Eat together
Cook together
Be together
Community Care
# of accessible food programs offered
# people connected to food and community
# of meals created
# of volunteer hours
Come on down
The oven is a warm and inviting community space for people to cook, eat, and come together in the park.
Community Events
Join Us for a community cookout or workshop at the oven
Acadia Men's Wellness Space
Fire cook, chat, connect
Special Events
Let’s “cook up” some creative ways to connect, cook, eat, and be together in community
ABOUT THE OVEN
“The oven”, as it’s fondly called, is a warm and inviting community space for people to cook, eat, and connect together in the park. From free community events, to slow food cooking workshops, to co-cooking events that bring people together to connect, the oven is a place for all to meet, connect, and build deep relationships with each other and the land. The Front Street Community Oven Society is a not-for-profit social enterprise located at:
Robie Tuft’s Nature Centre, 160 Front Street, Wolfville, Nova Scotia
(The grassy area between the Wolfville Library and the NSLC)
Our Mantra
We are all connected
Our Vision
A community where everyone finds belonging
Our Mission
Our mission is to create a joyful space to cook together, eat together, and share stories. Through the magic of food and fire we re-imagine what it is to connect to each other and the land.
GET INVOLVED
Come join a group of people passionate about bringing people together to cook and connect.
Join Our Firemaster Volunteer Community
Our firemaster community support all the events at the oven and are trained in how to use the oven safely, manage the fire, how to cook different foods in the oven, and build community.
Make a Donation and See the Impact the Oven Has
We work very hard to ensure the oven is as inclusive and accessible as possible, part of this means having funds available for meals and programs available that are free and low cost. We couldn’t do this without a generous community of supporters.
Join Our Email Community
Be the first to get notified about upcoming events at the oven by joining our email community. There is a 3% chance you will see our Facebook or Insta posts, there’s a 90% chance you’ll see our email.
Where & when is it open?
Robie Tufts Nature Park, 160 Front Street, Wolfville, NS
Please note: the oven is re-opening in May 2022- see our update here
What people are saying
While food nourishes us, many of us also have a rocky relationship with food. For me, the Oven has been a place to work on repairing that relationship. When people come together with their own foods and recipes, it’s a chance to try new dishes and explore new flavours. When I bring food I’ve made to share during events like Taco night, it let’s me take pride in how far I’ve come with my cooking and my relationship with food. Each time I show up to the oven I find a beautiful community where I can challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone while connecting over incredible food experiences.
My name is Sarah and this is my third year as a fire master. I love the whole idea of the oven–a place where everyone in our community is welcome to come together, to cook and to share food, to meet new people, to experiment and to learn, all in a very relaxed, fun and supportive environment. Don’t know how to cook pizza in a wood-fired oven? Don’t worry; neither did I when I first volunteered to be a fire master. We learn by doing and the fire masters are there to guide you. So come on over–I hope to see you soon!
I have experienced the oven as a warm place to connect and build relationships in community. Food and a hot fire bring people together like nothing else, and I’ve had the pleasure to meet so many people at the oven, coming together to learn and share. The oven facilitates the public park space as being one of community connection, and these relationships always centre on sharing and learning together. Every time I’m at the oven, I learn something new, and often get to share something – a trick to handling dough, a pita technique, a delicious recipe idea, a piece of fresh pizza, a borrowed knife, etc. The oven builds community connection and local food knowledge, and helps encourage relationships based on sharing and being in community together. The oven is one of my favourite places to be, and it reminds me that accessible community food hubs like this are vital for community resilience.
what’s coming up
Be the first to get notified about upcoming events at the oven by joining our email community.
Updates and Recipes
Wood Fired Pita Recipes
Sourdough and yeast leavened pita dough recipes
Farinata or Socca Recipe (Chickpea flour based gluten free alternative to pizza)
1 cup chickpea flour garbanzo bean flour1 cup water2 tbs olive oil1 garlic clove minced1 tsp sea salt1 tsp crushed rosemary1/4 white onion finely chopped2 tsp olive oil Optional:...
Thursday Wood Fired Experiments (Tacos, Pitas, Roasting etc.)
Wood-fired tacos, farinata, roasted vegetables etc. Our community oven experiments with baking things other than pizza in the oven.
Aug 12, 2021- Experiment Thursday’s: Pitas and Flatbreads
Hello! We would love to invite you to an evening of food experimentation, learning, and fun at the community oven. Every Thursday night from 6:00-8:30pm, we will be hosting space at the oven to explore new foods cooked in a wood-fired oven, celebrate local produce,...
Detailed Guide: How To Start A Community Wood-Fired Oven Project
One of the blessings of the pandemic was writing this guide on how to Start a Community Oven. We wrote the guide to support the Bedford United Church to start their outdoor kitchen space, and as a guide for starting other community oven projects who could benefit from...
Looking ahead to our 2021 Oven season
We've got pretty big plans! This is the third season for the Front Street Community Oven, and we're excited! We were hoping this year would be a regular season (our first season was short because we were building, our second...
what’s coming up
Be the first to get notified about upcoming events at the oven by joining our email community.
Our Supporters
Founding Donor List
Founding Donor Wall
Hundreds of amazing people have contributed to the community oven, we are working on a space here to include everyone in a meaningful way. At the moment we are consumed with building the rest of the oven building space where we can properly recognize all the people who have contributed. Please bear with us. Thank you so much. We love you dearly!