It seems odd to me that organic, gourmet, thin-crust pizza is readily available around my little town and has become a cherished and regular part of my diet. Jacob Watson helps run Marigold Pizza in North Bennington, Vt.,  we go there often. The restaurant is so fresh-conscious that they close in the winter rather than use vegetables from any source but organic Vermont farmers.

We had a thin-crust pizza tonight made with whole wheat dough,  mozzarella cheese,  pesto,  zucchini, tomatoes and a very spare sprinkling of fresh sausage, preceded by a fresh garden salad. The pizza I ate as a kid was quite different, the pizza parlors I worked in were not bright and colorful like Marigold, and didn’t have original art on the walls like Marigold.

I remember pizza being thick and doughy, with gobs of cheese and all kinds of red meat. Pizza at the Marigold is very different.

Tomorrow, we are apt to have pizza again at the Round House Cafe from my friend Scott Carrino. He serves pizza every Friday and it is similar to Marigold’s pizza.

Scott is also obsessive about his wood-fired pizza, fresh vegetables, gourmet cheese, thin crusts. For the past five or six years I’ve been learning about healthy and nutritious food, not always easy to get in the country. I’m doing well, pizza is a part of it. I make my own pizza on multi-grain dough often with fresh chopped claims, mozzarella cheese, pesto and fresh tomatoes. Sometimes with zucchini, red peppers and tomatoes.

I’ve gotten to know Jacob Watson, who helps manage the Marigold. He works hard, literally slaves over a hot stove for hours.  I look forward to talking with him when he has time, which isn’t often. He is passionate about the quality of the pizzas he makes. This winter, when the restaurant closed, Jacob went to Haiti to do some volunteer work with Doctors Without Borders.

I’m  eager to hear about it, he’s planning to visit the farm. Change can be mesmerizing, and it can be good.