Today, the most popular cheese used for pizza across New York and New Jersey is Grande Cheese, a low-moisture mozzarella that has impeccable melting capabilities and a distinct, cheesy flavor. The cheese—based out of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin—is considered by many pizza enthusiasts to be the gold standard of pizza cheese. And while it’s nice to assume that Grande’s rise to fame was strictly due to its high quality, the actual story of how Grande came to be the apex of pizza cheese is much more cynical.