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Why the barter system?

It’s less complicated than running around in the rat race where people are stressed out about their lives and are miserable. I figured I’d just keep it simple.

Life philosophy:

I try to keep things as mellow and peaceful as possible. I try to make a difference every day, whether it’s picking up trash on the side of the road or helping someone for free and not expecting something back.

What’s under the hat:

Hair. Normal hair!

Recipes

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Heirloom Tomato Pizza

If you’ve never seen the huge selection of wonderful and colorful heirloom tomato varieties out there, then you need to get out to the market. We think of our pizza Margherita as the Italian flag in a psychedelic mood—and when you’ve got fresh basil and perfectly ripe tomatoes, it’s a quintessential summertime meal. Add the tomatoes after par-baking the pizza so they just warm up but don’t release too much juice. We buy our heirloom tomatoes from Serendipity Farms in Carmel Valley, which grows over twenty different varieties. We like a selection of Brandywine, Green Zebra, and Sungold—and the list keeps growing.

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INGREDIENTS

Bread flour, for dusting

1 recipe pizza dough, shaped into 2 balls and refrigerated at least overnight

4 tablespoons tomato sauce

4 tablespoons grated Parmesan

3 medium assorted heirloom tomatoes, sliced

8 ounces (2 to 3 balls) buffalo mozzarella, sliced into rounds

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

6 fresh basil leaves, julienned

Makes 2 pizzas

One hour before you start baking, adjust the oven rack to the lower position, put a baking stone on it, and preheat the oven to 450ºF.

Generously dust the surface of a pizza peel (a flat wooden or metal shovel with a long handle) with bread flour. Lightly flour a work surface.

Working with one ball of pizza dough, dip your hands and the dough in the bread flour to make them less sticky, and pat the dough down into a disk shape with the palm of your hand. Once the disk is large enough, drape the dough over your fists and carefully start stretching and expanding the dough from underneath to form a round that is 10 to 12 inches in diameter. (If you’re feeling lucky, try tossing the dough over your head in a circular motion to stretch the dough.)

Place the dough on the prepared peel and spread 2 tablespoons of the tomato sauce evenly over the surface, leaving a ½-inch border uncovered. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan over the tomato sauce.

Before you put the pizza in the oven, do the “stick test”: shake the peel slightly to make sure the pizza is not sticking (if it is, carefully lift the section that is sticking and sprinkle a bit more flour underneath). Then slide the pizza directly onto the baking stone and bake it for 4 to 6 minutes, until the pizza is slightly browned.

Using the peel, remove the pizza from the oven. Arrange half of the sliced tomatoes on top of the pizza, and then arrange half of the sliced mozzarella over the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, put it back in the oven, and bake for another 4 to 6 minutes—the mozzarella should melt but still maintain its shape and the tomatoes should be just warmed through. (Do not overbake—the tomatoes will start to release too much juice and the pizza will be soggy.)

Use the peel to remove the pizza and place it on a cutting board. Let it cool for 2 minutes. Then top it with half of the basil, slice, and serve immediately.

Prepare your second pizza the same way.

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Rockfish Scampi and Flatbread

When you hear the word scampi, you usually think of shrimp. But since Wayne and Forrest are always bringing in rockfish, we decided to come up with our own version of this old-school favorite.

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INGREDIENTS

FOR THE FLATBREAD:

Bread flour, for dusting

1 recipe pizza dough, shaped into 2 balls and refrigerated at least overnight

¼ cup olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE SCAMPI:

2 tablespoons rice bran oil or canola oil

½ yellow onion, finely chopped

½ carrot, finely chopped

1 small celery