Mama Celeste Frozen Pizza Is Being Discontinued By Conagra

(KMDL-FM) Frozen pizza, for adults, it might be the most glamorous meal you could ever have, but for a kid coming home from school in the 70s and 80s, the chance to have pizza of any kind as an after-school snack was an extraordinary treat.

baked pizza in oven — Photo by Stefan C. Asafti on Unsplash

Sadly, an iconic name from our childhood memories is falling by the wayside as the company that produces the pies has announced an end to the brand.

What Are America's Most Popular Brands of Frozen Pizza?

When it comes to frozen pizza, do you have a pie of preference? According to Instacart, most of us prefer the Red Baron brand, followed by DiGiorno and Tontino's, Jack's, and Lean Cuisine.

The brands of frozen pizza that have shown the most growth in recent years are DiGiorno, Screamin' Sicilian which I highly recommend, Red Baron, Home Run Inn, and Brew Pub Pizza.

Not surprisingly, the brand that is being discontinued did not make either of those "best of" lists, which might be why parent company Conagra has announced that Mama Celeste Frozen Pizza is no longer being made.

Mama Celeste was a real person and a real restaurant owner. "Mama" Celeste Lizzio and her husband Anthony opened their first restaurant in Chicago in 1937. They made a business decision in 1962 to close their restaurant so they could focus on making pizzas and selling them to other restaurants.

In 1969, Quaker Oats bought the company and began selling frozen pies with Mama Celeste's picture on the box; that's why, if you're of a certain age, you know her name and likeness.

How Is Frozen Pizza Directly Connected to Oatmeal?

a couple of pizzas sitting on top of a white table — Photo by Catia Climovich on Unsplash

Quaker Oats sold the brand to Aurora Foods, which later merged with Pinnacle Foods, which were then purchased by Conagra in October of 2018. It was announced in an earnings call with Conagra last month that the pizza brand would be discontinued.

Now if a pizza seems a little too heavy for your diet today, you can always put that off until tomorrow. Might we suggest a salad? Here are some great specialty salads that we can suggest, and you won't need to thaw any of them like you'd have to do with that frozen pizza.

Acadiana's Most Popular Specialty Salads - 10 We Think You Should Try Today

The salad, sometimes it's just a lettuce leaf, a slice of carrot, and a sprinkle of oil. Other times, a salad is less of a side and more of a meal. Those are the salads we're talking about. Whether you choose them for a healthy lunch or satisfying dinner, you're going to love what's "not necessarily" cooking at some of Acadiana's most popular restaurants. Here are our 10 suggestions for Salads you should try today.

Gallery Credit: Bruce Mikells

Filed Under: pizza