"Original Pizza Pop returns with decades-old recipe" – Faraci Foods on Global News
Have you ever taken a bite of something and been instantly transported back in time?
For generations of Canadians, that nostalgic feeling is tied directly to a golden, savory pizza snack. It’s a staple of late-night cravings, quick lunches, and childhood memories. But there is a massive piece of Canadian food history that most people don't know: the legendary, national phenomenon known as the Pizza Pop wasn't created in a corporate boardroom or a massive factory food lab.
It was invented right here in Winnipeg, back in 1964, by our very own Uncle, Paul Faraci.
The team at Global News stopped by the Faraci Foods mobile kitchen to see how we are bringing that original, handcrafted legacy out of the family vault and back to the community where it all began.
The True Origin Story Behind a Canadian Classic
To truly understand why we are so passionate about what we do at Faraci Foods, you have to look back to Winnipeg in the mid-1960s. Uncle Paul Faraci owned a local restaurant and loved to experiment with flavours. He took inspiration from traditional Italian cheese-filled turnovers—calzones—and started tweaking the dough and the fillings to create something entirely new, flaky, and distinctly Canadian.
As the story grew, the original business was eventually sold, and over the decades, mass commercial production took over store shelves. The convenience grew, but that authentic, scratch-made, magical touch completely disappeared into the freezer aisles.
That’s exactly why we decided it was time to step in. As the Global News feature highlighted:
"Paul Faraci owned a restaurant in Winnipeg when he decided to experiment with the Italian cheese-filled turnovers... Anthony Faraci is now hoping to bring the original recipe back by selling the handcrafted snack in the city where it all began." — Global News
Faraci Foods is all about fresh, local food, but we also love a good tradition. To honor Uncle Paul’s legacy, we brought his classic recipe back to life. We’re serving up Paul's Original Pizza Snacks the exact way he intended—hand-rolled, packed with fresh ingredients, and made with serious local pride.
Handcrafted vs. Factory-Made: Taste the Difference
When you visit our food truck or book us for an event, you aren't getting something dropped out of a cardboard box and into a microwave. We are dedicated to the slow, intentional process of artisanal cooking.
We mix our dough to get that perfect, signature flaky crust that holds in our rich, savory fillings. It takes more time, and it requires a lot of hard work, but we believe you can taste the love and tradition in every single bite.
Ditching the factory conveyor belts and frozen shortcuts hasn't just caught the attention of Winnipeg foodies—it even brought out the city's leadership for a taste test. During our feature on Global News, the broadcast perfectly captured what sets Faraci Foods apart:
"They are making them from scratch here so they are not frozen." — Brian Bowman, Former Winnipeg Mayor
Hearing that validation from our community and local leaders means everything to us. It proves that people truly appreciate the difference that fresh, local execution makes.
Honoring the Past, Feeding the Future
Honestly, driving the Faraci Foods truck around Manitoba isn’t just a job for us—it’s a huge personal passion project. Every single time we fire up the fryers, we look at Uncle Paul’s picture on the side of the truck and feel pretty proud that we’re keeping his original dream alive, completely from scratch and the way it was meant to be.
Whether you’re a lifelong Winnipegger looking for that nostalgic 1960s flavour you grew up with, or you're just a massive foodie who wants to see what a real, handcrafted pizza snack tastes like, we’d love for you to come by and try a piece of local history.
Want to know where we are next? Give us a follow on social media to track our schedule, see what we're up to, or find out how to book our catering team for your next big event or film shoot. Come grab a hot, fresh snack, say hi, and help us celebrate Winnipeg’s original culinary icon!
Click Here to Watch the Full Feature and Interview on Global News