New Haven, Trenton Pizza Styles Collide At New East Brunswick Spot

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — Bonesse's Tomato Apizza has officially opened at Legacy Place, bringing owners Camillo and Rosemaria Bonesse's hybrid pizza style to East Brunswick.

Mayor Brad Cohen, Economic Development Officer Rob Zuckerman, and Councilman Jim Wendell joined the Bonesses for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday to celebrate the grand opening. Milltown Mayor George Murray and members of the Milltown Council also came out in support, following the couple from their other restaurant, Maria's Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen in Milltown.

The idea for the restaurant came together one night as the Bonesses drove home from a Yankees game and passed the Exit 7 sign on the Turnpike, marking the split for Trenton and New Haven, Connecticut — a moment that inspired them to combine their family pizza traditions into one style, according to their website.

Camillo grew up in the New Haven area, where his father worked at Pepe's before opening his own pizzeria, Bonesse's Apizza, in 1995. Rosemaria's roots trace to Trenton's Chambersburg neighborhood, home of the Trenton tomato pie; her father went on to open Vinnie's Pizza in East Brunswick in 1977 and Maria's Pizza in Milltown in 1987. The couple took over Maria's Milltown when Rosemaria's mother retired eight years ago, updating the menu with their own recipes, and opened a second location in Spotswood in 2024.

Bonesse's pizza blends a New Haven-style crust with a Trenton-style tomato sauce, drawing on both sides of the family's pizzamaking history.

For their new venture, the Bonesses said they wanted a location that could serve their existing customer base while offering something different — more seating and a semi-private party room, features their other locations don't have. When Legacy Place opened, they saw the opportunity to build a new concept from the ground up, designing everything from the space to the menu themselves.

The celebration opened with a family pizza-cutting tradition, as family and friends sliced into the first pie together, followed by a spread of Italian food for guests.

Bonesse's Tomato Apizza is open for dine-in, take-out, and delivery at 1 Legacy Place in East Brunswick. For more information, call (732) 353-6656 or visit bonessestomatoapizza.com.

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