If you know Dom DeMarco as only that gruff old man behind the counter at Di Fara who shuffles around with his head down, you simply must watch Margaret Emily MacKenzie’s short documentary, “The Best Thing I Ever Done” (that’s how DeMarco describes turning a Midwood fruit store into a pizza shop some 45 years ago). The filmmaker sits down with the Saint of Avenue J during some of his rare breaks (it’s said he doesn’t eat anything all day except for a glass of wine and a slice at the end of the day); she also interviews daughters Margaret and Louisa, two of the five children (out of Dom’s total seven) who work at the pizzeria “making sure his paint brushes are on hand.” Fun facts: The name Di Fara is an amalgam of DeMarco and the last name of his short-lived partner Farina, and the hype around Di Fara started building after it was featured in The Slow Food Guide to New York City. DeMarco seems to be fully recovered from the car accident that reduced the pizzeria’s hours a little over a year ago: “I don’t got any danger to retire,” he says. “As long as I be able to move, I’m not gonna stop.”
The Best Thing I Ever Done [Vimeo via I Dream of Pizza]
