The characters. The setting. The pizza. Take a look at a few shots from one of my favorites days of the entire year: my dad’s annual pizza party.
Some of my earliest childhood memories center around the end-of-August birthday party my dad throws for me at his house upstate, a tradition that has endured for the past 28 years. Over the years the party gone through quite a few different iterations, as children’s parties tend to do. But for the past few years there has only been one theme to this party, a theme to beat all other themes: pizza. Ever since my dad built a wood fired pizza oven and dedicated his backyard to a hundred year old Neapolitan art, what started as a party for my birthday has turned into so much more: still a party for family and friends, but now also for pizza. And just for the record, I’m more than happy to give up my own birthday glory in the name of pizza.
Anyone who knows me (even a little) has heard me brag about my dad’s incredible hand built pizza oven. But for anyone who doesn’t, you can check out a few posts about past pizza parties, or try your hand at recreating some of our favorite pizza recipes. Long story short (to borrow one of my dad’s favorite phrases), back around 2008 my dad finally realized what I have to believe was one of his life-long dreams: to hand craft his own wood fired pizza oven. Every piece of the pizza oven and patio that houses it was built by my dad’s own two hands… well, almost. He had tons of help from family and friends, of course. And so, this pizza oven that started out as nothing more than a crazy dream in my dad’s head, and came to fruition through the labor and love of those close to him, has become the heart of our family gatherings. Because the best way to gather together those you care about and show them your love is by making them food. That’s always been our family’s belief.
So before I get too emotional and continue to ramble, I’ll let you take a look at some of my favorite shots from one of my favorite days of the year: Joe’s annual pizza party.
The Cast of (a few of many) Characters:
My dad, Joe: pizza-maker extraordinaire; Uncle Larry: resident pizza tosser
Uncle Mick: oven master and jokester; Cousin Patti: meatball expert
Brothers making pizza together would make their dad proud!
Stepmom Nicole: professional pizza slicer and hostess
Little John: first time pizza-maker
Pizza audience members: Rich, Larry and Mick (pizza-makers) and Aunt Camille
My grandma and mom: role models
Party-goers and pizza consumers: Marissa, Debra, Nicole, Michael, Kelly, Julie and Ben
Rocco: crust eater and crumb licker
The Setting:
The Ponderosa: My dad’s incredible and insane house, with the pizza patio on the far left
The pizza oven itself: this is where it all goes down
The pizza making workshop: doughs for days
The Pizza:
Meat-and-cheese lovers pie: slices of mozzarella rolled with sopressata, plus pepperoni and more cheese
Patti’s famous meatball pie, with hot peppers grown in my dad’s garden
Asparagus pie, with fresh ricotta and toasted pistachios
One of our recent additions: happy hour pizza, made with BBQ chicken wings left over from Friday night’s happy hour
My absolute and always favorite pizza: Potato pie, with thinly sliced purple potatoes, loads of cheese, and fresh rosemary
Garlic roasted in the pizza oven has got to be one of my favorite things in the world
Even the pizzas that get ruined from sticking to the bottom of the oven – it usually happens once per party – still look and taste delicious
One of Julie’s favorites: sweet, savory, and sour lemon pie, with thinly sliced lemons, ricotta cheese, pine nuts and a drizzle of honey
As the pizza making winds down, the oven temperature drops slightly and it becomes the perfect environment to bake bread; to be served for breakfast with avocado spread or fresh jam
Leftover pizza to go… or not. It all got eaten by the end of the night
YUM!!!! Joe, you look like your Dad!
XO