Raffaele Esposito
Raffaele Esposito was the Italian owner of a tavern called Pizzeria di Pietro e Basta Cosi in the Nineteenth Century who is suggested by some to be the father of modern pizza, having cooked one for the royal family of Italy in 1889. Deeming the traditional garlic topping unfit for the royal palate, Esposito instead used a combination of tomatoes, mozarella cheese, and basil to emulate the colors of the Italian flag.