Bella Roma Pizza opened its doors in August 2008 – five months after being conceived at an airport bar during a flight layover in Phoenix.  Owners Rita Shipley and Oliver Searchfield discovered that they both shared a passion for food and owning their own business.  Better yet, they had the skill set to make it work – Oliver’s experience as a professional chef, baker, artisanal cheese maker, and coffee roaster with a fabulously well-tuned palette would provide the inspiration for creating a unique menu and Rita’s degree in Accounting and years of experience in account management, financial analysis, benefits consulting, and sales would serve her well in carrying out the day-to-day duties as the general manager - and there was a pizza restaurant for sale in Bisbee!  While Oliver flew to Tucson with pizza ideas filling his head, Rita went home to crunch the numbers to see if they could make it work.  By the end of the night, they had developed a business plan and Bella Roma Pizza was born.

They are often asked, “Does the name Bella Roma mean anything?”  “YES!!” says Rita.  “Our pizza crust and sauce are inspired by traditional Italian recipes like those found in Rome (or Roma in Italian).  Roma is also the type of tomato we use for our homemade sauce.  And it’s an acronym for Rita and Oliver’s Magnificent Adventure…LOL!”

Rita and Oliver are committed to making their living feeding people healthy, all-natural, high quality, affordable food using the freshest ingredients.  As members of SlowFood USA (www.slowfoodusa.org) and Baja Arizona Sustainable Agriculture (www.bajaaz.org), they believe in using ingredients that are organic or natural and purchased locally whenever available.  That is why they make their dough fresh everyday with only flour, salt, yeast, olive oil and water (NO PRESERVATIVES) using a 1950s Hobart mixer that was previously used by Arctic Circle restaurant in Old Bisbee!  Same goes for the sauce – the Roma tomatoes are roasted, pureed and then combined with garlic, onions, oregano and basil.  And then there is the cheese –imported cheese that is grated fresh daily.  No frozen dough full of chemicals, highly processed canned sauce or pre-shredded cheese coated with cornstarch as used by the chain restaurants!  Also, no secret ingredients – you should know what you are eating.  Come taste the difference!

To satisfy their creative side, they like to roll out monthly pizza specials that are inspired by seasonally available ingredients and current cravings.  Most Saturdays, Oliver and Rita can be found shopping at the local farmer’s market to see what is available from San Ysidro and In the Beginning farms, Susie’s Pepper Patch, Bob “The Onion Man”, and other vendors.  Be sure to check out www.bisbeepizza.com for the monthly special.

Bella Roma Pizza is conveniently located in Old Bisbee and provides quick, friendly, and reliable service.  They offer a variety of pizzas, including several vegetarian options, that are hand tossed and baked on a stone hearth for a thin crispy crust.  Scrumptious salads are also available.    Did you know that Bella Roma Pizza is a BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) restaurant?  Save some money when dining out by picking up a nice bottle of Chianti at Mimosa Market or a growler of Copper City Ale at Old Bisbee Brewing Company before stopping in for lunch or dinner.  The next time you are craving a pizza, give them a call at 432-ROMA!
EAT LOCAL/EAT HEALTHY!