Obviously someone who makes pizza in the Northeast and then moves to another part of the country doesn't immediately forget his craft. But are the ingredients the same? Many NYC pizza joints have been open for 50 to over 100 years. They have been sourcing their meats and cheeses from the same local stores for all that time. Their sauce recipe is unchanged from how it was always made. The water is supposedly better for dough making - there is a pizza restaurant in California that spends thousands of dollars a year to ship in NYC water to make their dough.

So then is it impossible to get shitty pizza in New York? Of course not. Every block seemingly has dollar a slice take out only joints that use the same water and still make lousy pizza. These places open and close all the time. But the ones listed as the best - Patsy's, Joe's, Diforna, Lombardi's and so many others, have all been around at least 50 years. Patsy's and Lombardi's for over 100. How many other regions have multiple pizzerias that have been in business for 60 to 100 years? Other big cities outside the Northeast might have one or two great pizza places. New Haven, CT has three on one block. NYC has dozens. That's the difference.