Dine In: From Homemade Dough to Gourmet Pizza Pies, the Rise of Squares & Fare
Photo by Dave Garner
BY DAVE GARNER | Front Runner New Jersey.com Dine-In
SOMERS POINT – In the world of pizza, truly memorable places are often born not from corporate planning or culinary schools, but from passion, experimentation, and a genuine love for feeding people.
Tucked into downtown Somers Point, one such place has quietly transformed itself into one of the most unique pizza destinations in the region: Squares & Fare.
During our visit, we sampled the Traditional pie, the Cupped Pepperoni, and the Verdissimo. Each pizza showcased something different. The Traditional highlighted the balance and quality of the sauce and dough, while the Verdissimo demonstrated Dominic’s ability to create flavors that feel both refined and approachable.
The lemon zest and cracked pepper, in particular elevated, the pie into something genuinely memorable. What perhaps stands out most about owner Dominic Russo, however, is his humility and appreciation for the people around him.
He speaks proudly of the team he has built, many of whom have remained with him since the restaurant’s opening. He credits their professionalism and consistency as essential parts of the restaurant’s success.
The story behind Squares & Fare begins long before Russo ever opened the doors to the public. Like many great food stories, it started at home. Dominic recalls watching his father make homemade pizzas when he was a child, helping in the kitchen alongside his father and grandfather.
Those early experiences planted the seeds for what would eventually become his own approach to pizza making—one built not on rigid tradition, but on curiosity and constant refinement.
Around 2017 and 2018, while working at a pharmacy, Dominic and a close friend began diving deeply into pizza making as a hobby. What started as experimenting with dough recipes quickly turned into an obsession with fermentation techniques, flour blends, baking temperatures, and texture development.
Dominic immersed himself in books, podcasts, YouTube tutorials, and online pizza communities, slowly developing his own methods through trial and error.
Unlike many traditional pizza makers, Dominic never attended culinary school. Instead, he learned through experience, adaptation, and persistence. In many ways, that became part of the restaurant’s identity.
Without formal training dictating how pizza “should” be made, Dominic created his own style entirely from the ground up. His pizzas evolved from homemade creations for family gatherings and parties into something people actively sought out.
Before long, customers were driving to his home to pick up pies during pop-up style pizza nights. What had once been a personal passion slowly revealed itself as something much bigger.
That journey eventually led Dominic to a former laundromat building in Somers Point. Most people may have looked at the cinderblock structure and passed it by, but Dominic saw opportunity.
Located near the bay and nestled within a residential neighborhood, the spot felt right. After extensive renovations, the building was transformed into the bright, clean, welcoming restaurant that now houses Squares & Fare.
Dominic officially opened the doors in November of 2024.
Upon entering the restaurant today, customers are greeted by an immaculately maintained dining area, a long-organized counter, beverage coolers, and a relaxed atmosphere that reflects Dominic’s personality and hands-on approach.
There are a few small tables for dining in, but the true centerpiece remains the pizza itself. What separates Squares & Fare from many traditional pizza shops is its signature square pan pizzas and Dominic’s painstaking attention to dough development.
His dough ferments for approximately 48 hours, helping create the airy, focaccia-like texture the
restaurant has become known for. Dominic openly admits that fermentation remains a constant learning process, one that requires adjustments for humidity, season, and timing. For him, pizza making is never static—it is continual problem solving in pursuit of the perfect pie.
Ingredients matter deeply here as well. Dominic uses Jersey fresh tomatoes for both his traditional and vodka sauces, California olive oil, artisan flours, imported Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and carefully selected specialty ingredients throughout the menu. Even the garlic is roasted in-house.
Dominic believes strongly in using quality local products whenever possible, especially when it comes to tomatoes. “Why buy tomatoes from California when we have this here?” he remarked while discussing New Jersey’s exceptional produce.
That dedication to ingredients and craftsmanship is evident in the menu. Among the most popular pies are the Cupped Pepperoni, the Vodkaroni with vodka sauce and pepperoni, and the acclaimed Verdissimo—a white pie topped with baby spinach, artichokes, garlic cream sauce, lemon zest, locatelli cheese, and mozzarella.
The restaurant also offers inventive seasonal and specialty combinations featuring ingredients
like prosciutto, arugula, raspberry balsamic glaze, black truffle oil, and burrata.
Even now, Dominic describes the business as “a constant learning scenario,” one where he
continues adapting and improving every day. There is also something refreshing about Dominic’s philosophy toward success.
Rather than aggressively expanding into countless menu items, he remains focused on doing a smaller number of things exceptionally well. That clarity of purpose has helped Squares & Fare carve out its own distinct identity in an area already filled with pizza shops.
As a final touch, Dominic is currently building an outdoor herb and vegetable garden behind the restaurant and already grows fresh basil in-house for use in his recipes. It feels fitting for a place so rooted in craft, patience, and authenticity.
Located at 7 East New Jersey Avenue in Somers Point, Squares & Fare offers online ordering, walk-ins, and takeout service. But more than that, it offers something increasingly rare in today’s food world: a restaurant built organically through passion, experimentation, and genuine pride in the product being served.
One visit makes it abundantly clear why people continue walking through those doors.
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