WOOD FIRED OVENS
wave Wood fired The outdoor potential and artisan nature of pizza baked authentically, and speedily, in a wood fired oven came into its element over the past two years, offering many pizza operators the chance to carry on serving, as well as secure new customers during challenging times. WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING They say that when the going gets tough, the tough get going, reflects the ‘wood fired oven guru’, Jay Emery, of Bushman Wood Fired Ovens, who feels that the last two years have really shown the truth of that statement. “Right at the start of the Covid pandemic, I had many of my customers phoning and asking what they should do, and weekly I posted roughly the same message – ‘do everything you can to continue to work and earn a living’. Those who adapted and did exactly that got through the last two years, some of them with record tradings and truly amazing results,” reports Jay Emery. “Three customers in particular epitomise the spirit of the entrepreneur who won’t take no for an answer, and did not give up, and I’m sure there will be many others out there who will see themselves in the story. To you, I salute you, as it’s people like you that make this country great.” One customer went to work every day by setting up his pizza van and helping feed his community by offering a takeaway service that his customers loved during the covid pandemic. In the process, he sold in excess of 22,000 pizzas from the back of a van conversion. Another client, Jay Emery recalls, had landed in the UK from his annual winter break with 60 weddings pre-booked, only to have every 34
He then called me asking how he should manage the 500 pizzas a day he was selling.”
single one cancelled within a week of them getting back. “This client asked me what he could do to get through, so I suggested that he set up a local village round and sell in a number of of communities,” explains Jay Emery. “Three weeks later, he sent me a picture of the queue of people trying to get to his trailer, and he went on to have a record year. “Client number three wanted to move forward with a wood fired pizza business but cancelled his order shortly after Covid hit, saying that he had had to close his hotel and restaurant, as he could not see how it could possibly work. “However, once I had given him an effective marketing strategy, he took delivery of his oven in a yurt in the middle of nowhere instead, and it went crazy.
A BLESSING AND A CURSE “The truth is, Covid has been a blessing and a curse for many in the sector who have embraced the challenge,” Jay Emery continues. “But for those who looked at the positives of the situation, amazing results have been achieved. The home pizza oven industry too has also seen a massive growth with home baking no longer the domain of the seasoned professional. “I would say that bigger, professional dough mixes once only spoken about by artisan pizziaoli are now as much in use in home cooking as in the exclusive restaurants... Sourdough and long fermentation times are now the norm rather than the exception, and the advent of the real thin and crispy ‘45 second pizza’ is taking our industry by storm. “I would also add that although our pizza world has been plagued by shortages of serving staff, to some extent they have largely been replaced by app service, making the whole dining experience a lot easier, more controlled and faster for everyone with customers ordering from the table and getting it delivered to the table and paying in advance.” December 2021
