Ellio's Pizza

In 1963, Ellio's Pizza was founded in the Long Island, New York town of Great Neck by Elias Betzios, George Liolis, and Manny Tzelios.[1] Four years later, Ellio's introduced its signature "9 slice" pizza in a box comprising 3 rectangular pizzas, each divisible crosswise into three slices.[1] The original pizza consists of crust, pizza sauce and cheese with no additional toppings. This would remain Ellio's only formulation for almost 40 years until 2004, when Ellio's began selling pepperoni pizza.

In 1988, McCain Foods acquired the Ellio's brand and continued pizza production in Lodi, NJ. In 2006, Ellio's added a microwaveable pizza to its product line, adopting the more common round pizza form. In 2009, the product line expanded further, with the introduction of italian sausage and "Pepperoni Supreme" pizza.[1]

In 2015, McCain Foods announced the sale of its North American pizza business, including the Ellio's brand and production facility, to Dr. Oetker.[2] The brand has continued to expand its variety. As of 2015, Ellio's is available in 8 different crust and topping configurations.[3]

Prior to cooking

When McCain foods acquired Ellio's in 1988, the frozen pizza brand was outselling all competitors in the New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia markets.[4] In 2007, despite a distribution limited to the Northeastern U.S., Ellio's was the 9th best selling brand in the country, with sales totaling $34,880,060.[5] According to Ellio's, their pizza remains the top selling frozen pizza in the Northeast.[1]

Baking

The classic Ellio's pizza may be prepared only in a conventional or toaster oven. In each instance, the baking temperature is 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 °C), with the pizza baking either directly on the rack for about 9–12 minutes, or on a baking sheet for 14–16 minutes (not more than 14 minutes in a toaster oven).

• List of frozen food brands

• Ellio's Pizza official site