sauce. I used to also love the buitoni regular pizza & their instant pizza. that's the one thing with the frozen pizza of old--they were all different & identifiable.

joisy,
You know, that's a very good point...there were lots of different tastes to the pizzas then...but thinking about it...I think you see that today in many of our products...a generic sameness...maybe that's the safe way to go in this era of expensive product start-ups and such...but many products suffer from that sameness...slight variations...but nearly all the same!!! Oh I can hear some out there disagreeing already...but taste generic white breads...and countless other products...sameness...my God, even old brands don't taste the same as they once did..cruise the forum topics..countless members testify to that...we live in a commercial world of sameness!

Does anyone out there remember a frozen pizza that was round and it came 10 in a box. The company that made it qwas called "Roman". It was the best frozen pizza. They were a little bit bigger than a personal pan pizza size. They were a .99 a box.

I wish they were around again.

If you are referring to the pizzas made by Roman Products Corp. and sold in PA, NJ, NY, CT, and MA, there are many comments on the previous four pages of this thread. There is also a 2007 obituary on one of the founders of Roman Products which gives a little history of the company:
http://archives.frozenfoodage.com/publication/article.jsp?id=326&pubId=1
There are also references that HP Hood opened a Roman plant in South Holland, Illinois.

If you want to find something similar to Roman, you may wish to look at the Ellio's and Betzios web sites and also the section of the Betzios site that list the brands they contract manufacture. While you may have to add cheese and otherwise augment the pizza, they remain pretty close to the formula from the 50's.

Does anybody remember a frozen pizza called (I think) Saluto's? It was a frozen scilian (thick crust), rectangular shaped pizza that came I think in a green box. The last time I remember seeing one was in northern Illinois in the late 1970's.

quote:

Originally posted by KB2IYS

Tree Tavern Pizza really meant one thing to me growing up in south Jersey, "Hot Damn, Mom and Dad are going out!!!"

Yes, probably close to 95% of the time we'd have Tree Tavern pizza was when mom and dad were going out for the evening. This took on a much different meaning as a teen as you could imagine!

Jim

So true, so true. A box of Tree Tavern in the freezer meant Mom & Dad would not be home for dinner, and most likely be in another type of tavern, enjoying their evening out.

It was good. I could cook a TT pizza, and jump on their bed, while I ate it. The following morning, I knew to be very quiet, until they woke up. Ah, memories!!!

quote:

Originally posted by collinf

Does anybody remember a frozen pizza called (I think) Saluto's? It was a frozen scilian (thick crust), rectangular shaped pizza that came I think in a green box. The last time I remember seeing one was in northern Illinois in the late 1970's.

I remember! My ex-wife's uncle started the company and then sold it to General Foods (General Mills?) in the early 80's. I was living in WV (where I could purchase Saluto's) at the time and moved back to NJ and went back to my beloved Tree Tavern!

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Originally posted by andrea573

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Originally posted by avk2

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Originally posted by Tony Bad

Anybody remember those toaster pizzas from the mid 60's that you heated in the toaster? I think they were called Geno's or Gino's? My sister seems to remember they were called Buitoni? Anyone??

Buitoni Instant Pizza c. 1972. I believe "Roman" also made frozen\toaster Pizza

My sister and I grew up on Butoni's toaster pizza! I wish someone would make them again. They were great for when we came home for lunch during school time.

quote:

Originally posted by tkitna

I still have nostalgia for a frozen pizza called 'Big Al Lucioni's'. It was the bare two crusts in a box that you had to apply the sauce, cheeze, and pepperoni to yourself. The sauce and cheese came in the plastic baggies that you had to tear open and clean up afterwards. I can remember the sauce having a nice spice to it though. I havent seen one around in 20 to 25 years. There was always a picture of a bald chef that looked like Mel from the TV show Alice on the box. Thats all I can remember.

I fondly remember those Big Al's pizzas and I'm craving one right now! My friend Karen & I would make, and eat, an entire one! Not bad for two skinny girls from Pgh suburbs! I think I'd pay a good sum to have one right now! If anyone knows if they are still in business, POST IT LOUD AND PROUD! Nobody comes close to Big Al's[^

quote:

Originally posted by tkitna

I still have nostalgia for a frozen pizza called 'Big Al Lucioni's'. It was the bare two crusts in a box that you had to apply the sauce, cheeze, and pepperoni to yourself. The sauce and cheese came in the plastic baggies that you had to tear open and clean up afterwards. I can remember the sauce having a nice spice to it though. I havent seen one around in 20 to 25 years. There was always a picture of a bald chef that looked like Mel from the TV show Alice on the box. Thats all I can remember.

Wow, this is cool, I haven't read everything, but I haven't heard Lizio Brothers frozen pizza mentioned. They came in a box, & I gobbled many of them around '75-'78 or so. Anyone remember these? They were quite tasty!