Ooni Pepperoni Pizza at McGuckin Hardware: Easy Summer Pizza for a Crowd

A Day of Ooni pepperoni pizza, Community, and Summer Fun in Boulder

One of my favorite parts of running ThisJewCanQue is getting out from behind the camera and connecting with people in person. While I love creating recipes, filming videos, and sharing backyard cooking content online, there’s something special about serving food directly to people and hearing their reactions firsthand.

This weekend, we had the opportunity to partner with McGuckin Hardware in Boulder during their annual Wags & Whiskers event. It was a fantastic day filled with families, pet lovers, community members, and plenty of great conversations. We set up our booth under the McGuckin Hardware tent with a pair of Ooni pizza ovens and spent the day serving samples of two crowd favorites: Ooni pepperoni pizza with hot honey and smoked cream cheese topped with strawberry jalapeño jam on Ritz crackers.

As a teacher, cookbook author, and backyard cook here in Colorado, I love opportunities to show people that great food doesn’t have to be complicated. The recipes we chose for this event were approachable, family-friendly, and easy to recreate at home. The response throughout the day confirmed exactly what I’ve learned over years of cooking for friends, family, and followers: simple food done well almost always wins.

Partnering with McGuckin Hardware for the Wags & Whiskers Event

If you’ve ever visited McGuckin Hardware in Boulder, you know it’s much more than a hardware store. It’s one of those places where you can walk in looking for a single item and leave an hour later after discovering something new. The store has become a community hub and a destination for homeowners, gardeners, pet lovers, and outdoor cooking enthusiasts throughout Colorado.

When the opportunity came up to participate in their Wags & Whiskers event, we jumped at the chance. The event brought together local businesses, pet owners, and families for a day of shopping, demonstrations, and activities. It was the perfect environment to introduce people to outdoor pizza cooking while sharing some delicious food.

Our goal for the day was straightforward. We wanted to serve something memorable, show people how easy pizza can be, and highlight a few shortcuts that make cooking at home more accessible for busy families.

The setup included two Ooni pizza ovens, plenty of prep space, and enough ingredients to keep fresh pizzas coming throughout the event. Before long, people started gathering around the ovens to watch pizzas cook and ask questions about the process.

One of the best parts of these events is the conversations. Throughout the day, we met longtime followers, fellow backyard cooks, pizza enthusiasts, and plenty of people who were discovering ThisJewCanQue for the first time. Those personal interactions are something social media simply can’t replace.

Why We Chose Pepperoni Pizza for the Event

When you’re serving samples to hundreds of people, it’s important to choose something that appeals to nearly everyone.

Pepperoni pizza remains popular for a reason. It’s familiar, comforting, and universally loved. Kids enjoy it. Adults enjoy it. It holds up well for sampling. And it cooks beautifully in a high-heat pizza oven.

While we considered several specialty pizza options, we ultimately decided that a classic pepperoni pizza would be the best choice for the event. We wanted attendees to focus on the quality of the ingredients and the cooking method rather than an unusual topping combination.

To add a fun twist, we served hot honey alongside the pizza. Guests could drizzle as much or as little as they wanted onto their sample. For many people, it was their first time trying hot honey on pizza, and the reactions were overwhelmingly positive.

The sweetness of the honey balances perfectly with the savory pepperoni and rich mozzarella. It takes a familiar pizza and turns it into something memorable.

Throughout the day, people came back for additional samples, often bringing family members with them. That’s usually the best indicator that you’ve chosen the right menu.

The Secret to Feeding a Crowd: Smart Shortcuts

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as both a teacher and a backyard cook is that success often comes from simplifying rather than complicating.

Could we have made every pizza component completely from scratch? Absolutely.

Would it have made sense for an event serving hundreds of people? Probably not.

Instead, we focused on smart shortcuts that saved time without sacrificing quality. This approach allowed us to spend our energy where it would have the biggest impact while still producing food that tasted homemade.

Many attendees assumed we had spent days preparing everything from scratch. In reality, we simply made smart decisions about where to invest our time and effort.

The result was pizza that tasted fantastic while remaining realistic for families to recreate at home.

The Best Pizza Shortcut: Sam’s Club Sheeted Dough

The ingredient that surprised people most was the dough.

Rather than making dough from scratch, we used sheeted pizza dough from Sam’s Club. If you’ve never used it before, it’s one of my favorite pizza shortcuts.

The dough comes pre-portioned and already sheeted. It simply needs to thaw before use. That’s it.

No mixing. No kneading. No waiting for multiple rises. No complicated dough calculations.

For a busy event where consistency matters, this shortcut was invaluable.

Several guests specifically asked where we purchased the dough because they assumed it was homemade. That alone tells you how well it performs.

For families looking to make pizza night easier, this dough is a fantastic option. It allows you to focus on toppings, sauce, and spending time together rather than worrying about dough preparation.

Why Cornmeal Makes a Difference

One simple detail helped make the pizza process run smoothly all day long.

Before assembling each pizza, we dusted the pizza peel generously with cornmeal.

This serves two important purposes. First, it helps prevent sticking when launching the pizza into the oven. Second, it adds a subtle texture and flavor to the finished crust.

Anyone who has had a pizza stick to the peel knows how frustrating that can be. Cornmeal acts almost like tiny ball bearings underneath the dough, helping it slide effortlessly into the oven.

It’s a small detail, but one that makes a huge difference.

Upgrading Store-Bought Pizza Sauce

While the dough received plenty of compliments, the sauce may have been the true star of the day.

We started with a quality jarred pizza sauce and then enhanced it with a few simple additions.

First, we sautéed diced onion and fresh garlic in olive oil until softened and fragrant.

Go Big On Garlic Junkie

Next came a generous amount of Garlic Junkie seasoning from my Spiceology collaboration.

Once those flavors had developed, we added the jarred sauce along with dried basil and oregano. The sauce simmered gently for several hours, allowing the flavors to combine and the sauce to reduce slightly.

Toward the end of cooking, we stirred in a large handful of shredded Parmesan cheese.

That final addition gave the sauce extra richness, depth, and body. The result tasted far more complex than the original jarred version while requiring very little additional work.

Several people asked what made the sauce taste different. The answer was surprisingly simple: garlic, onion, Garlic Junkie, herbs, and time.

Why Garlic Junkie Works So Well in Pizza Sauce

Garlic is one of the foundational flavors of great pizza.

Garlic Junkie helps amplify that flavor while bringing additional herbs and savory notes to the sauce. It creates a more developed flavor profile without requiring a long list of ingredients.

One of my favorite things about Garlic Junkie is its versatility. We use it on chicken, beef, vegetables, potatoes, and seafood. This event demonstrated that it also works beautifully in pizza sauce.

The seasoning helped create a sauce that tasted homemade while still keeping the recipe approachable for everyday cooks.

If you’re already making pizza at home, try adding Garlic Junkie to your next batch of sauce. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results. And don’t forget to stock up on your favorite garlic-forward seasoning here. It’s also sold at McGuckin!

Choosing the Right Cheese

For this event, we kept things simple once again.

We used bagged shredded mozzarella from Sam’s Club. Specifically, the off-the-block style mozzarella.

The cheese melted beautifully and created the stretchy, bubbly texture people expect from great pizza. It browned nicely in the Ooni ovens and paired perfectly with the sauce and pepperoni.

Sometimes convenience products perform incredibly well when paired with good technique. This cheese was a perfect example.

Pepperoni Remains the King of Pizza Toppings

There is a reason pepperoni continues to dominate pizza menus.

As the pizza cooks, the pepperoni releases flavorful oils that blend with the cheese and sauce. The edges crisp slightly, the flavors concentrate, and every bite becomes more delicious.

For our event Ooni pepperoni pizza, we weren’t shy with the pepperoni. Each pizza received a generous layer because we wanted every sample to showcase the classic flavor combination people know and love.

The result was exactly what we hoped for: pizza that disappeared almost as quickly as we could make it.

Cooking Pizza in the Ooni Ovens

The Ooni ovens quickly became the center of attention.

People were fascinated by how quickly the pizzas cooked and how much heat the ovens generated. Throughout the day, guests gathered around to watch pizzas bake and ask questions about the process.

The workflow was simple.

• Stretch the dough.
• Add sauce.
• Top with cheese.
• Add pepperoni.
• Launch into the oven.
• Rotate as needed.
• Cook until bubbly and browned.
• Slice and serve.

The ability to cook pizzas in just a few minutes allowed us to maintain a steady flow of fresh food throughout the event. That speed is one of the biggest advantages of cooking with an Ooni.

Whether you’re feeding your family on a weeknight or entertaining a large group, the efficiency is hard to beat.

Building the ThisJewCanQue Event Setup

One thing I’ve enjoyed recently is expanding beyond backyard cooking and into more live events and demonstrations.

This event was also the debut of some new ThisJewCanQue branding, including our embroidered apron and branded table setup. It was exciting to see everything come together in a professional and cohesive way.

Events like this help bring the online brand into the real world. They create opportunities to connect with followers, meet new people, and share food directly with the community.

The support throughout the day was incredible and reminded us why we enjoy doing this so much.

What We Learned from the Event

Every event teaches something new.

One lesson from this event was that people are actively looking for approachable cooking solutions. They don’t necessarily want complicated recipes or specialty ingredients. They want food that tastes amazing and feels achievable.

The shortcuts we used throughout the day resonated with people. They appreciated learning that great pizza doesn’t require homemade dough or complicated techniques.

• They liked seeing how a jar of sauce could be transformed with a few simple additions.
• They loved discovering how quickly an Ooni oven can produce restaurant-quality pizza.
• Most importantly, they left feeling inspired to try it themselves.

As someone who spends his days teaching and his evenings cooking, that’s exactly the outcome I hope for.

Easy Ooni Pepperoni Pizza Recipe

Ingredients

For the Pizza

• 1 sheet Sam’s Club pizza dough, thawed
• Cornmeal for dusting
• 1/2 cup prepared pizza sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 15-20 pepperoni slices
• Hot honey for serving

For the Upgraded Sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons Garlic Junkie seasoning
• 1 jar pizza sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Sauté onion until softened.
3. Add garlic and cook for one minute.
4. Stir in Garlic Junkie seasoning.
5. Add pizza sauce, basil, and oregano.
6. Simmer for 2-3 hours until slightly reduced.
7. Stir in Parmesan cheese.
8. Preheat your Ooni pizza oven.
9. Dust a pizza peel with cornmeal.
10. Place thawed dough on the peel.
11. Add sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni.
12. Launch into the oven.
13. Cook 3-5 minutes, rotating as needed.
14. Remove when browned and bubbly.
15. Slice and serve your Ooni pepperoni pizza with hot honey.

Other Pizza Inspiration from ThisJewCanQue

If you liked this Ooni pepperoni pizza inspiration, here are some other pizza recipes to share from my site:

• Peach, prosciutto & hot honey pizza
• Philly cheesesteak pizza
• Zucchini and cheddar crusted pizza
• Grilled tri-tip pizza

Final Thoughts

The McGuckin Hardware Wags & Whiskers event was a fantastic way to kick off summer cooking season. Between the Ooni-fired pepperoni pizzas, the smoked cream cheese samples, and the opportunity to meet so many great people, it was a day we’ll remember for a long time.

The biggest takeaway from the event was simple: great pizza doesn’t have to be complicated. A few smart shortcuts, quality ingredients, and a hot pizza oven can produce incredible results that rival many pizzerias.

As a dad, teacher, cookbook author, and year-round backyard cook here in Colorado, I’m always looking for ways to make outdoor cooking more approachable for families. This pizza checks every box. It’s easy, affordable, customizable, and perfect for summer gatherings.

If you’re planning a pizza night this summer, give this method a try. And if you see us at a future event, be sure to stop by and grab a slice. We would love to meet you. 🍕