Make your own wood-fired oven

This course is ideal for people who are passionate about wood-fired food, including pizzas, and love the smell of fresh crusty bread and focaccias being cooked the traditional way.

Elizabeth Charles, head teacher in arts and media, said this was an active, fun workshop, designed to give all participants the knowledge and skills needed to construct their own pizza oven, without great expense and without requiring specialist equipment.

"Two wood-fired ovens will be built over the two days, using different construction methods," Ms Charles said. "Participants will gain the experience necessary to decide which type of oven suits their cooking preference and budget.

"One oven will be made from sophisticated refractory materials, while the other will be constructed from locally available low-cost materials such as clay and sawdust.

"By the end of the second day the low-cost oven will be ready to fire up and cook delicious wood-fired pizzas for all to enjoy!"

Simon Bowley has been teaching ceramics at Moss Vale and Goulburn campuses since 1998 and has been a practicing potter for more than 25 years, building numerous kilns, including high temperature bourry box and anagama style wood-fire kilns.

He has also built gas-fired, fibre, raku and stoneware kilns. Simon has also designed and built various styles of pizza ovens over the years, using low and high technology.

The Pizza Oven Weekend Workshops are hugely popular and bookings are essential. Payment of the course fee of $270 is required to secure a place. The workshop runs from 9.30am to 4pm on Saturday October 20 and Sunday October 21.

Visit www.illawarra.tafensw.edu.au to make your bookings for this Fast Track Commercial Course # 29039, (Design, Build and Fire a Wood-Fire Pizza Oven with Simon Bowley).