#HARVEST PIZZA HOW TO#

Below another of Antalek’s murals you’ll enjoy looking out at the scenic Fish Creek. In the adjacent room, another 20 seats are available by the bar, which serves many local earthy beers on tap. On the walls hang antique farm tools and agricultural paintings by Stu Eishel. “It’s important to never mentally take your foot off the gas in this industry,” said Peter.Ĭomfortably seating 84 at roomy wood tables in the main dining room, the impressive stone pizza oven is set in front of a wall mural by young artist Hannah Antalek. Watching the smoke rise from your pizza as it cooks, the quick swirl of Peter’s hand as he slides it onto the stone and spins it to the perfect level of char, is all part of the celebration of food that is at the heart of Harvest & Hearth.

While most “wood-fired” pizzas are cooked in an oven that is actually a gas and wood hybrid, the Harvest & Hearth oven soaks up and holds the purely wood heat, is capable of reaching temperatures of 800 degrees and cooking pizzas in just 2 minutes.

#HARVEST PIZZA HOW TO#

Considered the best baking oven in the world, Peter had to go to school in Maine just to learn how to properly use it. It took four masons 22 days to build the oven’s core, made from white clay found in Provence, France. Wood-burning ovens are an ancient method of food preparation that elevates simple flavors into a true culinary delight. Their most crucial investment was the installation of a Terra Blanche wood-burning oven in the dining room. Doing much of the work themselves while their young children ran around underfoot, they remember busy evenings, great friends and refreshing libations to fuel the renovations, including a 16-person painting party. “A lot of sweat equity went into this,” said Peter, who was regularly putting in 14-hour days then to get the place up and running. The Michelins installed new electrical, kitchen equipment, hardwood floors, a bar (built with the help of Peter’s father and sister, who has since passed) and more. Previously, this space overlooking the water had been home to Chameleon on the Lake, a fine dining restaurant. “It was kind-of like love at first sight,” he said. While holding the copy of a lease to another property in his hand, Peter went to look at a building on Fish Creek. “It was the feeling that if you build it they will come,” added Peter. She was working as the Waldorf Development Director then and credits the school community for much of their success. “We were taking a huge gamble back in 2008 and were on a single income but said, ‘We’re doing this!’” said Gina. The Michelins, who met in college, did their research and knew when it was the right time to strike out on their own and open the area’s first fully wood-fired pizza place. “I felt like I had all the pieces to make it work,” said Peter. Peter grew up working at his uncle’s Schroon Lake restaurant and was employed in many downtown restaurants before opening Harvest & Hearth, Inc. “Everyone said to us, ‘You do know we’re in a recession, don’t you?’” recalls Gina about that tumultuous time. Understanding that you must grasp onto the moment, Gina and Peter Michelin knew that in 2008, during the depth of a recession, when doubt was felt all around, it was the right time to risk opening their own restaurant. Harvest & Hearth’s Epiphany pizza invites your taste buds to enjoy a height of smoky flavor that is hard to forget.įor 10 years, their regular customers have been coming back again and again to enjoy the enhanced taste sensations obtained from a meal at Harvest & Hearth.

Chopped rosemary ripples among strips of red pepper. Dark ripe olives mingle with the sweet sting of red onions and a nice dose of drizzled oil. Pops of crumbly cheese top a lightly charred crust.

Harvest pizza