{"url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-28/flatbread-company-bedford-clay-ovens","markdown_url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-28/flatbread-company-bedford-clay-ovens.md","title":"Flatbread Company Builds Two Clay Ovens for Bedford Restaurant","headline":"Flatbread Company Builds Two Clay Ovens With Dozens of Volunteers in Bedford","description":"Flatbread Company built two cob clay ovens in Bedford with dozens of volunteers over two days, ahead of a restaurant that will hire 30 to 50 people.","section":"Expansion","published_at":"2026-10-28T08:31:29+00:00","modified_at":"2026-10-28T08:31:29+00:00","author":"News Desk","key_takeaways":["Flatbread Company built two clay ovens in Bedford over two days with dozens of volunteers.","The Bedford restaurant will hire about 30 to 50 people and hold community fundraisers every Tuesday night.","The ovens use cob bricks of clay, sand, straw and wood ash over alder-branch frames, with soapstone bases from Pierres Stéatites Inc. in Quebec."],"companies":[{"name":"Flatbread Company","is_primary":true,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000tgmr/flatbread-company","website":"https://flatbreadcompany.com"}],"source":{"publisher":"Yahoo","title":"Flatbread Co. enlists the help of dozens to build its clay ovens in Bedford","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/flatbread-co-enlists-help-dozens-080200919.html"},"other_sources":[{"publisher":"FinancialContent Business Page","url":"https://www.financialcontent.com/article/bizwire-2026-10-15-delmonicos-hospitality-group-opens-boogie-bakery-and-bistro-in-washington-heights-nyc"},{"publisher":"EIN Presswire","url":"https://www.einnews.com/article/950297294/live"}],"tags":["Expansion","Flatbread Company"],"body_markdown":"[Flatbread Company](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000tgmr/flatbread-company) built two clay ovens for its soon-to-open Bedford restaurant over two days, using hundreds of clay bricks and dozens of volunteers, [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/flatbread-co-enlists-help-dozens-080200919.html) reported on October 28, 2026. The restaurant will hire about 30 to 50 people and hold community fundraisers every Tuesday night.\n\n## How the Bedford Clay Ovens Were Built\n\nDozens of people showed up to make the bricks after Flatbread advertised its \"Clay Day\" with banners at what will become its newest location inside the former IHOP in Bedford. Volunteers were paid with slices of pizza and drinks. The handmade bricks, known as cob, are made from a mixture of clay, sand, straw and wood ash.\n\nJohnny Summers of Moretown, Vermont, has made about 35 of these ovens in the past and said each of the soft lay bricks is smooshed together over a frame made of alder branches. \"We end up having a 12-inch-thick wall of this over the whole dome,\" he said.\n\nAmy Marchessault, manager of the chain's Portland, Maine, location, said the event was about bringing people from the community together. \"They are old world ovens,\" she said. \"The community used to bring their bread together and bake their bread in a communal oven, and that is what these are based off of.\"\n\nClay Westbrook, president of the company, said the oven base is made from soapstone imported from Pierres Stéatites Inc. in Quebec, and the pure clay was brought in from Maine. \"It's a pretty simple process,\" Westbrook said. \"It just takes a lot of people and a lot of time.\" Flatbread chose 224 S. River Road in Bedford after looking at the property several times, needing a building that could accommodate the weight of the clay ovens and chimneys, he said.\n\n## Flatbread's Six Hearths and Retail Line\n\nFlatbread Company is a privately held wood-fired pizza chain founded in 1998, according to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data). The same records list six operating hearths, in Amesbury MA, Portland ME, Portsmouth NH, North Conway NH, Providence RI and Paia Maui HI, and a headcount range of 101-250. In August 2020 the company launched a Flatbread Company @Home retail product line of house vinaigrette, slow-cooked pizza sauce and fresh organic dough at company-owned locations.\n\n## Other Bakery Openings This Month\n\nDelmonico's Hospitality Group opened Boogie Bakery & Bistro at 4015 Broadway in Washington Heights on October 15, 2026, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with on-site sourdough, [FinancialContent Business Page](https://www.financialcontent.com/article/bizwire-2026-10-15-delmonicos-hospitality-group-opens-boogie-bakery-and-bistro-in-washington-heights-nyc) reported. IZOLA will open a second bakery in Sorrento Valley in December, replacing the closed California English restaurant and doubling its daily output to 1,400 croissants, [EIN Presswire](https://www.einnews.com/article/950297294/live) reported on October 16, 2026.\n\n## What Happens Next at the Bedford Site\n\nThe cob will cure with fires that will eventually increase to 900 degrees, according to the report. Each Flatbread location has an open kitchen where patrons can see the oven and the pies being made by hand.\n","publisher":{"name":"News for Agent","url":"https://newsforagent.com"}}