Head Honcho, Rod Thomson started BASE PIZZA with his family following the 2010 Christchurch earthquakes. Food by Fire was born from the demand for off-the-grid pizza & asado BBQ catering. With a building background Rod not only builds delicious feasts but the epic grills to cook on fire in his custom Bedford trucks.

What started out as a way of enjoying good food with family and friends evolved into a business venture largely due to the many positive comments made about the pizzas. As a family they had spent time gathered around their own woodfired oven at home trying out different flavour combinations until they felt they had got it right. It became a social event with the neighbours often joining in to share freshly baked woodfired pizzas....

“Immediately after the September earthquake we found ourselves cooking in our woodfired oven for all our neighbours due to the power outage and that was when the business idea was born.”

First came the Mobile woodfired oven concept – fast food with a difference that was well received at many events and festivals all over Canterbury.

“Base” credits the SCIRT World buskers festival for launching them into the wider Christchurch community. Following a conversation between Chris and Paul Lonsdale , the then Re:Start manager ,“Base” took up the offer of a spot in the food court at the mall in May of 2010, initially with the mobile unit and then with a custom fitted shipping container – freeing up the mobile unit to continue to attend events and functions Canterbury wide.

Every inch of the 10 foot high cube shipping container was utilised –centrepiece was a large wood burning pizza oven imported from Italy. Bricksrecycled from demolished Christchurch buildings line the walls to give a feeling of permanence and stability. It was a nod to the Christchurch of old and a symbol of hope for the new Christchurch.

All ingredients for the pizzas are fresh and locally sourced therefore enabling Base to support other Canterbury businesses– simply the best NZ has to offer.

When restart mall came to an end the Base family were the pivotal part of their new home Little High Eatery. Base Food by Fire was born off the back of this and now Element Tipis is Rod’s exciting new venture.

@element_tipis

Executive Chef, Mat Johns brings the flavour to Food by Fire. With international experience and a love for showcasing local cuisine, Mat loves off-the-grid catering over fire and whole cuts.

From New Zealand to Canada, to Australia, and back to New Zealand, chef Mathew Johns career has had many highlights. From honing his skills at some of Australia’s top venues to landing his dream job at Momofuku Daisho in Canada, Mathew’s career has been anything but ordinary.

After the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes, Mathew took this as a catalyst to fill in the gaps in his kitchen knowledge, making the move to Australia and pursuing an apprenticeship at the Hilton South Wharf in 2011. He quickly moved on to work with Adrian Li at the modern Asian cuisine restaurant, Saigon Sally, pursuing his love for food in a new and exciting environment.

2015 saw him land his ultimate gig working at Momofuku Daisho in Toronto, Canada established by world-renowned chef David Chang. During his time there he learnt the high standards of a top North American restaurant and pushed his hospitality professionalism to the max.

After one year in Canada and an expired Visa, Mathew returned to Australia’s food capital, Melbourne, with the goal of immersing himself into French cuisine. He joined Simon Martensz, and his team at Hell of the North. Soon after, he got a call about the opening of Hanoi Hannah in Elsternwick and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be among the youthful and vibrant team then moved to open the 100-seater Hanoi Hannah in Elsternwick and then Hanoi Hannah Richmond, managing a kitchen team of 20.

Moving back to Christchurch, Mathew’s created a brunch menu at Story, working alongside Christchurch culinary magicians Josh Hunter and Finbar McArthy, adding to Christchurch’s thriving food scene. This experience at Story allowed him to combine his global experience with his passion for local New Zealand ingredients.

Storybites recently described Maty Johns, “there is a strength in leading with humility. No shouting, just proper communication. His composure around fire, his focus for excellence, and his love for his team are qualities we witnessed on our two-day shoot with Food by Fire and Maty Johns”.

@matykiwibro

@basefoodbyfire

Josh is a founder and chef for well known pop up series Whakapapa of your Kai he has been one of the headline chefs for Wellington on Plate, Feast matariki, New Zealand next gen chefs and many other events , before joining Base Hospitailty Josh worked at Milford Sound Lodge in fiordland where he helped designed menus and cater for all types of people .

Josh started his hospitality career doing dishwashing and training under well-known Christchurch Chef , Lawrence Harvey after this he moved to Melbourne and did his apprenticeship at the Grand Richmond during his time there, it was a Melbourne institute and One hat restaurant after this he moved back to Christchurch and worked with well known chefs Finbar McCarthy(gatherings) ,Maty Johns (base hospitality) and Shafeek Ismail (Story, odeon) while also doing various events over New Zealand with Whakapapa of your Kai.

@hohuahanita
@whakapapa_of_your_kai