Frequently Asked Questions
The Name
Why Basic Kneads? (If it's so good, why call it Basic?)
There's actually a few meanings behind our name. First off, it's a reminder that simple, good quality food is the foundation of what we do. A great pizza requires little more than dough, sauce, and cheese but the quality of the ingredients, cooking style, and skill of the chef matter. Secondly, we think Basic Kneads is a basic need. Just like shelter, water, and warmth, you need food, and specifically pizza (and more specifically, GOOD PIZZA) to complete your life. Finally, Basic Kneads is an all-encompassing lifestyle for our tiny husband and wife team that makes it happen. We've dedicated our lives to making this small business work, and only through your business and support are we able to provide for our own 'basic needs.'
Pizza Style
What's the pizza like?
We craft a one-of-a-kind thin crust pizza with influences from Neopolitan, New Haven, New York, and California pizza styles. We use a 24-48 hour cold fermentation before stretching our pies thin and cooking only by a wood fire at 650-750 degrees Fahrenheit. We offer traditional Italian-style pies, the simplicity of which showcases some of our best work, but we also have unique and memorable recipes that will expand your expectation of what belongs on a pizza crust. What really sets our pizza apart is our 100% organic vegan whole wheat blended dough that is at once both crispy and chewy, and provides a distinct flavor that you won't find anywhere but at the Basic Kneads Pizza Food Truck.
Dietary Restrictions
How does Basic Kneads accommodate dietary restrictions?
We want to feed our guests the food they want and need to be healthy. Our dough is vegan and contains no eggs or dairy. We always have vegan and vegetarian options available. We offer vegan cheese, or are happy to make a pizza without cheese. We can work with you on a menu that is free from pork or anything else that you wish to omit.
We can make a pizza with our gluten free crusts, and we usually receive excellent feedback from our GF customers. Unfortunately, we cannot recommend that celiac or highly sensitive gluten free individuals consume our GF products. Flour is used throughout our kitchen and is literally tossed into the air when we throw out our fresh pizza dough. Flour is used to place the pizzas into the oven, and is prevalent in our only cooking apparatus. We would recommend that celiac individuals only consume food from a certified gluten free kitchen that does not use wheat flour at all.
Service Area
Where does Basic Kneads provide catering services?
We cater to the Denver metro area, the Front Range (from Fort Collins down to Pueblo), and the Colorado mountains. Most of our events are within two hours of our home base in Lakewood, but we have served events as far away as Steamboat, Aspen, Ridgway, or Telluride. There are significant travel charges for events that are farther away, but when considering the cost of other local catering options in those areas, we may still be able to provide you with an excellent option for your catering needs.
Event Types
What types of events does Basic Kneads serve?
We serve weddings, rehearsal dinners, welcome dinners, graduation parties, birthday parties, housewarming parties, and sometimes bar mitzvahs, quinceañeras, or even end of life celebrations. Our goal is to take care of feeding your guests so that you and everyone else are able to celebrate the reason we've gathered without worrying about the food.
Event Timing
How long will it take to feed my party?
We pride ourselves on being one of the fastest and most efficient food trucks in the business. The amount of time it will take to feed your party will depend upon your number of guests and how the flow of traffic will work. For parties of 50 or less, we are usually able to feed people within 30 minutes or less. Parties of 100-150 people can be fed within a one hour timeframe, as long as there is an efficient and effective flow of traffic to the food truck buffet table.
Wedding Guest Count
How many people will attend my wedding?
We've found that most weddings will see about 2/3 of the invites actually attending. The most significant factor is geographic limitation, or how many of your guests will be traveling from out of state vs how many live locally. Also, a large guest list usually means a relatively smaller percentage of people will attend, whereas a smaller initial guest list usually means a larger percentage of the invites will eventually attend the event. Believe it or not the far majority of events go down from their original number or nail it with their low end guest estimate. Very few events end up going up from their initial guest estimate. And if yours does, we will ask for that number 3 weeks out so we have time to plan. We recommend starting with 2/3 of your total invites.