This Hamilton man wants to make you free stoned-baked pizzas

Buying a giant pizza oven comes with a dilemma: Eat too many pies and you'll need a new wardrobe, eat too few and you'll waste ingredients.

Just ask Connor Thompson.

The 32-year-old bought a gas-powered one last week for nearly $700. It can reach 500 C in under a half-hour and cook a classic, stoned-baked pie in only 60 seconds.

He considers it another one of his niche pandemic projects - the last one being the refurbishment of a decade-old Nespresso machine. And sure, the oven was a little expensive, he sheepishly admits. But for a pizza aficionado, a machine of that calibre sings like a dream.

A flame thrower," says Thompson, who placed the L-shaped oven, running nearly 60 cm long and 60 cm wide, on the second-floor balcony of his central Hamilton apartment. It's piping hot."

A week in and Thompson is a pair of homemade pies deep - one traditional cheese, another a mix of pineapple and pepperoni - with hundreds to follow.

But therein lies the dilemma: How many slices of 'za, however tasty, can a person eat?

There's three of us in my household, and I'm sure I could eat pizza every day. I'm sure I'd be happy with that," he says. But I'm also sure I'd be entirely immobile within a year or so."

The realization of this quandary prompted Thompson to offer free pizzas via a post on Reddit.

The response was steadfast, almost overwhelming.

Since Thursday, the post has garnered nearly 200 upvotes and more than 80 comments. Some people offered trades in the form of baklava or homebrew for the whole pies, others merely commended what they consider a selfless gesture.

Will gladly follow along on your pizza journey and accept the extra pounds for you," wrote one user.

All of my birthday wishes for the past 35 years have just come true!!!" wrote another. FREE PIZZA!!!"

Thompson followed up the post with a new Instagram account (@oneguypie) which he says has already fielded a whole bunch of requests" for pizzas. It eclipsed 100 followers within hours of its creation.

It turns out that free pizza really struck a nerve," says a chuckling Thompson. I've been thankful to see that, but I really don't want anything for this, besides feedback."

So how exactly will this work?

Well, Thompson says he's mulling over different ideas but to start, the project will operate on a first-come, first-serve basis. The only caveat is the pies must be picked up. There is no such thing as free pizza and free delivery, Thompson says. That would be too good to be true.

Sometimes I might just do a random draw (on Instagram), or most liked comment, or funniest comment," he says. People can also send me a direct message."

All of the pizzas will be made from locally sourced ingredients - from the flour and the sauce to the cheese and toppings. It's something Thompson says is at the core of the project; to support your neighbours and community.

I'd love to start making things that play off my favourite Hamilton dishes," he says. I love Burnt Tongue's Bangkok fries. I bet that would make a killer pizza."

Thompson doesn't fancy himself a world-class pizza maker, but he says cooking for strangers will help him improve - and, hopefully, bring local foodies together.

If you look around, Hamilton has that kind of community to it. When you see people in need on the street ... I don't think I've been to a place that is as giving, as charitable, as Hamilton is," he says.

As soon as I thought of the idea, it just seemed right for this city."

Sebastian Bron is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sbron@thespec.com