Summer may be officially nearing its end, but that doesn’t mean we’re getting tired of grilled pizzas, one of our very favorite dishes.  Pizza isn’t just easy to make…it’s a great canvas for the explosion of summer flavor we’ve come to expect from the local producers we love.  Here are some tips for your next pizza party:

• Go simple.  A few vine-ripe tomatoes, a sprig or two of basil, some low-key mozzarella…you don’t need the fanciest ingredients to come up with the best flavors.
• Go seasonal.  Why not plunder the bounty of your nearest farmer’s market or CSA share for your next pizza?  Squash, potatoes, greens, and even peaches love pizzas (especially on the grill).
• Go sweet.  It’s easy to overlook the power of sweet pizza, but why not try some figs, berries, or even nectarines on your next pie?  Pears and brie make a great combo, too.
• Go for broke.  What’s the fun in making your own pizza if you’re hampered by fears or convention?  A blank pie means a blank canvas, ready and waiting for your creativity…and your mistakes.  If you’re not making a few gaffes over time, you’re not doing it right!
• Don’t go it alone.  Need to perfect your dough or come up with some fab flavor profiles?  We’re here to help with Pizza, Pizza, Pizza, a class that’s all about everyone’s favorite pie.  Prefer to have your pizza made for you?  You can’t go wrong with Cook Street alum David Bravdica’s amazing Brava Pizzeria, a wood-burning pizza oven on wheels that’s usually located at 16th and Arapahoe in downtown Denver.

With the forecast heavenly this weekend, our minds are turning to everyone’s favorite Italian classic…PIZZA!  Not only are we offering a new pizza class this summer (complete with local craft brews and a special low price), but we’re not the only ones with pizza on the brain.  Here’s a collection of great pizza tips to feed your pie obsession this weekend:

Slideshow:  Tips for making pizza at home [New York Times]

The Slow Route to Homemade Pizza [New York Times]

In Naples, Wood-Burned Pizza Must Use…Caskets? [Daily News]

Cheeseless Pizza Goes from Greasy to Healthy [ABC News]

A History of Chicago Style Pizza [suite101.com]

10 Unexpected Homemade Pizzas for Every Palate [chow.com]

On a blustery Friday, a Cook Street graduate did something the likes of which the 16th Street Mall in Downtown Denver had never seen before…began slinging pizza from a wood-burning gourmet pizza wagon!  Brava Pizza is the brainchild of David Bravdica, who will be serving wood-fired pizzas with fine local ingredients from 11 to 4 daily.  Stop by and say hi to David…and in the meantime, read his article on the Westword food blog and check out a slideshow of the cart below!