Pizza Oven as Bun Warmer

Over the years, we have (rightfully) been poking fun at one of our competitors in the commercial pizza oven market who are located in the great Northwest. They sell a good number of ovens, but on closer examination you see that most of their ovens go to chain restaurants and hotels who don’t really know how to use a real pizza oven. They use them to reheat pre-made pizzas and “oven roast” chicken. My favorite was an Embassy Suites hotel in Northern California who uses their oven to keep bakery goods warm for breakfast. Pizza oven as bun warmer.

You also see their ovens in zoos, theme parks, and airports. I’m sure it’s a great business, but as an organization, Forno Bravo wants to work with people who are committed to their craft and really care about their food. We want to work with the best restaurant in town, not the one owned by a conglomerate.

Which brings me to Saturday. Walking around Cambridge, we were in need of coffee, and the really good local coffee bar isn’t open on weekends, so we found a Cosi, a coffee/bakery chain in the Northeast that uses these ovens. Hey, I needed a cup of coffee.

And all at once I was reminded why I don’t like this oven. It was sitting there all done up and looking nice, but basically acting like a bun warmer. It is a gas oven set to 475F with an itty-bitty little flame in the back, that is baking focaccia, heating up sandwiches and making some really awful pizza. haha. I thought I would share a couple of photos. At least the enclosure looks nice. All dressed up, but….