Profane Pizza?

The question of pineapple on pizza can start a cheesy debate on “tradition,” but for Sam Panopoulos, it was just an experiment in combining Canada’s diverse culinary cultures.

Born in Greece in 1934, Sotirios “Sam” Panopoulos immigrated to Canada when he was 20, after the Greek Civil War. On his way, Panopoulos had a stop in Naples, Italy, known as the birthplace of pizza, where perhaps he got a taste of the area’s famous dish.

Upon his arrival in Canada, Panopoulos worked in mines in Elliot Lake, Ont., before opening multiple restaurants with his brothers. In 1962, Panopoulos and his brother Nick established Satellite, a restaurant and dining hall that served American food in downtown Chatham.

Inspired by American-Chinese cuisine and eager to bring in more customers, Panopoulos wanted to give his regular pizza a sweet-and-sour flair. He experimented with pineapple slices from a can branded “Hawaiian” — and the resulting pizza bore the same name.

Beyond creating a new taste sensation, Panopoulos also became a prominent figure in the Chatham community by turning his restaurants into event spaces and helping new Greek immigrants settle in Canada.

In 1976, he sold Satellite to another Greek family and opened a larger restaurant in London, Ont., where he spent the rest of his life.

Shortly before Panopoulos passed away in 2017, thenprime minister Justin Trudeau brought attention back to the pizza’s Canadian roots. In response to the president of Iceland, who wished to ban the fruit as a pizza topping, Trudeau tweeted that he stood “behind this delicious Southwestern Ontario creation,” proudly calling himself #TeamPineapple! A ringing endorsement, any way you slice it.