Wood-fired ovens, what do foodies associate with? A crispy pizza baked in an Italian-style oven, or the acrid smoke rising from a country kitchen in the afternoon? Either association is… correct, because in Saigon, there is a guy who actually uses wood-fired ovens to create Italian pizzas - the Vietnamese "countryside" version.

Pizza Italia Ong Ke is located in a small alley of Tran Nao, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City. The shop only has a signboard which is a wooden cutting board, with the shop name written on it and a picture of a pizza. There are no partitions or walls, the shop's most valuable asset is the wood-fired oven in the middle of the alley. There is also no menu, just two tables, the shop owner jokingly calls this place a "street pizza shop". The shop's "decor" is... the scene of daily life in the small alley, the wall of shady trees of the neighbors.

Even if you have the address, it is difficult to enjoy Pizza Ông Kê by coming and ordering like at a normal restaurant. Because, each week, the wood-fired oven of Ông Kê only lights up once, the number of cakes sold is limited and even needs to be ordered in advance. You also only know in advance what ingredients will be in the cake, the rest is completely up to the creativity and improvisation of the owner.

The owner of this unusual pizza shop is Tran Nguyen Nha, born in 1992, currently living in Ho Chi Minh City. His main job is as a chef at a restaurant in the city, so the time he spends on his own pizza brand is limited.

“During my time working as a chef at a restaurant, I was exposed to the traditional Italian wood-fired pizza oven. Perhaps that wood-fired oven gave children like me who grew up in the countryside a sense of familiarity with the Vietnamese rural kitchens,” “Mr. Ke” shared about his relationship with the wood-fired oven. “At first, I only liked that wood-fired oven, not really interested in pizza. It was not until I was exposed to traditional Italian pizza that my thoughts and feelings began to change, gradually growing into a passion that I wanted to pursue.”

“Those who have eaten handmade pizza - the ones that are hand-kneaded, leavened for up to 24 hours and then baked in a wood-fired oven - will find it hard to eat industrial pizza again, which shortens the making process and uses readily available canned ingredients,” Nha confidently shared.

The signboard was handwritten and the wood-fired oven was also built by the owner himself. Nha used to work as a construction worker, so he practiced building ovens for his pizza shop and his small family. The wood-fired oven he currently uses for baking bread was the first one he built.

The wood stove is not only a tool, but also a companion who endures rain and sun with the shop owner. Open only one day a week, but the opening hours of the “street pizza shop” also depend on… the weather. In the dry season, the fire can be lit to bake pizza in the evening, but in the rainy season, there are days when the fire must be lit in the morning.

“During the days when Saigon is suddenly sunny and suddenly rainy, I have to weave and equip myself with a suit of armor to cook. The shirt is woven from water coconut leaves, it looks rough like a hedgehog but is very cool. Currently, the leaves are still fresh, after this sunny season, the leaves will dry and can be used during the rainy season.”

Italians have done a great job of creating dishes that are full of their own identity, they know how to skillfully use and introduce their country's ingredients such as tomatoes, olives, cheeses, etc. into every typical dish. The famous Pizza Margherita of Naples has simple ingredients - tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, salt and olive oil - but is famous worldwide for its simplicity and sophistication.

“That is a smart thing to learn, and I also want to do the same with Vietnamese ingredients on pizza.” Nha hopes to create familiar pizzas, changing the way his customers think about pizza. It is hard to find anywhere else that has unique ingredients like this street pizza shop - from farm ingredients: dried snakehead fish, dried pineapple fish... to difficult ingredients like durian, Mr. Ke also puts them into his pizzas.

Pizza Ong Ke always has options for vegetarians. In particular, we can mention the “4 Cheese” Pizza with 4 types of vegan cheese made from cashews and tofu feta cheese.

Each pizza, each rustic ingredient of Ong Ke is a story, reminding the owner of the dream of bringing the taste of his homeland further. Speaking of this, Nha casually recounted the story of "jackfruit seeds": "When I was a child in the countryside, my mother often fed the whole family young jackfruit stewed and slow-cooked for many hours, and the jackfruit seeds were roasted or boiled by us children as a dessert whenever we felt like eating." And Ong Ke's Jackfruit Pizza was born with the ingredients of young jackfruit fiber, fresh sausage, jackfruit seeds cooked and made into sauce.

"I was born and raised in Dong Nai, a place with fields, mountains, and familiar ingredients that I have been exposed to since childhood. In the process of making pizza, memories of my childhood in the countryside give me a lot of creativity."

When asked about the meaning of the name "Happy Boggart", Nha said that nearly 10 years ago, he worked as a construction worker in the sun so he was "black and white", looked like a Boggart so he gave himself the nickname Boggart, and later named the pizza shop Pizza Italian Boggart.

"In folklore, the Boogeyman is a fictional character often used by adults to scare children. Many of my customers are families with young children. I have a "mission", which is to be a Happy Boogeyman, to soothe the fear that adults have instilled in children - by making delicious pizza to bring them joy".

"I personally want to further develop my own store, but it depends on many factors, especially the economy. I really want to continue pursuing my passion for cuisine, especially the use of local ingredients in a technical way. If I could build a more proper "store", it would probably still be small, close, and familiar like what I am doing now."

"So, if you had to describe your pizza brand in just three words, what would they be?"

"I guess I just need one wordnature"That's enough."

"Peace in the hustle and bustle - that's how I feel when I come to Ong Ke Italian Pizza" - Thuy Duong, a customer who has been to Ong Ke restaurant, shared. "Italian food with the best space and ingredients in Saigon. Instead of sitting and eating leisurely in a restaurant, or watching Netflix at home, try hiding on the narrow roadside, under the shade of a tree, eating hot pizza in the cool afternoon weather. The interesting thing is not only the crispy pizza, the different delicious taste, but also watching the chef prepare it right next to you, occasionally wiping off his sweat by the flickering wood stove. While you're eating, motorbikes in the alley keep passing right next to you! One table borrows a bottle of ketchup or chili sauce from another table to chat even though they're not familiar with each other. The chef also joins in the "chat" while working.

Listening to my description, you may wonder:Where is peace?I would like to say: It is the humanity, the generosity and cuteness of each diner; the ceramic bird nests scattered on the opposite wall, and all kinds of orchids and roses also nestling on the roadside just like the people sitting there eating. Come and try it!