CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT The Famous Pizza King

Mario Scaturro, Owner & Manager, The Famous Pizza King - Cherry Hill

ARTICLE BY SARA MAHMOOD

A Pizza King was Born

Frank Scaturro worked in the family business as a sheep herder and cheese maker in Sicily. He worked diligently for years and in 1963 left to come to America. Frank came to New York City and worked in construction at night and as a pizza man by day. After some time of operating a place in the city, Frank determined it was more advantageous to open a pizzeria outside of the city, so this is when he moved to South Jersey and opened the Famous & Original King of Pizza.

Consistent quality and delicious food kept customers coming back. Working 18 hours a day for 27 years straight was the secret behind Frank’s success.

The King of Pizza has become a landmark in South Jersey and has been operating for over 40 years

The King of Pizza is currently run by Frank’s children; Anthony Scaturro, Roseanna Scaturro and Mario Scaturro - who was interviewed

After a fire in 2004, he and his brother rebuilt the pizzeria in Cherry Hill as it is standing today- with the exception of the sign looking out to the street. From that point on they expanded their menu and introduced items such as cheesesteaks, hoagies, wings and more.

Mario has children, however they have chosen to take their own path and not be in the pizzeria business. He is happy they are able to pursue their dreams because he is aware that if you aren’t passionate about the work it isn’t worth it.

Mario runs one location - Cherry Hill and his siblings work at the other location. He says it gives them the space they need to work together, yet apart- the healthy space they need.

He was introduced to Ferraro Foods when he met Michael Giammarino, Chairman and CEO of Ferraro, over 15 years ago when a mutual friend introduced them.

Other than pizza, the menu item that does really well is their wings. Mario has been told that his wings are “the best in South Jersey.” Besides hot flavored, he offers mild, garlic parmesan and barbecue.

He says he isn’t one to brag about awards and achievements, but has earned awards from publications such as Zakat review and Best Restaurants of South Jersey.

What advice do you have for others starting out?

He says to dedicate yourself, stay very focused because it isn’t easy. It is much harder to be successful than it was 15-20 years ago. The industry has gotten very saturated in recent years making it even harder to stand out from the noise.