HOUSTON — "If you think that I've cooked for the Astros, you're outta your mind. We said no to them."
That's the viral video circling social media that shows the owner of a famous Philadelphia pizzeria declining to serve the Houston Astros pizza while the team is in town for the World Series.
Except it doesn't tell the full story, even though the owner of Angelo's Pizzeria said he's taking the love and hate behind the video in stride.
"The notion is not the case at all," Danny DiGiampietro, the owner and founder of the pizzeria told KHOU 11 News. "This idea that we left the team malnourished and famished...that wasn't the case and there were no devious practices."
DiGiampietro said "this sweetheart of a woman" with the Astros called the pizzeria to request catering for the team. His concern was that the team would need 100 to 200 pizzas, but in reality, they only needed 10.
The problem?
"We're only open until 7 p.m., but most of the time we're out of product by 6 p.m.," DiGiampietro said. "To keep people here an extra four hours for a World Series game to cater to the Astros? And I'm going to the game, I don't want to miss it for 10 pizzas."
The pizzeria makes all of its own bread and pizza crust every morning. DiGiampietro responded in an Instagram story Wednesday morning showing off freshly baked bread while listening to some chopped and screwed music in the background to throw a little bit of shade at H-Town. But he says it's all in good fun.
"I'm not apologizing," DiGiampietro said. "I can respect and appreciate the passion. There is no ill will to the Astros organization."
DiGiampietro said they cook for teams all the time and that they know to come pick up their food. The pizzeria didn't even have phones until the pandemic.
So why did he record the video in the first place?
"People kept asking if the food I was dropping off for the Phillies was for the Astros," DiGiampietro said. "I can't answer 200 to 300 DMs. So I said, 'If you think these are for the Astros, you're crazy.'"
DiGiampietro only has one request for angry fans coming to visit him.
"We don't advise anyone coming in here and throwing cheesesteaks."
