Pizza and wine are easily associated with Italy, but rarely found together. This original combination has been conceived by Mario Vollera, owner and manager of South End restaurant in Venice Beach.
Native of a small town near Rome, Mario has been traveling the world and making pizza since when he was a teenager, inspired by a family tradition of making olive oil, wine, pasta, and bread.
He lived and worked in Germany for almost a year, then he moved to England where he studied as a sommelier specializing in Italian wines. “Over 2000 varieties are produced in Italy, deeply rooted in our history and culture. It takes dedication to learn to know them all”, he says.
Throughout his career, Mario Vollera has managed restaurants also in Spain, Norway, and Sweden. When he arrived in California seven years ago, after a sabbatical year spent in Latin American, he was starting afresh.
Thanks to his determination, initiative, and true passion for the tradition of Italian pizza, soon he met Peppe Miele, president of the association Verace Pizza Napoletana in North America. Working with him, Mario perfected his skills, in particular the dough kneading and mozzarella making technique.
After three years collaborating with the Association and the renowned Piccolo restaurant in Venice, and a few months of successful experience as a “pop-up” chef, Mario and former Mozza chef Frank Fermin opened South End in Abbot Kinney.
The thick crust, light “rustic pies” – as he calls his pizzas – are made of mother dough, a piece of dough kept back from the previous day’s backing and added to the next batch. “This is a millenary Italian tradition. We also used to knead dough by hand in the beginning, but now the demand is too high.”
Mozzarella and tomato sauce are still homemade tough, while other ingredients, like cheeses and cold cuts, are imported directly from Italy. “My product is authentically Italian, but I also try to consider local tastes, starting from the menu: each pizza is entitled to a street in Venice Beach.”
South End is deeply rooted in the neighborhood and so is Mario, who collaborates with local artists to make his restaurant more and more attractive. The place is cozy – but don’t call it New York style -, open only for dinner to enjoy pizza, wine, and a friendly atmosphere. “When it comes to wine, I prefer to ask the customers about their tastes and make them try four different glasses, so they can buy something they really like. I have about 40 wines by the glass, most of them organic, from all over the world and mainly small productions. We also offer free wine tastings once a month.”
Soon after the opening, thanks to the right marketing strategy and power of the word of mouth, South End had already become a meeting place, where everybody is welcomed by the hospitality and competence of Mario and his staff. “People can see that I love my job, and they appreciate that”, he explains, and already thinks of expanding with a second location.
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