Pizza Oven Workshop with Pat Manley

Pat Manley starts on a bakeoven while Ben Hurd and Gary Hart mix clay/sand mud.

Pat Manley builds the base for the pizza oven from 4" concrete blocks. Tony Cuoco and Marty Pearson help out.

Pat explains oven construction as Tony Cuoco, Walter Kelly, and John LaGamba listen.

Albie Barden demonstrates clay mud mixing.

Outer shell is built from common bricks. Oven chamber is laid out with firebricks.

The oven progresses. Peter Solac and Mary Pearson help.

View of the precast oven arch. It is in 2 pieces. It sits on 13.5" high firebrick sidewalls, visible through opening.

View from top. Flue channel is laid out on precast oven ceiling. Gases enter at the slot on the right, and will exit on the left into an 8x12 flue liner.

Detail of flue run above oven. This photo was taken during teardown, just after the flue liner was removed. This oven was temporary. A permanent oven has insulation around the bake chamber.

The pizza oven after a second charge is burning down. Just about ready.

Tony and Bev prepare the toppings.

Wildacres' chef Thomas Broadway was hired to do the honors. He had never baked in a brick oven before, and was very impressed. Gavin Custer snaps a picture.

Pat checks the oven with some cornmeal. The first handful spontaneously burst into flames --- too hot.

The first pizza goes in. Tom Trout had prepared 12 pizza shells ahead of time.

Looking good.

Smelling good.

Thomas checks the crust on the first pizza. We ate 11 pizzas between lunch and dinner. As John LaGamba pointed out, we only spent 3 hours out of the whole day not eating.

A keg of Heiniken arrived just in time.

Pizza party. A pizza oven is a natural social focal point.

Tearing down.