Every day we’re talking to pizza oven owners all over Australia. And after hundreds of these conversations, a few things are clear. The decision to buy a wood-fired oven often starts with food but it rarely ends there. What begins as a desire for better pizza often becomes a shift in how people cook, host, and connect with others.
Here’s what we’ve learned from hearing their stories, firsthand.
People come to Jalando with different goals. Some are renovating and want a new centrepiece. Others are reclaiming time outdoors. A few simply want a reason to cook more often.
But once the oven is installed, it often becomes a central part of daily life. One couple who hadn’t used their backyard in years now cook outside three nights a week. Another customer added a second oven at their holiday property because it had become such a natural part of how they entertained.
Pizza may be the first thing they cook. But it is rarely the last.
Once owners are comfortable with fire and dough, the menu begins to change.
Many turn to our recipe collection to explore what’s possible. Rustic fruit pie, oven roasted dips, halloumi and vegetable skewers and even Easter hot cross buns are all on the list.
One owner said they bought the oven to make pizza. Now they use it to cook almost everything they used to do indoors.
Wood fire draws people in. It breaks the usual separation between kitchen and table. The atmosphere changes.
Guests offer to help. Children shape dough. Someone always takes charge of the peel. The oven becomes part of the gathering, not just the cooking.
In one Melbourne suburb, a group of neighbours began meeting weekly in a garage for shared cook-ups. It started small. Now it is a standing invitation, with people bringing sides, drinks and stories. The fire brought structure and warmth to a space that was never meant to be a dining room.
We often hear that customers purchase a wood fired pizza oven mostly as a cooking tool. But soon, the outdoor space became the place people naturally gathered. The chairs moved closer. The lighting changed. The garden shifted.
At Yarra Yarra Golf Club, the installation of a single oven led to a new outdoor cooking menu and more relaxed event planning. Their guests now spend more time outside, and the oven plays a role in how those events flow.
It does not take much. A small fire in the right place can change how a space feels and functions.
Many customers wait. They’re unsure how much they will use it. They wonder if it will be too hard. They delay the decision.
But almost everyone says the same thing once they’ve had it for a few months. The oven did more than meet expectations. It changed what they expected from cooking at home. Meals became events. Those events became routines. The fire became part of their household rhythm. Outdoor cooking was now a firm part of their lifestyle.
The wood fired pizza oven is often just the beginning. What follows is shaped by the people around it, the meals cooked in it and the way it slows things down.
If you are still deciding, talk to someone who has already made the leap. You will hear about pizza, of course. But you will also hear about everything else that followed.
You can explore real stories from Jalando customers, or browse the full oven range to see what suits your space.
