Downtown Dartmouth community oven re-opens to public

Dartmouth reignites community oven The fire is lit at the beloved Dartmouth Common community oven – after a long hiatus.

One of the hottest places to eat in Dartmouth is open again -- the Park Avenue Community Oven, located in Leighton Dillman Park.

“How many communities have an oven in the park right in the centre of town? It’s something we celebrate here in downtown Dartmouth,” says Tim Rissesco, executive director of the Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission (DDBC).

Like any hearth, the free community wood-fired oven has become a gathering place for people looking to connect with friends old and new. Ned Newell first visited the oven nine years ago. He liked the social atmosphere so much, he became a volunteer.

“When I first got out of the military, I didn’t really know too many people in the area. When I discovered the oven, I met so many people from everywhere,” says Newell.

This week, students from the DDBC are hosting open ovens every day from noon to 3 p.m.

“It’s been great. We’ve had big groups of people,” says Emerson Hotson, a summer student with the DDBC. “On a busy day, we can assist 40 to 50 visitors an hour.”

Anyone is welcome to use the oven during open oven times. There is no charge to cook at the facility. You do have to bring your own food, with pizza being one of the fastest and easiest dishes to prepare.

“The oven exemplifies the community downtown. People come here and eat together. They can purchase food from one of the restaurants in downtown Dartmouth, or they can bring supplies from home. We have plenty of picnic tables to use as well,” says Rissesco.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the oven had been shuttered since fall of 2019. It is now open every Saturday until late October from noon to 3 p.m. There is also one more open oven hosted by DDBC next Thursday. Park Avenue Community Oven organizers are currently recruiting more volunteers to increase the oven’s operating capacity.