Generations of Denverites knew Josephine “Joey” Di Pietro as the co-owner and driving force at the Edgewater Inn.
But before Di Pietro sold the city on pizza, she was part of a dance troupe that performed in China, Japan, England, Australia and India. Josephine Di Pietro died Aug. 13 in Denver at age 89.
She started dance classes as a child, and as a teenager, in the 1930s, she left high school and joined a national troupe that traveled overseas for three years. When she returned, she started her own dance school, the Di Gaetano School in downtown Denver. She and four women who were her students formed the Cassanova Rhythm Revelers, which danced locally and in several U.S. cities.
“She was just a natural,” her husband, Ben Di Pietro, said this week.
Josephine gave up her dancing career when she married Ben Di Pietro, who owned a commercial refrigeration business. With all the money they had – $500 – they and a partner, Nick Dominico, bought a bar at 5302 W. 25th Ave., just a block west of Sloan’s Lake.
She was the one with the idea and willing to take a chance, said her son, Dick Di Pietro.
Nearly every relative they could round up worked at the inn to begin the tradition of making what many people still tout as the best pizza in town.
It was hard work, but the family members “put in a whole week, day and night, and didn’t complain,” Dick Di Pietro said. (They bought out the partner years ago.)
When the restaurant opened in 1953, many Denverites hadn’t even tasted pizza, “but it caught on,” Ben Di Pietro said. The place offers several Italian dishes, said Dick Di Pietro, who now runs “The Edge,” as many refer to it. But the “Howdy Paisano,” loaded with toppings, is still a favorite. The Edge is adorned with beer signs, Coors lampshades and pictures of the Di Pietros, plus Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Wayne Newton and John Elway. Seven TVs broadcast sports, and The Edge still has buses to all Denver Broncos home games.
“People go there for a beer and pizza before the game and come back for beer and pizza after,” said Ted Barela, who used to edit a newsletter for the restaurant.
Josephine Pullo was born July 3, 1916, in Denver and went to North High School. She married Ben Di Pietro on Feb. 15, 1942.
“Mom was the backbone of the family. She ruled with an iron fist, but she was gentle,” her son said. “She had good business sense.”
She was still overseeing the place shortly before her death.
“She was demanding, especially about keeping the place clean,” said Sarah Robinson, who has worked there 24 years. “But I loved her.”
In addition to her husband and son, Di Pietro is survived by one grandchild.
Staff writer Virginia Culver can be reached at 303-820-1223 or vculver@denverpost.com.
