The first time Dharmesh Makwana tried to make pizza, it was a disaster.

"On day one our flour was oozing out," he said, laughing together with his wife, Saritha. "I didn't know how to make pizza."

Now, the Makwanas own the Dinner & Dessert restaurant in North Grand Mall. Nestled in a corner near the movie theater and the entrance to the old Sears store, Dinner & Dessert is a destination for people who want authentic Neapolitan-style pizza and fresh-fruit smoothies.

Dharmesh and Saritha know most of their customers by name as well as what they order.

"This is, like, our favorite place to come," a teenage girl said as she munched on a crisp-crust pizza with a friend.

"Their smoothies are the best in town, they're addicting, I need an IV right to my arm," said mall worker Tonia De.

The Makwanas work seven days a week at their little restaurant, which opened in October 2005.

"We love it," Dharmesh said. "The busier it gets, the happier we are. We like to make money."

At one point they owned 40 stores of various types in eight states; now they have nine stores. They commuted to Ames from Cedar Rapids every day for 14 months before moving here two years ago.

The Makwanas decided to make their own niche in the pizza business in Ames by learning how to make authentic Neapolitan pizza. Dharmesh attended a training class by the prestigious Verace Pizza Napoletana school, where he learned to use special flour, tomatoes and cheese to create a crispy crust, low grease pizza.

"We didn't want to compete with Papa John's and Pizza Hut," Dharmesh said. "We wanted to go to a different kind of pizza."

They use San Marzano tomatoes, imported directly from Italy, as well as homemade fior di latte mozzarella cheese and high-quality, low-gluten 00 flour.

"We try to get the best ingredients," Dharmesh said. "When you try our food, you will know it's the best ingredients. That's why people come back, they want things that are real and authentic."

Their smoothies are as real as they come; they have nine flavors made with fresh fruit, milk and sugar. They do not add juice or use any other kind of flavoring.

"Why make things complicated when simple things are better?" Dharmesh said.

"When they say 'Wow,' and when people say, 'This is the best pizza place,' it's a good feeling."

Dinner & Dessert, located in North Grand Mall near the movie theater, is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The restaurant features Neapolitan-style pizza, pastas, soups, salads, breadsticks, Seattle's Best Coffee and fresh-fruit smoothies.