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wood-fired pizza

Wood-fired Pizza Gets “Fired Up” at the Farmers’ Market

January 14, 2020 By marketeditor

By Julia Howard

Fired-Up Pizza, photo by Pattie Garrett

Wood-fired, artisan pizza might be one of the most perfect foods on the planet. Crispy, cheesy, full of flavor — but it has to be done right. Locals Tina Rafferty and Paul Dudka discovered that the best pizza begins with fresh ingredients and the right oven.

Rafferty and Dudka own Fired Up Pizza that ‘opened shop’ at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market just 3 months ago. In that short time, Fired Up has become well known for its breakfast pizza and classic pepperoni, among other 10” specialty pies available every Saturday.

Photo courtesy of Fired Up Pizza

For Rafferty and Dudka, Fired Up Pizza is a pop-up pizza shop and retirement plan all-in-one. “I love the positivity at the farmers’ market,” says Rafferty. “As a new business, it’s a great place to offer and perfect our products, and customers love to watch their pizzas being prepared.”

At the farmers’ market, Dudka runs their custom-built, wood-fired pizza oven just outside the mall entrance. Dudka burns hardwoods to keep the oven at a constant 600 degrees no matter the weather. For him, this temperature guarantees the perfect, crisp crust with the right amount of char. Meanwhile, just inside the building, Rafferty creates pizzas made to order.

“We truly enjoy working together,” said Rafferty on beginning a business with her boyfriend. “And, we both love the farmers’ market,” she adds.

Photo courtesy of Fired Up Pizza

Pursuing a pizza business has meant a lot of trial and error for the couple. One of their biggest challenges has been perfecting their dough recipe to a consistency that, when dusted with cornmeal, will come off a peel without sticking. A ‘peel’ is the shovel-like tool used to slide the pizza into and out of the oven. Rafferty and Dudka have also had to experiment with cook times and temperature while getting to know their wood-fired oven.

Despite these challenges, Rafferty and Dudka’s goals have remained the same: to offer a great artisan pizza with high-quality, locally sourced ingredients.

What’s next for Fired Up Pizza? “We’re always experimenting and taste-testing,” explains Rafferty. “We are looking forward to expanding our offerings to calzones and pizza rolls in the future,” she says. The couple hopes to attend more local events and to offer catering options for private parties and gatherings in the near future. But, for now, you can find them at the Bow Tie entrance at the Wilton Mall serving up fresh pizzas to hungry shoppers every Saturday.

 

This week’s recipe: Breakfast Pizza

Filed Under: Featured Article, homepage feature, News Tagged With: Fired Up Pizza, new vendor, Pizza, ready to eat, winter vendors, wood-fired pizza

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We have plenty of heirloom tomatoes, green beans, We have plenty of heirloom tomatoes, green beans, and sweet corn at this week’s market! Perfect for a summer salad, or roasted with zucchini for a fresh pasta dish. 🍅🌽🥬

Flowers are in abundance here too, and make the perfect gift for anyone 💐🌼🌻

Stop by and grab a breakfast sandwich, coffee, scone, and hash brown while strolling in this gorgeous weather! We’ll be here from 9-1 🍃⛅️
Connecting our community with locally produced foo Connecting our community with locally produced food is a priority of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. While this connection supports the local economy, it also ensures that people of all economic levels have access to fresh, locally-sourced food. With this purpose, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market has partnered with the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), CDPHP, Comfort Food Community, the FreshConnect program, and the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program for WIC participants and Seniors (FMNP). Check out this week's article to learn more at: https://www.saratogafarmersmarket.org/category/featured-article/

Photo: Summer melons from Gomez Veggie Ville

#saratogasprings #freshconnect #healthyliving #communityfirst #saratogafarmersmarket #agriculture #nonprofitorganization #farmtotable
Join us this Wednesday, 8/9, for a musical scaveng Join us this Wednesday, 8/9, for a musical scavenger hunt and farmers’ market song! Hosted by Caffe Lena, we’ll have plenty of fun activities for our awesome POP Club members 🤩🎶

Be sure to get a stamp on your POP Passport and a $2 POP coin!

We hope to see you tomorrow, rain or shine 🌤
Meet our newest Clifton Park farmer, Suzanne Fishe Meet our newest Clifton Park farmer, Suzanne Fisher! Our Clifton Park market runs every Monday, 2-5pm, at the Shenendehowa Methodist Church parking lot 971, Route 146 🌾🌽🍅 Today we will be joined by the Saratoga Office for the Aging! They will be passing out FMNP coupons for people that are 60+ and on a limited income. Hope to see you there!

#cliftonpark #farmersmarket #upstateny #agriculture #farmtotable #dinnerideas #shopsmall

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