By Ty Walker The Mountain Times
You’ve just spent the day skiing on the mountain. You’re driving down Highway 26. You’re tired and hungry. It feels like a pizza night.
But not just any old pizza will do. Authentic Sicilian pizza cooked in a hot wood-burning oven on a stone hearth? Your imagination can almost smell it.
You see the fire orange and yellow neon sign just ahead off the highway. It says, “Open.” There’s an unusual symbol of a three-legged woman on the sign. It beckons you like a moth to flame: you pull over and go inside.
You’re immediately immersed in the warm and friendly rustic mountain atmosphere that is Al Forno Ferruzza Pizzeria. The quaint Rhododendron restaurant has been a favorite of locals and visitors alike since it opened on the mountain in 2014.
That Medusa-like figure with three legs on the sign is the Trinacria, the symbol for Sicily. She is on the flag representing that particular island region in Italy.
For the past 4 1/2 years, Robin Klein and Rubis Marks have carried on the traditions of the Ferruzza family by cooking hot, oven-baked pizza in the Sicilian style. They learned the craft first-hand, working for the original Ferruzza father and son team for a couple of years before acquiring the business in 2020.
They are carrying on the legacy of the original Sicilian family, who opened the first Al Forno in Portland in 2009 before moving to the mountain. The current owners are making pizza in their signature style, while trying some new recipes along the way, particularly soups and salads.
“We have evolved,” Klein said. “We still maintain original recipes for the sauces and the style of cooking the dough which makes us so special. We have changed somewhat. We still have a lot of the favorites.”
“We still have a lot of the same items on the menu and have never changed what was taught to us by the Sicilian family who started it.”
Al Forno employs five cooks, including two from Italy that Klein considers master cooks. The restaurant has eight part-time employees in all.
“The cooking skills for that oven are definitely artisan skills not everybody can learn,” Klein said. “It takes time to learn to be a solid cook. Even after years, they still are challenged because there are so many different parameters that go into making this quality of pizza.”
With such a variety of pizzas on the menu, it’s hard to say which are most popular. Pepperoni with ricotta cheese and arugula has always been a long-standing favorite. The owner says the Caprese pizza is delicious. For something sweet and unusual, try the pear pizza with walnuts, feta cheese, maple drizzle and garlic.
Al Forno is fast becoming popular with the vegan crowd. The roasted beet pizza can’t be beat.
All dough is vegan and hand tossed or rolled, and baked into the one-size 16-inch thin crust pizza pies.
“We let our signature recipes do the talking,” Klein said. “All of our sauces are vegan inherently. They don’t have any dairy. The pesto and tomato sauces, the rustic house sauces – we rely on the veggies.”
For a traditional Italian dessert, the tiramisu, made in-house with no egg, is recommended. It’s in such high demand that they run out of it all the time.
The cozy confines of the dining area, which seats less than 50, provides an intimate family friendly (and dog friendly) atmosphere. Rustic decor and the wood stove give it a mountain cabin vibe.
In the summer when the back patio opens, the seating capacity more than doubles. On occasional weekends year-round, Al Forno has live music acts.
Klein enjoys meeting the lively international clientele that visits the restaurant.
“I love interacting with all the customers,” she said. “It’s wonderful hearing the tales of people coming in and out from all over the world. Being right on the highway, I feel like we’re a port of call. Where we’re located, it’s cool.”
Al Forno Ferruzza is located at 73285 US-26, Rhododendron, OR 97049
Hours are Monday through Thursday 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, phone 503-622-1212.