Bottaro Wood-Fired Pizza, San Diego, California

An article in the Encinitas Patch profiled a firefighter who started a mobile oven business as a sideline to prepare for retirement.

The article says in part:

After almost 30 years with the Encinitas Fire Department, firefighter John Gonzales began contemplating his upcoming retirement in 2015.

He thought it was time to shake things up in his life, and make a move, and this past July, he started Bottaro Wood Fired Pizza. Bottaro is the maiden name of his mother, an Italian-American.

In launching a business, Gonzales decided on a product that he loved himself and knew something about.

The business is Bottaro Wood-Fired Pizza, San Diego, California. The home page says in part:

Bottaro Wood Fired Pizza is an oven on wheels and as we like to call it "Pizza A-Go-Go". We also have salads and appetizers and cook all our food on site. You can find us at Street Fairs and Farmers Markets and also cater Private Parties and Events.

We use the freshest, local produce available, make our own sausage and use organic flour from Utah. Your pizza will bake in about 90 seconds in temperatures of 700 to 900 degrees. All your Family and Friends will appreciate the uniqueness of a Wood Burning Oven as we prepare and cook their food using "Old World" techniques right in your backyard or favorite setting.

This sounds like an interesting variation on the mobile oven business.

Bola Pizza, Austin, Texas

My faithful Google Alert informed me of a rather different take on a mobile pizza business.

I caught an on-line food column from the Austin Chronicle about Bola Pizza, Austin, Texas.

What makes Bola Pizza different from most other mobile pizza businesses is their extension of their business into frozen pizza.

This is not to say that they are not also doing catering and farmers' markets in the Austin area, but very few mobile pizza businesses have branched out into frozen food.

Good luck to them.

Adriatic Grill, Tacoma, Washington

What happens when you have find a restaurant that uses a wood-fired oven, but doesn't even let people know about it on its web site? You can only find out about it by chance.

Well, by chance, I saw a review of the Adriatic Grill, Tacoma, Washington in a Tacoma News Tribune on-line review. The review says in part:

Adriatic Grill resides within one of the toughest neighborhoods for upscale dining. I've tried convincing friends that a restaurant near the mall - yes, that mall - serves superb Kobe flat-iron steak, turns out pizza from a wood-fired oven, masters garlicky Bolognese with al dente chewy pull, and doses grilled peaches with sweetened balsamic for dessert.

I looked at the Asiatic Grill's web site, it doesn't say anything about a wood-fired oven. What a shame.

Jimmy's Bar and Oven, Brookline, Massachusetts

Two different reviewers for the Brookline Patch covered Jimmy's Bar and Oven, Brookline, Massachusetts. (Their web site is minimal, but at least says where they are and when they are open, even if it doesn't offer a clue about what you will find there.)

The first review says in part:

He said the restaurant’s trendy atmosphere was inspired by a lower-Manhattan hotspot Barbutto, including its rubber floors, chalkboard walls with handwritten specials, and garage doors in front.

But Hamelburg said they built the place mainly around the giant WoodStone Oven in the kitchen, which he claims is definitely a focal point of the room.

“Will you look at the flame in the back?” Hamelburg exclaims. “It’s the coolest thing ever!”

The second review says in part:

Though Boston might not have the pizza definitude of, say, New York, or Chicago, we know what we like, and we have some dang fine pies to our name. Which brings me to Jimmy's Bar and Oven on Beacon Street, where the 'oven' in the restaurant's name is a Wood Stone model, churning out pizzas from a fire that burns close to a thousand degrees Farenheit. The benefit of that heat appears in the crust: a high baking temperature produces a crispier crust and more even cooking. Jimmy's crust is substantial enough to hold all the toppings, but not so thick that it overshadows the toppings. And, it's crispy all the way through—a rarity, even among some of the best pizza makers.

Sounds like a hot spot worth visiting.

Central Market Restaurant, Petaluma, California

A weekly column for the Sonoma Valley Sun highlighted the Central Market Restaurant, Petaluma, California.

The column says in part:

Located in downtown Petaluma, Central Market sits right on the charming town’s main street. The space is utterly delightful, with a rustic brick wall, soaring ceilings and tall windows, which allow for splendid views of the neighboring historic buildings. The light is somehow perfect, soft and golden. A wood-burning oven presides over the dining room, emitting a cozy warmth. The whole effect is completely romantic. Although both the staff and the atmosphere are marvelous, what guests return for over and over is Chef-owner Tony Najiola’s lovingly prepared, seasonal cuisine

The page on the Central Market's own site says a little about the oven:

In the heart of the dining room, behind the fresh oyster bar, you will find Tony and his highly trained crew pulling piping hot creations from the glowing wood burning oven.

Sounds like a lot more than your ordinary wood-fired restaurant.

Hearth Wood Fired Breads, Plymouth, Massachusetts

I have been kind of busy lately, so I haven't been posting many updates.

Now there is going to be a flood of them. I'm going to work backward, just because that's easiest.

My Google Alert pulled up a news article about sources of artisan breads.

There were multiple bakeries mentioned, but the one covered here is Hearth Wood Fired Breads, Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Their home page says in part:

At Hearth Wood Fired Bread, we are passionate about creating a spectacular loaf of bread. We are committed to serving our customers and providing the best tasting loaves of bread possible.

It also has a video showing their oven and their bread-making process.

It certainly looks worth a visit.

Homeadow Song Farm, Cincinnati, Ohio

Sometimes you discover something that defies categorization. For me, Homeadow Song Farm, Cincinnati, Ohio, is one such case.

• First, it is has a cob oven.
• Second, it is a farm.
• Third, it is a school.
• Fourth, it is sometimes used as a community oven.
• Fifth, sometimes they teach baking classes there.

Vicki Mansoor told me a bit about how they have used their oven. (A new one is being built.)

I used the oven throughout the school year for an early childhood
program. The children are given dough, sing and talk and make all
kinds of shapes. They put them on the bread board and out to the
dragon oven they went. Sometimes the children stay and watch.
Sometimes they carry the hot bread back on their little boards.
We eat it with our butter and honey from our bees.

Our grade school program uses it at times. We roast corn, dry squash, make soulcake breads at halloween, pumpkin pies, etc.

I bake loaves for myself and a few others, along with dinner; neighbors add theirs too. We have had community festival/parties where we make pizzas. We have invited people to come bake their own loaves and bring one to share.

And, we have given bread baking workshops occasionally - with a guest baker and more.

It sounds like a real gem of a place.

Community Oven, Munising, Michigan

My Google Alert brought a relatively unusual web page to my attention, an announcement titled, "MDOC Employee Named Finalist for Governor's Service Award."

The announcement says in part:

Peggy Carberry has been selected as a finalist for the 2011 Governor's Service Awards in the Volunteer of the Year category.... She is committed to the local community through the work which she and her sisters, known as "The Cooking Carberrys," conduct throughout the year during their free time. 

Peggy has been instrumental in raising literally tens of thousands of dollars for the community, primarily through baking in their bread oven at Munising's Bay Shore Park. ...

Peggy, along with her sisters, volunteers her time every Tuesday for approximately 7-8 hours, baking in the community bread oven at the Farmer's Market at Bay Shore Park in Munising from May to October. It is estimated they serve 300 people and raise at least $850 every Tuesday. Also, Peggy adds that they man the community oven almost every weekend during the summer months and those donations also go directly to various special events. Their sign says, "The Cooking Carberrys are helping the community One Pizza at a Time."

I have collected links to other mentions to the Munising oven, but this post gave some of the best details about their oven and its benefits to the community.

11/01/11: By chance, I happened to find an online album that has a good picture of the oven.

Felicia's Pizza Kitchen, Ardmore, Pennsylvania

My Google Alert brought a patch.com localized review of Felcia's Pizza Kitchen in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

That's the good news. The bad news is they don't have a web site. I did find a few other mentions of them.

• Felicia's Pizza Kitchen - Ardmore-Merion-Wynnewood, PA Patch
• Felicia's Brick Oven Pizza - Ardmore Restaurant - MenuPages Pizza, Sandwiches Restaurant Search
• Felicias Pizza Kitchen - Ardmore, PA

Sounds like an interesting place.

Bricks Wood Fired Pizza, Lombard, Illinois

Once again I have a little time to post in my blog.

This time my Google Alert found a news post from Lombard, IL.

There is a good picture of a pizza and an interview with the owners of Bricks Wood Fired Pizza, Lombard, Illinois. Their oven is apparently a genuine Italian import.

Unlike many wood-fired pizza places I have found, these folks deliver (if you are in their territory of course).

I don't get that way very often, but I might again someday, in which case I'll see if I can make a field report.

Community Oven, Carbondale, Colorado

A community oven long in the development stages in Carbondale, Colorado, reached a successful milestone with their first community bake.

They have their own home page.

They relatively recently created a Facebook page. (I don't know why their page is classified as belonging to an "Actor/Director"!)

Most recently they were featured in a story in the Glenwood Springs Post Independent.

I have watched this project develop for a good long time, and I'm very glad it has been successful.

I wish them a long, well-earned, continuation.

Community Oven, Cambridge, New York

My Google Alert brought my attention to a blog post about the community oven in Cambridge, New York.

I have some information about the Cambridge oven on my Quest for Ovens web site on the Community Ovens page.

There are additional links about the Cambridge oven on my Community Oven Links page.

It was very nice to read a first-hand account of using the oven; they are amazingly hard to come by.

Olive Pizza, Minneapolis, Minnesota

While doing some shopping at Midtown Farmers Market in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011, I spied a tent with the legend "wood-fired pizza" emblazoned on it.

Checking it out I saw a pizza oven built into a trailer, and a crew running a wood-fired oven to make pizza.

This turned out to belong to a business I had not heard about, Olive Pizza, Mobile Wood-Fired Pizza.

Their web site doesn't give a lot of detail about their business. The earliest date currently showing on their calendar is August 27, 2011.

They were selling a variety of pizzas for $7 each. I did not have the opportunity to try one.

I did take a few pictures, but I'm not able to upload them at this point.

I wish them luck. (I can't say I'm impressed by their web site.)

June 28, 2012: I saw that their web site says that they are at the Bloomington Farmers Market, no longer at the Midtown Farmers Market.

Blue Moon Dine-In Theater, State Fair Grounds, Minnesota

An article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune mentioned in passing, "Food-loving fairgoers know to visit the five-year-old Blue Moon Dine-In Theater for fabulous wood-fired pizzas...."

The Blue Moon Dine In Theater is mentioned on the state fair's food finder. If you click to open the information about the Blue Moon Dine In Theater, it says, in part, "...wood-fired pizza (pepperoni, sausage, onion, mushroom, tomato bruschetta, salami sausage, margarita)...."

The Minnesota State Fair is only open 12 days of the year.

So if you happen to be in Minnesota and you happen to be attending the state fair (for which there is an admission charge), you might consider having some wood-fired pizza there.

Portable Oven Classes, Silverwood Park, Minnesota

My one-day oven building class at Silverwood Park in the Twin Cities is now available for registration through this link.

My classes at Silverwood have always filled, so if you want to take a class this year so you can build an oven this year, this is your remaining opportunity.

8/22/11: Apparently the class is full. We are planning to do a little deliberate overbooking, so you might still be able to sneak in.

Community Oven Map, United States

I realized that there is no reason not to include my US community oven map in my blog as well, since my other maps appear here as well.

So here it is:

Roma Restaurant, Bar and Market, Willernie, Minnesota Field Report

I made a lunchtime visit to the Roma Restaurant, Bar and Market, Willernie, Minnesota. They are located at 460 Stillwater Road, Willernie, MN 55090. (Note that they also have a Restaurant page on Facebook.) They are on my map of wood-fired oven businesses in Minnesota.

The outside of the building is directly in front of its narrow parking lot. From what I could see of the interior, it looks like they added the oven and expanded next door to their original location in 2008.

The oven is tucked into the front corner of the original space, back behind the counter and by the kitchen. You can barely see it from their dining room.

One can really see that this is a wood-fired oven. (A small image of one appears on their home page.) They don't really explain where the oven comes from (or why they wanted one), but it certainly does its job.

The menus for Roma Restaurant are available for downloading. I took my wife there for lunch, and we ordered the Balsamico (without the proscuitto, since we are vegetarians). Service seemed attentive and fast. My wife and I both thought it was delicious.

We found the crust to be very tender, not the hard, chewy crusts we often find with any pizzas, but especially with WFO pizzas.

There were several other pizzas on the menu we wanted to try, plus there are lots of other tasty-looking items that are not wood-fired oven pizzas.

There is a sign in their window that says they can par bake their pizzas so you can finish baking them at home. That would be an interesting option to try.

It's certainly not in our neighborhood, but if we happen to find ourselves in that corner of the Twin Cities Metro again, we will stop in for another visit.

Maps and Wood-Fired Businesses

I have now done three maps of wood-fired businesses (mostly wood-fired ovens): Wisconsin, Washington, and Minnesota. I might do one for the VPN-certified pizza places in the US and Canada. (There is also a map of community ovens that I know about.)

I have no plans to do any other maps unless there are some requests to do so.

So, if there are any maps you really want to see, comment to me, and I will add requests to my "to do" list.

Minnesota WFO Businesses

I have now assembled a map of wood-fired oven businesses in Minnesota. I am trying some new options with map construction. I am trying to color code information about the different businesses so that people with particular tastes in mind can better see where they can find the food they like.



The color key that I have applied to places on the map attempts to use the following
categories:

• green - VPN certified
• white - Neapolitan-style, but not certified
• red - hearth, but gas or electric, not wood
• yellow - farm
• blue - restaurant, possibly without pizza (e.g. wood-fired grill)
• brown - bakery
• gray - don't know

So of you want to find wood-fired oven pizza, look for the green or white markers.

Washington Wood-Fired Businesses

I have put together a map of all the Washington State wood-fired businesses that I have found.

Many of these are restaurants or pizzerias with wood-fired ovens, but not all.

Many of them are in the Seattle area, but there is at least one on the Olympic Peninsula.

A couple (Alder Wood Bistro and Queen Margherita) I have actually eaten at. (Look for
the fieldreport tag.)

If you want to find the VPN-certified Neapolitan pizza places, you can find them listed on a VPN page.

Tutta Bella, Seattle, Washington

While visiting Seattle and eating at one wood-fired oven pizza place, my friends and local guides showed me a place they knew that I had not heard of, Tutta Bella.According to a small sign in the restaurant, Tutta Bella is the oldest VPN-certified pizza place in Washington. That seems to correspond to the certificate numbers on the VPN web page that I found.

They certainly use genuine Caputo flour.

It certainly is a wood-fired oven.

It looked like a nice place, and according to their web site and the VPN site, there are actually several Tutta Bella locations around the Seattle area.

They all seem to have their own Facebook pages, but this page was the one I visited.

David Cargo Brick Bread Oven / Pizza Oven

I sometimes see where somebody is searching for information about bread and pizza ovens using my name as part of the search.

I do not yet have a set of complete set of detailed plans or a book or DVD on my oven plans and oven construction techniques. (I have been working on a manuscript, which will include plans and diagrams. If you know of a suitable or interested publisher, please let me know or have them contact me.)

I do post information on-line about my class schedule.

You can also e-mail me with questions about my classes.

Currently I regard my oven designs as my intellectual property (IP). I know people who have built their own ovens using information collected in my brick oven links page, but not using my specific designs. I make what I find on the net available through that links collection, but I feel that my own designs have their own advantages.

I won't give away my intellectual property for free by posting it on the internet. I will share the information with people who take my classes, and I'll even keep them updated when I update my designs.

You can save yourself some work by taking my class and using my designs, but suit yourself.

So, what do you get if you take my class and build one of my ovens? You get an oven that is quick to build (about an hour for the smallest), that gets hot enough to cook pizzas (easily 20 and as many as 40 in 2 1/2 hours if you have a good production line) at high temperatures (starting at 800-1000 degrees), and while not cheap is still a lot cheaper than any other brick oven you are likely to see. (The small oven would cost about $400, not counting taxes and shipping charges.)

8/25/11: Here is a look back at how I got started building ovens.

Three classes are now scheduled for 2012.
Silverwood Park (Twin Cities) on April 28, 2012 (no more classes with them unless they change their minds)
Tunnel Mill (south of Rochester) on May 5, 2012 (no more classes with them in 2012)
Borner Farm Project (Prescott, WI) on June 16, 2012.

Follow the schedule link above for more details.

VPN Americas: US Member Listing by State

While trying to find the name of a VPN-certified restaurant in Seattle (which turned out to be Ristorante Picolinos), I found a page that claims to list the VPN member restaurants in the US. (Plus one in Toronto tucked at the bottom.)

I haven't cross-checked my current links to see if I have all of these linked, but it was interested to discover an index page for several wood-fired oven pizza places.

10/03/11: Thanks to the maintainers of the VPN site, I now have a spreadsheet listing US and Canadian restaurants with certifications. I am massaging the data into a form that I can import into the mapmaking site, and then I will have a map of US VPN-certified restaurants. So, progress is being made, but I don't have an estimated completion date.

11/13/11: Here is the map, current to 11/12/11, I believe.

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Queen Margherita, Seattle, Washington Field Report

I had previously posted about a news item that led me to the home page for Queen Margherita in Seattle.

I actually had a chance to visit and try the place out.

Two old friends of mine took me to the wilds of the Magnolia neighborhood in Seattle. We found a cozy storefront with a garage-style door and a nice sit-down space inside.

I chatted with one of the owners while we were waiting (just a short while) for our pizza. If I remember correctly, the oven was imported from Naples.

While they are not a VPN-certified pizza place, they do make pizzas in a similar style.

We ordered a couple of pizzas off of their pizza menu. I wasn't thinking about writing this report at the time, so I didn't happen to take pictures of the pizzas. I think we got the Queen Margherita and a pizza with white sauce instead of tomato sauce. Both were excellent.

I discovered they do have a Facebook community page.

This is a place I can highly recommend.

Alder Wood Bistro, Sequim, Washington Field Report

I had the opportunity to actually visit and try the Alder Wood Bistro in Sequim, WA.

They are actually located on Alder Street in Sequim. That puts it a few blocks north of the main street through town, so you probably would not find it by accident if you were just driving through Sequim.

Their restaurant opened about 5 years ago. Based on my limited experience, you would be well advised to make reservations.

I believe I read that the oven was built by one of Alan Scott's apprentices.

The inside of the oven is 4 feet by 6 feet. It seems to be a typical Scott barrel vault design.

We got their roasted vegetable pizza.

Their menu contains a lot more than wood-fired oven pizza.

In this case, I can recommend a visit.

Mobile Wood-fired Pizza Catering Twin Cities

I'm adding this post because it's a common search term, and I thought I would prepare an answer for it.
(Updated 6/8/2012)

I have identified mobile wood-fired pizza catering businesses in (and near) the Twin Cities that make the effort to be easily found. All of these are (or will be) listed on my Business Ovens page (local to Minnesota and Wisconsin) and on my Mobile Oven page in the Mobile Oven Businesses section (which is worldwide).

• Big River Pizza
• Olive Pizza (added 9/26/2011)
• Pizza Festa di Viaggio (permanently relocated to Nashville, TN; sorry)
• Red Wagon Pizza Company (added 07/09/2012)
• Russell Glover Farm (River Falls, WI, but also serving the Twin Cities)
• Thyme to Entertain
• Wandering Fire (St. Croix Falls, WI, added 6/8/2012)

I have not used any of these businesses. I don't know how much they charge.

If you find similar businesses in Minnesota (or elsewhere), leave me a comment, and I will add them to my link collection.

Maine Grain Alliance, Skowhegan, Maine

I discovered the Facebook Farming/Agriculture page for the Maine Grain Alliance. Their info page says in part:

Maine Grain Alliance organizes the Kneading Conference, an annual event that brings together home and professional bakers, millers, wheat breeders, farmers, eaters, wood-fired oven builders, and food entrepreneurs and writers for two days of hands-on workshops, panel discussions and lectures.

The Kneading Conference has its own site.

I haven't been to any of the conferences myself, but what I have seen (on YouTube and other places) makes me wish I could go there.

Third Street Deli, Pepin, Wisconsin

People in one of my oven-building classes had told me that there was a new wood-fired oven business in Pepin, Wisconsin.

An article in the 7/7/11 Taste section of the StarTribune says in part:

As if Judith Hanks weren't busy enough, what with cooking jumbo breakfasts and lunches at her Third Street Deli along with running an adjacent consignment shop and day spa. No, Hanks recently dove headlong into the outdoor pizza business, and it's a gas.

 They have a Facebook Restaurant/Cafe page.

The next time I roll through Pepin at the right time, I'm stopping for pizza.

Nevada City Community Oven, Nevada City, California

Sometimes there are only a few clues, sometimes more.

There was a Wordpress blog, which disappeared. I did later find a replacement blog post that mentioned a community oven in Nevada City, California.

The post says in part:

The Bluebird Farm contingency has decided to revive the Thursday night summer potlucks……..only they have centered the gathering around a communal bread bake. They have built a cobb oven at the Wet Hill Road homestead off Cement Hill Road. A cobb oven is a wood fired oven made from clay and straw.

I did find a Wet Hill Road off of Cement Hill Road. Looking for information about Bluebird Farm turned up a page with a picture, which links to a page with some directions, but not to anyplace on Wet Hill Road.

I did add a section heading in the community oven links page for this oven. It's on the community oven map as well.

Culver City Community Oven, Culver City, California

I added some more section headers to my community oven links page with headings for some of the community ovens I had previously discovered in California.

One of the ones I knew about was in Culver City, CA, mentioned in a Orange County Weekly blog post.

The blog post says in part:

Finally, the place to be an Southern California food lover that weekend is at the Helms Bakery complex in Culver City, where the Eat Real Festival will take place Saturday and Sunday. While there will be plenty of food trucks there, the focus of the festival is on food making. There will be masterclasses on preserving, fermenting and pickling; there will be a pig-butchery contest; there will be a community oven and sourdough lessons.

This sounds like a one-time community oven, rather than a regularly scheduled repeating event.

In fact, when I look at the Eat Real Festival site, I could not find any mention of a community oven. So, maybe it's there and maybe it isn't.

Woodfire Brick Oven Pizza, Rockford, Illinois

I stumbled across a mention of Woodfire Brick Oven Pizza, Rockford, Illinois while doing a related Google search.

They have a "Restaurant/Cafe" Facebook page. (Their info page has a link to an inactive domain.)

They have gotten some mention in a local blog (here), and in on-line news article (here and here), and in bits about the Rockford City Market, "Joe D’Astice, owner of Wood Fire Brick Oven Pizza, serves pizza from the oven at City Market in downtown Rockford."

Black Beauty, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

A separate catering operation of Pizzeria Prima Strada, their mobile wood-burning oven, Black Beauty, is available for hire.

Six Hundred Degrees, Tofino, British Columbia, Canada

I found a blog post that mentioned several businesses with wood-burning ovens on (or near) Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Posts like this are valuable to me because the identify several places at once, although they are also something of a burden for the same reason.


A comment in that blog mentioned the 600 Degrees bakery, and provided a link to a story about it.


The story says in part:

Inside this protusion [an addition to a shake and shingle home], a wood-fired oven roars to life each Thursday and on Friday, beautifully rustic loaves of breads, buns and cinnamon buns, all leavened with sourdough starter, emerge from the brick oven. A couple of restaurants and health food stores snap them up. And in summer, Julie Lomenda, owner of 600 Degrees, bakes up to 100 loaves every week, many of which are sold at the local Farmers’ Market (which opens in May at Village Green, across from the District of Tofino).

Apparently they spell out the name of the bakery, so its correct name is Six Hundred Degrees. Their home page is pretty minimal.

Pizzeria Prima Strada, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

I found a blog post that mentioned several businesses with wood-burning ovens on (or near) Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Posts like this are valuable to me because the identify several places at once, although they are also something of a burden for the same reason.


The Pizzeria Prima Strada, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, apparently makes Neapolitan pizza, but without the VPN certification.


The blog post says, "Now with two locations, Pizzeria Prima Strada in Victoria is churning out pies at a rate of up to six every two minutes." The blog post goes into substantial detail about Pizzeria Prima Strada.

Wild Fire Organic Bakery and Cafe, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

I found a blog post that mentioned several businesses with wood-burning ovens on (or near) Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Posts like this are valuable to me because the identify several places at once, although they are also something of a burden for the same reason.


There was a bare mention of Wild Fire Organic Bakery and Cafe, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.


Their home page says, "Organic Levain Breads Baked in a Wood-Fired Oven."


Pictures of the breads look beautiful. They have an on-line photo album.


I would like to visit someday.

Fol Epi, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

I found a blog post that mentioned several businesses with wood-burning ovens on (or near) Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Posts like this are valuable to me because the identify several places at once, although they are also something of a burden for the same reason.


There was a very bare mention of Fol Epi.


All I could find was a mention in the on-line version of Vancouver Magazine: 

Artisan baker Cliff Leir moved lock and stock to bare all in his brand-new digs at uber-green Dockside Green. The wheat silo and hand-built wheat grinder are in place and the au natural décor of salvaged fir, brick, and rock is a fitting tribute to the earthy delights on the rise. Boule, baguettes, whole wheat, and pumpernickel are the daily wood-fired breads, while all-butter croissants, organic pain au chocolat and fruit Danish, and morish schneckens—a swirl of pastry with raisins and a slathering of Grand Fir syrup—give reason to wake up in the morning.

(The "bare all" looks like a typo, to me. Nude bakers are rather rare.)

Saltspring Island Bread Company, Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada

I found a blog post that mentioned several businesses with wood-burning ovens on (or near) Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Posts like this are valuable to me because the identify several places at once, although they are also something of a burden for the same reason.


One of the businesses mentioned was the Saltspring Island Bread Company, Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada. Information about the bakery is here. There are many pictures of the oven and its owner, Heather Campbell.

Providence Farm, Duncan, British Columbia, Canada

I found a blog post that mentioned several businesses with wood-burning ovens on (or near) Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Posts like this are valuable to me because the identify several places at once, although they are also something of a burden for the same reason.



One of the ovens that was mentioned was, "the James Barber Memorial Oven at Providence Farm."


Providence Farm has an "Open Group" Facebook page.


Their home page is nice, except there is no search available. I didn't find anything about the oven there.


A Google search for the "James Barber Memorial Oven" turned up a few pages.


Apparently it was installed thanks to some fund raising. Partly it was a matter of moving an existing oven the size of a small cottage 200 kilometers. It sounds like an epic.


One page about the Canadian Chefs' Congress 2010 says, "Wet Saturday and Sunday nights were fueled by endless pizzas coming out of the James Barber Memorial Wood Burning Oven, a legacy presented to Providence Farm by the BC Congress Committee."


A blog post by Chef Jonathan Pulker has a picture of the oven. A different blog post had more information about the party.


There was a picture posted on Flickr as well.


This sounds quite incredible; I would love to see it.

Merridale Ciderworks, Cobble Hill, British Columbia, Canada

I found a blog post that mentioned several businesses with wood-burning ovens on (or near) Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Posts like this are valuable to me because the identify several places at once, although they are also something of a burden for the same reason.

The first place identified was Merridale Cider (which identifies themselves as Merridale Ciderworks).

They have a  "Local Business" Facebook page.

They have a page about their bakery and say a bit about their oven:

In the summer of 2006, we were fortunate to be approached to build a brick oven and bake at Merridale. We thought for mere seconds and said, "Of course". Now helmed by Alain Boisseau, our resident baker, we use this brick oven for our bread and pastries, apple pies, and special occasion menus. From late spring through early fall, we also make pizza, particularly for our famed Sunday night pizza on the deck.

This sounds like a lovely place to visit and a delightful place to eat and drink.

Feebie's Traditional Brick Oven Pizza, Taoyuan City, Taiwan

There is a group on Facebook for Brick Oven Builders. (I'm a member.)

There was a passing mention of Feebie's Traditional Brick Oven PIzza, Taoyuan City, Taiwan.

Feebie's Pizza in Taoyuan city, about 25min from the airport, $6 cab ride most. Whole wheat, thin crust, brick oven pizza topped with fresh ingredients....

While they have a Facebook Food/Beverages page, they no longer seem to own their original domain name (which they link to from their Facebook Info page).

Apparently they don't use that page much; instead they have a Facebook Open Group page.

Their Facebook page says they are Canadian owned. Some of the pictures show hockey uniforms on the walls.

Good luck to them, I say.

Lombardino's Restaurant, Madison, Wisconsin

I found an issue of the edible MADISON magazine that listed some wood-fired pizza places in Madison, Wisconsin.

One of the restaurants listed is one of the older ones in Madison, Lombardino's Restaurant.

The description in edible MADISON says, "Neapolitan style pizza using local, organic produce, eggs, and meats."

Pizza Brutta, Madison, Wisconsin

I found an issue of the edible MADISON magazine that listed some wood-fired pizza places in Madison, Wisconsin.

One of them was Pizza Brutta. The article says, "Chef Derek Lee is certified as a Pizza Yolo with VPN and uses local, organic ingredients and local firewood."

They also have a Facebook page.

Cafe Porta Alba, Madison, Wisconsin

I found an issue of the edible MADISON magazine that listed some wood-fired pizza places in Madison, Wisconsin.

One of them was Cafe Porta Alba.

Their home page says they make "Neapolitan Pizza officially recognized by the "Verace Pizza Napoletana" Association of Italy."

They also have a Facebook page. That page seems to indicate that they have homemade mozzarella.

Whistler Wood Fired Pizza Company, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada

Apparently some people are reading this blog, and deciding that they ought to be mentioned.

That's fine with me.

I received an e-mail from Korey Klein informing me of the existence of Whistler Wood Fired Pizza Company, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.

I was sent what should have been a link to their home page, but I had to search using Google to find it.

Their home page says in part:

Whistler Wood Fired Pizza is an all-natural product, baked in a "portable" wood fired oven. We can set up in a park, parking lot, or flat lot, as long as we can bring our trailer through.

Their home page has a slide show showing a couple of different wood-fired ovens on trailers.

They also have a Facebook page.

A Google search turned up a couple of YouTube videos (one that looked to be in a farmers market and another about a new oven trailer).

I want to thank Korey for e-mailing me. It shows that some people out there are interested in the subject that this blog is dedicated to.

The Rolling Stonebaker, Beverly Shores, Indiana

An on-line article from a site about northwest Indiana profiles a couple who created a mobile oven business centered in Beverly Shores, Indiana.

They call their business The Rolling Stonebaker.Their home page has a couple of neat pictures of their truck.

The article says in part:

Georgian and Chaddock cooked up the idea of The Rolling Stonebaker pizza truck, a reconfigured 1949 Studebaker fire truck that debuted last summer at Michiana private parties, farmers' markets and impromptu roadside events. The Stonebaker serves pizza from a wood-fired brick oven at the rear of the truck. The Stonebaker was so popular the Beverly Shores, Indiana, couple purchased a second antique Missouri truck for this season, which runs through Thanksgiving.

 It's clear from their site that they move around a lot.

TNF Community Oven SF, San Francisco, California

Sometimes I get lucky right away. And sometimes I have to do a bit of detective work to trace down what I am really looking for.

My Google Alert found a post about a dance show called "Our Daily Bread." This post mentioned, "the outdoor pizza oven which is a community oven for the neighborhood’s enjoyment."

I was eventually able to contact the dancer and choreographer Amara Tabor-Smith, who put me in touch with Daryl Smith, who kindly furnished me with some pictures of what is called the Tenderloin National Forest.

With that name as a clue, I was able to find a few more links that were related. (There is even a page for the Tenderloin National Forest that mentions the oven.)

There was another post about Amara Tabor-Smith, a picture of the oven on flickr, and an older page about the history of the Tenderloin National Forest.

Daryl Smith (in an e-mail to me) said, "The oven's use is always a supervised activity, usually by me or someone from our group who has been oriented to all safety issues related."

The oven now appears on my map of US community ovens, and I have created an entry for it on my community oven page.

KIPPelora Community Oven, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Sometimes I don't find out about community ovens except by chance. (Other times I get lucky, and people associated with them will contact me.)

I found a brief mention of a community oven in an on-line article for the Fergus-Elora News Express. The article says in part:

KIPPelora to begin building ovens

After many months of community collaboration and with great enthusiastic anticipation, KIPPelora is set to build the ovens that are the centrepiece of the project.

The community oven build is set to start at 9 a.m. Saturday and expected to continue through to Monday, states a KIPPelora release.

The Kitchen in the Park Project aims to set up wood-burning, community-use ovens at the east end of Bissell Park in Elora that it's hoped will eventually become the core of a community food area in the park.

Over the past week a large storage shed has been built on site at Bissell Park at the east end near the iron walking bridge and building materials have been gathered for the building work to commence.

Edge Realty has offered their services to clean up the cement pad and area, while Grand River Tree Service has donated time to cutting back large weed trees.

These are just some examples of amazing donations that have come from our community, the release states.

Centre Wellington District High School is actively assembling a donor wall, with Wellington Manufacturers providing bracket supports for this large structure.

A Newfoundland Architect donated the design to KIPP, believing the project has merit.

Having more detail, I started to see if I could find more information. I discovered more than I was expecting.

They had a Wordpress blog, including an explanation of their project, progress reports, and a YouTube video.

I even discovered some previous press that they had gotten.

Finally, I discovered they had a Facebook page.

This project embodies all the community aspects of wood-fired ovens that I find exciting. I wish them all good fortune.

My web page for specific community ovens is here. My link collection for community ovens is here.(This one is where links for KIPPelora will eventually wind up.)

Lido Woodfired Cafe and Restaurant, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Not all the news caught by my Google Alert involves reviews, openings, or good news.

An on-line article for the Courier & Mail reported that there was a fire at the Lido Woodfired Cafe and Restaurant, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Lido does not have a web site that I can find, but they do have a Facebook page.

(On Facebook they made it clear that they were not closed for long by the fire.)

Sounds like a jolly place.

Red Beard Historic Bakery, Trentham, Victoria, Australia

An on-line article from the Sydney Morning Herald covered several food "how-tos" including making sourdough bread.

For the bread making, they went to the Red Beard Historic Bakery, Trentham, Victoria, Australia.

Their home page says in part:

Located in the picturesque gold rush town of Trentham in Central Victoria, Red Beard Historic Bakery is only 70 minutes from Melbourne's CBD. We specialise in organic sourdough bread and pastry, handmade with traditional techniques and baked in a huge 19th century woodfired Scotch oven.

Their Scotch oven has a page of its own.

It sounds like a great place.

Community Ovens in the US

I have updated my community oven links to include a map of all the community ovens I have been able to identify in the US.

Only of few of these have their own web sites. You will have to follow the different links on the page to get to information about specific ovens.

The map has to updated manually, so there is always a chance that the map and the links page could be inconsistent. Changes are the links will be more up to date.

Still, the map gives a good overview of where these community ovens are.

Wisconsin Wood-Fired Oven Businesses

I'm experimenting with a mapping application. If it works the way I understand it, this post should include a map showing all the businesses in Wisconsin that I am aware of that have wood-fired ovens.



This includes all of the "wisconsin pizza farm" locations.

Note that the map markers have no links to the businesses' web sites. Some of them are accessible on my Business Ovens web page.

You can't assume that places on this map are operating as retail businesses or traditional restaurants. You will need to check each location yourself, but at least you can see where they are in Wisconsin.

06/27/2001: Added three wood-fired oven restaurants in Madison, WI.

Round Barn Farm Bed & Breakfast & Bread, Red Wing, Minnesota

Several years ago now, I got interested in what I called "bread tourism." While there are obvious places for somebody interested in bread to go (King Arthur Flour and the Kneading Conferences for example), one place I discovered was much closer to home, Round Barn Farm Bed & Breakfast & Bread, Red Wing, Minnesota.

I don't remember where I heard about them, but I did want to pay them a visit, so my wife and I went there and had a thoroughly enjoyable time. I did put some info about them on my Quest for Ovens web site on the businesses page.

Their bread baking and breakfast have their own page.

If you are one of their guests, then you can bake some bread in their oven and later take it with you.

Their breakfasts include bread baked in their oven. (I forget the hearth size, but it's an Alan Scott design built into the oldest structure on the farm, an old smoke house.)

Tinder Hearth Wood-Fired Bread, West Brooksville, Maine

What do should I do when the domain for business seems to be unavailable?

I found a blog post about Tinder Hearth Wood-Fired Bread, West Brooksville, Maine.

Searching for their site, I found an on-line version of a magazine article about them.

But regardless of which source I tried, the link to their site, http://tinderhearth.org/Tinder_Hearth/Tinder_Hearth.html, gets me the message "Firefox can't find the server at tinderhearth.org."
I get a similar message for http://www.tinderhearth.org/Tinder_Hearth/Tinder_Hearth.html.

I checked the WHOIS data base, and maybe there is a clue there. The WHOIS record was last updated on 5/21/11, and the current status is PENDING DELETE RESTORABLE. Sponsoring registrar is GoDaddy.com.

Well, Google still has a cache of some of their pages.

They have do at least have a Facebook page.

05/28/11: I got a response from tinderhearth@gmail.com about the situation:

Our website is indeed down, and we do not have another one besides the facebook page. ...at this point we probably won't get tinderhearth.org up and running again for at least 3 months.

They are just too busy baking to turn their attention to their web site right now.

Bread & Butter Farm, Shelburne, Vermont

While searching for information about another bakery, I came across the site for Bread & Butter Farm, Shelburne, Vermont. (They were mentioned in the Intervale Community Farm Other Products page.)

They have a separate page that talks about their bread and their oven.

Their bakery page says in part:

Our traditional German breads are unique, even in a state with such a lively bread culture. German bread baking focuses on whole grains, natural leaven, and moist dough. The resulting bread, baked in our wood-fired hearth oven is robust, nourishing, and long-lasting.

They also have a Facebook page.

Good Companion Bakery, Vergennes, Vermont

While looking for information about another bakery, I found the site for Good Companion Bakery, Vergennes, Vermont. (They were mentioned in the Intervale Community Farm Other Products page.)

Their home page says in part:

Here at Good Companion Bakery, just outside of Vergennes,
Vermont, we bake classic European artisan breads in a
wood-fired brick oven. Our bakery is part of a working,
diversified farm raising 100% grassfed Angus beef, all-natural
pork, poultry, and a variety of crops.

They have a wonderful page that's a photo essay of "A Day in the Bakery."

Farm to Hearth Wood Fired Bakery, Salem, Connecticut

My Google Alert lucked out for me again. I found an on-line news item about a bakery I had never heard of, Farm to Hearth Wood Fired Bakery, Salem, Connecticut. (I didn't even know Connecticut had a Salem.)

I couldn't find a web site for the business.

The article says, in part:

When he was 16 or 17 years old, Todd Solek built an earthenware oven in his parents' backyard.
"I fired it up, and it didn’t fall apart, so I started baking bread in it," he said. And now, at age 32, Solek has channeled this early passion for bread-making into his unique new business, Farm to Hearth Wood Fired Bakery, located at 26 New London Road in Salem.

This bakery sounds like one I would like to frequent.

05/28/11: Found a couple Facebook pages, here (not updated since Feb., 2011) and here.

Quest for Oven Links Updated for Mobile Ovens

I have updated my Quest for Ovens links site. I have factored out the two collections of links related to "Mobile Ovens," which had been in different parts. Now you can find "Mobile Oven Suppliers and Projects" together with "Mobile Oven Businesses" on the same page.

This makes the "Businesses with Brick Ovens" links page smaller, as well as focusing the "Mobile Ovens" links page for ease of access.

Jack's Wood-Fired Oven, Logan, Utah

My Google Alert spotted an extremely short item from the on-line version of Salt Lake Magazine, about Jack's Wood-Fired Oven, Logan, Utah.

The item is so short, I will quote most of what it says, "Wood-fired ovens are taking over the world, and it's about time. This low-key little place looks like any mom & pop's pizzeria, except for the oven dominating one end of the room."

(Jack's web site could use more than a bit of editing.)

PaneVino Wood Fired Pizzeria, Allen, Texas

Sometimes a place with wood-fired pizza gets good reviews. But, sometimes they don't.

A site called Pegasus News, News and Entertainment for DFW (probably meaning Dallas/Fort Worth), had a review that pretty much panned PaneVino Wood Fired Pizzeria, Allen, Texas.

The review says in part, "Fancy domed oven does not guarantee good pizza." (The domed oven comes from Renato, which is in Garland, Texas.)

If you visit this place yourself, let me know if you agree with the reviewer.

LoveTree Farmstead, near Grantsburg, Wisconsin

Going over my information about "pizza farms," I thought should include that I discovered before I started blogging about what I have been finding.

The LoveTree Farmstead, near Grantsburg, Wisconsin, has been getting some mention in the Twin Cities' press. They started a "pizza by the pond" business to take advantage of their own cheeses. (As far as I know, this is unique among "pizza farms.")

Another difference between "pizza by the pond" and other "pizza farms" is that they have a cob, not a brick, oven.

It's a ways away from the Twin Cities, but there have been expeditions there.

They have a Facebook group.

Community Oven, Athens, Georgia

Sometimes all I can found out about a community oven project isn't enough to help me get much closer.

In this case, my Google Alert found an online news item about architecture students getting involved in building an oven, "Several University of Georgia landscape architecture students plan to build and operate a wood-fired brick oven to serve businesses and community groups around Ben's Bikes at 670 W. Broad St."

There is one name, "The bread oven will replace a shed that previously housed a meat smoker, said John Reichert, one of the students involved in the project."

I would dearly love to find out more about their project. (If you know anything, please comment.)

HeatRock Wood Fired Ovens, Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada

My Google Alert caught an on-line ad for a "wood fired pizza & bread oven" on a site I had never heard of, backpage.com.
The ad provided a link to the main business, HeatRock Wood Fired Ovens, Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada.
Their main page makes some interesting claims:

• Our Precast Refractory Wood Burning Bake Oven is the most affordable outdoor or indoor oven available! We guarantee it! 
• This Dual Purpose Oven allows you to cook inside the oven as well as on top of the oven.
• Propane Options Available - Cook with Wood today and Propane Tomorrow!

I'm not a big fan of oven designs like this, but I did think I ought to share what I find.

5/24/11: Another on-line ad, this time in Salt Lake City, for "Backyard Barbecue - Wood burning Oven Kit." It looks like they have a web strategy.

Roundboy Outdoor Products, Dorrance, Pennsylvania

Sometimes people who create web sites don't consider their audience as much as I would like. If you have a business, I think it is fair to expect that the business clearly tells where it is located.

I found a new oven source, Roundboy Outdoor Products, through my Google Alert.

Looking at their web site didn't really tell me where they were, but there was a link to a blog, and the profile of the bloggers says, Dorrance, Mountain Top, Pennsylvania.

I can't say that I'm a fan of the specific oven design, but I do want people to know it's out there.

Goodfella's Pizza, Staten Island, New York

Apparently I was in the middle of posting about Goodfella's Pizza, Staten Island, New York, but got distracted and didn't finish. (We have been having thunderstorms here in the upper midwest; I disconnect my computer when there is lightning about.)

I was reading the Facebook group, Brick Oven Builders, where Scot Cosentino posted a picture and a link to Goodfella's Pizza.


After following the link, I discovered they also had a Facebook page.


It certainly looks like award-winning pizza.


There is no doubt that they have a wood-fired oven.

J. L. Hawkins Family Farm, near North Manchester, Indiana

Another chance find on my Google search for "wisconsin brick oven pizza farm" turned up an on-line review for pizza nights at the Hawkins Family Farm,  near North Manchester, Indiana.

The review says in part, "HOPE CSA, in conjunction with Hawkins Family Farm, is pleased to announce the return of Fridays on the Farm, the weekly dining event featuring artisan pizzas made with all-natural, locally sourced ingredients baked in an outdoor, wood-fired brick oven. Pizza will be served most Fridays during the summer from 5:00p.m. -8:00p.m, starting Friday, May 6."

McCaffrey's Dolce Vita Twin Springs Bakery, Decorah, Iowa

Doing a Google search for "wisconsin brick oven pizza farm" brought a surprise: The first wood-fired oven business that I have found in Iowa. (I'm not saying there aren't any, only that I am ignorant of them.)

A blog post by Jeremy Iggers at tc foodies mentions A to Z Produce and Bakery near Stockholm, Wisconsin, Vino in the Valley near Ellsworth, Wisconsin, and the Stone Barn, near Nelson, Wisconsin.

The real subject of the post is McCaffrey's Dolce Vita Twin Springs Bakery, Decorah, Iowa. The blog post says in part, "It's a little further afield - about two and a half hours from the Twin Cities, but the setting is charming - farm country in the rolling hills of northeast Iowa - and the thin-crust pizza is pretty good....You can watch the pies, which are big enough for two, being baked in the wood-burning brick oven in the dining room - it takes about 90 seconds."

This sounds like another interesting place to visit when I'm in the neighborhood.

AtoZ Produce and Bakery, Stockholm, Wisconsin

Apparently modern times have caught up to AtoZ (or A to Z) Produce and Bakery, Stockholm, Wisconsin. They now a real web site, and not just a Facebook page (which is run by a fan, not by A to Z themselves).

As far as I know, A to Z was the original "pizza farm." One of their slogans seems to be, "Made where it's grown."

There is a section of my oven businesses links just for A to Z (currently here, but you may need to search for "Stockholm, WI" if the headings change).

They were also the first location that was a destination for a field trip by the Saint Paul Bread Club, way back in 2004, not long after the club was formed.

I think this the place that got me interested in pizza baked in a wood-fired brick oven.

A to Z had been trying to keep a low profile; they have appeared in newspaper articles, but without mentioning their address or giving directions.

Since they have their own web site now, and provide their address and directions, I feel like I can lift the embargo about talking about them.

7/7/11: A to Z was mentioned in an article in the StarTribune about food destinations south and southeast
of the Twin Cities.

8/2/11: Was told that there was a blog post about them on the Pizza Quest blog.

8/24/11: I was there on 8/23, and by about 6:25 p.m., they were serving pizza #131. They had been making more than 1 pizza per minute for the first two hours of business. The rate was probably about ready to drop because fewer people were showing up in line for pizza.