Becoming the only VPN-certified pizzeria in Idaho (and one of only 21 in the U.S.) was no minor undertaking. The certification is based on a 15-point criteria that includes the use of a wood-fired oven, maintained at temperature of over 800 degrees, authentic Caputo Italian flour, imported San Marzano tomatoes (cultivated on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius), fior de latte fresh milk mozzarella, and fresh herbs.
Step inside either of Flatbread Community Oven’s locations in Boise and Meridian, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that the restaurant has a long established corporate pedigree. You’d be half right. Although Flatbread’s origins go back only a few years, its founders, Cameron Lumsden and his brother Rob and sister-in-law Lisa, cut their teeth in a couple of highly successful restaurant chains: P.F. Chang’s and Fleming’s Steak House and Wine Bar. For Cameron, the door to a career as a restaurateur opened when the door of a musical career seemed to close.
It was witnessing how a well-designed restaurant concept could grow, and the desire to come home to Idaho, that inspired the Lumsdens to create their own restaurant. Their decision as to culinary mission came largely from two things they loved as restaurant goers: good wine and good pizza. In a visit to a restaurant in Seattle, Rob came across a pizza place that specialized in authentic Neapolitan pizza. It was this discovery that led to yet another – and the one that would define the Flatbread Community Oven concept – verace pizza napoletana.
Verace pizza napoletana (VPN) had its origins in 1984, when a group of friends who represented the old tradition of pizza makers in Naples founded the VPN Association. Their aim was “to protect and cultivate the culinary tradition of the Neapolitan pizza”. On September 15, 1997 the Italian government awarded the VPN a “denomination of control” (D.O.C) or Certificate of Origin.
Becoming the only VPN-certified pizzeria in Idaho (and one of only 21 in the U.S.) was no minor undertaking. The certification is based on a 15-point criteria that includes the use of a wood-fired oven, maintained at temperature of over 800 degrees, authentic Caputo Italian flour, imported San Marzano tomatoes (cultivated on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius), fior de latte fresh milk mozzarella, and fresh herbs. The certification also requires hand pressed dough, which Flatbread makes in-house daily using only three ingredients and an imported Italian mixer. Before the certification can be awarded, a VPN representative must review a restaurant’s adherence to the D.O.C criteria.
On June 1, 2006, the Lumsdens opened their first restaurant in southeast Boise’s Bown Crossing. A year later they opened their Meridian restaurant on Main Street, and have also opened a location in Bend, Oregon. “While our concept certainly is NOT about ‘13 pizzas for $9.99’, neither do we think of ourselves as a ‘gourmet’ pizza place. We want to have something for everyone who visits us, but the common denominator is our refusal to skimp on quality. We learned the importance of that from our experience with Fleming’s.”
While the Flatbread menu boasts much more than pizza (including a killer mac & cheese, focaccia sandwiches, lasagna, and chopped salads), the restaurant’s signature dishes are pizza and wine. “You should start with one of our wines, or perhaps a local wine flight,” Cameron recommends. “Then move on to a baked goat cheese with fire roasted tomatoes and sea salt and parmesan flatbread with dipping sauces as an appitizer. If you feel awed by the pizza selection, our servers have been trained to help create a menu around your culinary preferences…but pizza is mandatory.”
For a first time visit, the Flatbread experience is best achieved with a D.O.C. Neapolitan pizza. There are five on the menu, but Cameron recommends the Tomato Margherita or the Quattro Formaggi (fior de latte, fontina, romano, and parmesan cheeses with basil, garlic and pomodoro). Pair these with the restaurant’s popular chicken apple walnut chopped salad with house made apple cider vinaigrette. If you’re feeling less “old school”, your choice of pie ranges from Maple-Fennel Sausage and Asparagus Prosciutto to Tuscan Chicken and B.A.T. (bacon, arugula, tomatoes extra virgin olive oil, pesto aioli with a balsamic glaze).
“Our goal,” says Cameron Lumsden, “is for people to leave wondering when the next time is that they’ll be back, whether they came here as a family, on a business lunch, or on a date night.”
Flatbread Community Oven’s Meridian restaurant is located at 830 N. Main St. For information, call (208) 288-0969
