Dean Saunders, the man behind Fife’s Piping Hot Pizzas, launched the business at the end of 2020 with the hope of serving up both of his skills at weddings and events across the kingdom.
The professional bagpiper regularly plays his instrument at weddings and events across the region and is now looking to add his pizza business into the mix, becoming an event caterer to the masses.
Dean, 30, started Piping Hot Pizzas – named as such to tie in with his bagpiping – from his back garden after creating delicious pizzas for his family and friends.
“I started Piping Hot Pizza around November last year and I was just making pizzas in the back garden for friends and family and just thought it was going quite well so why not turn it into something more?” said Dean.
“I’ve just taught myself how to make the pizzas really, for about 20 hours a week. That’s where it came from – just starting them in my back garden and training myself.
“I’m a full-time professional bagpiper, hence the name Piping Hot Pizza, and the aim is to run both the businesses alongside each other at weddings – I could play the bagpipes for the ceremony then serve the pizzas at the reception.
“I haven’t been able to do both at the same event yet, it’s just been one or the other.”
Piping hot
Regularly making appearances at Dunfermline’s McKane Park, Dean has recently purchased a wagon for his pizzas, meaning it will be easier for him to appear at events across the region.
“I had a pop-up gazebo that we had been using for various events,” he continued.
“Then an opportunity came up to buy a horsebox. I had seen similar things in the past but decided to buy one and my dad and I spent the majority of the weekend fitting it out.
“At the moment as we are just focusing on pop-up events, weddings and garden parties. That seems to have picked up quite well. We do have a set pitch down at McKane Park in Dunfermline and have a pop-up there every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“We’ll also be at the artisan market in Kirkcaldy in September and sometimes we are at Adventure Golf Island in Dunfermline.
“We always update our Facebook and Instagram pages with where we are going to be.”
Popular pizzas
Currently a one man band, with the occasional helper for busy events, Dean has found it a struggle to find employees following a tough year for hospitality, though the pizzas have been proving a hit.
Dean adds: “To me, the challenge wasn’t starting up a food and drink business during a pandemic, it’s been trying to find people to work for me, really.
“It’s just me making and serving the pizzas at the moment, though my sister does help quite a bit on occasion and I have another guy who comes and helps sometimes. But we’ve been busy and, most recently, busier than ever.
“We’re out two or three times at the weekend and sometimes once during the week as well so hospitality having to close for several months at the start of the year didn’t impact us directly.”
With a menu that is likely to have every pizza lover’s mouth watering, there is one that Dean feels stands out above the rest and pays homage to his other business as a self-employed bagpiper.
“One of my favourite pizzas we do is a speciality one called The Piper. It’s pepperoni, spicy sausage, red onion and Parma ham, all covered in chilli oil. That’s our special at the moment,” he added.
“The menu of 11 flavours doesn’t change that often because we find that all the pizzas we have, everyone loves. If somebody asks for something as well then we will take that on board if we can.
“That said, if people are wanting to hire us for private events and want tailored pizzas, they can get in touch with us.”