A forgotten generation of late 19th century Italian pizza makers in America has been discovered, changing our understanding of how pizza arrived in the United States. After 10 years of searching through archival records for an upcoming book, Peter Regas is going public with his findings by launching pizzahistorybook.com and announcing a presentation at the U.S. Pizza Museum in Chicago on February 23.

Of this forgotten older generation, one baker stands out. Filippo Milone came to New York in the late 19th century and likely established two of the most famous New York pizzerias that still exist today, Lombardi’s on Spring Street and John’s of Bleecker Street.