Monday night is now pizza night in Stratford thanks to a limited-run pop-up that’s gaining momentum with local foodies.
Run by friends Roger Honeywell and Juan Chioran, JR's Bakehouse Pizza operates out of Downie Street Bakehouse, with Monday night avaiability only.
An opera singer by trade, Honeywell says he’s long enjoyed baking as a hobby. Although Honeywell’s work frequently takes him on the road, he began working part-time for Downie Street Bakehouse owner, Alan Mailloux, last year during his downtime at home in Stratford in an effort to further hone his sourdough skills.
Honeywell says the bakehouse team previously had a ritual of ordering takeout on Friday nights.
“They had two fully functional, full-deck pizza ovens and I said, ‘why are you guys ordering food? I'll make you pizzas,’” he explained. “I’ve been making pizzas for about 20 years with my wife for our family.”
The pizzas were such a hit with the team that Mailloux suggested Honeywell start selling them to the public on Monday nights, when the bakehouse ovens aren’t otherwise in use.
“I have free time this summer and I knew I was going to be in Stratford, so I jumped at it,” said Honeywell.
Honeywell recruited Chioran to help develop the menu.
“He’s a bit of a foodie and a terrific cook,” said Honeywell.
Downie Street Bakehouse is known for its sourdough, so it was only natural for JR's Bakehouse Pizza to use a sourdough crust. Honeywell preps the dough on Fridays, then it cold ferments for 72 hours before hitting the oven on Mondays for the pop-up.
“The crust is so good,” said Honeywell. “Honestly, we could just serve marinaras and people would be thrilled but we like to put other stuff on it.”
The current menu features four pizzas, including a classic margherita, two white pizzas, and the 'Opera', which includes salami, mushrooms, olives, and roasted red peppers.
Online orders open at 2 p.m. every Friday for pick-up time slots at Downie Street Bakehouse between 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. the following Monday.
“Juan and I are both actors and singers and we came up through the Stratford Festival so we have a lot of friends still working in the Stratford Festival,” said Honeywell. “About 30 per cent of our clientele are from the theatre.”
Since first launching in late May, Honeywell says it’s been exciting to watch word spread about the pop-up through the wider Stratford community.
“Social media and word of mouth is the only way we market it,” said Honeywell. “It’s been fun learning how to be creative with that as well.”
Honeywell and Chioran are planning to continue running the weekly pop-up until September, but they hope to potentially bring it back periodically in the future.
“It’s really grown – literally in this last week, it's just exploded now,” said Honeywell, who says they’re now making around 150 pizzas every Monday. “There’s a real following for it now.”
JR's Bakehouse Pizza
Downie Street Bakehouse, 388 Downie St.
jrsbakehousepizza.com
