Does the setup fit on a wooded plot?

Usually yes. We look for an open spot with no overhanging branches, with room for our tent, which is three to four metres wide. Send photos of the garden and the drive, and we will suggest the best location.

Is a party on a farm in Rijmenam possible?

Yes. On a farmyard or meadow in the Dyle valley there is generally enough space, even for a large group. Beyond a hundred and fifty guests, a second oven goes in beside the first.

How much time do you need to set up?

The team shows up about ninety minutes before the first pizza is due: the oven needs time to reach temperature and the work tables must be laid out. After that the baking goes on for a little over two hours. By the time your guests arrive, the garden already smells of wood smoke.

Will the neighbours be bothered by the smoke?

There is some smoke when lighting the oven, and a good deal less afterwards. We place the oven so that the wind blows smoke away from the houses. A word with the neighbours beforehand, or an invitation to a slice of pizza, often works wonders.

Pizza catering in Bonheiden

Bonheiden and Rijmenam lie between Mechelen and Keerbergen, in a landscape of pine woods, villas on roomy plots and the Dyle winding quietly through. Pizza catering in such surroundings is about calm, privacy and an evening outdoors with no rush.

Plots in the woods

Many homes stand on a plot among pines and birches. The oven gets an open spot, so the smoke disappears above the treetops.

Dyle valley in Rijmenam

Along the Dyle lie farms and meadows with a rural feel, suited to larger family parties and weddings with a long table.

Respect for the quiet

Bonheiden is a residential municipality where people choose greenery and silence. We position the oven so the neighbours notice as little as possible.

A garden party among the pines

The districts around Bonheiden’s centre and towards Keerbergen are built around woodland. Homes stand on plots with tall pines, rhododendrons and a lawn lying in shade. In such a place a garden party feels like an evening at a country retreat. The wood-fired oven fits in seamlessly: fire, wood and the smell of baking dough among the trees.

We look for an open patch in the garden, where no branches hang over the oven and smoke can rise freely. On the sandy soil drainage is good, but a lawn under trees is sometimes loose or uneven. From a photo of the garden and its entrance we decide beforehand whether to set up on the grass, a paved terrace or the drive.

How an evening in Bonheiden goes

Guests arrive, are handed a glass of Aperol or Italian wine and find focaccia from the wood-fired oven and antipasti already on the tables. Meanwhile the oven runs at full heat. After half an hour or so the pizzas begin, cut in pieces so everyone tastes several flavours: from margherita and diavola to a seasonal mushroom pizza that suits a party at the forest edge.

At a Communion or birthday with young children we keep a few simple flavours aside. For anyone gluten-free or vegan, we prepare pizzas in a separate zone. Dessert, with tiramisu and cannoli, arrives as the light fades between the pines and the oven is still glowing. Then we pack up, and the waste drives away with us.

Rijmenam, farms and the Dyle

Rijmenam has a more rural face than the centre of Bonheiden. Along the Dyle and the fields towards Boortmeerbeek and Haacht lie farms and meadows, where the large tent fits easily and a bigger gathering can come together. A wedding or anniversary in such a place gets a long table in the barn and the oven in the yard.

People living in Bonheiden often choose a party at home over a hall. That gives freedom in timing and atmosphere, but also calls for good arrangements. Tell us in your enquiry where the party is, how big the group is and what the day looks like. Because the municipality is easy for us to reach, an afternoon party or a short aperitif moment is possible too.