Kindles Pizzeria/VisitingNewEngland small business partnership - Local Small Business Stories
Kindles Wood Fired Pizzeria in Marlborough, Mass., Rises to the Top
of Pizza
Destinations in the Boston to Worcester Region
Cheese pizza comes out
of the wood fired oven at Kindles Pizzeria.
Article and photos by Eric Hurwitz.
Article
created on 5/28/2018.
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The Marlborough and Hudson, Mass., area has seen a growing number of
restaurants opening at a rapid pace with some eateries rivaling the
best of what you'd find in Boston.
If I had to choose one restaurant in this region, however, it would
surprisingly be a pizza place. Kindles Wood Fired Pizzeria is that
good.
Located in a nondescript retail building on Route 20 in Marlborough,
Kindles proves that you can't always judge a restaurant book by its
cover as in just a few years since opening, this pizza destination has
become a favorite alongside Boston to Worcester area pizza landmarks in
business for decades. At this writing, Yelp and TripAdvisor reviewers
give Kindles consistently highly-rated feedback. The Phantom Gourmet and
the Boston Globe raved about Kindles. But it is the locals and those traveling through
the area that have kept Kindles thriving, beloved and often
recommended.
The "Build-It-and-They-Will-Come" mantra especially applies more to the
best places in this food genre as most pizzerias tend to be generic and
assembly line-style, thus leaving diners in search of something more
special and inspirational. Kindles Wood Fired Pizzeria, no doubt, falls
into the latter category. Kindles creates its one-of-a-kind Northern
Italian-style pizzas in a wood fired oven. Sure, a few other pizza
joints in the Boston-to-Worcester area also use wood fired ovens, but
Kindles Owner Dave Champeau possesses an uncanny knack of making pizzas
with a memorable, mouthwatering taste by cooking the pies quickly with
the right mix of ingredients in the proper proportions at high
temperatures in an authentic wood fired oven from Italy. Dave
feels he has hit upon the right flavors based on his lifelong love for
pizza and uses many locally-sourced ingredients to make the pizzas even
that more fresh-tasting.
Roasted garden pizza from Kindles Pizzeria. Photo credit: Dave
Champeau.
"I decided to open Kindles because after trying many different styles
of pizza, I couldn't find the perfect combination of thin crust, cooked
with wood, and lots of unique toppings, so I decided to create my own,"
said Dave, who has 30
years in the restaurant industry including The Cheesecake Factory,
Bertucci's and working for a few independent restaurants.
This isn't exactly your run-of-the-mill take-out pizza joint with pies
typically made in a gas fired or electric convection type pizza oven.
"Our super thin crust, the signature pizza sauce and our Italian cheese
blend makes Kindles," said Dave,
a Putnam, Conn., native and Hudson resident who is a Eastern
Connecticut State University graduate. "Those three components in
conjunction with our wood oven and vast variety of original and
creative pizza options makes us a destination for true foodies."
Added Dave: "The wood fire enhances the flavor of the pizza because of the smoky
highlights. The process of cooking with wood can be difficult to manage and cook with, but it is
worth the effort for the flavor and texture it creates. I also chose
wood fired for my guests that want a better, healthier option that is
served quickly."
Where the magic takes place: Kindles Pizzeria wood fired oven. Photo
credit: Dave Champeau.
What this means: One size does not fit all when making pizza at
Kindles. Each pie has its own cooking requirements, according to Dave.
"A traditional cheese pizza takes about 90 seconds and the time to cook
a specialty pizza can vary based on the toppings," said Dave.
"The temperature ranges from 820 to 950 degrees, depending on what I am
cooking. For example, roasting red peppers requires extreme heat while
roasting fresh chicken for pizza topping or wings and drumsticks
require a much lower heat."
While "handmade" has become a buzzword in the food industry, Dave's
approach falls into the painstaking process category as opposed to
merely manipulating the ingredients with one's hands before taking shortcuts and
mass producing it. Kindles starts out by utilizing a dough roller, but that's
where the "mechanical" part ends: from that point on, they finish each
crust by hand, and beyond.
"It means we do everything by hand, from stretching the dough, to
making the sauces and dressings, cutting the vegetables, meats and
chicken, to cooking each pizza," said Dave.
"Using fire to cook requires careful attention and the pizzas must be
spun to cook all sides equally. Other places use a conveyor belt or a
convention oven with a timer, which does not require crafting.
Everything is done with care and concern by hand."
Customers order pizza by number at the counter, but never confuse this
with a paint-by-numbers pizza joint. On the contrary, the pies are
creatively designed, delicious and addictive.
Pepperoni Plus pizza from Kindles Pizzeria. Photo
credit: Dave Champeau.
Here are the selections, at this writing...
1-Buffalo Chicken -
sliced chicken, buffalo red sauce, blue cheese crumbles, mozzarella,
sliced white onion
2-BBQ Chicken -
bbq red sauce, fontina, mozzarella, sliced red onion, bbq chicken
3-Italian Supreme -
sliced Genoa, baked ham, hot soppressata, provolone, mozzarella, red
sauce
4-Steak & Cheese - (personal favorite of this author)
shaved steak, white onion, sliced tomato, garlic aioli, portobello,
provolone, mozzarella
Steak and Cheese Pizza from Kindles Pizzeria.
5-Valoroso Cucina -
fontina, Gorgonzola, provolone, mozzarella, valoroso tomatoes, red
sauce
6-Kindles Special -
onion, pepper, mushroom, meatball, sausage, red sauce, red sauce,
romano, provolone, mozzarella
Kindles Special. Photo credit: Dave
Champeau.
7-Hawaiian Island -
baked ham, sliced pineapple, apple wood smoked bacon, provolone, red
sauce, mozzarella
8-Barbecue Divine -
pulled pork, bbq chicken, sliced potato, roasted corn, bbq red sauce,
fontina, mozzarella
9-My Favorite -
meatball, ricotta, extra pepperoni, extra romano, red sauce, oregano
10-Pollo Loco -
adobo sliced chicken, spicy refried beans, red sauce, chipotle honey
glaze, mozzarella
11-Tomato Basil -
red sauce, chopped garlic, fresh basil, olive oil, balsamic glaze,
provolone, mozzarella, sliced tomato
12-Napoli Toscano -
broccoli florets, red sauce, chopped garlic, black pepper cream sauce,
mozzarella
13-Modern Margherita (personal favorite of this author) -
valoroso tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, red sauce, fresh basil, chopped
garlic, extra virgin olive oil
Modern Margherita Pizza from Kindles Pizzeria.
14-Cheese Mania -
Gorgonzola, feta, ricotta, fontina, mozzarella, romano, provolone,
pecorino romano, oregano.
15-Roasted Garden -
roasted eggplant, roasted red pepper, caramelized onion, roasted
garlic, red sauce, mozzarella
16-Smoky Pinocchio -
roasted corn, apple wood smoked bacon, sliced, chicken, balsamic glaze,
red sauce, mozzarella
1
7-Sweet Pea -
sweet peas, ricotta, red sauce, apple wood smoked bacon, mozzarella,
provolone
18-Perfect Sunset -
pepperoni, pineapple, jalapenos, banana peppers, red sauce, white
truffle oil, mozzarella
19-Sunrise Pie -
charbroiled Italian sausage, apple wood smoked bacon, sliced tomato,
sliced potato, white onion, fontina, mozzarella
20-Cheeseburger Pizza (personal favorite of this author) -
ketchup, mustard, white onion, sliced tomato, bacon, sliced meatball,
mozzarella, provolone
21-Meat Feast -
sausage, pepperoni, meatball, apple wood smoked bacon, red sauce,
chopped cherry peppers, mozzarella
22-Truffle Honeypot -
prosciutto, black truffle honey, fig preserves, caramelized onions, red
sauce, valorous tomatoes, mozzarella
23-Aloha Mahalo -
bbq pork, bbq red sauce, baked ham, pineapple, teriyaki glaze,
provolone, mozzarella
24-Three Little Pigs -
baked ham, apple wood smoked bacon, sausage, Gorgonzola, red sauce,
mozzarella, white truffle oil
25- Down Under -
avocado, sliced chicken, mozzarella, red onion, apple wood smoked
bacon, balsamic glaze
26-Pepperoni Plus -
mozzarella, romano, fontina, red sauce, extra pepperoni, hot
soppressata
27-Simply Mediterranean -
sliced black olives, roasted eggplant, roasted red peppers, red sauce,
olive oil, feta
28-Bistro Gorgonzola -
roasted red peppers, sliced chicken, Gorgonzola crumbles, diced celery,
red sauce, mozzarella
29-Soho Grande -
grilled chicken, ranch dressing, sliced tomato, avocado, mozzarella,
provolone
30-Hot Diavolo -
pepperoni, chipotle honey, chopped cherry peppers, sriracha, buffalo
red sauce, fresh mozzarella
31-Vegan Delight -
vegan cheese, black olives, roasted tomatoes, artichokes, broccoli
florets
Don't forget about the newer pizzas, also. In addition to the
instantly popular Chicken Bacon Ranch, Kindles now offers The Wicked
Wasabi with Hoisin barbecue lean shaved steak, banana peppers, roasted
garlic pearls, sliced red onion and spicy wasabi cream sauce (dairy
free). The Chicken Parm combines Italian seasoned deep fried
chicken, Marinara, Italian and Provolone cheese slices, Pecorino Romano
before cooking and MORE Marinara on the top....
The NEW chicken parm pizza. Photo
credit: Dave Champeau.
Wicked Wasabi wood fired pizza.
Photo credit: Dave Champeau.
The #9 is Dave's favorite
pizza, but adds, "I also really enjoy the buffalo chicken pizza, the NEW chicken parm pizza,' or just
a traditional cheese with a lot of grated cheese."
Kindles has also ventured into offering gluten free pizza. From day one, Kindles has recognized the
challenges of making a gluten free pizza that actually tastes good and
correcting that issue by being clear on its awareness of customers and
overseeing the pizza making process from start to finish.
"We manage the gluten free process 100 percent," said Dave.
"From the moment the guest mentions it, the staff clarifies if it is
allergy related or a dietary choice. If it is an allergy, the staff has
been properly trained to handle and execute the entire process so the
guest is safe and can feel very confident it our ability to handle the
gluten allergy request. In addition to managing the gluten free process safety, our gluten free customers rave about the flavor
and texture of the crust."
Dave has gone beyond just
making pizzas, too, to make Kindles a nice restaurant experience rather
than a typical noisy, cramped pizza house atmosphere. The ambiance is
welcoming, friendly and casual and designed inside
with an earthy industrial look highlighted with many antiques placed throughout the restaurant.
Dining room at Kindles Wood Fired Pizzeria.
Also consider the name of the business as a pointer to the
thoughtfulness of the restaurant.
"The inspiration for the name Kindles came from the idea that a name
should mean something and reflect the most important thing in our
restaurant and star of the show, the wood fired oven," said Dave.
"So we thought of Kindling, which starts the fire and shortened it to
Kindles. Another thing about the name Kindles is that you cannot spell
it without the word 'Kind' that is an equal focus for the restaurant.
Be kind to each guest."
Kindles Pizzeria goes beyond the main course pizza offerings with
"Firebreads," grinders, roasted wings, and salads that perfectly
complement the main meal, or as a standalone order. The Firebreads
consist of a unique combination of pizza crust, vegetables, and salad.
Chicken Caesar Firebread from Kindles Wood Fired Pizzeria.
The grinders are served on an Italian demi-loaf, which gets toasted in
the wood fired oven. Dave
recommends the Meatball Parm, a customer favorite. The roasted wings
are seasoned with molasses and sea salt and cooked in the wood fired
oven, then quickly fried per order for crispness.
Eggplant Grinder from Kindles Pizzeria. Photo
credit: Dave Champeau.
Additionally, Kindles Wood Fired Pizzeria offers many house-made sauces
to choose with Buffalo and Parmesan Garlic the most popular, according
to Dave.
If anyone has enough room for, or likes to eat dessert as the primary
meal, Kindles features a French Toast Pizza.
"Every year at the local fair, I look forward to eating fried dough,"
said Dave. "I wanted to
create my own version that is healthier and could be enjoyed more often
with less guilt. It is cut into strips for sharing and has powdered
sugar and pure maple syrup on top."
Ultimately, Kindles Wood Fired Pizzeria fills a niche for pizza lovers
in the area with its one-of-a-kind pies made with love and an ode to
the art and science of pizza-making. In a nutshell, it is flat-out
delicious pizza.
"We live in the area and... there were no places around that served
this style of unique pizza," said Dave
"The greatest satisfaction is that we have positively impacted a
community. In a day and age where it seems many food options out there
have been over engineered and processed, we are simply serving families better food
one pizza at a time."
Kindles Wood
Fired Pizzeria
located at 10 Boston Post Rd (Route 20 West), Marlborugh MA, 01752.
Tel.
508-748-3494.
Web site: http://www.kindleswoodfiredpizzeria. Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/kindleswoodfiredpizzeria. Twitter page: http://www.twitter.com/kindlespizzeria.
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