There’s something about finding the perfect cafe, reminding you of a distant trip to Europe or the shop you used to venture to for an espresso and pastry in New York City. Dolce Marie, located at 464 Bloomfield Avenue in Verona, fills that void. Nearby Verona Park, Dolce Marie serves coffee, breakfast, lunch, and, most notably, baked goods made in-house daily. Keep reading to discover more about Dolce Marie in Verona, New Jersey.
The Backstory
Marie Coviello never wanted to be in the restaurant business. She grew up watching her father hustle through it and thought she wanted a different life. A manicurist until 28, it was around this time that Marie hit a rough patch. Her therapist asked her what she does when she gets anxious or upset, and the answer was simple: bake cookies. The key to the rest of her life was right in front of her. At this point, she went to culinary school in NYC, where she worked for ten years before becoming the pastry chef at Salute Bistro and Fin Raw Bar in Montclair.
After six years working in Montclair, she grew tired of the physical demands and wanted to create something that fit her vision and worked with her lifestyle. Marie’s mom supported her in this dream and worked with her for two years while she got things up and running. Working with her mom helped Marie figure out the menu, as the two would trial recipes together. As a baseline, Marie would ask herself, “Would my grandmother eat this?” If the answer was no, it wasn’t going on the menu.
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“I’m a first-generation American; my parents came from Italy,” Marie told The Montclair Girl. “This was my father’s dream. He opened and closed three different restaurants before he passed away. This was his American dream.” Marie learned a lot from her dad, though she also learned what not to do to run a business.
The Atmosphere
The spirit of Marie’s family is throughout the shop, from the passport photos of her and her dad to the photographs she took in Italy of family members’ homes. Everything in the cafe has a meaning: Murano glass from Venice, lemon pillows that represent Sorrento, and doorway arches typically seen throughout Italy.
Dolce Marie has been open for six years and has become a mainstay in Verona and the surrounding community. It was the first business to open on its strip of Bloomfield Avenue, where there’s now an eyebrow salon and bookshop, all of which make up a tiny community. Marie’s vision was a blend of a cafe in Italy and a small shop in the city — a place where friends and neighbors can gather for a good cup of coffee and breakfast in a casual and relaxed setting, as homey as your grandmother’s kitchen.
The Menu
Everything at Dolce Marie is made from scratch using top quality and fresh ingredients–no food coloring or fried foods. There’s a full menu of breakfast and lunch items, but where the cafe shines is its bakery. The daily staples are blueberry scones, perhaps the softest you’ve ever tasted (hurry, they sell out fast); crumb cake; and banana bread, which people buy by the loaves (Marie can’t ripen bananas fast enough). Marie also always has Italian knot cookies, typically a Christmastime treat, but they’re so popular she makes them year-round.
Breakfast is served all day, with menu items like oatmeal, greek yogurt, french toast bread pudding, egg dishes, and tartines. Lunch, which includes paninis and salads, is served from 11:30AM to 3:30PM. The cafe also serves a full menu of coffees and teas.
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Dolce Marie is open Tuesday through Friday from 8:30AM to 4PM and Saturdays from 8:30AM to 3PM. The cafe is closed on Mondays and also Sundays in the summer.