February 2010
Kathryn Kjarsgaard

“Hearkening back to the centuries-old custom of baking a thin-crust pizza over a blistering fire in Italy, many restaurants today are using wood-fired ovens to make the authentic pizzas and to create a warm, welcoming ambiance.

For Don Bellis, CEO/co-founder and director of the food program at the Rock Wood Fired Pizza & Spirits in Auburn, Wash., “Growing up, pizzas came out of a traditional deck ovens, and it was takeout or delivery,” he says. “But the first time I went to a place with a wood-fired oven, I was surprised by the aroma. It also was entertaining, like a show, watching them toss the crust in front of you then fire it in the oven. I felt I could create a concept around that.”…

Click Here to Read Full Article

” I love the Wood Stone Pizza Oven (www.woodstone-corp.com) because it never, ever breaks down. Our restaurant has been here for 10 years, and everything breaks down – except for the Wood Stone. It doesn’t have any moving parts, and the internal hardware is really good. Nothing burns out. We’ve never had to replace anything in the Wood Stone. It’s gas fired, but we used different wood chips to flavor the food. It’s a perfect piece of equipment for dishes such as charred Angus sirloin steak with rosemary fries, smoky Scottish salmon with corn and mushroom hash, and “natural” chicken with truffle/Parmesan broth.”

For more aobut Metrazur and Stephan Bahr, Visit the Metrazur Website. (A Charlie Palmer Property)

David Burke chef/owner David Burke Townhouse (and others) New York City

“With the Wood Stone Pizza Oven (www.woodstone-corp.com), you can do everything from pizza to whole fish to soufflés. It’s great because you don’t have to waste a lot of sauté pots and pans. It’s a very clean, neat way of cooking, where you can use roasting trays without having to use a lot of fat. There’s much less splatter where you cook in the Wood Stone. And you don’t have to deal with all the noise of pots and pans banging together. I find cooking in the Wood Stone works every time. It’s a matter of finesse. Once you understand the oven, you can cook almost anything in it.”

For this and other chef’s Favorite Gear, check out this month’s issue of Food Arts Magazine.

David Burke’s Portrait courtesy of the David Burke Townhouse Website