A Friday Visit with Jim Korkis: Blaze Pizza
By Dave Shute
Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians and author of Jim’s Gems in The easy Guide, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.
BLAZE PIZZA AT DISNEY SPRINGS
By Jim Korkis
Blaze Pizza took over the space in Town Center at Disney Springs that used to be occupied by the town’s lumber mill – The Buena Vista Timber Company established in 1868. It opened August 5, 2016.
The restaurant design includes elements reminiscent of the workings of a saw mill from a prop wood planer to the layout of the dining room where the tables and benches are arranged in rows to suggest logs that have been pulled up to the mill from the springs.
The Cypress wood panels that line the counter have a rough hewn bark edge. Log hooks hold up the menu signs. Vaulted ceilings and open trusses throughout give an open and airy atmosphere to suggest the vastness of the original mill.
(c) easyWDW
The building is a showcase of the evolution of wood construction — from early, traditional timber framing to modern-day feats of high-strength wood engineering. To highlight the change, the restaurant uses single species wood in the open kitchen and ordering area.
Materials then transition to multi-species wood in the indoor dining room. The design on the outdoor patio features furniture made from eco-friendly, reclaimed wood and sawdust composite.
Award-winning Los Angeles designer Ana Henton worked with Morris Architects to bring the project to life.
On the wall under a sheet of laminate is a cross section of a log with the following description:
“This ‘sinker’ Cypress log was recovered in 2013 from Florida’s Apalachicola River where it was buried under more than two feet of river slit. At the time of its recovery, the log was estimated to weigh nearly 6,000 pounds and span just under fourteen feet in length. Experts believe the Cypress was approximately 350 years old when it was felled in 1812.
“Through careful work of a team of craftsmen, the log was split and sawn into wood used in this structure. The result of this effort is a material that displays timeless beauty, is environmentally sound, and represents a time capsule from our nation’s earliest days.”
Blaze Pizza is in a 5,000 square foot building with seating for approximately two hundred people. The first Blaze Pizza restaurant opened on August 6, 2012, in Irvine, California. It now has over 150 franchises in 31 states and Canada but none in a themed restaurant environment like this one.
Because of the business’ stated commitment to “Intelligent Choices for Our Pizzas, People & Planet,” all dough is made in-house, pizza and salad ingredients are free from artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, and the restaurant uses only eco-friendly packaging.
The concept for the restaurant is that the guest gets to build an artisanal custom pizza from selecting a variety of toppings and then the hot ovens cook it in one of the two open hearth ovens in roughly three minutes or less.
“When you think about the story of a Disney restaurant, it is the ambience, it is the structure, and the storyline that comes with the structure,” stated Teresa Roth, director of food and beverage operations integration at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
“We’re fortunate with our Imagineering partners; they have created a great storyline. It’s then taking that great storyline and creating it into a living, breathing document. The last thing you want is for somebody three years later not understand the story or the ‘why’ behind some of the elements.”
“We are excited to be part of the new Disney Springs expansion where we get the chance to introduce our super-fast artisanal pizza to guests from around the world,” says Rick Wetzel, cofounder of Blaze Pizza.
“True to Disney’s high standards, we have built an amazing flagship restaurant that will include interesting architectural elements, great service, and fantastic meals.”
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Thanks, Jim! My co-author Josh has a review of Blaze Pizza here on easyWDW.com.
And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!
In the meantime, check out his books, including his latest, Secret Stories of Disneyland, his Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew
, which reprints much material first written for this site, and his contributions to The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.
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