Summer 2009
Natural Ingredients
Picnic spots and sunset views add to the flavor at Pizza on Earth in Charlotte
By Marialisa Calta
Photographed by Jim Westphalen
James “Jay” Vogler, 54, came to pizza-making the long way round. In college, he started out as an agriculture major (“I wanted to be a dairy farmer ... that lasted one semester,” he says ruefully) before switching to art. He then worked as an art installer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; and growing enamored of cooking during vacations in France, he did a stint as an apprentice for renowned chef Roger Vergé in his Michelin three-star restaurant, Moulin des Mougins, near Cannes. Along the way, Vogler married Marcia Pedersen, an apparel designer.
Weary of the city, the Voglers began searching for property in northern New England. “We wanted to run a restaurant, or a toy store, a produce farm,” says Jay. “We were all over the map.” Vermont had a strong pull; although he was raised in New Jersey, Jay has family ties here, including a camp on Sunset Lake in Orwell, relatives on a dairy farm, and distant kinship to Chester Arthur and Calvin Coolidge. In 1991, the Voglers relocated to Charlotte, in a farmhouse set on 64 acres near Lake Champlain. They wanted to farm and raise a family: son Remy is now 18, and Jordan is 16.
The Voglers supplied local restaurants and markets with salad greens and tomatoes. Somewhere along the way, Jay spied a newspaper ad for a wood-fired oven priced at $500 and bought it “more or less on a whim.” It sat in the shed, in pieces, for several years.
The couple began leasing their land to now-neighbors Dave Quickel and Emma Burrous, who farm it as part of Stony Loam Farm, a Community Supported Agriculture enterprise. In 1999, the Voglers put the oven together and fired it up: Pizza on Earth was born. Jay says he made about 10 pizzas on “a good night,” but he now cranks out as many as 125 of the crisp-crust artisan pizzas each night the eatery is open for business (see box). A member of the Vermont Fresh Network, Jay uses local seasonal products whenever possible, mainly from their own farm.
On designated summer nights, when Stony Loam CSA participants come to pick up their weekly haul, Pizza on Earth is in full swing, serving pizzas and gelato as fast as they can be made. The setup is takeout only, but many stay to dine at the few scattered picnic tables or on blankets spread on the rolling lawn.
Stacy Fraser, her husband Nate Carr and their 3-year-old, Sawyer, are among the faithful. Fraser, who works as Test Kitchen manager for EatingWell magazine, loves the thin crust and smoky flavor of the pizzas. Her favorites include “The Spudnik” — a bacon, potato and sour cream combo that Jay rotates through the offerings, as well as the superb pepperoni pizza. “Since they serve gelato, we can make a whole night of it,” she says. And she treasures the experience.
“You see all of your neighbors and friends,” says Fraser. “It’s a perfect summer social pleasure.” Like other patrons, she remarks on the “amazing” sunsets that can be viewed from the property. “What makes us happy is that we can support the CSA and another local business, Pizza on Earth,” says Fraser. “And we have such a good time doing it.”
What: Pizza on Earth, offering wood-fired pizza, freshly baked breads, pastries and homemade gelato.
Takeout only, but outdoor eating in season with views overlooking Lake Champlain.
Where: In a small, cheerful hut on the Vogler farmland at 1510 Hinesburg Road, Charlotte.
When: Hours vary; open one day a week in winter and more often in summer. Go to www.pizzaonearth.com or call (802) 425-2152 for details.
