Local Aurelio's Owner Creates Award-Winning Pizza

The story behind the Spinach Genoa pizza at Aurelio's Pizza is a bittersweet one. While the pizza took first place at a recent Aurelio's contest for new pizzas and as of Aug. 1 is offered chain wide in all 41 Aurelio’s locations across 6 states, the person who inspired the pizza passed away in 2011.
Theresa Lang was a Joliet native who was friends with Joliet franchise owner Luke Pascale, who created the pizza. She often came into the restaurant at 3101 W. Jefferson St., and ordered very light fare. Pascale came up with the Spinach Genoa, which has olive oil as a base instead of red sauce, because he was looking to create a lighter option.
"It's lighter, you don't have the heavy sauce," he said.
The pizza combines mozzarella cheese, Genoa salami, spinach and fresh garlic on Aurelio’s thin crust, brushed with olive oil. Locally, the pizza has come to be known as the T-Lang.
Even though the locally-inspired and created pizza won an award just recently, it has been served locally since 2011.
"I put it on our (lunch) buffet in fall 2011," Pascale said. "(Customers) gobbled it up."
The Spinach Genoa is not the only Pascale-created pizza that won awards in the Aurelio's contest. The chicken ranch with croutons pizza was also created for a local customer, a friend's daughter who did not like red sauce.
Pascale is happy about the pizzas that have won the privileged to be served at multiple locations. In August, the Spinach Genoa and the Spicy Italian, created by an Aurelio's in Chicago, will be featured on the menu. Aurelio's also offers pizza on gluten-free crusts.