Exploring the Outdoor Pizza Oven

Class Overview:

Few foods bring people together quite like pizza — especially when it’s cooked outdoors and shared fresh from the oven. In this hands-on pizza-making class, you’ll explore the fundamentals of crafting great pizza from the ground up, using the Arboretum’s own Kernza^® flour pizza dough recipe and portable pizza ovens. Designed for beginners and confident home cooks alike, this class focuses on technique, balance and the simple joy of cooking and eating together.

Chef Cheo Smith will guide you through the process of mixing and shaping dough, building well-balanced pizzas, and understanding how heat, timing and ingredients work together in a pizza oven. You’ll create a pizza to bake and enjoy during class, prepare dough to take home and experiment with classic and seasonal topping combinations. Along the way, you’ll gain practical tips that translate easily to home kitchens — whether you’re cooking outdoors or adapting techniques to a standard oven.

In this class, you will learn: 

• How to make and work with Kernza^® flour pizza dough using the Arboretum's own recipe
• Techniques for stretching and shaping dough for consistent, well-textured crusts
• How to prepare a simple, flavorful tomato sauce suited for high-heat cooking
• Fundamentals of cooking with an outdoor pizza oven, including temperature control and timing

On the Menu: 

• Neapolitan Style Pizza with house-made Kernza^® flour dough
• A Quick Classic Tomato Sauce
• Toppings Including Roasted Veggies, Pepperoni, Mozzarella and more

Please note:  We are unable to accommodate individualized changes to the menu. 

Instructors: 

Chef Cheo Smith brings his experience in kitchens of all sizes — from the home oven to producing hundreds of school lunches a day, and now, to the Farm at the Arb. A Minnesota native, Cheo is a member of the Sisseton Whapeton Oyate and descendant of the White Earth Nation. He seeks to bridge the gaps in access and knowledge that prevent many people from getting farm fresh ingredients to their dinner table. His mission is to make preparing great tasting and healthy foods accessible to the home cook.