Pizza Pops king leaves savoury legacy

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/02/2018 (2802 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s a sad day for Pizza Pops fans; the Winnipeg man who invented them has died.

Paul Faraci, who came up with the pizza-filled pocket of fried dough as a sideline at his restaurant in the 1960s, died Feb. 6. Faraci was 89.

Nephew Phil Faraci said Tuesday that his uncle had a restaurant on Sargent Avenue selling burgers and fries when he came up with the Pizza Pop.

“He just started making them and selling them and starting the wholesale of them later,” he said. “The business just grew from there. He ended up closing the restaurant when Pizza Pops took off.”

As Canadians learned about Faraci’s death Tuesday, many took to social media to remember the man.

“They tasted better when he made them,” Christine Langdon of Winnipeg tweeted.

“I also remember the originals being WAY better than the doughy, bland Pillsbury version we get now,” wrote John McIntyre.

Even Tory MP Michelle Rempel (Calgary Nose Hill) tweeted from Ottawa that, “On a lighter note, ahead of the budget, I literally just paired my morning antibiotics with a Pizza Pop, my go to comfort food — don’t judge — you’ve been there too.

“There were always Pizza Pops in the freezer when I was growing up in Winnipeg. RIP Mr. Faraci!”

Phil said his memories of Pizza Pops were from the ’70s, when they were produced at a factory on Higgins Avenue.

“I would go to see them being made and have some samples there,” he said. “The recipe has changed through the years. He put things in that I’m presuming the new owners don’t think is necessary.”

Phil said his uncle wanted to diversify the operation with different flavours of Pizza Pops, but when his two business partners disagreed, he sold out to them. The partners later sold out to Pillsbury.

“I think there were times through the years he wished he had stayed in the business,” he said. “But the family has the original recipe and my son is thinking of getting them back in his food truck.”

Anthony Faraci owns Faraci Foods and operates the Faraci Food Trailer, which sells Italian food. He also owns two other trailers — Faraci’s Pretzel Factory and The Bannock Factory — and said Pizza Pops could be a fit with the Italian offerings.

“There’s definitely a good possibility — if the demand is there,” Anthony said. “Nothing compares to a homemade family recipe. We would deep fry our Pizza Pops, which is much different than putting them in the microwave.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca