Milwaukee, WI

Palermo's Pizza celebrating 60 years in operation

Published

2 years ago

May 22, 2024

Palermo's Pizza celebrating 60 years in operation

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee’s own Palermo’s Pizza is expanding. The company will start building a new 200,000 square-foot facility this summer in West Milwaukee.

What You Need To Know

Palermo’s Pizza was founded by Italian immigrants in the 1950s

It’s expanding into a new 200,000 square-foot facility this summer

That means the company is hiring for 50 new positions

It will allow Palermo’s to grow its production capacity and add 50 new jobs. This comes as the family-owned business is celebrating 60 years in operation.

Founded by Italian immigrants in the 1950s, Palermo’s Pizza has deep roots in Milwaukee, family and tradition.

“My grandparents came over from Italy with nothing in their pocket,” said Nick Falluca, chief product and innovation officer at Palermo’s.

He said they worked hard and eventually turned some of their favorite Italian recipes into a business.

In 1964, the Falluca family opened a bakery out of a house on Milwaukee’s East Side. Four years later, they transitioned that bakery into an Italian restaurant. That’s where the family began offering their signature frozen pizzas for customers to buy and make at home. From there, they started selling those frozen pizzas at local grocery stores and bars.

Decades later, Palermo’s Pizza has grown into a national and international brand, selling millions of pizzas each year at major retailers, like Costco. Despite its growth, Palermo’s remains committed to its roots and values.

Still, every one of its frozen pizzas ties back to grandma and grandpa.

“We’d be at the dinner table, and everybody would be like, ‘Why is he screaming?’ And we would be like, ‘No, that’s just how grandpa talks,’” Falluca said. “He was loud and vibrant. That’s how the name ‘Screaming Sicilian’ came about.”

Dax Schaefer is the corporate chef for Palermo’s, and Brianna Fyock is a manager and senior food scientist for the company. They both said while they are not related to the Falluca family by blood, anyone who works for Palermo’s is treated like family.

“The Falluca family has been nothing but generous to their employees,” Schaefer said.

“It really does feel like family here,” Fyock added. “To actually see the start to finish, from the idea of a pizza to creation, and then be able to buy it for your family in a grocery store, is such a great experience.”

Falluca said prioritizing the customer, employees and a quality product also comes from grandpa.

“That’s how he ran the restaurant, putting the customer first, really great food, and focusing on your employees,” Falluca said. “That’s how to create a great business, product and customer service.”

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Milwaukee, WI

Chase, crash into Milwaukee library construction site; man pleads guilty

Published

10 hours ago

March 25, 2026

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Chase, crash into Milwaukee library construction site; man pleads guilty

article

MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a pursuit that ended with a crash into a library construction site.

In court:

Court records show Cameron Moore, 37, pleaded guilty to three felonies and the state dismissed two others as part of a plea deal. He’s scheduled to be sentenced in May.

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The backstory:

Sheriff’s deputies were monitoring a home near 2nd and Lloyd. They were trying to locate a man, later identified as Moore, who was wanted for burglary and fleeing/eluding.

Moore left the home and got into an SUV that afternoon. Detectives tried to pull the SUV over and, while it did briefly stop, it almost immediately took off.

Crash damages library at MLK and Locust, Milwaukee (Jan. 7, 2025)

About a mile into the chase, the SUV ran a red light and slammed into a car at the intersection of King Drive and Locust Street. It then careened into the library construction site.

Nobody in the vehicles involved in the pursuit or crash was injured, according to authorities. A construction worker inside the building reported leg pain, and he was examined and cleared at the scene.

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“120 to 140 miles per hour on the freeway, on the public roadways passing people,” Court Commissioner Katharine Kucharski said after charges were filed. “We are all very lucky that nobody is…passed in this situation.”

The Milwaukee Public Library’s new Martin Luther King Branch opened months later. At the official opening, Ald. Milele Coggs acknowledged the roadblocks along the way – including the crash.

The Source: Information in this report is from the Wisconsin Circuit Court and prior FOX6 News coverage.

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Milwaukee, WI

Musical ‘The Wiz’ eases on down to Milwaukee’s Water Street

Published

22 hours ago

March 25, 2026

Press Room

Musical ‘The Wiz’ eases on down to Milwaukee’s Water Street

“The Wiz” was a good idea in 1974, and it’s still a good idea today: Retell “The Wizard of Oz” as a musical with a Black cast, singing tunes with R&B, disco, soul and gospel arrangements.

The North American tour of this brightly colored song-and-dance spectacle, directed by Schele Williams, has eased on down the road to Milwaukee’s Marcus Performing Arts Center for performances through March 29.

It’s a clever blend of human creativity and technology. The tornado winds, poppies and even the yellow brick road are represented by costumed ensemble dancers (the yellow brick road people are drum majors). But during the March 24 opening performance, the Marcus audience also saw some groovy, psychedelic projections and a futuristic Oz.

Just like in L. Frank Baum’s original novel (1900) and the famous movie adaptation (1939), a cyclone deposits young Dorothy (Phoenix Assata LaFreniere) in Oz, where she meets and befriends Scarecrow (Elijah Ahmad Lewis), Tinman (D. Jerome) and Lion (Cal Mitchell). They’re off to see The Wiz (Alan Mingo Jr.), hoping he’ll give them a brain, a heart, some courage and a way home for Dorothy. But wicked witch Evillene (Kyla Jade) has designs on that silver footwear Dorothy’s wearing (yes, silver like the novel, rather than the movie’s ruby red).

LaFreniere is a convincing Dorothy in her yearning ballads, character moments and dance moves. Lewis’ adorable Scarecrow has some early Eddie Murphy charm. There are some big voices here, too, include Jade, who could power most of Water Street with her roar in “Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News.”

Jaquel Knight choreographed the nearly nonstop flow of dance, which ranges from balletic moves to the disco party in the Emerald City.

There’s no Toto in this version, which has led to a few changes in how the story unfolds. The way this version ends is even stronger than the 1939 movie in depicting the fabulous four as coming to understand they had what they were searching for all along.

If you go

“The Wiz” continues through March 29 at the Marcus Performing Arts Center, 929 N. Water. Visit marcuscenter.org or call (414) 273-7206. The Marcus recommends this show for people 8 years and older.

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee fatal shooting; Water Street bar manager wants safety changes

Published

1 day ago

March 24, 2026

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Milwaukee fatal shooting; Water Street bar manager wants safety changes

MILWAUKEE – A person of interest remains in custody following a fatal shooting on Water Street that left one person dead and two others injured early Sunday.

The Milwaukee Police Department says 22-year-old Dylan Jackson was killed. An 18-year-old and a 19-year-old were also injured.

Local perspective:

Before the shooting, a bar manager says the area was already chaotic.

Tim Sluga, general manager of Duke’s on Water, said problems were brewing outside the bars before shots were fired. He said he was working Saturday night into Sunday morning and feared violence would occur.

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“Chaos. It was just chaos outside,” said Sluga. “The pistol whippings, the shootings, everything else. The street was already chaos when that happened.”

Sluga said he was working Saturday night into Sunday morning and feared violence would occur.

“My reaction in general that night was, ‘here we go again,’” said Sluga. “It’s sadly not surprising.”

Sluga said the violence over the weekend reflects a recurring problem in the entertainment district.

Dig deeper:

Last July, city leaders held an emergency meeting after increased violence in the area. Police later announced plans to increase their presence and curb loitering.

Sluga said he expected more enforcement.

“We were told by MPD there was going to be a curfew enforced this year, we didn’t see that this weekend,” said Sluga.

Some patrons say they are also frustrated.

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“It’s like the younger crowd pushing out the older crowd now. If you ain’t 21, there’s no reason for you to be down here,” said Dequan Cave of Milwaukee.

Sluga said bars themselves are generally safe, but problems occur outside.

“It’s a great place and there’s a lot of really good people,” said Sluga. “These are just issues that are out of our control.”

What’s next:

MPD said a Code Red deployment focused on safety in the entertainment district was in place over the weekend. Police also say plans may be modified to improve downtown safety.

The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.

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