“Look for the Helpers” – Using Wood Fired Ovens to Support Local Communities

Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood frequently quoted his mother as saying to him during difficult times when he was a boy,

“Always look for the helpers. There’s always someone who is trying to help.”

At Forno Bravo, we are honored to hear many stories of people who use their wood fired ovens to help others, build up their communities, and step in when it is needed. We would like to share just a few of these beautiful stories with you. People like Guillermo Dovalina of Dovaina’s Wood Fired Catering, Jim Bick Jr and Randy Mackintosh and their families, and Kirby and Colleen Gust, who are all experts in blessing the lives of others through generously sharing their energy, resources, and especially their pizza, to help others.

Read their stories here and be inspired by just a sample of the good folks in the world.

Serving Those Who Serve

Guillermo Dovalina of Dovalina’s Wood Fired Catering has always been a practical person. He runs a wood fired pizza food truck in Panama City Beach, Florida. In 2018, after being evacuated for Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm, he and his wife Danielle, put their lives on hold and came back into the ravaged areas to do what they could to feed people. With community support and very hard work, they provided free wood-fired pizza to over 6,700 people in Bay County! They served food, but also a slice of happiness and a moment of relief to communities throughout the region.

Persevering through personal and professional challenges that followed in the wake of the storm, Guillermo has continued to bring his food truck, with its steel, Bella Ultra40 wood fired oven, to fundraising events around the region. Dovalina is also involved in World Central Kitchen, a network of chefs working to use the power of food to respond to crises, empower communities, and strengthen economies. He’s helped support groups from first responders and animal refuge, to the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center. He even did one event for the World Central Kitchen where they put out 427 pizzas in 10 hrs! Guillermo has a heart for serving those in need and serving those who serve others, one slice at a time.

Guillermo Dovalina III hits the road to feed folks who need it

Making food truck magic is hard work, but worth the effort.

Pizza Parties as Auction Items

Some families host parties just for their families and friends, but James Bick Jr. of Missouri and Randy Mackintosh of California and their families use their talents and equipment for a bigger reach. Both families have donated their time, homes, and wood fired ovens to support non-profit organizations by offering to host Pizza Parties as auction items. Win-win-win for everyone! The families had fun hosting, the recipients enjoyed a full meal ‘experience,’ and the charities received some much needed funds!

Here the owners describe things in their own words:

“Introducing the Pizza Parthenon! We wanted to match the stone of the house, so the builder and I came up with this design which is kind of Greek, hence, ‘the Parthenon’. Built in late 2014, we’ve been enjoying all the fun that comes with family and friend pool side or fireside pizza parties. We’ve even donated parties to charity auctions and they’ve been a huge hit. Great product and lifestyle enhancer!” – Jim Bick Jr, Premio2G110

Premio2G110 is a commercial grade oven for home that can handle huge amounts of pizza for any sized party

“We can cook anything in it. So much fun for groups and family! We serve up to 80 people at one time. We’ve been able to donate pizza parties to non-profit organizations as a fund raiser for them.” – Randy Mackintosh, Casa2G110

The open yard and outdoor kitchen make hosting big groups a breeze for the Mackintoshes.

Annual Charity Events from Home

Kirby Gust of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada takes at-home charity baking to a whole new level. He even created a facebook page just for his oven! Kirby, and his wife Colleen, used Forno Bravo’s Pompeii Oven Plans back in 2013 to build a brick pizza oven in their yard. The oven itself is made from new materials, but the facade brick is over 100 years old!

In 2014, they started hosting annual springtime events where they (and a team of helpers and sponsors) sell pizza for charity and by 2017, have raised over $11,000 for the various organizations they support. One weekend alone, they made 343 pizzas! The trick is to keep the menu simple and get many hands on deck to keep the dough flowing. They typically sell a cheese pizza, a Margherita pizza and a pepperoni pizza. Some of the groups to benefit from their generosity (and the community’s hunger) have been the local Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the Regina Humane Society, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Way to go Gust Family!

With an antique brick exterior and a red hot interior, this wood fired oven can cook!

Start of the Project in 2013, and now with its new wind break in 2019!