In the sweltering 38-degree Celsius afternoon heat of Wednesday, July 10, VIBE (Vermilion Is Being Empowered) hosted the second installment of its weekly open oven pizza nights at the outdoor community oven in the Heritage Park. This inviting space, nestled between the Senior Centre and the Vermilion Heritage Museum, offered a unique opportunity for families and friends to gather and enjoy delicious wood-fired pizza.
Running every Wednesday throughout the summer from 6–7 p.m., the event invites community members to bring their own raw pizzas for VIBE to cook for free in the wood-fired oven. VIBE staff and other volunteers throughout the community have undergone special training to know how to use the oven, which takes three hours to heat up to the 1,000-degree Fahrenheit mark required for wood-fired pizzas. Once reaching that temperature, pizzas cook in just three minutes. VIBE reserves the 6 p.m. hour for cooking pizzas in that hot temperature, but invites the public to bring bread, lasagna, or other items to bake after 7 p.m., once the oven’s temperature has dropped to around 350–400 degrees Fahrenheit.
VIBE asks that all pizzas brought to the oven have a thin crust and are either raw or defrosted and with no oil underneath, as VIBE uses cornmeal to ensure the crusts do not stick to the bottom of the oven. While some enjoy the labour of love that goes into making pizza from scratch, others have appreciated being able to pick up 2-for-1 uncooked pizzas from Express Pizza to cook in the community oven.
Participants are encouraged to bring their own knives, pizza cutters, cutting boards, utensils, plates, drinks, and any other food they might want to enjoy, as well as a blanket for having a picnic on the grass, as seating could be limited.
In addition to serving up piping hot pizzas, VIBE also came equipped with large outdoor games, playing cards, and a family door prize. There will be a special final celebration on August 28 featuring free churros straight out of the oven complemented by ice cream generously supplied by Prairie Vision Vermilion.
The Senior Centre is always looking for volunteers to help operate the oven. Interested individuals can reach out to Dianne Dunn at 780-853-4292 for training. Notably, each event requires a commitment of approximately five hours to heat, cook, and clean the oven.
This event was made possible by the Vermilion Wellness Coalition, which covered the rental costs of the facility.
VIBE’s open-oven pizza nights are a unique community tradition, bringing people together to enjoy good food and great company.
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