A flavorful new pizza place with an Italian-based crust has opened in Cortez.
In August, Southwest Pizza moved into a remodeled storefront at 1430 E. Main St., around the corner from Thai Cortez.
Owners Dennis and Barbara Sorrow combined 30 years in the restaurant business to launch their place, which offers carryout or delivery only.
“I always came back to making pizza. It’s my favorite, like coming home, like family,” said Dennis Sorrow.
The Sorrows take great pride in using fresh ingredients and creating bursting and savory flavors with specialty pies. Dough is made daily with 80% Italian Caputo flour, and 20% Bluebird flour from Cortez Milling.
“Caputo is ground really fine. It makes for a smooth dough that cooks up beautifully,” Sorrow said. “Combining the two flours adds nice texture.”
Sauce is made with fresh tomatoes and spices, then topped with the Italian Villa Frizzoni mozzarella and your favorite toppings. The couple seek locally grown heirloom tomatoes ideal for sauce.
Specialty pizzas look inviting. The Southwestern has a salsa base, ground beef, black beans, whole corn, diced tomatoes and pepper jack cheese.
The Firebomb comes with jalapeños, a splash Frank’s red hot sauce, green chilies, red peppers, green peppers and pepper jack. There is also the Vegged Out, Meat Freak and a breakfast pizza.
The double-stack conveyor oven cooks multiple pizzas evenly with a firm crust in a timely matter. It has a capacity of 100 pizzas per hour.
The menu also features baked chicken strips, bread sticks and cheese bread, including bacon cheese bread. They are served with marinara dipping sauce.
The Sorrows recently relocated to Cortez from Georgia. They were looking for a fresh start in an area with good economic opportunity, Dennis said. They landed at a previously vacant storefront with parking, and did the remodeling themselves.
“This whole area is a wonderful place. The community has been very welcoming, and business is picking up,” he said. “We just hired our first employee.”
Southwest Pizza’s hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. it is closed Wednesdays and Sundays. The phone number is 970-564-3304, and the menu is on Southwest Pizza Facebook page.