Knead to Know Pizza hosts grand opening at Yardley Community Center

Fort Huachuca, Arizona -- The Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation hosted a grand opening Aug. 3 of its newest dining option, Knead to Know Pizza, at Yardley Community Center.

After cutting the ribbon to officially open Knead to Know Pizza, sample slices of all the specialty pizzas were offered to hungry customers.

David Lemons won the pizza recipe contest and his recipe of white sauce with cheese, bacon, spinach and parmesan called David's Ranch Bacon was featured in the pizza samples.

Dave Start, chief of the Business and Recreation Operation Divisions, explained what makes the pizza different at Knead to Know Pizza are the made-from-scratch ingredients.

"The pizza dough is a really solid dough that we are really proud of," Start said. "It cooks really nicely in our oven." Start said the pizzas are all cooked in a 625-degree, gas-powered stone oven.

"[After the] stones get nice and hot, the pizzas go in, and they get moved a couple of times on the oven to make sure we get a nice finish on the dough," he added.

Start said they make all their own sauces.

"A red sauce put together with our own recipe with spices and herbs to make it taste really wonderful. We also have a white sauce that we built basically from scratch that's made with garlic," he said.

The final sauce option plays off the military intelligence theme of the restaurant.

"A 'Secret Squirrel' sauce that goes with the 'need-to-know' theme," Start added. "That's also on a need-to-know basis. No ingredient disclosure on that sauce," joked Start.

The pizzas are between 10- and 12-inches in diameter and completely customizable.

"Customers can get what [they] want on the pizza; you choose your sauce, you chose your toppings, and you get a cheese blend," he explained. "All the ingredients are fresh."

Tim Dunnigan Jr., chief operating officer of Game Link� said the pizza was a perfect fit for Yardley Community Center.

"Soldiers love to game, and they love to eat and [do] both at the same time," Dunnigan said. "He explained that Soldiers use their stations longer with food available for purchase in the immediate area.

"We're excited for Knead to Know to open. We are excited to be partnered with FMWR at Fort Huachuca and help entertain the Soldiers and keep them fed," he added.

Start said they chose pizza for the Yardley Community Center food choice because "people really enjoy the convenience of it and the taste of it." Start also said they were looking to offer an affordable food option for Soldiers of all ranks, Families and Civilians.

Hours for Knead to Know Pizza are Fridays 5-9 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m.-8 p.m., and Sundays 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Pizza orders can be eaten at Yardley for customers 18 years and older or pizzas can be picked up to go.

Additional items on the menu including chicken wings, taquitos and other finger food options for those who do not want pizza. They also offer a dessert pizza.

Start said they would expand hours to include lunchtime if they received feedback that showed interest. He encourages customers to submit ICE comments or give them feedback.