People

Kathy Mausshardt and Tom Gerstel, along with 1 full-time and 4 part-time employees.

About

Established in Oakland by Tom Gerstel and Kathy Mausshardt, the Copper Top Ovens pizza team serves handcrafted artisan pies using organic flours and seasonal toppings from their wood-fired oven. Their inspiration for Copper Top Ovens came while visiting a farmers market in Seattle in summer 2009, where Tom and Kathy strolled past a wood-fired pizza oven, and immediately fell in love with its design, function, and beauty.

In addition to their more traditional pizza offerings, Copper Top Ovens creates seasonal pies throughout the year known as their “market special.” This offering starts with the same base of ingredients: mascarpone, honey, truffle oil, walnuts, and dates. Fresh-from-the-market stone fruits may be added in the summer, squashes and root vegetables in the fall, and apples and pomegranates in the winter. 

Both Kathy and Tom had careers leading programs to provide vocational training in food service and gardening for underserved youth. Copper Top Ovens would help them put those values into practice as an employer.