Orange Peel Pizza Night

In Aquinnah on Wednesday nights, a new tradition emerged a few years ago that has solidified itself as a must-do weekly event for an increasing number of people. Pizza Night at is a bring what you can, pay what you can evening of making and sharing pizza.

Juli Vanderhoop, owner of Orange Peel Bakery, takes a break from making breads and pasteries and provides the dough, sauce, cheese and the wood burning stone oven – you provide the rest.

Toppings range from the standard cheese and pepperoni to carmelized onions and goat cheese. Newly popular with the kids (and the adults) are dessert pizzas - complete with chocolate chips and marshmallows or peaches and basil.

Alea, age 11, is from Lexington, MA. She and her family are on the Island for three weeks, and she said they come to Pizza Night every Wednesday night. Her favorite topping is pineapple, but her favorite thing about pizza night is that everyone gets to share. “I like the different varieties of toppings and that if someone brings olives, everyone gets to have olives.”

Vanderhoop said it’s been one of her best summer’s yet. She hired Kayla Mederios, a pastry chef trained at Le Cordon Bleu who worked at Lambert’s Cove Inn last summer. “We’ve been having a great time,” said Vanderhoop. “We bake and beach – get up, bake, go to the beach, come back and bake again.”

"It's the best place in the world to work," siad Merderios, who was a Pizza Night on her night off.

Craig Hockemeyer of has helped Vanderhoop out since Pizza Night began, loading the oven with pizzas. “My record is 16 pizzas at once,” said Hockeymeyer.

Seven-year-old Astro's favorite thing about Pizza Night is, without a doubt, "Chocolate chip pizza," a dessert he took very seriously as carefully placed chocolate chips onto his dough.

Pizza Night at Orange Peel Bakery takes place on Wednesdays from 5 pm – 8 pm. Donations accepted. Bring a topping to share.