CreditHappily Pink/Natalie Moe

Pizza and "True Love" in Dove Mountain

Vero Amore - Dove Mountain is known for their amazing pizza and so much more!

Hidden away in the foothills of the Tortolita Mountains, is Vero Amore, a locally-owned and operated restaurant with a beautiful patio that’s known for its Neapolitan-style pizza.

Did you know "Vero Amore" means True Love in Italian?

PicturedNeapolitan-style pizza is just one of the specialties at Vero Amore - Dove Mountain in Marana
CreditHappily Pink/Natalie Moe

But why Neapolitan pizza?

Tucson-native brothers, Aric and Josh Mussman, and their mom, Suzanne Kaiser, opened this second location of Vero Amore with the goal to serve Neapolitan-style pizza in Marana.

While the brothers were visiting Seattle, they took one bite of authentic Neapolitan pizza and instantaneously knew this pizza needed to be served in Tucson. And in 2008, the family opened their second location in Marana due to the Tucson location’s success!

“We were getting guests from all over Southern Arizona, including: Phoenix, Nogales and Sahuarita,” said Suzanne Kaiser. “We decided to open a second to reach this new and growing audience.”

CreditHappily Pink/Natalie Moe

Neapolitan-Style Pizza in Marana

To achieve their goal in serving Neapolitan-style pizza for the Marana location, Vero Amore’s pizza follows a specific regiment. All pizzas are made with Italian-imported ingredients and house-made mozzarella, then baked in a 900 degree wood-fired oven.

My personal favorite pizza is the classic margherita which features a sauce made with San Marzano tomatoes hailed all the way from Italy. Using the scratch-made dough as a base, a light application of the housemade sauce is applied in a circular motion.

“Too much sauce will make the dough soggy,” explained the chef as he continued the process by lightly sprinkling Parmesan cheese over the sauce.

A moment later, he split fresh basil leaves down the middle and evenly distributed them across the pizza. Shortly after, he grabbed a generous handful of housemade mozzarella cheese. His technique is to crumble some of the cubic cuts of mozzarella.

Using an extended, wooden paddleboard, the pizza is then placed inside the wood-fired pizza oven. Because of the dough’s thickness and the 900-degree temperatures, the pizza needs to only be in the oven for roughly three minutes.

Before fully removing the pizza, the chef used a paddle to raise the pizza up towards the dome to fully melt cheese and slightly char the basil.

The final result: a perfect margherita pizza with a crust consisting of a subtle crunch exterior and a chewy, soft interior.

CreditVero Amore

Italian-Inspired Dishes

Beyond their renowned pizza, the 2008 establishment offers Italian-inspired pastas and salads. Some of my favorite dishes include the Prosciutto Caprese, Shrimp Fra-Diavolo, and Toasted Ravioli. All pair well with anything from the restaurant’s extensive wine list.

The Shrimp Fra Diavolo, which also happens to be Josh’s favorite, features Tiger Shrimp, linguini and a spicy marinara sauce. To achieve the spicy marinara, they transform their house sauce by adding fresh garlic, crushed red peppers, and a white wine reduction.

As far as house favorites, any of the pizzas and chicken dishes are a hit! Owner Aric Mussman personally loves the Chicken Mimosa– tender artichoke hearts, Prosciutto de Parma, juicy chicken breast, and a rich, spinach cream sauce served over bowtie pasta.

CreditHappily Pink/Natalie Moe

Winning the 'Taste of Marana Standout Restaurant Award’

As large supporters of the community, it means a lot to the family to win the ‘Taste of Marana Standout Restaurant Award.’ You can regularly find their table serving food at charity and community events.

“We are extremely honored to receive the award,” Suzanne smiled. “We really like our food, our restaurant and staff and being part of the community and to know that our guests nominated and voted for us is and it is very validating to us as owners.”

PicturedSuzanne Kaiser of JAM Culinary Concepts holds the Taste of Marana STANDOUT award presented to Vero Amore - Dove Mountain in November, 2023 in Marana, Arizona.
CreditBradley Boe Photography

Natalie takes you behind the scenes at Vero Amore - Dove Mountain

Nominate the next Taste of Marana STANDOUT!

Each year, up to 10 Taste of Marana Standouts will be selected from the nominations submitted by community members and stakeholders. You can nominate a business for any reason that makes them stand out, such as their impact on the community, their awards from other organizations or your positive experiences with them.

Click here to learn more and nominate!

This itinerary/blog post showcases local businesses in our community. We feature partners that serve food and drink, offer recreational opportunities, places to stay, and shopping. We value accuracy, fairness and balance in our advertising and marketing. We would love to showcase your business to our visitors. These advertising and marketing opportunities (social media, articles, website, and ads) are open to all businesses within Marana and the designated two-mile “Pima County Tourism Partner Zone” around the town limits that meet this criteria. If you want to be featured on our website or in social media, please contact us at MaranaInfo@Maranaaz.gov.

Natalie Moe

Author

Natalie Moe

HappilyPink.com

Natalie J. Moe is the founder and creative force behind the food and travel blog, Happily Pink. What began as a simple passion project to share her travels and experiences has blossomed into a multifaceted career, encompassing creative writing, food photography, food styling and recipe creation. When not working on Happily Pink or supporting the restaurant industry, this Tucson-native and Wildcat alumna enjoys running outside in the Sonoran sun, attending the symphony, and cherishing quality time with her supportive husband, Alex, and her beloved cats, Gigi and Jean-Pierre. Visit HappilyPink.com for more of her adventures.
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