My First Blog Post

Following on from my earlier post, "in the beginning", Following my time with Angelo and co in the restaurant, it was always my dream to have a pizza business.. When I left school, I wanted to be a chef, my dad, bless him, was addiment that I had to get a proper trade, plumber, carpenter, electrician etc, one I could always fall back on. A chef in his eyes was not a proper trade. When he left school, my grandparents pushed him onto the farm, he wanted to be a plumber. I think he resented them for this. He worked for the MOD as a driver, at the yard he was based at in Durrington, they employed all trades as they looked after all the MOD owned farms and properties on Salisbury plain. His boss at the time was partial to a "bung", I am told my dad paid £250 to him for my apprenticeship, I have no idea if this is true or not, but all the blokes that worked with dad, had sons, they all also got apprenticeships that year..... I know for fact that his boss spent time in Winchester HMP, for fraud and embezzlement, as he was building and renovating his house at Amesbury. (35 years on, his house is not finished, he must be now in his 80's). In September 1988, Started my apprenticeship as an Electrician, I hated it, and fought him all the way. I qualified in 1982. I went to Porton Down, and carried on as an electrician until 1998, when I left to take up a job on the cruise ships / ferries as a DJ/ Host Compere.. (I had already started as a DJ when i set up my own mobile disco in 1983, being an electrician, did come in handy). Following on from my time on the ships, as random as it was, I gave it all up and bought a fish and chip shop in 2001, like you do. Which I ran very successfully until 2008. A shop I was very proud of, I won many awards for my fish and chips, and in 2003 was awarded the best fish and chip shop in the South of England by the Seafish Industry Authority and the National Federation of Fish Friers. I was very proud of my shop, and very passionate about the industry. I even became a director of the National Federation of fish friers, and a NVQ assessor for the training schemes. During the chippy years, i went back to college and trained as a chef! Sadly due to a nasty and spiteful landlady, it all came to an end in 2008, resulting in bankruptcy. Something I am not proud of. But it had to be done. When the shop closed, I took a job at Porton down as Hospitality Chef, and then manager in a new coffee shop, before coming a branch manager for Reeve the Bakers in Salisbury. Eventually, after getting fed up with the very early starts, I ended up back in my original trade, a sparky, and maintenance manager for a care home in Salisbury. From the care home, was offered a job as a National Installation manager for a fire alarm company, based in the North East, travelling hundreds and hundreds of miles each week, living in hotels. In 2012 was made redundant.. After many weeks as a Chef in a Greene King Pub, the Anton Arms in Andover. I was offered a job as a consultant, setting up a new fish and chip restaurant/pub in Netheravon, it was a 13 week contract, my task was to set it up, gain a 5 star hygiene rating from Salisbury District Councils Environmental Health dept, and to gain the Seafish quality fish and chip award status.. Both this tasks achieved in 3 weeks. At week 10, I advised the management, that my contract was coming to an end, and they needed to employ someone to train to take over from me, this they did, an alcoholic guy, who was continually drinking.. The day they sacked him, he beat me up, resulting in a operation to repair a broken foot. Because I never completed my 13 weeks, they refused to pay me, and my bonus as promised, never came. "Because I let them down!"! During the legal battle that followed, to get some money from him, near the end of the process, and a pay out in sight, the inconsiderate, nasty bastard died!! Out of work, and no money for 12 weeks, I decided to set up as an electrical contractor, and on 3rd September 2012, we opened N E Electrical Services ( maybe Dad was right, a trade I could always fall back on) Dad even lent me the £1000 to set it up. My time doing this was profitable, and dare I say it I did enjoy it! Then COVID struck, as a key worker I managed to continue working through out the lockdowns. On January 13th 2021, I lost a very close and dear friend, Gerry Cottle, one of Great Britain's best circus bosses, a the real greatest showman. This hit me hard and gave me a wobble in life. Gerry's family wanted all his family and friends, to stay safe, look after each other and follow your dreams, as life was short. I told Kim that I wanted to set up and open a mobile pizza kitchen. I had a pizza oven in the garden and had been experimenting for years, using, family, friends and neighbours as tasters. An investment of 28K was a lot of money in a pandemic, in uncertain times. Kim has a family business in the cruise industry, and things were not good, all the ships were bobbing around the South Coast, and the iceberg was getting ever closer. I managed to convince her, deep down she was unsure, maybe not happy, but she supported me. In March 2021 I placed the order for a custom build catering trailer, parting with 50% of my savings. We took delivery on August 24th, and started trading on Andover Market on Thursday 3rd September. In our first month, we exceeded all expectations, and the rest is history. I would like to point out The Pizza Kitchen was always in my plan, with a pension due to mature in 2025, I was always going to use some of this to fund my plan, but after we lost Gerry in 2021, I would be 4 years older!

This is another true tale, the names have been changed, to save embarrassment and upset!! After 6 months of trading in a small village in the Test Valley on a weekly basis, I was approached by a guy who suggested that I may consider taking the pizza truck to his village, about 1.5 miles away, he had a location in mind, and during the Covid lock downs various food trucks had visited the village with great success. We knew of the site and were also aware the "Green" was sacred to the village!! We agreed and decided to go there on a fortnightly basis. The advertising kicked in, the signs went out, and there seemed to be a buzz of excitement in the village. The day of our first visit, our pre order facility was well used. On arrival, there were people everywhere, once we opened we sold out in no time at all, 100 pizza's gone in two hours!! a successful night! The general feed back was good, how ever there were one or two minor grizzles! One or two key board warriors and trolls, put the boot in on social media. The village did seem to be looking forward to our return in a fortnights time. Two weeks later, we returned, the online facility was not as busy as on our first visit. On arrival, there were people about, not as many, but I was hopeful of another busy night. I lit the oven, prepped and was ready to open the hatch. As I released the hatch and let it open, it was a near miss, as there was a older lady with a push bike, attached to the back of the bike, was a tesco shopping basket, with a beautiful display of flowers, leaned up against the side to the trailer, thankfully, she was stood back, looking up at the trailer, had she of been closer, the hatch door would of knocked her over! I looked out and apologised, and explained that I did not expect to see anyone standing so close! I complimented her on such a beautiful display of flowers, she snapped back at me "Don't you flannel me young man!!!, as good as you THINK your pizza's are, we do not want you here, I will do everything in my power to stop you coming, and the village will not support you. She then got on her bike and peddled off across the Green, as she got half way, she turned around, came back a took a menu and buggered off, leaving me speechless, as I could not get a word in edgeways! I was in shock! Old bag! That night we only sold 20! Two weeks later, on our return, not a single pizza was sold! Trish and I, actually sat an ate a pizza on the picnic bench. Later that night several pictures appeared on face book of the Trailer and the van (an image that looked like the travellers were about to return) and one of us sat on the picnic bench eating pizza. It was all very wierd. I spoke to people in the village and some of the parish councillors, but nobody appeared to know who the old dear was or why she was so anti. We did not return on our next scheduled visit.. The following week we were at a neighbouring village 2.5 miles away, when one of our regulars came too us, she explained that she had heard what had happened, and although she did not know who the lady was, she had a theory as to why.... It turns out the guy who initially approached us, was a not a parish councillor, but a pro active member of the village, he had applied to Test Valley Borough council, with a planning application, to open a Micro Brewery in the Village!! And some of the residents were opposed to these plans. And, too some, as he had invited us to come to the village in the first place, we were in cahoots with him!! After talking to him and other Councillors in the village, we were endorsed by the Parish Council, and were welcomed back! With this the pizza loving residents returned! To this day we have no idea who the old dear was, as she has our menu, maybe she will turn out one night for pizza!! Pass me the super hot chilli sauce Trish!!!!

It all began in March 1985. It was my 15th Birthday. Myself and two friends, Stephen and Neil Lucas went to Ristaurant Colosseo, in Amesbury, to celebrate. Our first ever visit to a restaurant, without our parents. We had the most amazing pizza. Probably one of the first real pizza's we had ever had! Other than frozen pizza from Beejam's, and then it was only Cheese and Tomato! On arrival, we were seated, and we looked at the menu, so many dishes, Apitisers, Secondi, Pasta, Pizza, Salads, Side Dishes. With out us ordering we were served Garlic Bread! Wow, we hadn't asked, maybe it was free! The waitress came over and took our drinks order! We ordered Beer! We were 15, we were in heaven, after we had scoffed all the garlic bread, the waiter bought us more, then came our beers! Followed by our Pizza's, mine was a four seasons I think. I remember it being amazing, more beer was drank. Then desserts, the waiter came over with a mini gas ring on a trolley and Flambe Crepe Suzettes! it was incredible, then followed my first ever cappucinno! with dusted chocolate, this was just fantastic, what a meal. Eventually we asked for the bill, the waitress bought it over and put it down in front of me, I picked it up, looked at it and remember feeling very sick, I said to my friends, I have not eaten all this, I only had 15 quid! they told me if i could not pay they would make me do the washing up! Bastards! They laughed, as I was so naive. I never knew it was for all our meals! (turns out they had been to many restaurants before). Including this one, they new Angelo and Fiona, (the owners) from there family meals with their parents. After we had "worked out" who had what, an argued over who had eaten the most and drank most of the beer, (looking back that was probably me, however, you would not catch me drinking Calsberg now!. I am strictly a Stella Man!!) We even asked to borrow a calculator! We Paid. Feeling pretty brave, I asked if there were any jobs going? Yes was the reply, Washing up, Friday and Saturday Nights, and Sunday lunchtimes! £15 per night, a free pizza and a bottle of Carlsberg! What more could a 15 year old want, other than Fiona!! We started the following Friday, 5 - 11pm. Not sure it was legal, but who cares! Many classic memories working there, with Angelo, Fiona, Jo Jo and Salvatorie, Casino's, gambling, throwing knives at each other from across the kitchen at each other after a row about "womanising", many nights we were left to lock up, after they all left with a briefcase of money to go to the casino at Bournemouth, Sunday mornings were always interesting, as just by walking through the front door you would know if the had won or lost! Went in one Sunday morning to find Salvatorie, with butchers string wrapped around his body with all his knives attached, dancing to Pat and Micks "lets all chant" that was playing on the radio, every time his brother came in, he threw a knife at him. And swore at him in Italian, the whole time we were ducking to avoid the knives. The kitchen door looked like a circus knife throwers board. I'd love to know what ever happened to them all. Salvatori, did open a pizza takeaway in Durrington for a few years, Salvatories, Flying Pizza. I wish i had copies of the original menu's. I stayed with them for a couple of years, until I started my apprenticeship as an electrician, during this time they taught me pizza! How to make real italian pizza..... who new that 34 years later.......

Since I started my journey in the world of Wood Fired Pizza, in 15 months I have seen, heard and experienced it all! Over the coming months, I hope . publish them, I need Trish's help, as I can never remember what I did yesterday, let alone what happened since September 2021. I work, go home, drink beer and sleep! then repeat! Work hard and play harder. With my family, wife Kim and Daughter Phoebe, we have epic holidays and adventures during our down time! People keep saying "you should write a book", we will buy it! I have already co written one book, why would I go through that again? Like the first time for the love of it! If you want to learn all about my childhood hero, world famous clown Charlie Cairoli, then ask, I still have plenty of copies, still waiting for all those who said "we will buy it" to do so!!! Some of the most memorable tales include:- Can we use your toilets? - The old dear on the push bike! - You can't park that here - Do you have permission? - Do you put the the pizza in a box? - Your pizza gave me the poopies! - Are you two married, what's it like working with your dad?, What's it like working with your grandad? are you brother and sister - Feed Back and Customer Comments, here!! are just a few! Maybe I should write a bloody book! There are so many more, I can't remember, need to ask Trish!!