WAIMEA — Watching Patrick Sullivan craft a pizza almost seems miraculous. From the phone booth size kitchen in his mobile food unit, he begins by flattening a sphere of dough carefully into a wide disc. The sauce is then spread deliberately in simple yet precise strokes and decorated with toppings scattered about, glistening under truffle oil drizzled on top.
With a flick of the wrist, the pizza is then slid into a 700-degree wood-fired stone oven to crisp and puff to perfection. In only three minutes, Sullivan hands over a steaming, thin crust pie ready for a bite.
And what a taste it is. Some customers may be reminded of flavors from Naples, Italy but this pizza can be found right in Waimea.
Although his truck has been seen around town the past few years, he recently found a semi-permanent location for Waimea Wood Fired Pizza last month adjacent to ReStore on Kawaihae Road. The inspiration to tow his 5,000-pound pizza truck into town came from seeing the food-truck phenomenon on Oahu.
“I thought to myself ‘man, they got it right,’” Sullivan said, admiring the ability to transport superb food to a variety of venues such as birthday parties, weddings or catering community events.
Not his first venture, Sullivan was previously the owner/chef of Zest restaurant in Hawi and got his earliest inspirations growing up in Boston.
“They have a wonderful Italian section of the city,” he said. “They have been cooking there for over 150 years, so I was exposed to this food there.”
Sullivan gives much thought to the ingredients that go into and onto his pizzas. Organic, non-GMO Caputo flour gives the dough its signature fluffy yet crispy texture, while buffalo mozzarella is a softer and brighter cheese compared to cow mozzarella. He imports both straight from Italy and buys truffle oil from France. Organic basil, tomatoes and mushrooms are sourced from local farmers for the freshest flavors.
“The goal is to make healthy food that’s delicious,” Sullivan said. “We have so many processed and microwaveable foods that aren’t really food.”
And the public has responded positively with more than 20-30 orders daily. Favorites are the “Meat Lovers Pizza,” topped with aged capicola ham, crisped prosciutto and pepperoni, and the “Margherita Pizza,” a classic made with fresh basil and Sullivan’s house-made red sauce. Diners with special food needs can bring their own cheese, and a gluten-free recipe for the crust is currently being developed.
Sullivan is one of his own loyal customers, as he eats four pizzas each day.
“You can just call that ‘quality control!’” he laughed.
Waimea Wood Fired Pizza’s product is an amalgam of traditional and modern techniques of making delicious pizza.
“That’s what true culture is,” Sullivan said. “Every generation slightly modifies the product to make it better. And if you do that, which all the old cultures did, you’re doing it right.”
Waimea Wood Fired Pizza is open Thursday through Sunday from noon-8 p.m. For more information go to www.waimeawoodfiredpizza.com or call 430-3064.