It wasn't  Biblical manna falling from heaven like the gentle rain, but they were dishing out free pizza from 4- to 7 p.m. Tuesday as part of a promotional giveaway  on Purchase  St.  The freebies continue during the same hours today with free samples on Thursday.

HomeMade Pizza Co. has come to 25 Purchase St., Rye, bringing with it pizza, salads, ice cream, soft drinks and cookies with a twist.

The new wrinkle is that you buy the pre-packaged pizza of your choice, and then do-it-yourself when it comes to doing the cooking at home whenever you feel like it.

It is an idea whose time has come, according to founder Eric Fosse, one of the three HomeMade Pizza entrepreneurial partners, who were setting up shop outside the new Purchase St. take-out eatery so they could demonstrate their product to the public yesterday.

The local HomeMade is the first New York venture of a Chicago-based chain that has 30 national outlets to date—and counting, according to Fosse, who came up with the idea that has spread from Chicago (where there are 20 HomeMades) to Minneapolis and Washington, DC (five apiece).

Why Rye? he was asked.

"Great town, great location, great foodies, and great people who are busy, successful and love to eat, but don't always have the time to go out to  dine or  cook meals themselves starting from scratch  with fresh  ingredients," he said. "So you buy the product here, take it home, and cook it yourself  at your leisure when you want it."

"We have a slogan: It's not fast food, it's your food," said Matt Weinstein, who started out as a graphic designer with the company, and came on board almost from the start in 1997.

"All natural, all happy and all done," said marketing exec Gordon Montgomery, the third partner on hand for the demos outside the storefront.

Here's basically how HomeMade Pizza works in five easy steps, according to the entrepreneurs.

First you pick a pizza size: Cutie Pie ($6.75, feeds one), Medium ($10.95, feeds 2-3) or large ($12.95, feeds 3-4). Then you choose a crust (regular or whole wheat). Next choose a base ( red tomato sauce, olive oil, or fresh pesto). Then add ingredients (41 natural selections  or  else choose a HomeMade Favorite or Simple Classic, more about them in a jiffy). And finally, take the dinner home and bake it, at your  convenience.

The pizzas  come in different shapes, sizes and varieties.

The Classic Cheese, for example, comes with hand-tossed dough, tomato sauce and part skim mozzarella. Cost: $10.95 for medium (180 calories), Large: $12.95 (160 calories). Then there's the All-natural Pepperoni (nitrate free pepperoni and the part-skim "mootz" (as in mozzarella). Cost: $12.75 for the Medium (200 calories) and $15.25 for the Large (180 calories).And then there's "The Veggie." There are lots of veggie pizzas, but this one is one of the classics: mushrooms and red onion with mild Poblano pepper and fresh cut oregano. Medium: $15.75 (170 calories). Large: $17.95 (180 calories).

There are ten other pizza combos, from Quattro Stagioni (four parts, including prosciutto, artichokes, wild mushrooms and Kalamata olives, with Fontinella and fresh thyme) to Spinach Pie, Sausage and Caramelized Onion and BBQ chicken, among others.

And several kinds of salads, and "63-bite" cookies (Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin and Sugar) that follow the same do-it-yourself formula.

There's also a variety of in-store ice-creams and soft drinks.

"It's a simple approach," said Fosse. "I know. I like to eat. And the formula works. Use the freshest ingredients available and make it from scratch, and then you do it yourself when it comes to the cooking. And we deliver (every day from 4:30 p.m. to 15 minutes before 9 p.m. closing, $3 delivery charge). And you can order by phone (914: 921-3000) or on line (homemadepizza.com)."

Store Hours: daily from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.

HomeMade is virtually right next door to the long-time local fave that is Poppy's luncheonette near the space occupied until recently by the Pottery store that balked at a rent increase and left. The new pizza place offers an alternative to such established nearby Rye pizzeria's as Piazza Pizzeria, Al Dente and Sunrise.

And while HomeMade may not take the place of such legendary pizzerias as Mario's on Arthur Ave. in the Little Italy section off Fordham Road in the  Bronx, John's on Bleecker St. in Greenwich Village, and Frank Pepe's in New Haven and Yonkers, it is a lot closer.

Editor's note: HomeMade Pizza co-founder Eric Fosse's name was misspelled in the original version of this report. Patch regrets the error.