Peter Barclay puts a pizza in the oven at Lake Village Bakery. He creates and sells his gourmet, vegetarian pizzas at the bakery every Friday and Saturday evening. (Michele Weisz photo)
By Michele Weisz
Osoyoos Times
There is a new pizza joint in town but it’s not dishing out your traditional pepperoni or ham and pineapple pies.
Peter Barclay, a baker at Osoyoos’ Lake Village Bakery, started crafting vegetarian pizzas out of the bakery on Friday and Saturday evenings.
His new gourmet pizza business, named Pete’s Za, has been in operation for just over two weeks, but Barclay has been in the food industry for over 30 years.
He said the timing for this new venture was finally right, and support from bakery owners Ian Young and Meagan Bibby helped make the idea a reality.
“They always wanted to add another menu to the bakery and have someone that’s passionate about doing something within their bakery,” Barclay said.
“Pizza came up … it was just the perfect timing.”
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While not a vegetarian himself, the bakery is completely meatless. Barclay enjoys making vegetarian pizza because coming up with the creative combinations allowed him to “flex (his) creative muscles.”
Although he found it difficult at first, the challenge “became a blessing.”
“We do need more restaurants that are vegetarian to really show people we don’t need to eat meat every single meal every single day,” Barclay said.
He tries to craft pizzas that incorporate the same textures and flavours that ones with meat would have.
The pizzas as Pete’s Za, operating out of Lake Village Bakery, are all signature and hand-crafted. (Facebook/Pete’sZa)
However, unlike most pizzerias Barclay does not simply add raw toppings onto the dough before it is baked.
Many of the toppings have been prepared – baked, braised or roasted – before they go onto the pie.
That doesn’t mean he won’t make slight alterations to the pizzas if requested, but each combination of toppings has been mulled over with care.
“It’s just a matter of having a profile in my mind,” Barclay said.
The dough for each crust is hand-rolled when ordered.
“Nothing’s pre-rolled,” Barclay said. “I don’t want people to wait too long, but I also don’t want to put out a product that I’m not happy with.”
The menu at Pete’s Za has several creations to choose from. One is “The Elizabeth,” named for Barclay’s wife who, he says, loves his pizza. He also adds a different signature pie to the menu each week.
However, although the pizza is available every weekend that doesn’t mean it’ll be around forever – at least at the Lake Village Bakery.
Barclay, a former Okanagan winery sous chef, has a goal to one day have a food truck that would allow him to both sell his pizzas and do event catering.
Until then, he’s content making his signature gourmet pizzas while coming up with new, creative vegetarian combinations.
“Pizza’s one of those things – it can be healthy, unhealthy; it can be a snack, it can be a meal,” Barclay said. “There’s lots you can do with it.”
Pete’s Za serves pizzas from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday at the Lake Village Bakery, located at 6511 Main Street.
Peter Barclay puts a pizza in the oven at Lake Village Bakery. He creates and sells his gourmet, vegetarian pizzas at the bakery every Friday and Saturday evening. (Michele Weisz)
