LEMONT – Two self-described millennials have brought their passion for wood-fired pizza to Lemont, opening Wooden Paddle in an 1883 downtown building that an architect brought back to vibrant life for their venture.
Jonathan Cowan of Lemont is only 30, but no newcomer to the restaurant industry, having started a job at a pizzeria when he was just 14. At the age of 20, he purchased his own place in Orland Park, primarily a carryout spot for old-school-style pizza.
That focus changed in 2013, when he and wife Brianna became involved in the world of artisan, wood-fired pizza through the International Pizza Expo.
The following year, they began acquiring mobile ovens to launch the foundation of their business model – catering at weddings.
He said couples today often take a nontraditional approach to their big day.
[Wooden Paddle features a variety of Italian favorites perfect for sharing, such as the Burrata Caprese, featuring burrata mozzarella, grape tomatoes, basil chiffonade, olive oil and a balsamic reduction.]
"So many people our age getting married want fun, live chefs on site cooking for you – these craftsmen doing their thing," Jonathan Cowan said.
They currently have three mobile ovens, and seeing the concept's success prompted them to create the Lemont restaurant with its own wood-fired oven.
"My wife and I are both 30," he said. "We're millennials. Anybody who comes in here can tell it's not your average restaurant. It's a modern design. [We hired] an awesome architect to make a beautiful layout for us.
"It's minimalist, yet it has some really fun features," he said, citing such examples as an Instagram wall with @woodenpaddle, customer-submitted photos; and the eye-popping flamingo wallpaper in the women's restroom.
Beyond good food, Wooden Paddle is designed to be an experience. Its website calls it a communal, wood-fired pizzeria, where plates are passed, shared among friends and created to create discussion.
[Timothy Cowan cooks in the open kitchen, whose wood-fired oven is one of the fun visuals at Wooden Paddle in downtown Lemont. He is the younger brother of restaurant co-owner Jonathan Cowan.]
"The vibe is upscale casual," Jonathan Cowan said. "We want you to feel you can come here for date night."
Foodies can find a perch at the countertop wrapping around the kitchen and its oven to watch the chefs in action.
He said his wife is active back of house and is in charge of recipes, while he created the specialty dough and leads front-of-house operations. One of the new pizza favorites, Gettin' Figgy with It, combines prosciutto with fig jam, fresh mozzarella and mascarpone.
"We stay true to using food that is prepared fresh, not frozen," he said.
The Greens, Eggs and Ham pizza combines prosciutto, arugula, egg, grape tomato, applewood-smoked bacon, fontina, fresh mozzarella and basil pesto.
[Husband-and-wife Jonathan and Brianna Cowan own the newly launched Wooden Paddle in Lemont.]
Among favorite dishes is the arugula salad with pear, candied walnuts, freshly grated Parmesan and house-made maple shallot vinaigrette, according to Jonathan Cowan. And a popular starter has been the fried meatballs.
Appetizers range from a wood-fired, balsamic-marinated skirt steak with whipped Gorgonzola cream to goat cheese arancini, featuring creamy risotto and herbed goat cheese in a crispy breadcrumb crust with roasted garlic aioli.
"For dessert, we make our gelato in-house," he said, noting a homemade gelato flight showcases five flavors: caramel, pistachio, olive oil, vanilla and chocolate.
"We put a lot of work into the cocktails, pressing our citrus daily and making our syrups in-house – that pushes it to the next level; we're taking a little extra time to make it great," he said.
A favorite is Fire and Ice, a Mexican recipe with passion fruit liqueur, lime juice, fresh basil and habanero.
[Artisan cocktails like this Scofflaw are crafted at the bar, which serves beer and wine on tap through chilled lines.]
On tap are eight beers and eight wines. The delivery system features chilled lines that maintain proper temperature and eliminate exposure to air until it's poured into the glass.
"We're passionate about doing it right," Jonathan Cowan said. "I think that's why we've grown as a company over the past few years. We're thankful."
He said they are grateful for the warm reception from the Lemont community, and for the local government's helpfulness with their new enterprise.
Jonathan Cowan said he and his wife picked Lemont for their home and new restaurant because of the village's appeal to their demographic. He noted Chicago magazine last year identified Lemont as a mecca for millennials.
He's glad to have gotten an early start in the pizza world.
[The Sausage Fest pizza features fresh mozzarella, sausage, pepperoni, smoked applewood bacon and red tomato sauce.]
"I learned a lot of the science that goes into restaurants," he said, acknowledging it's a tough business. "I was lucky to do it so young. I didn't know better to quit."
The Cowans enjoy spreading their love of pizza.
"We cook at the National Restaurant Association Show [for oven maker] Marra Forni," he said of their oven purveyor. "It's cool and we meet a lot of the chefs around the industry. Every year, we bring a mobile oven to Chicago and help out the nonprofit All God's People, feeding … homeless people. … The artisan pizza community is very vibrant and very open."
Wooden Paddle, which opened in December, is beginning carryout service this month, accepting online orders.
If you go
WHAT: Wooden Paddle
WHERE: 212 Stephen St., downtown Lemont
WHEN: 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
INFO: 815-382-9252, woodenpaddle.com