‘Pizza: A Love Story’ Screening and Tour of ‘Pronounced Ah-Beetz’ Exhibit

If you have somehow missed the documentary, “Pizza: A Love Story,” here’s a chance to attend a screening with  Filmmaker Gorman Bechard at the New Haven Museum, on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at 6 p.m. A curator’s tour of the“Pronounced Ah-Beetz” exhibit with co-curator Jason Bischoff-Wurstle will be offered at 5:30 p.m. A Q&A with Bechard and co-producers Dean Falcone, and Colin M. Caplan will follow the screening. The film, tour, and Q&A are free with regular museum admission. Register here.

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In the documentary, Bechard tells the story of the evolution of this modern-day food staple, which he claims is “the only pizza that can really be called ‘pizza.’” From the rusted wheels of Frank Pepe’s bread cart to the black charcoal on their fingertips, visitors will journey from old-world Italy to present-day New Haven. 

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According to Bechard, the “Holy Trinity” of Pepe’s, Sally’s, and Modern serve as a cornerstone of New Haven’s Italian-American heritage and set the bar for this hallowed comfort food. “Pizza, A Love Story” is not just a tale of three restaurants but of three families that have the power to polarize, captivate, and delight.  

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“Pronounced Ah-Beetz” is co-curated by Bischoff-Wurstle, director of photo archives at the New Haven Museum, and Bechard, Falcone, and Caplan. The exhibit includes first-hand oral histories and pizza-related artifacts from personal collections, video footage adapted from the documentary and photographs. 

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The exhibit’s title, “Pronounced Ah-Beetz,” comes from the way many people mispronounce the word apizza, which originally grew out of the Italian la pizza. The exhibit will remain on view through October 2027. 

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