FB's Michael Fairholme

[james]

I thought I would take a minute to introduce Michael Fairholme, the new head of commercial oven sales and services at Forno Bravo. I met Michael under great circumstances -- he was a happy customer. He bought a Ristorante oven for a new Pizza Napoletana restaurant in Greece, and we introduced him to the folks at Caputo and to Enzo at Pizza Consulting. He set up the supply chain for olive oil, cheese, and San Marzano tomatoes, and Alf flew in from the UK to install the oven. The restaurant's a success, and the owners asked Michael to stay, and open a handful of other branches around the Mediterranean, but luckily for us -- he was ready to move back to the States.

Before getting into Pizza Napoletana, Michael was a barrista trainer who helped open hundreds of coffee bars throughout the UK and Europe -- including quite a few that were later aquired by Starbucks. He also worked for Wolfgang Puck in San Francisco, so he knows the restaurant and food business. He's trained in both Pizza Napoletana and at the Illy Coffee University. The part I like the most is that he taught me how to make a great cappucino.

Michael is based in the Bay Area and will oversee commercial oven sales and services. Leveraging his expertise, Forno Bravo has launched a series of professional services for pizzerias, including on-site pizzaiolo training, kitchen layout, supply chain, etc. He assures me that he enjoys travelling and the people part of restaurants.

He has also graciously agreed to share his expertise in the FB Forum.

We have re-worked the commerical section of FB.com, and you can find more info on the new FB services here:

http://www.fornobravo.com/profession...ces/index.html

Welcome aboard, Michael.
James