OUR STORY
Base Woodfired Pizza is a family business created in late 2010 by Chris,
Andy, Gill and Rod Thomson. What started in the Re:Start mall following the
Christchurch Earthquakes, to their current home at Little High Eatery and their
mobile Base Food by Fire catering trucks.
Still family owned, Base Woodfired Pizza still has a focus on flavour, family and fun.
What started out as a way of enjoying good food with family and friends evolved into a business venture largely due to the many positive comments made about the pizzas. As a family they had spent time gathered around their own woodfired oven at home trying out different flavour combinations until they felt they had got it right. It became a social event with the neighbours often joining in to share freshly baked woodfired pizzas....
“Immediately after the September earthquake we found ourselves cooking in our woodfired oven for all our neighbours due to the power outage and that was when the business idea was born.”
First came the Mobile woodfired oven concept – fast food with a difference that was well received at many events and festivals all over Canterbury.
“Base” credits the SCIRT World buskers festival for launching them into the wider Christchurch community. Following a conversation between Chris and Paul Lonsdale , the then Re:Start manager ,“Base” took up the offer of a spot in the food court at the mall in May of 2010, initially with the mobile unit and then with a custom fitted shipping container – freeing up the mobile unit to continue to attend events and functions Canterbury wide.
Every inch of the 10 foot high cube shipping container was utilised –centrepiece was a large wood burning pizza oven imported from Italy. Bricksrecycled from demolished Christchurch buildings line the walls to give a feeling of permanence and stability. It was a nod to the Christchurch of old and a symbol of hope for the new Christchurch.
All ingredients for the pizzas are fresh and locally sourced therefore enabling Base to support other Canterbury businesses– simply the best NZ has to offer.
When restart mall came to an end the Base family were the pivotal part of their new home Little High Eatery. Here we operate 7 days a week alongside 7 other family owned eateries.
