Have Oven, Will Travel

[james]

Here are a couple of nice photos of Peter's new portable Artigiano oven in the California wine country, including Napa, St. Helena, Healdsburg and Sonoma. Fired Up Kitchens is now catering events at homes and wineries, and he is making the oven and a number of wood-fired trained chefs available for cooking lessons as well. If you live in, or around the North Bay Area, this is a great way of experiencing wood-fired cooking. Wood-fired ovens are great for parties and special events. Or, if you want to travel to the wine country for wine tasting, a B&B, and wood-fired cooking lessons, give Peter a call, and he can set up a custom program for you.

Let us know if you have had an event catered, and how it goes. I think this is really cool.
James

[nissanneill]

Certainly looks the part for that very special event. It might be even easier to build one of these on a trailer for the family to share rather than one for each of the kids. The more ovens in the family, I guess, the less they would be used.
I have built many trailers and including 2 camper trailers. The last one was one built to set up in 1 minute and pack up in 30 secs. This was for my 3 month trip around Austarlia in 2003 and the kids still borrow it to take away for overnight stays and all their holidays.
One of these ovens together with a large barbeque plate across the front would make the ideal catering outfit eh! Food for thought.

Neill

[Xabia Jim]

Any idea of how many of these portable ovens are out there?

[telehort]

Xabia
I have one on order that will be delivered in April. I can't wait for its arrival and already have a few events lined up.

[rcspott]

Originally Posted by Xabia Jim

Any idea of how many of these portable ovens are out there?

This business in Seattle started at the Fremont Saturday Market near WSU and is now also in Portland. Wood fired pizza is also the rage in the SF Bay Area now.

home

Rich

[rcspott]

I'm not associated wwith the link in my above post, I don't know why it was called "home".

[james]

Hello,

The forum software uses the Title of the page that it links to on external web sites. They called that page "Home".

Hope that makes sense.
James

[Xabia Jim]

Rich, that's a neat site but looks like competition for James.....

It looks like an adobe type oven...."special refractory clay mixture"

I also liked their description of cooking pizzas in this excerpt:

"we normally cook our pies between 900-1100 degrees F. At these extreme temperatures, Veraci pizza is ready in a less than two minutes.

When a pizza is made this time-honored, traditional way it tastes completely different than all other pizzas. Part of that difference can be found in the relationship between the extreme heat and our legendary hand-mixed pizza dough.

The intense energy released from the burning apple wood is transferred to the pizza three ways: through convection, conduction and radiant energy. After the "pie" is placed on the bricks, a great deal of water in the dough is rapidly vaporized and released as steam. Miniature steam vents form all over the pizza as is transformed by the screaming heat.

This change of state generates pressure and uplifts the crust, creating a puffed-up, slightly-charred, crisp and chewy outer edge and a delicious, uber-thin, melts-in-your-mouth softer inner crust. Delizioso!"

[Xabia Jim]

....But don't these types of ovens have more tendency to crack? (running down the road on a trailer)

and those did not seem to have much insulation!!!

[rcspott]

Xabia Jim

I see the cup half full, I think Jame's/Forno Bravo precast units would be a wiser choice over the mentioned oven in a heartbeat for a business/catering venture. In a business/catering situation you or your employees would appreciated the fact that you don't have to deal with the smoke in the face issue. Were not talking 1 or 2 pizzas here. Business/catering events can be stressful if the plan is not executed. This is just one of many reasons for my vote for a Forno Bravo precast unit in a business situation.

Another factor that is a repeating theme over and over on this board:

Call the refractory cement business you purchased the cement from and tell them that your oven cracked or you need some support. I think the response would be interesting. On the other hand, call James, from what I have read on this board for the last year he will do what ever it takes to make any issue correct for the customer.

rich