Monday, December 14, 2009
12 Days Holiday Gift Guide: Stone Hearth Pizza
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Miss: Jonathan, you and co-founder Chris Robbins are good friends. How did you decide to start a business together, and how did you choose to focus on pizza and salad?
JS: Over margaritas and a grill one night, we decided we wanted to go into business together. At the time, we had no idea that pizza would be the focus - we just knew we wanted to create a powerful brand.
As with so many ideas, Stone Hearth was born out of personal experience. We kept coming back to our own lives living in the suburbs with young families and finding almost no decent casual dining options - somewhere to enjoy excellent food and a great glass of beer or wine in an environment that was a little hip, inviting and still family friendly. We kept coming back to pizza as a staple of the American diet and something that two guys with zero restaurant experience could perfect. Layer in sustainable, local and organic ingredients and we felt like we were on to something special.
Gift idea #1. Gold Clogs ($90) for the Mom who appreciates a little glamour with her comfort….a lot of hippie earth mother with a sprinkling of gold dust woman.
I imagine these would break in nicely and only get better with time and use.
Miss: Legal Seafoods finally figured it out… my kids just don’t like clam chowder!
JS: Yes, our pizza is now on the children’s menu at Legal Seafoods, and working with them has been great. If it is true that in life one is judged by the company they keep, we could not be more proud to be associated with companies like Legal Seafoods, Whole Foods and BJ’s.
Miss: You’re already at Whole Foods, I buy your pizza there all the time, it’s amazing and takes about three minutes to cook. Where can I find your pizzas at BJs and will you be creating new pizzas for them in the future?
JS: Like at Whole Foods, you can find us in the prepared foods/deli area at BJ’s. We are in the early days of our program with BJ’s and we are focused on intelligent growth and continuous improvement.
Gift idea #2. Snowman in Africa by Michael Roberts ($25) for keeping kiddies occupied.
Through UNICEF partner Gucci, 100% of retail price goes to benefit UNICEF.
Miss: How has working with local farms improved your product as well as your experience as a business owner?
JS: There is no doubt that the less something travels, the better it is going to be. Also, by definition, when something is sourced local there is simply more accountability for quality in the mix. There is very little one can do about the quality of Tilapia purchased from some massive fish farm in China. When products are sourced locally, they are fresher, but there is simply a deeper relationship on every level of the transaction. As business owners, Chris and I care deeply about the quality of our culture, our food, our service and the communities in which we do business. High quality, local sourcing means our team can be proud of the products they are making and serving, our customers can feel good about supporting local economies and we deepen our commitment to our community.
Gift idea #3. Bicycle Basket ($70) by Design House Stockholm available in black, white and this beautiful green.
What I love is that this comes with a shoulder-strap so you can take the basket off your bike and use it as a carry-all. I’d use the basket even without the bike although it is perfect for peddling to the farmers market.
Miss: Stone Hearth’s menu is constantly evolving, any new items you are particularly excited about?
JS: We are always working on new things. I have been so excited by the response to our Gluten Free effort. For anyone who is gluten intolerant or has a wheat allergy, pizza has been off-limits. Not only have these folks been missing out on one of the tastiest staples of our cultural diet, but they have also been alienated from the social experience that goes along with it. It has been gratifying to witness the reaction of people who have not had pizza in 1, 2 or ten years - very powerful.
As a company we are focused on quality, freshness and simplicity. I think this is a powerful formula for our being able to focus on specific dietary requirements, which we may be doing more of. We use our monthly specials as a great way to test new menu items. Historically these specials have always featured a pizza and a salad. You can plan to see our specials expand to include other categories in our menu like our baked pastas, panini and desserts.
Thanks to Jonathan Schwarz and everyone at Stone Hearth Pizza.
Stone Hearth Pizza
http://www.stonehearthpizza.com
Belmont, Needham and Cambridge
Whole Foods, Legal Seafoods and BJ’s
Next on the 12 Days Holiday Gift Guide: Franklin Cafe.
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