New Medford Resident Fails — and then Nails — Wood-fired Pizza
By Margaret Wheeldon
Medford, Nova Scotia - Recently arrived Medford resident and father, Johannes Wheeldon, discovered the challenges and rewards associated with pizza ovens after he and his family moved into their three-month rental near Blomidon last week.
The pizza oven was a key part of a Wolfville restaurant "La Torta," which sadly closed during the pandemic. The oven, imported from Italy, was bought and transported to Medford where it is now housed in an outbuilding, dubbed "the Pizza Hut." The "hut" includes the oven, pizza serving boards, wood, and various metal and wooden peels used for transporting the pizza into the oven.
After the first effort, Wheeldon was philosophic. "Look, mistakes were made," he acknowledged, "but overall, I mean - well..."
Son and self-proclaimed pizza expert, Trevor Wheeldon, was more circumspect. "His first try tasted like raw dough with melted cheese and burnt pizza sauce," said the nine-year-old. Reached shortly after being assigned the job of scouring the metal peels, the youngest Wheeldon appeared increasingly exasperated with his father's efforts.
Life partner and frequent supporter/critic, Liz, recognized her part in the fiasco. The pizza oven requires a specific recipe for the dough, and when that dough is not made properly, good pizza is not possible. "I underestimated the dough-making process. It (k)needed more time to rise and much more flour," she said.
Undeterred, Wheeldon "suggested" his family watch "every YouTube video about wood-fired pizza ovens" they could find to collectively improve their pizza skills. They tested their skills three nights later after inviting their neighbors over for dinner, and fired some sample pizzas a full hour before anyone arrived. This time, however, the results were better. Was it the thin crust, a proper recipe, or simply newly-acquired wisdom that made the pizzas successful this time around? "With pizza, as with life, sometimes mistakes are the best way to improve," said Wheeldon. When asked for comment, his family and friends were too busy eating pizza to respond.
Though both ecstatic and relieved after Wheeldon's success, his family expressed some concern about his next project. "What is he going to do next?" said Trevor. "Is he going to roast marshmallows? I don't know, but I'm already a little nervous. What am I going to have to clean??"
