Time to Fly: Pizza Hippo Launching Townshend Pizza May 19th

Man, there are so many things I'd love to write about to clear my head, to inform my 50 or so readers and any newbies out there about the crazy ten days we've just experienced.

Unfortunately, with the Bellows Falls market this afternoon and the potentially HUGE Community Jam tomorrow aka Pizza Hippo's grand opening of our flagship store aka Pizza Hippo #1 aka the Townshend VT Pizza Stand I still have a million details to take care of now.

I do, however, want to take the time to thank a few people who've been especially helpful with all we're trying to accomplish.

First, to my wonderful wife.  Nothing happens without you.  Thank you for being my partner in life and pizza.

Miles *gaping* Enough said! 

Next, Drew at Kindle Farm.  You're a visionary powerhouse.  And guess what? We're doing it, baby!  Ditto to all the other Kindle Farmers from the kids on up to the leadership team.

Brattleborology -  you guys RULE.  My most supportive partnership/friendship outside of my house.  Thank you both.  Your site really does equal Things to Do in Brattleboro, Vt.   Keep up the great work.

Steve West.  The Reformer. The Commons.  Cider Mag.

Ann and Philip.  Mom and Dad.  Mark Hood.  Williams Family.

Kickstarter supporters.

Time to get to work.  See y'all for pizza!

The Hippo

May 19th Music and Events Townshend, VT near Brattleboro

The Kindle Farm School and Pizza Hippo jointly present The Super Spring Community Jam and Plant Sale to benefit the Kindle Farm vocational logging program May 19^th from 10AM to 10PM.

Musical guests include: Flabberghaster, Acoustic Roots, Medicine Warriors, Black Mountain FM and Toni Atari. Flabberghaster kicks off the music from noon to 2pm. Everyone else to follow.  $5 suggested donation.

The Annual Kindle Farm Plant Starter Sale features a variety of cold weather plant starts to give folks a head start on their home gardens. Currently there are approximately 12,000 starts growing in the KF greenhouse. Varieties include: broccoli, cauliflower, kales, chards, lettuces, spinach, radishes, multiple herbs, eggplant, tomatoes, and more.

Additionally, there will be a bake sale, a cord wood raffle, and the opening day for Pizza Hippo’s Townshend Pizza Stand, serving local, organic pizzas all day long.  All activities to take place at The Kindle Farm School, #1 Route 30, Townshend, VT 05353.

Pizza Hippo and Kindle Farm have formed a sustainable partnership dedicated to transforming communities through the power of organic food. Kindle Farm will grow the lion’s share of Pizza Hippo’s organic vegetables on-site. Additionally, the Kindle Farm vocational program is building the Pizza Hippo Townshend Pizza Stand from wood grown on campus, logged by the students, milled on-site, and finally transformed into a traditional New England architectural form by students under the supervision of staff carpenter Earl Cook.

“Growing everything from the tomatoes, herbs, and vegetables to the wood for the Pizza Hippo building here at Kindle Farm and then creating value added products just feet away from where it was grown minimizes our carbon footprint in a very meaningful way. It’s a level of sustainability most farm-to-table operations can only dream about, and most importantly, the Kindle Farm students are involved in this unique entrepreneurial enterprise on every level,” says Malcolm Hood, Pizza Hippo’s founder and executive chef.  

Amber O’Reilly, Kindle Farm’s farm and vocational program manager adds, “Pizza Hippo’s operation has given new meaning to the work our students are doing as part of their education. Not only are they gaining hands on experience in farming, logging, and carpentry, they’re seeing first hand how to turn these skills into a small business enterprise.”

More details and the full music schedule can be found at www.pizzahippo.com.

Spring Community Jam and Plant Sale featuring Flabberghaster, Green Zone & Toni Atari

Things are starting to fall into place in the land of Pizza Hippo.

As of today, we have three musical acts booked for our Townshend Pizza Stand grand opening May 19:  Vermont funk rock upstarts Flabberghaster, Deadly cover jammers Green Zone and renegade indy-pop lust siren Toni Atari.

Flabberghaster kicks off the day a noon with a two hour set, followed immediately by Green Zone.  Ms. Atari and crew hit the stage at 6pm, and several other guest musician sets seem to be in the works for the in between times.

The Kindle Farm Annual Plant Start sale starts at 10am, and Pizza Hippo starts slangin' pies at 11am.  It promises to be an amazing day of family fun & sun featuring the best our southern Vermont community has to offer. 

Cold weather plant starts include broccoli, kale, Swiss chard, several lettuce varieties, cabbage, cauliflower, marigolds, cosmos, amaranth, onions, and many, many more. Get your garden started fast and be ahead of the game with Kindle Farm organic plant starts straight from the Townshend, VT Greenhouse.  Grown with love by the Kindle Farm students and my beautiful wife Amber O'Reilly.

Can't wait to see everyone there - let us know if you have any special menu requests.

The Hippo

Vermont Health Dept gives Pizza Hippo an "A"

This morning we fought heavy rain and the associated mud along with a sprained back to load up the Pizza Wagon and set up our temporary shop at the Kindle Farm School in Townshend in time for a 9AM VT HD inspection.

To get out of the weather, the inspector and I popped into the greenhouse.  He immediately commented on how clean and organized the area is kept.  "Of course," I said, "my wife is in charge of this thing."  The inspector gave his complements to Mrs. Amber O'Reilly for a job well done and seemed genuinely sad he lives over two hours away from Pizza Hippo.

Added bonus: Inspector said, "It's got to Hit the Spotamus with all the fresh herbs and vegetables on site."  My thoughts exactly!

The rest of the inspection went fairly quick.  I had a detailed list of notes from a prior conversation with the inspector, so everything was in perfect order at the fire grilled pizza station.  The Kindle Farm kitchen was next, and we came pretty close to a perfect score (the hot water is too hot and we have to finish repairing one counter).  The inspector was very pleased, and noted that we must have spent a lot of time getting everything  spic and span.   It's nice to receive complements from a guy who's paid to be knit-picky :)

Now that we're officially legal, it's safe to tell everyone our Grand Opening is May 19th in conjunction with the Kindle Farm School Plant Sale.  So far, Toni Atari and a Grateful Dead cover band have committed to playing, with several other bands potentially signing on in the next few days.  Can we hear Mo Ambesa???

We are looking forward to kicking off this year at the Pizza Hippo Townshend Pizza stand in just under three weeks, and hope all of you can join us.

More to come - stay tuned - and remember, Pizza Hippo hits the spotamus!

Pizza Hippo at Taylor Farm "Fresh Air Day"

Pizza Hippo will make our second mobile appearance of the season this Saturday, April 28 from 11AM to 3PM.  This great cause brings inner city kids out to the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont to commune with livestock, walk barefoot in the grass, and better understand "where our food comes from".  Kites will be made and flown, and pizza will definitely be served.  A portion of the proceeds go to the Fresh Air Fund, which makes days like this one possible.  Forecast is 50 degrees and sunny...another beautiful spring day in New England.  Come on out and join us at Taylor Farm in Londonderry...

We now interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for an update on our Townshend Pizza Stand, farm-to-table pizza in Townshend, Vermont, in progress.

Amber and I worked several hours yesterday at the Kindle Farm School greenhouse and on the grounds.  We tilled a new bed and planted twenty beautiful little blueberry bushes right outside the Sacred Seeds garden.  Amber then spent several hours transplanting tiny starts to the six packs folks can purchase for their gardens at the upcoming annual Kindle Farm plant sale (and Pizza Hippo Townshend Pizza Stand opening day) May 19th.  Miles and I worked on planting two hundred new seeds, fifty each of thyme, dill, parsley, and cilantro.  These, along with the 60 basil plants we've already started, will be eventually planted in the new herb garden in front of our house on Windham Hill Road.

For me personally, starting so many things from seed and nurturing them along to flower and then fruit gives so much more meaning to the cooking process.  Using herbs started in April to flavor sauces in August adds a sense of time, a sense of the life cycle, and a sense of the earth's minerals you just can't get from ordering spices that get delivered on a truck from some far off location.

Developing a personal relationship with the garden, with each individual plant, also gives meaning to the process.  Checking each, say, broccoli crown daily for weeks before harvesting just at the optimal moment and then using that produce IMMEDIATELY to feed the community a delicious, healthy value-added food product on-site (can you say ZERO carbon footprint?) just does something for me.

Look for more updates as we progress towards the West River Valley's first Farm-to-Table Pizza in Townshend, Vermont.

Townshend Pizza Hippo Stand is a GO Baby

Pizza Hippo thanks everyone who generously gave both financial and emotional support to this now funded project.  Especially the financial supporters.

All joking aside, the overwhelming support of my friends is nothing short of an extraordinary vote of confidence to me, to the Pizza Hippo concept, and to the philosophy of sustainable agriculture.

While the uncertainties of opening a business often ravage my psyche and rape my confidence, your belief in me never allows me to fall too far.  I laugh at my self doubt and walk fearless into the unknown, knowing I will not fail.  Knowing failure is a possibility, but that I will somehow evade it.

Now that I can completely turn my attention away from fundraising, the real work and the real fun can begin.

In the next four weeks, we will pass health inspection, mill trees into boards and then build a building, work several mobile events, start the farmer's market season, and kick off the grand opening of our Townshend Pizza Stand at the Kindle Farm School. 

Of course we won't get a dime of the Kickstarter money for about three weeks, so this list is slightly more challenging than it may seem at first :)

Never fear friends.  I have a plan.  More updates to come.  

Thank you all again for your phenomenal support.

Townshend Pizza goes Baba!

Townshend Pizza got a little better, y'all.

Yesterday, at the Putney School Earth Day Fest, we debuted a new pizza.

Baba Ganoush with Taylor Farm smoked Gouda cheese and arugula, brainchild of my lovely wife, Amber O'Reilly. Man, was it awesome.  We sold out of it pretty quickly (not quick enough for me - I made one for the staff and we ate it during service).  I was surprised at how many people didn't know what baba ganoush was, but decided to go for it anyway.

In case YOU don't know, baba ganoush is roasted eggplant blended with tahini, garlic, olive oil and spices.  I've been eating it for years thanks to Lebanon's Cafe in New Orleans and a ton of other middle eastern eateries I've found since.

The Kindle Farm School grows several outstanding varieties of eggplant, and I've planted thirty seeds for my (my = Amber's) home garden.  Y'all are going to love all the things we're going to do with it.

Come see us next week at Taylor Farm (details at www.pizzahippo.com) to try some more and to support their Kite Day set up to expose inner city children to the wonders of walking in grass barefoot, communing with cows and playing outside in the Green Mountain State.