Tony Maronni’s: Dishing Out a Little Italy in Sussex

“You dream big and you work hard.”

That’s been ’s philosophy ever since he first opened the doors of his Italian restaurant back in 2006.  Naturally, the Italian Main Street restaurant specializes in pizza.  Medium thickness crust, slightly heavier sauce than what's popular in places like New York and, of course, lots of cheese.

The popular restaurant is also known for its garlic bread, cheese bread, lasagna, pasta and salads. Above all, Maronni says he places his highest premium on quality and freshness.

“Our produce comes fresh from the garden, not fresh from a can,” said Maronni. “We are family-owned, myself, my wife and our two little boys.  We offer very authentic Italian food.”

Maronni built his reputation while working at a pair of Wisconsin country clubs, including South Hills in Fond du Lac. He was executive chef for eight years and then for another five years at the Silver Spring Country Club in Menomonee Falls.

In late October 2005, Maronni was inspired to take his culinary expertise to the next level.

“I lived in Hubertus and would drive back and forth to work,” Maronni recalled.  “I’d cook all day at the club and my wife would ask me to pick up a pizza on the way home. I always ended up stopping at the grocery store because there weren’t any good pizza places. At the country club they would say, ‘Hey, Tony, you make the best pizza I ever had.’

"So, I was driving home on October 31, 2005 and I saw a gentleman putting up a ‘for rent’ sign in front of the building. I made a U-turn, came back and talked a little business, and six months later I opened up the restaurant.”

Word began to spread about Maronni’s build-your-own style pizzas, featuring an array of toppings ranging from homemade pepperoni and sausage to fresh basil and artichoke hearts.

Next came a slew of awards including Best Pizza in the Midwest and, in 2008, an international pizza competition in which Maronni finished seventh among 4,100 entrants.

Maronni’s pizza was voted the best by teenagers in Lannon and Sussex in 2009, and he was also honored with the New Member of the Year Award by the Sussex Chamber of Commerce.

From the very beginning, Maronni has enjoyed doing business in Sussex.

“Sussex has been very supportive of the independent, family-owned business,” said Maronni. “They like coming here because I know their names. They’re not just a $20 bill. They’re John and Marsha. They’re Steve and Dolores. They’re Happy Bill and Phyllis. The business climate here is very supportive, very nice and very honest.”

At times, with honesty comes constructive criticism. That’s just fine by Maronni.

“I like to be perfect every time but that’s impossible in the restaurant business,” he said. “Our customers are very honest and will tell me things like, ‘Hey, there wasn’t enough sausage’ or ‘My cheese pizza was a little too well done for my kids.’  I like to keep the blade on my sword pretty sharp and I appreciate the comments of the loyal customers that are here.”

As he celebrates his fifth anniversary in Sussex, Maronni is steadfast about not lowering his standards in order to cope with a sluggish economy.

“We care about the quality,” said Maronni. “I’m not going to cheapen my pizza by lowering my price. Everything goes up in the world but you’ve got to adjust your prices so you don’t lose your quality and you can still make a profit to keep the doors open and the guests can enjoy the pizza.”