BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – In Burlington, there’s a gastronomic gem in the baking.
“The full wood-burning or wood-fired pizza experience or flatbread experience in the backyard,” said Richard Gliech, talking about his Queen City business, Woodfyred, which manufactures pizza ovens from recycled steel drums.
“It’s simple, it’s very easy to use, It’s compact, it’s portable, and it’s quite affordable,” Gliech said. And yes, he said portable. “All the parts [are] actually inside,” he says, showing off one of his signature yellow drums. In fact, Gliech even took one of the ovens in his luggage on a flight over the holidays.
Looking to shy away from the cost and construction that comes with a permanent backyard pizza oven, Gliech, an engineer by trade, made his first pizza oven about 15 years ago out of a massive steel drum. Still sitting in his backyard, he says, it’s something that his friends and family a-dough.
“We had so much fun using our oven. It’s not only the product itself but it’s really all the fun that goes around it that comes with it,” Gliech said. “I can’t tell you how many times people would tell me, ‘Oh this is great, you should sell that, I would buy one, this would sell…’”
Admittedly, the one in his yard is enormous and he wanted to make a smaller version. So, he signed up for a metalworking class at The Generator in Burlington. After learning the skills, he got to work. The first one he made was for his daughter. Then he made some for friends, then friends of friends… until his side hustle took off. “The pizza oven really is a way to really enjoy myself, to get away from my computer, to do something with my hands, and it’s been really fun,” Gliech said.
The design of the oven is inspired by those in northeastern France, where Gliech is from. “One of the specialties is called flammkuchen, which is a very thin flatbread with cream sauce, bacon, and onions,” he said. It’s a pie he makes all the time, and because of the way these ovens are built, it takes practically no time at all. “On one hand, it heats the stone from the bottom very evenly, but also creates a lot of convection to the sides and the top, so it really also heats from the top.”
Assembly takes 10 minutes. It burns regular, kiln-dried wood, and if your backyard barbecues are anything like his, it’s a guaranteed hit. You can find Woodfyred ovens online, or at Myti. So, it’s easy to get your slice of this Burlington business.