Our big open spaces, sense of community and wine were a massive draw card for Trent Warren of Roving Pizza. Trent, his wife Theresa, their 3 daughters along with their pizza business, and horses, have recently moved to Wairarapa from Northland.
The family had set up Roving Pizza in Waipu where they made a reputation for the very best traditional Napolitana style wood-fired pizzas.
“Making pizza started off as a hobby for me,” Trent Warren noted. “I had previously worked as a head chef in fine dining restaurants, specifically Toto in Auckland when my passion for Italian food first started. Then, when Theresa and I started a family … I decided to change up my career, dabbling in real estate and beekeeping.
“But I kept making pizzas, experimenting with traditional Italian methods, and serving my creations to friends and family,” says Trent.
With strong encouragement from friends to take his hobby public, Roving Pizza was born.
“Finding my perfect dough made for some epic failures early on, but I have now perfected a particular style of dough using a preferment process known as the poolish style dough. The style has Polish origins, and is similar to a sourdough starter, which is fermented for 16 to 24 hours.
In the Wairarapa, Trent searched for a place to set up his business.
“I absolutely love wine, so Martinborough and its reputation for making exquisite wines was definitely a major pull – and what better accompaniment to pizza than a beautiful glass of Pinot or Chardonnay.
“Nga Waka had just opened their new cellar door and I saw that Nara had a temporary spot there. I got in touch with (general manager) Mick (Hodson) and came to look around.
“Nga Waka cellar door is beautiful, they have an awesome, passionate cellar door team, the wines are exceptional and they have plenty of space for us to set up. It felt like the perfect partnership,” he said.
Roving Pizza are serving their authentic Napolitana pizzas every Saturday and Sunday 11am – 4pm at Nga Waka Winery, with plans to add more days and extend the menu.
