Is there really a Buddy LaRosa?
You bet! Buddy LaRosa came from a working-class neighborhood on Cincinnati s West Side. After a hitch in the Navy, he worked a couple of different jobs. But he knew his real passion was to build his own business. Growing up, Buddy always loved the pizza that his Aunt Dena made. He thought other people might love her pizza, too. So, he made a couple dozen for his church s summer festival San Antonio Roman Catholic Church in Cincinnati s Little Italy. As it turned out, Buddy was right. Lots of people loved Aunt Dena s pizza. So in 1954, with $400 and a couple of partners, Buddy opened a small pizzeria to serve his neighborhood. And did people eat it up. Now, over 50 years later, LaRosa s serves hundreds of neighborhoods throughout Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, the Miami Valley, and Southeast Indiana. And Buddy s still around and involved in the business. Although, now he s able to spend more time with family and his other life-long interest amateur and professional boxing.
