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Celtics Joe Mazzulla defends the honor of a Rhode Island staple, The Pizza Strip

Did you know that Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla grew up in Rhode Island? You’ve probably heard that once or a thousand times by this point in the season. Zolak…

Joe Mazzulla/Bakery Pizza

Joe Mazzulla/Bakery Pizza

USA Today

Did you know that Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla grew up in Rhode Island?

You've probably heard that once or a thousand times by this point in the season.

Zolak and Bertrand like to pick the Johnston native's brain about peculiar Ocean State traditions on his weekly interview. During Super Bowl week they decided to ask Mazzulla his opinion of the Pizza Strip, or Bakery Pizza as it is also known.

Mazzulla did not hold back and defended the honor of the Rhode Island staple. He also gave the guys a bonus Rhody food item and the best bakery to buy them both.

"Nothing better than Bakery Pizza" - Joe Mazzulla

D'Palmieri's Bakery

D. Palmieri's Bakery

The Celtics Head Coach perked up the moment Marc Bertrand transitioned from basketball questions to asking about the classic party pizza.

"I call it cold pizza," said Mazzulla. "My wife is from West Virginia, she loves that. I love bakery pizza, nothing better."

Mazzulla added, "There's two, you got the White Pizza and then you got the cold pizza that comes in the nice long strips. It has the wax paper wrapping around it. You could have like 5 or 6 of those things"

He also gave the guys his go to spot when it comes to the pizza strip....

D. Palmieri's Bakery in Johnston, RI

D. Palmieri's Bakery

D. Palmieri's Bakery

"I get it from D. Palmieri's Bakery right down the street in Johnston," said Mazzulla.

D. Palmieri's is an institution for Rhode Islanders dating back to the early 1900's. They sell a wide variety of bakery products including pizza strips and another Italian favorite of the man behind the bench for the Celtics.

Mazzulla added, "What about wine biscuits?"

"What's a Wine Biscuit?" - Scott Zolak

D. Palmieri's Bakery

D. Palmieri's Bakery

Mazzulla went on to try and describe the Italian treat to Zolak & Bertrand. "It's a cookie type, I actually don't even know what it's made out of I just there've always been wine biscuits and when I go to the bakery my family has gotten them and when we have get togethers we've always had them."

According to Food.com a wine biscuit is "Another traditional Italian cookie well known in R.I."

FULL INTERVIEW:

Tyler Milliken started out at the Sports Hub as an intern in 2020 for the Zolak & Bertrand program before eventually becoming the associate producer in late 2021. He often joins the baseball conversation on Zolak & Bertrand and is a contributor to The Baseball Hour throughout the season. Along with that, he has been a co-host on DraftKings Name Redacted Podcast with Jared Carrabis for the last two years, where they cover everything going on with the Red Sox. Born and raised in Brockton, he reps the city proudly.