Mama Celeste

"Mama Celeste" was Celeste Luise (1908-1988), who came to the United States from Italy ( S.Angelo all'Esca (Av.) with her husband, Anthony, in the 1920s. They settled on Chicago's West Side, where they opened their first restaurant in 1937.


In 1962, the Luise's closed the restaurant and began selling pizzas to other restaurants. The Quaker Oats Company acquired the product in 1969. Celeste frozen pizza was one of the top selling brands in the 1970's. The Celeste brand was later acquired by Aurora Foods, which in turn was acquired by Pinnacle Foods.