As crowds of people flocked to the farmers’ market in West Tisbury on Saturday morning, Nina Levin, chef and owner of Stoney Hill Pizza, pulled a warm pie out of her wood-fired oven. The pizza was a pepperoni pie with pickled shallots and hot honey, a special this week and one of the last of the day. Stoney Hill sold out of pizzas at 10:30 a.m.
Ms. Levin opened her new business on June 13, and with the help of two employees she’s been dishing out a selection of pizzas, desserts and homemade Italian cream sodas at the farmers’ market and private events around the Island. The new business, named for the Vineyard Haven road she grew up on, consists of a wood-fired pizza oven set atop a trailer. The self-sufficient vehicle is equipped with running water and refrigerator space as well as pull shelves to store ingredients, tools and wood.
Ms. Levin built the oven herself, from the axles up, with the help of friend Ty Rossi.
“I did a lot of the labor for it,” she said. “I learned how to weld and [Ty] taught me how to tile. I’ve pretty much had my hands in everything.”
The mobile component of the trailer is central to the business model. Free of the upkeep required to run an indoor restaurant year-round, Ms. Levin has the flexibility to move to different venues. She also has the freedom to make her own schedule.
Before opening Stoney Hill, Ms. Levin worked in multiple kitchens across the country—from Boston, to Portland, Maine and beyond. The idea for her pizza business came to her while working in South Carolina with chefs Melanie Durant and Cynthia Wong. The two were opening their own food trucks at the time and inspired Ms. Levin to take the leap and begin building her oven here on the Island.
For a mobile operation, Stoney Hill offers a wide range of pizzas. The menu for last Saturday included a farmers’ market themed pizza and a vegan potato pizza, but at Stoney Hill nothing remains the same for long. The menu rotates weekly, featuring staple items like the Margherita pie and Sicilian slices as well as inventive specials. This Wednesday’s menu includes a pizza with pistachio pesto, ricotta, creme fraiche and lemon.
“I love all types of pizza,” Ms. Levin said. “I’ve always just really liked the simplicity of it, but also that it can be kind of an elevated experience if you want it to be.”
Most of the pizzas on the menu use a sourdough crust, made from her own starter and many feature ingredients from local farms across the Island. She was hard-pressed to choose a favorite pie, noting the variety of pies she serves.
“That’s like picking a favorite child,” she laughed.
Ms. Levin develops her recipes as she goes, based on what is available seasonally and, most often, what she is passionate about cooking.
“I’ve always felt like I haven’t had an outlet for creativity. I’ve always worked for somebody else and I love that, but this is the first time I’ve been able to just do what I want.”
Along with the usual challenges of opening a business, Ms. Levin and her team have been faced with the added hurdle of navigating the culinary industry in the midst of a global pandemic. Ms. Levin said that although there have been challenges, there have benefits to starting up a mobile business during this time.
“I think this silver lining for opening a business [right now] is that the gathering sizes are limited and that is kind of what this is perfect for.”
The pandemic has also given her more time to hone her pizza craft without the overwhelming demand of a normal summer season.
“I know this is cliché but it’s not about the money,” she said. “It’s really not. It’s about doing something that I love every day.”
Visit stoneyhillpizza.com to pre-order for farmers’ market pickup: Monday 9-5 for Wednesday’s market and Thursday 9-5 for Saturday’s market.
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