Uncie Ro's Hand-Tossed Pizzas are Market Fresh

Roland Konicke, owner of Uncie Ro's Take and Bake Pizza, is no stranger to local Farmers Markets. He's spent the last decade or so hanging around and working at them. So when he decided to open an artisan pizza business using as many local ingredients as possible, he couldn't have been in a more perfect spot to do so. 

"We kinda know where to source, what the good farms are, who has the good tomatoes..." Konicke said as he pointed to a row of delicious looking hand-tossed pizzas, all about 10 inches in diameter, and all on sale for $10.

"Right now, we're getting these baby summer squashes from Everett Family Farm, cherry tomatoes and fresh Padron peppers from Happy Boy, ground beef and pork from El Salchichero. We do the best we can, in the winter it's hard to get tomatoes and such, but everything we use is organic and humane," Konicke said.

Konicke is no stranger to good pizza, either. He comes from New York, so he was raised eating the good stuff. He imports the high-end pizza cheese that New York pizza parlors insist on (and maybe one of the secrets that makes New York pizza taste so much better than, well...California pizza). 

His crust is made from Italian-style "double zero" flour, let proof for three to four days, then hand tossed, assembled and par-baked the day before market. I took home the grilled vegetable pizza and baked it straight on the oven rack at 400 degrees for 10 minutes as instructed, and was very happy with the results. (You can also cook these pizzas on the grill, Konicke said)

The crust was perfectly crunchy, with a little bit of whole-wheat flour mixed in. (Uncie Ro's makes both white and wheat crusts.) The grilled baby summer squashes and medallions of sliced onions were mouth-watering toppings that went perfectly with Uncie Ro's zesty tomato sauce, high quality cheese, and generous sprinkling of basil and herbs. This gourmet pizza, along with a salad made from fresh greens from Happy Boy Farms, made for a perfectly satisfying dinner for two people. 

They also freeze well, so grab a couple while the price is right, and save them to grill at your next barbecue or for a night when you would rather have someone else do the cooking for you.

My friend and I now make it a point to grab a slice of the pizza Uncie Ro's has hot and ready to eat at the market. The white pizza is another one of my favorites, with a generous amount of creamy ricotta cheese, Parmesan and mozzarella. For the meat eaters among us, the sausage and meatball pizzas are a must try, thanks to the fresh mild Italian sausage and ground beef and pork from El Salchichero.

As business has picked up, Uncie Ro's has added calzones, pretzels and pizza dough sandwiches to its repertoire. Also keep an eye out for the awesome Italian sodas made with syrups Konicke's wife makes from seasonal fruit from Four Sisters Farm and other local farms.

You can find Uncie Ro's Take and Bake Pizzas at all five of the Santa Cruz Farmers Markets, including the Scotts Valley Market, this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Scotts Valley Community Center. Get Directions.