CAIOTI PIZZA CAFÉ IS ONE pizza joint that isn’t known for that dish at all. In fact, chef Ed LaDou’s claim to fame is an accidental “miracle” food. In 1993, a pregnant woman well overdue came in and ordered the café’s Romaine and Watercress salad. The next day, she went into labor. Believing the salad was the cause, she recommended the restaurant to a pregnant friend who was also overdue. What do you know, soon after the baby was on its way.

Word quickly spread, and soon LaDou was flooded with orders from frustrated soon-to-be mothers. So many orders, in fact, that he began mailing the dressing to women who couldn’t make it to his restaurant.