Old Forge is a small suburb of Scranton, Pennsylvania, located about 5 miles southwest of the city limits.
Well over one hundred years ago, the booming anthracite coal industry in the Pocono northeast brought immigrants from all over the world - Irish, Polish, and Italian being the most common.
Throughout the years, the mixture of those cultures brought many different types of cuisine. Some food items like pierogies are still commonly associated with northeastern Pennsylvania.
Pizza makers also decided to create a different style of pizza, and "Old Forge Style" pizza (sometimes mistakenly called "Scranton Style" pizza) represents one of the pinnacles of delicious food that is indigenous to northeastern PA. Although Old Forge style pizza is still for the most part only available in the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre area, pizzerias that offer Old Forge style pizza have even been located in New York City!
There are two main distinctions with Old Forge style pizza.
The first is that we use our own blend of cheeses, not mozzarella. Our special blend actually offers a smoother and sweeter taste. Mozzarella is more bitter than our blend and it also has a much higher oil content. Because Old Forge style pizza uses no mozzarella, the result is a pizza that has a smoother taste and a less greasy texture.
The second distinction is that it's only available in a limited area! Because the major pizza chains across the country and around the world focus on the "traditional" pizzas, Old Forge style pizza is a rare treat for people outside of northeastern Pennsylvania.
...and don't forget that to truly become a part of this Old Forge tradition, never order a "pie". Always make sure to order a "tray" instead!
About Jigsy's
Before Jigsy's appeared in Enola, its proprietors - Migsy and Robin Ardoline - opened "Joe Shag's" in Pittston, PA in 1990. (Pittston is just southwest of Old Forge.) Like many people from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area who moved away, customers who returned to northeast PA on visits would always order Jigsy's to take back to their home. (Many Scranton pizzerias even now routinely ship their pizzas across the nation!)
A large number of customers reported that Jigsy's pizza was being brought to the Harrisburg area. Eventually, so many customers suggested that Migsy and Robin open a pizzeria in this area that they relocated Jigsy's to their current Enola location on August 11, 1999. "Joe Shag's" is still up and running in Pittston; however, it is operated by Migsy's parents.
Since then, Jigsy's has been the only Old Forge style pizzeria in the entire south-central Pennsylvania area and -- more importantly -- has been bringing a little-known treasure from northeast PA to our area! You can have complete confidence in knowing that Jigsy's is true Old Forge style pizza.
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