Regulars to  Dove Mountain probably wondered what was going on back in the fall when the Italian restaurant’s menu suddenly had samosas, biryanis and tandoori chicken.
It was Jimmy Aujla’s way of testing the waters to see how his Indian Twist menu would play to a Marana audience.
The verdict: After buying the 17-year-old restaurant at from , Aujla is rebranding it and has added Indian cuisine to the wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas that have been the restaurant’s signature since it opened in 2008.
The menu of pastas, sandwiches and wings is intact, but diners also will find a limited Indian menu including butter chicken, chicken korma, aloo gobi, chili paneer and vegan and chicken tikka masala.
“People want something different,†said Aujla, who opened the upscale , , in 2018. “I think Vero Amore, being here since 2008, they haven’t changed their menu. ... People love Indian food.â€
Jimmy Aujla, shown in 2023 at his Fourth Avenue restaurant Zyka Twist, is bringing Indian food to his newest venture in Marana.
The in Plaza Palomino on North Swan Road will not be affected by the sale.
Suzanne Kaiser and sons Aric and Josh Mussman launched JAM Culinary Concepts in 2006 when they opened the flagship Vero Amore on North Swan Road, not far from its present Plaza Palomino location.
That restaurant also is home to , a popular reservations-required speakeasy hidden in the restaurant. It opened in 2015.
Amore is Aujla’s fourth ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ restaurant. He has a location at , near the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Airport; and Ìý²¹³Ù
Aujla, who found his passion for cooking when he volunteered in a Sikh Temple in his native India as a teen, was involved in several family restaurants in Washington State, Oregon and California in the mid- to late-1990s before coming to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in 2014.
In addition to Italian and Indian cuisine, Amore serves a fast-casual menu of chicken wings, tenders and sandwiches from a small space adjacent to the main dining room.
For a peek at Amore’s menu, visit the .