The Detroit Pizza Story
From Factory Trays to Deep Dish Pizza
When most people think of Detroit, they picture cars, assembly lines, and a city built on steel and grit. But Detroit’s influence stretches far beyond the auto plants. One of the Motor City’s most delicious contributions to American culture came not from an engineer’s blueprint, but from an improvised baking solution that involved an unlikely piece of equipment: the steel factory tray.
The Birth of Detroit-Style Pizza
In the 1940s, Detroit was booming. Factories ran day and night, immigrants arrived with recipes from the old country, and the city had an energy unlike anywhere else. Among those new Detroiters were Sicilian families who longed for the thick, focaccia-like pizza they grew up with.
The problem? Traditional Sicilian pizza pans weren’t easy to find in Detroit. But Detroiters were nothing if not resourceful. The city’s automotive and factory plants already relied on rectangular trays—sturdy, steel trays used to organize assembly parts and even catch oil from leaky machines from dripping on the shop floor. While factories relied on these trays for parts and leaky machinery, kitchens used clean, food-grade versions. Thanks to Detroit’s industrial growth, these sturdy steel pans were everywhere—and bakers quickly discovered they were perfect for pizza.
Why the Pan Made the Pizza
That rectangular steel pan changed everything. Its high sides allowed the dough to rise tall and airy, while the heavy steel conducted heat evenly, crisping the crust to a golden brown. Most importantly, the straight walls pressed the cheese against the dough, creating the caramelized edges, or frico, that have become Detroit-style pizza’s calling card.
What started as a clever workaround quickly became tradition. Without the pan, Detroit-style deep dish wouldn’t exist.
From the Factory to the Pizzeria
As word spread, corner taverns across Detroit began serving square slices baked in these steel pans. Each had its twist, but the one constant was always the pan. Over time, what started as an immigrant’s improvisation grew into a culinary icon, as much a part of Detroit’s story as the cars rolling off its assembly lines.
P.A. Products and the Next Chapter
At P.A. Products, we know a thing or two about steel pans. For decades, we’ve supplied restaurants and pizzerias with Detroit-style pizza pans built for professional kitchens. Today’s pans may not have come off a factory floor, but they carry the same DNA: commercial-grade durability, precision craftsmanship, and the ability to deliver consistent results slice after slice.
We’re proud to keep the tradition alive—providing the modern version of the very pan that gave Detroit its signature pizza style.
A Slice of History—Still Baked Today
Next time you bite into a thick, cheesy corner slice with that unmistakable crunchy edge, remember that you’re not just enjoying a pizza—you’re tasting a piece of Detroit history. A city built on steel shaped a food style built to last.
At P.A. Products, our deep dish pizza pans aren’t just cookware. They’re part of an American story that began with ingenuity, carried through with grit, and continues every time a pizza comes out of the oven.