who invented deep dish pizza

Chicago deep dish pizza is most commonly credited to Ike Sewell and Ric Riccardo at Pizzeria Uno in Chicago in 1943, but the exact inventor is disputed and may have been one of their cooks, such as Rudy Malnati Sr. or Alice May Redmond.

Who likely invented it?

Most historical accounts agree on a few key points.

• Deep dish emerged in 1943 at Pizzeria Uno at 29 East Ohio Street in Chicago, opened by businessman Ike Sewell and restaurateur Ric Riccardo.

• Public-facing credit often goes to Sewell (and sometimes Riccardo) as the “inventors,” especially in the restaurant’s own branding.

• Food historians argue the real creator was probably someone in the kitchen, not the owners, since Sewell and Riccardo were focused on business rather than daily cooking.

The main contenders

Several names come up when people ask who invented deep dish pizza.

• Adolpho “Rudy” Malnati Sr.: A key early Pizzeria Uno employee who later founded Lou Malnati’s in 1971; some accounts say he actually developed the first deep dish recipe.

• Alice May (or Mae) Redmond: A Mississippi-born cook who likely helped shape the crust style, drawing on Southern biscuit techniques and later working at Gino’s East.

• Ric Riccardo: Some modern research suggests Riccardo, not Sewell, pushed the pizza idea and oversaw the first versions baked in round pans at Uno.

Because documentation is thin and sometimes contradictory, writers often note that the precise inventor is “lost to history,” even if the origin place (Pizzeria Uno, 1943) is fairly clear.

How the style evolved

Deep dish did not appear in its current form overnight; it evolved over decades.

• The earliest pies reportedly had a crust only about an inch tall, much thinner than many modern Chicago deep dish pizzas.

• The robust, rich, biscuit‑influenced dough associated with Chicago style today developed in the 1950s, credited in part to Alice May Redmond’s adjustments.

• From Uno and Due, the style spread to other iconic spots such as Lou Malnati’s, Gino’s East, and Pizano’s, all tied back to those early Uno veterans.

Why the inventor is debated

Food writers now treat the question “who invented deep dish pizza” as a bit of a culinary mystery.

• Branding and popular lore long repeated the simple story that Sewell (with Riccardo) invented Chicago‑style deep dish, which stuck with tourists and casual fans.

• Recent archival digging by pizza historians shows more nuance: Riccardo’s role, plus the likely creative contributions of kitchen staff, complicate the single‑hero narrative.

• As a result, many modern articles frame it as a collaborative creation at Pizzeria Uno in 1943, shaped by several people rather than one undisputed inventor.

Quick Scoop (TL;DR)

• Origin: Pizzeria Uno, Chicago, 1943.

• Official credit: Ike Sewell (and often Ric Riccardo) in restaurant lore and marketing.

• Likely real inventors: One or more early cooks, especially Rudy Malnati Sr. and Alice May Redmond, with Ric Riccardo playing a major creative role.

• Status today: The exact individual inventor remains unknown, but the birthplace and era are well established in Chicago food history.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.