Mac & Cheese Charity Pie Returns To Norwalk Pizzeria For October

NORWALK, CT — While October typically conjures up images of pumpkins, ghosts and copious amounts of candy for most people, three very different things are on Danny Segers' mind this time each year: macaroni, cheese and pizza.

Segers, who co-owns Letizia's Pizza in Norwalk with Dave Cook and founder Dennis Letizia, recently announced the pizzeria will bring back its special "Gertie's Pie of Hope" this October for the fifth year in a row.

This special pizza, featuring macaroni and cheese, bacon and bread crumbs, is only served during the month of October, and all profits the pizzeria makes selling these pies will be donated directly to the American Cancer Society.

"We've always been of the mindset that if we're going to do something for charity, it's all or nothing," Segers said. "We're not taking our initial investment back. We're 100 percent in."

Letizia's first began this month-long special after Ken Tuccio, a regular customer and morning show host for 95.9 The Fox at the time, informed Segers that October was both National Pizza Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

In light of this, the two decided to collaborate on a pizza special and raise money for breast cancer awareness.

"[We decided] to create a crazy pizza," Segers said. "Something special, something different, something we'd never done."

After brainstorming a number of "out there" ideas, including a pumpkin pie pizza, the pair settled on macaroni and cheese as a key ingredient, although Segers admits not everyone was immediately convinced it would work.

"Dennis and Dave are much more old-school," Segers said, "so getting them to do a pizza that isn't a traditional type of pizza is always a little tricky."

After testing one out, the group quickly agreed they had something unique and tasty that customers would enjoy.

While the team initially hoped to raise at least $1,000 from sales of the mac & cheese pie when it was first rolled out in October 2016, they ended up raising just shy of $5,000. Over the past four consecutive years they have run the special, the pizzeria has donated nearly $20,000 to the ACS.

"Cancer is just something that has literally affected everyone in some way," Segers said, "and I think everybody just really appreciates that we're doing it and that we donate 100 percent, and because of that they're just so supportive. We appreciate that."

This year, the restaurant is bringing in a few partners to help them hopefully eclipse their $5,000 goal, including 95.9 The Fox, Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Academy in Wilton and Forever Sweet Bakery in Norwalk, as well as MK&T Design and Print who will make T-shirts customers can buy at the restaurant.

"That's been the cool thing over the years," Segers said. "It went from us having to get people involved...to people coming to me, which is really cool."

"Gertie's Pie of Hope," named in honor of Dennis Letizia's mother who died of breast cancer about 10 years ago, is a 12-inch pizza and costs $15 per pie. Sales begin Friday and will run until Halloween, giving eager customers 31 days to pick one up.

"It's pretty cool too that Halloween is the last day of the special," Segers said. "It's one of our busiest days of the year, and it happens to also be the last day of the mac and cheese pie, so it works out nicely with the month."

While Letizia's has served up other charity pizza specials in the past, including taco and pulled pork pies, the mac and cheese pizza is one of the restaurant's longest-lasting and most consistent initiatives.

"This is our baby," Segers said. "People get very excited for October here. They talk about it all year."

Giving back to the community is something the Letizia's team takes to heart, as Segers notes the pizzeria has not done much advertising for themselves during the past few decades they have operated at 666 Main Avenue in Norwalk.

"It's always been primarily word of mouth," Segers said, "so our customers are coming, they like our pizza and they're telling everybody about it. That's really the main reason we think it's important to give back. We're a little local pizza place that is thriving because of our community supporting each other."

Raising money for a charity that helps people and families affected by illness has also taken on an even bigger meaning for the team since the ongoing coronavirus crisis began in March 2020.

"You take for granted, I think, your health on a daily basis," Segers said. "When the pandemic hit and it was like you could go outside today and be in the hospital tomorrow because of some crazy thing that's in the air...you sort of take a step back and think about how valuable life really is. It's just been such a crazy whirlwind year and a half...it's been a rough time for a lot of people, so we're doing the best we can to provide good food, donate when we can and just say thank you to everybody really."

Patch has reached out the the American Cancer Society for comment.