Friends of the Pizza Oven (FOPO)

The Friends of the Pizza Oven (FOPO) culinary group is dedicated to creating handmade, artisan pizzas from fresh ingredients in the Gualala Arts wood fired pizza oven.

FOPO members fire up the outdoor pizza oven starting in April, gathering on the last Tuesday of each month through September to enjoy making, baking, and serving pizza. Everyone brings their own pizza dough & toppings, along with a side dish to share and their own beverage.

Expert pizza baking assistance is provided to newcomers or timid would-be pizza bakers. Baking begins at 5:30 p.m. and festivities wrap up when it gets too dark to see our wine glasses.

To join this culinary group requires only a $100 one-time fee. This money goes toward general overhead, maintenance of the pizza oven, firewood, pizza paddles, hardware, etc.

If you are curious but not sure if you want to commit to joining, you can attend any of the pizza parties at no charge (bring your own pizza dough and toppings, a side dish, and beverages) to check things out.  But beware — once you try out the pizza oven and delight in the pizzas it produces and spend time with the fun-loving FOPO group, you will likely be hooked!

For years, Jamie Edwards has led the FOPO group (“FOPO Forever!”), but new leadership and volunteer muscle is always welcome! If you are interested in being Pizza Oven Event Manager (POEM), contact Gualala Arts at 707-884-1138.