Twelve years ago, acclaimed Leeds pizza chef and dad of two Mark Baber was living a very different sort of life.
A professional jet setter, he was flying all over for his job and working behind the scenes at European Golf Tour, which is the principle golf tour on the continent.
Then he took a trip to Italy with his wife - and everything changed.
From the moment he tried his first wood-fired pizza, Mark was obsessed. Upon their return to the UK, he and his wife quickly bought a wood-fired oven of their own and he got to work trying to recreate the magic he'd so enjoyed whilst away.
Already an avid home cook, once he'd set his sights on recreating that pizza he was transfixed and spent hours researching techniques on Youtube.
Making his dough by hand in tupperware, he got his first break after visiting Malton Food Festival with his wife, Victoria. Here they were asked if they could fill a slot at the next market. With little to no experience, no dough trays and just the one portable oven sitting in their garden, they decided to go for it.
This was the moment that Wood Fire Dine was born.
Fast forward 12 years and that market stall pop-up is now an award-winning pizza restaurant located in Rothwell, South Leeds.
Mark and his wife finally made the leap in 2017, choosing to open in their local town out of a desire to help rejuvenate the area - which had been hit by a number of high street closures and was looking a tad sorry for itself.
The Commercial Street site was soon a hit, drawing in a string of fans who enthused about the restaurant's quality dough and authentic Italian ingredients, all of which are imported directly from Naples.
In just two years, Mark found himself taking home the coveted award of UK Pizza chef of the year at 2019's national PAPA awards - a dream career moment for the chef, which he celebrated by cooking his gluten and vegan pizza the 'Millennium Special' live for the event in his Leeds United shirt.
Whilst the past year has been difficult, like many fellow hospitality businesses in Leeds Wood Fire Dine has adapted to the times - tweaking his dough recipe to hold up better for takeaways and launching a DIY home kit for families to try at home with their children.
The restaurant also launched a new New York-style dough range in February. This sees the dough cold-proved, allowing the yeast to work on the sugars in the flour for a long period of time for a deeper flavour.
Still, he's looking forward to getting back to normal and plans to reopen the restaurant on Monday 17th May when indoor dining restrictions are eased as part of the government's roadmap out of Covid.
Wood Fire Dine's new reservations system is open for bookings from 12th May.
Leeds
Kevin Sinfield will return to Leeds for his final 7 in 7 challenge in honour of Rob Burrow
Leeds legend Kevin Sinfield is set to take on his seventh and final 7 in 7 challenge this month.
The former Leeds Rhinos captain will begin 7 in 7: The Grand Finale next Sunday 27 September.
Wondering what on earth that is? Allow us to fill you in.
Sinfield will be running an ultra-marathon every day for seven days, and this time it's across the north of England including a special stop off right here in Leeds.
Not only that, but the challenge will bring Sinfield back to some of the places that have played a huge part in his rugby league career.
The route will visit all 12 English Betfred Super League grounds, starting at Hull KR before travelling through Yorkshire and eventually crossing the Pennines towards Manchester where Sinfield is from.
Here in Leeds, we can expect Sinfield to arrive at Headingley Stadium on Wednesday 30 September at 11:14am, before leaving towards Pudsey Civic Hall at 11:40am.
The challenge will then finish at Old Trafford on Saturday 3 October, where Sinfield will arrive ahead of the Super League Grand Final.
Since the first annual challenge back in 2020, Kevin Sinfield and his team have raised over £11 million for the MND community with six charities set to benefit once again from this years fundraising.
It's an amazing challenge for an amazing cause, and you can donate and find out more about the challenge here.
Good luck Kevin and the team, we know you'll smash it.
Fences at Leeds Playhouse – walls, wounds and what we leave behind | Review
Declan Kelly
Leeds Playhouse delivers a powerful story about the walls we build.
August Wilson’s Fences is a powerful and deeply personal family drama, exploring race, fatherhood, ambition and the emotional scars that can be passed from one generation to the next.
At Leeds Playhouse, the strength of the production lies largely with its cast. Ray Fearon gives Troy Maxson a commanding presence, balancing humour and charm with a growing sense of anger and resentment. It is an uncomfortable performance at times, but one that keeps you invested in Troy even when his actions become increasingly difficult to accept.
Madeline Appiah brings real warmth and emotional depth to Rose, while Josh Tedeku captures Cory’s frustration as a young man determined to make his own way rather than inherit his father’s limitations.
Image: Supplied
For me, though, Act 2 is where the production really comes alive.
The first half feels comparatively restrained. That isn't necessarily a criticism of the performances or Wilson's writing, but having experienced previous Headlong productions, I went in expecting a little more theatrical imagination from the staging. There were moments where I felt the production could have pushed the material further visually.
Act 2 begins to deliver that.
The rotating set adds movement and energy, while the bright LED lighting works particularly well with the live music, creating a more heightened atmosphere as the family's tensions reach breaking point. The production suddenly feels more visually ambitious, and the design starts to work hand-in-hand with the emotional journey of the characters.
Images: Supplied
The fence itself is an effective recurring image, initially a practical task, but gradually becoming a representation of Troy's need for control, protection and separation. The more the story unfolds, the more the fence feels like a barrier between Troy and the people he loves.
There is a lot to admire here, particularly in the performances, and Wilson's writing remains as relevant and affecting as ever. However, I couldn't help feeling that some of the theatrical ambition found in Act 2 could have been introduced earlier.
Ultimately, Fences is a moving and thought-provoking evening, with a particularly strong second half. For me, it was Act 2 that turned a solid production into a genuinely memorable one.
Running until 23 September at Leeds Playhouse, get your tickets here.
Georgina Pellant -
11th May 2021 
