A popular, family-run Italian restaurant is the latest eatery to team up with local mental health charity, Blyth Star Enterprises, to transform its wood-fired pizza oven into a force for good.
Davanti Italia in Whitley Lodge has signed a deal with The Woodfuel Centre – a Community Interest Company operating on behalf of Blyth Star, for the supply and delivery of the air-dried virgin hardwood it needs to make its famous Neapolitan style pizzas.
Providing vocational training and sheltered work experience for people with complex mental health needs and learning disabilities, The Woodfuel Centre is first and foremost a social care day service which has been designed to reflect as closely as possible, a real workplace setting. The service then reinvests any surplus raised from the sale of its premium-grade air-dried logs and kindling into Blyth Star and the further development of its provision for vulnerable adults.
The management team at Davanti Italia stumbled across The Woodfuel Centre while researching online for local woodfuel suppliers. Pizza is more than just a passion at Davanti Italia, it’s a way of life, and the devil is in the detail.
“We were very specific in what we were looking for for our pizza oven,” said Joshua Giacomini, Manager at Davanti Italia.
“Being Italian, we know how things should be done and we definitely know good pizza! We understand the importance of good quality firewood to keep our ovens hot. The better the wood, the hotter and stronger the oven flames, which helps to make light, fluffy dough with a great colour and texture that cooks quickly and has that beautiful smoky taste associated with Neapolitan pizza.
“We didn’t realise at first that The Woodfuel Centre was linked with a charity, we just thought that the product was perfect for what we needed it for, but when we learned more about the set up and met and made friends with some of the service users, we loved it even more. It’s a really great enterprise and we’re very happy to be involved.”
Serving around 1,500 customers per week – the majority of whom order the pizzas prepared by the restaurant’s renowned pizza chef, Raimondo Armas, Davanti Italia is currently using up to half a tonne of air-dried logs per week to keep its wood fired oven at an optimum temperature of 450 degrees Celsius.
“We’re delighted to be able to support the North East’s restaurant scene with our woodfuel products,” said Neil Hedley, Manager at The Woodfuel Centre.
“We take huge pride in the quality of our logs and kindling and work hard to maintain our Woodsure ‘Ready to Burn’ status year after year, which means that our hardwood has to be below 20% moisture content, but when we see the difference that our efforts make to a local business like Davanti Italia, it makes it all worth it.
“Our service users really enjoy getting out and about into the community to help make deliveries – especially wherever there’s food involved! They love to go behind the scenes in the kitchen and to feel like part of the process – it benefits their sense of wellbeing and purpose which in turn is positive for their mental health, which is what Blyth Star is all about.”
