Is an outdoor birthday party still possible in November?

Yes, with the right set-up. The oven bakes in every season, and the fire gives warmth and atmosphere. A party tent or canopy over the work area is needed, though, along with a shelter for the guests. Many party-goers find an autumn evening around the oven cosier than a summer party.

We expect seventy teenagers for an eighteenth. Is that doable?

Certainly. With a big group of young people we bake at a quick tempo and choose flavours that go fast. One oven copes with up to about 150 guests. Tell us the expected number and we will work out the amount of dough, with a little margin for hearty eaters.

Do you take the oven’s ash away?

Yes. After the service we clear our work area and take the waste and ash with us. On a plot with lots of leaves and pine needles that matters all the more, so no glowing remains are left behind.

Can we also do a small birthday with twenty people?

Of course. We work without a minimum number. For a smaller company the set-up stays compact, and the pizzaiolo can take more time for a chat with the guests. You choose the package that suits your party.

Pizza catering for your birthday party in Bonheiden

A birthday in Bonheiden doesn’t always fall in summer, and autumn is precisely when a burning wood-fired oven among the trees comes into its own. Pizza catering turns your party into an evening around the fire, whether you turn eighteen or seventy.

Warmth in October

When the leaves fall and the evenings turn cooler, the oven is a natural gathering place. Guests stay outside, close to the fire.

Space to the neighbours

On the large plots in Bonheiden the neighbours live further away than in town. An evening that runs a bit longer attracts less notice here.

For every age

An eighteenth calls for large quantities and quick rounds, a seventieth for calm and refinement. We adjust the tempo to suit.

An autumn birthday, with the oven as a source of warmth

If your birthday is in October or November, you don’t immediately think of an outdoor party. In Bonheiden, with its woodland gardens and autumn colours, it is nonetheless a lovely moment. The oak leaves turn yellow, it gets dark early, and a wood-fired oven glowing between the trunks draws everyone outside. The fire gives warmth, light and that typical smell of burning wood.

An autumn party does need some preparation. A party tent or open canopy keeps the work area dry in a shower, and for the guests a covered terrace or an indoor space close by is welcome. We put the oven outdoors, in a spot with clear air above. Falling leaves and acorns are no problem, as long as the ground beneath the tent stays level and firm.

Eighteen, forty or seventy

An eighteenth birthday in Bonheiden is often a garden party with dozens of friends arriving by bike or bus from Mechelen and the surrounding villages. There it is all about volume and pace: plenty of pizza, in quick succession, in slices you eat while talking. We bake to a tight rhythm and keep the menu simple, with flavours everyone likes.

A fortieth or seventieth has a different character. People sit at the table longer, there are toasts and speeches. We then start with the Aperitivo, let the pizzas follow at an easy pace and finish with dolci. Italian wine, an Aperol or a limoncello with dessert make the whole complete, without the birthday guest having to arrange anything.

Afterwards: no washing-up, no traces

On a woodland plot you don’t want to be tidying for hours the day after the party. So we take away everything we brought, our waste included. The work area is handed back in the state we found it. That includes the ash from the oven: it goes with us, so no embers are left behind among the leaves or pine needles.

The team arrives around ninety minutes before the first pizza to set up and light the fire, and then bakes for two hours or a little longer. A party starting at seven has therefore had its last round by about half past nine. The evening can then carry on with music and drinks while we pack up in peace.