Welcome to our new web site!

To give our readers a chance to experience all that our new website has to offer, we have made all content freely avaiable, through October 1, 2018.

During this time, print and digital subscribers will not need to log in to view our stories or e-editions.

Dining

Firehouse Mobile Wood Fired Pizza in Las Cruces gets new owners

Posted

LAS CRUCES - The former owners of Firehouse Mobile Wood Fired Pizza, a popular staple of the Farmers & Crafts Market of Las Cruces, have decided to pass on the torch to someone else.

Jeremiah Richardson, who ran Firehouse with his wife Lisa and daughter Myah, announced on social media that he would be selling the business in mid-September due to health reasons. The new owners are Terry Smiley and Jia Wedel, who will continue setting up shop at the farmers market on Wednesdays and Saturdays beginning in October.

“I think it’s great that we’re able to keep the business local and keep it going because I know there are a lot of people out there who really enjoy the firewood pizza,” Smiley said.

Smiley describes taking on the business as something that “just kind of fell into our hands.”

“(Jia) brought it up to me and I was like ‘OK let’s do it,” she said.

Smiley and Wedel, both Las Cruces transplants, met through Wedel’s husband, a family practitioner at Health Care Solutions in Las Cruces.

“We have been married about the same time and have been (in Las Cruces) for about the same time,” said Wedel, who moved to Las Cruces more than two years ago from Kansas City, Kansas. Smiley, born and raised in Indiana, moved to Las Cruces after living in Europe for a couple years with her husband. 

Wedel had spoken with Richardson a while back when she was trying to book Firehouse for her husband’s birthday and had expressed interested in partnering with Richardson to expand the business. When Richardson decided it was time to call it quits, he reached out to Wedel and things quickly moved from there.

“I’m very good with people and I just thought it would be a lot of fun, and a way to make money and help me with my other business,” Wedel said. “It’s a way to meet people in town and get to know this area very well.”

Wedel and Smiley said they plan to continue offering the same items, but that eventually they’d like to expand on the menu.

“We’ve talked about adding sandwiches made out of the sourdough bread and making more pizza varieties,” Wedel said.

Other future plans may include opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant, Wedel said.

Richardson, who bought the mobile business when it was formerly known as Joshua’s Pie, said he will miss working alongside the other vendors at the farmers market, and getting to meet and socialize with people from all different backgrounds and nationalities.

“It’s amazing what food will do,” Richardson said. “I’ve always believed food is the one thing we can all share universally with each other; it has no barrier.”

Richardson owned Firehouse for six months. He originally took on the business with plans to run it with his brother, Ingemar, who passed away not long after.  

“Him and I were both firefighters and that’s where the name came from, and it’s just been hard continuing on without him,” he said. This along with back issues fueled Richardson’s decision to sell the business.

“I kind of feel like I’m letting something go that my brother was part of, but I also know that he would understand,” Richardson said.

Smiley said she hopes the community continues to support Firehouse and the great product it offers.

“The community is aware and knows how good the pizza is, and I hope they continue to support us, and we’ll support them,” she said.

Wedel said customers can call Firehouse to schedule a catering event or to suggest other areas for business.

“If they have an idea of an area where we can have the food truck at lunchtime, we would be willing to look into it and make it happen,” Wedel said.

For information about Firehouse, call 575-642-3990 or visit facebook.com/firehousewoodfiredpizza.

Alexia Severson may be contacted at alexia@lascrucesbulletin.com.


X