Pairing Organic and Local Wines with Pizza!

This past weekend I took my very first trip to California’s Napa Valley.  Given my love of wine and Napa Valley’s reputation as one of the top Viticultural Areas in America, I’m kicking myself for not making that trip a long time ago, but better late than never I guess. 

Napa Valley is beautiful at this time of year - it just the perfect temperature and there is something so fun about stumbling across a small boutique winery off the beaten path and discovering a wine that you’ll never find at retail.  And one of the wonderful things I learned on my many winery visits was just how far organic wines have come over the past few years (1,200 acres to date the Napa region alone, in fact).

What does “organic” mean when it comes to wines?  It simply means that no chemicals can be used in the vineyard; no chemical fertilizers, weed killers or insecticides. The only substance that is permitted for use is elemental sulfur, which is itself organic and which is used to prevent powdery mildew.

Both organic and local wines represent a neat opportunity for pizza operators to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Slice pizzeria, for example promotes an “Organic Wine Pairing Night” at their restaurant in New York.  For $35, clients enjoy two glasses of wine, an appetizer, gourmet pizza entree and dessert.  Mobile pizza vendor Beatrice’s Inferno, a user of the eco-friendly and multifunctional GreenBox pizza box, is invited many weekends to Galen Glen Vineyard and Winery in Andreas, PA and Va La Vineyards in Avondale, PA because these winemakers know that pizza and wine together create great draws from their local communities.

So to pizza operators that haven’t stomped their feet in the organic and local wine barrels yet - give them a chance.  By turning your organic and local wine pairings into a fun experience as did identical twin owners Slice founders Miki and Radha Agrawal and Beatrice’s Inferno owner Jason Brown, you can generate traffic, help your local and organic vineyards and most importantly, bring something different and more unique to the table than your competitors.

My personal organic fave on my visit to Napa?  Frog’s Leap!  It is a winery that tries not to take itself to seriously that has an impressive of list of very good, albeit sometimes a little pricy, wines, including zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, rosé, and even a dessert wine.  

Cheers!

Gourmet Pizza and Good Vino: Beatrice's Inferno at the Galen Glen Winery

Beatrice and the GreenBox pose for the cameras at the Galen Glen Winery.

Beatrice's Inferno is an ingenious marvel in the world of pizza-making: a wood-fired oven on wheels that cranks out critically acclaimed gourmet pizzas wherever it darn well pleases. And the man driving the oven (so to speak) is owner Jason Brown.

We love all of our customers, but Jason has distinguished himself as a true friend of the GreenBox with his tireless enthusiasm for the product. Most recently, Jason and the GreenBox made an appearance at the Galen Glen Winery, whipping up gourmet pizzas for Galen Glen's vineyard tour and wine-tasting. The hardest working man in showbiz (Sales Director Ned Kensing) was on hand for the event. As usual, the GreenBox was a huge hit with the hordes - as were Jason's unique gourmet pizza creations.

The GreenBox and Beatrice's Inferno - BFF's of the pizza world.

Thanks as always to Jason Brown and Beatrice's Inferno for their vocal support of the GreenBox - one fine example of the power of the people pushing this product to the top of the pizza packaging pile (try saying that 5 times fast).

XO,

The GreenBox Intern

A Fleeting Glimpse of 2010's Most-Covered Invention...The GreenBox (duh)!

After watching "Let’s Do Lunch" on NBC-Philadelphia, you may find your mouth watering and your stomach growling - especially when the segment features the wood-fired pizza-making genius of Jason Brown, owner and operator of the coolest pizza-dispensing vehicle in the world.

But let’s not forget that we’re tuning in for the GreenBox as well. Yes, we were in the video, in a "blink-and-you-missed-it" sorta way. Give it another watch, and around 45 seconds in, you'll see some GreenBoxes laid out as part of a glorious display of Jason's pizza. Jason has been a loyal customer and an outspoken advocate of the GreenBox, and for that we salute him - not to mention that his pizzas are both wildly creative and absolutely delicious.

The GreenBox and Beatrice’s inferno have to be the most convenient pair ever. A wood-fired pizza oven in a trailer and a box that can be used as plates! It doesn’t get any better than that. Check out the video below!!!

On The Air with the GreenBox!

Beatrice's Inferno is a truly cutting-edge business - a completely mobile, wood-fired pizza experience. Let me repeat that: Beatrice's Inferno is a wood-fired oven ON WHEELS driving around Philadelphia and cranking out some of the most delicious and adventurous pizzas in the United States. Described as a "portable pizza paradise", Beatrice's Inferno is making waves in Philadelphia with their novel combination of convenience and gourmet-quality pizza.

And speaking of convenience and quality, Beatrice's Inferno uses a very special product to deliver their pizzas to the clamoring crowds - the GreenBox. Recently, owner Jason Brown was on the air with Preston & Steve on WMMR Philadelphia. They started out talking about Jason's deliciously outre pizza offerings, but quickly realized there was something else worthy of conversation - The GreenBox.

Listen to the audio clip on YouTube. And be sure to visit Beatrice's Inferno here. Thanks, Jason!