Wood Capital Pizza opens in Downtown Jasper
KJ and Jamie Jahn laugh when they look back at purchasing the Lorey Building on Main Street in downtown Jasper about three years ago.
Only because of their early hopes to expand their wood-fired pizza business into a proper restaurant within about a year after taking ownership of the anchor on the Square’s northwestern corner.
They purchased the building because they wanted to be downtown, in the heart of the action. Plus, they wanted to preserve a historical aspect of the town while bringing their vision to life.
But bringing a new vision to life on a historical frame of the building proved to be an encompassing project, one that KJ is happy to show to the public finally.
Over the years, KJ and his team of contractors and family members have been chipping away at the building to restore its historically rich features, such as the original wood floors covered by layers of plywood and carpet and plastered brick walls, both covered up for years.
A row of south-facing windows that were boarded up when they began the work now provides a welcome sunny glow to the warm interior, featuring a mixture of rough-hewn slab countertops and modern seating from Kimball International in the hunter green colors of the business’s logo.
These renovations have revealed little bits of the building’s past, including the contractors’ signatures in decades-old plaster and newspaper clippings from the 1950s.
A mural that was rescued from a renovation at a nearby historic building overlooks the restaurant on the wall running adjacent to the entrance. KJ remembers it used to be on the Central Building across the street when he was kid. Created in 1990 by artist Jeff Johnson from French Lick, the unique mural features St. Joseph Church and other Jasper structures from one angle, but walk to the other end and you will see an homage to Jasper’s fire department with Chief Hermie Kiefer’s portrait, a fire engine with three firefighters and the original Memorial Hospital building.
KJ explained that Ken Sternberg saved the mural when he found it in a trash bin during the renovations of the Central Building many years ago, when it was turned into the pharmacy and medical supply store. He kept it in one of his and his brother’s buildings until it was sold, and he offered it to KJ, who said he knew right where it belonged.
Other portions of the restaurant also come from preserved pieces of the past. A half wall separating the room and leading patrons to the counter is made up of reclaimed planks from the building. When he ran short on the length he needed for the wall, KJ cobbled together smaller blocks he found lying around to make it work perfectly. Additionally, a beam capping the wall and the trim around the newly revealed windows is from wood salvaged by KJ from an older pole barn before it was destroyed.
When he looks around at the newly opened restaurant, with a vision towards the next phase, he is happy.
“I think it turned out better than I envisioned,” he said.
Wood Capital Pizza opened last Friday to a welcoming public with KJ and Jamie putting more than 400 pizzas through the custom-built, beautifully tiled wood-fired oven that serves as a centerpiece in the restaurant.
A stone base spins slowly next to the wood-fired flames, allowing KJ and staff to finish a pizza in about 60 to 90 seconds, depending on what a customer orders.
In addition to the technological upgrades on the pizza oven, KJ is excited about having a better climate control system. The secret to his pizza excellence is in the dough, a critical component and with the smelting heat of the midsummer bearing down on us, working outside can affect the consistency of that dough. While most wouldn’t necessarily notice any issues with the finished product, the trained pizza chef wanted excellence throughout his process.
Being inside removes that problem. He’s also added a larger industrial dough mixer to crank out the balls that eventually hold the toppings for his main menu items.
The menu features fan favorites like the Lumberyard (AKA meatlovers, his number one selling pizza) as well as the Pizza Bianca, which features bacon, crème fraiche and mozzarella. And you can never go wrong with the classic Pizza Margherita. He also has breadsticks and is making plans to add salads in the near future.
In honor of the Strassenfest, KJ is offering a German pizza, flammkuchen, which is topped with onion, bacon and crème fraiche. He has it on good authority that his flammkuchen is as good as one you can get in Germany.
“I had Father John Boeglin in last week, he’s traveled to Europe and Germany a lot,” KJ said.
Father Boeglin had to share a video with his friends in Germany to show he was having his first flammkuchen in the United States.
“He said it’s spot on,” KJ added.
They are waiting for the beer and wine license, and once approved, they will offer four craft beers on tap, including selections from local breweries, along with domestic options and bottled varieties.
Also, a freezer with ice cream from Zax is stocked for a sweet treat.
Current hours will be solidified after the Strassenfest, but the restaurant closes on Mondays and Tuesdays so KJ can restock his dough ball supply. The new space also allows the Jahns to expand their offerings to hosting special events like pizza and wine nights, private party rentals, and pizza-making classes once the operation is fully established.
The Jahns are taking a breath and time to enjoy the Strassenfest with special hours this week, and once they get their feet under them with the new restaurant, the public should expect to see more developments in the building for the next phase of Wood Capital Pizza.
Special hours are Wednesday, 3 to 8 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
More information can be found on Facebook here and on their website here which also has online ordering.
