Guatemala chef wows with ‘volcano pizza’ cooked on hot lava
- The Pacaya crater has become a kitchen for accountant David Garcia, who is serving up cheesy slices to tourists and locals
- Wearing protective gear from head to toe, he ‘bakes’ the pizza on metal platters that can withstand temperatures up to 1,000 degrees Celsius
Guatemala’s Pacaya volcano has been erupting since February, keeping local communities and authorities on high alert.
But for David Garcia, the streams of molten lava oozing down the mountainside have become his kitchen.
Garcia, a 34-year-old accountant, serves up “Pacaya Pizza” cooked on the smouldering volcanic rock to awed tourists and locals.
“Many people today come to enjoy the experience of eating pizza made on volcanic heat,” Garcia said from a rocky area that leads to the Pacaya crater, and which he has converted into his workplace.
In his makeshift kitchen, Garcia stretches the dough on a metal platter that can resist temperatures up to 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,800 degrees Fahrenheit), slathers it with tomato sauce, a generous helping of cheese and pieces of meat.
