Do you also come to the smaller villages such as Poederlee?

Yes, we work throughout Lille and far beyond. Whether your party is in Gierle, Wechelderzande or Poederlee, we plan the journey in advance and arrive in good time.

Can you bake for a hundred and twenty guests in a party tent?

That works with one oven. A single oven is enough up to about a hundred and fifty guests. Only for a larger company do we bring in a second baking station. You arrange the party tent itself; we take care of the tent around the oven.

Which formula do most families choose for an anniversary?

Often the full experience, because it fills a whole evening: aperitivo, pizza à volonté and dolci. For a smaller party plain pizza à volonté will also do. The proposal settles which one fits your group.

What about gluten-free pizzas?

Guests who need gluten-free or vegan pizzas get them baked to order. We prepare them in a separate work zone and give you an allergen list in advance, so guests on a diet can be sure of what they are eating.

Pizza catering in Lille and its villages

Lille is really four villages, each with its own church tower, fair and pub. Our pizza catering visits every one of them, with a wood-fired oven that holds the party together in the yard or garden.

Room in the yard

In the villages of Lille almost every house has a bit of land. The oven can stand there without the terrace or lawn having to give way.

Marquee party with a wood fire

A party tent on the meadow and an oven beside it: the classic Kempen family party, but with pizzas arriving at the tables round by round.

Something for every age

From a margherita for the smallest to a spicy salami for the uncles. Vegetarians and guests on a special diet simply join in.

Lille, Gierle, Wechelderzande and Poederlee

People who live in Lille rarely just say ‘Lille’. You are from Gierle, from Wechelderzande or from Poederlee, and that decides which fair you go to and in which hall your communion was celebrated. Each village has its own rhythm, but they share a rural character with meadows, woods and generous plots between the houses.

In Lille you notice that rural feel above all in how a party is organised. A birthday or anniversary rarely takes place in a hall; usually there is a tent in the yard or garden, with neighbours helping to put it up. A wood-fired oven fits that picture. It becomes the focal point everyone walks past, even those who normally stay propped up at the bar.

How a marquee party with pizza unfolds

With the full experience, the marquee party starts the moment guests walk in. Anyone still wearing a coat is handed antipasti, bruschetta and focaccia fresh from the oven; the uncles get their Aperol, the aunts their prosecco. If anyone wants to give a speech or spring a surprise, the best time is that first hour, when everyone is still standing and the oven is running hot.

Then we start the pizza à volonté, working through six to ten varieties that we carry to the tables in slices, so each table keeps getting a new flavour. The party does not have to fall silent for it: music and conversation carry on. To finish come tiramisu and cannoli, perfect with a coffee or limoncello.

Practical arrangements for your party in Lille

A small tent of three by three metres, or four by four if more working space is needed, goes up around the oven, and it has to stand level. On a Kempen farmyard that is rarely a problem, provided the ground is firm and a 2.5-metre passage is clear for bringing in the equipment. The oven burns wood and therefore stays outside or under an open shelter.

Roughly ninety minutes before the first guests stroll onto the yard, we drive in; the oven still has to go from cold to glowing. The baking itself carries on for around two hours, occasionally longer. By the time the last guest leaves, our corner is already empty and the rubbish is in our van, so you are not left on Sunday morning with a pile of boxes on the yard.