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Adjuntas.- The Vegas Arriba sector in Adjuntas houses one of the most popular restaurants in the central mountainous area of Puerto Rico. It owes its popularity to its merging of culture, the environment, and how we relate to them. This is El Campo es Leña, a spectacular artisanal pizzeria located in the scenic backdrop of the Bosque del Pueblo. It guarantees an experience that will engage all five senses.

There, you can feel the splendor of the countryside through an offer that inspires family gatherings and love for the island, through a series of elements that intertwine with the smells and flavors of the brick oven.

Its owner, Elmer Luciano Arroyo, better known as Puffay, makes jewelry out of seeds. He wanted to share the scenery he used to see from his old workshop, built on the roof of his mother’s house.

The Adjuntas native describes himself as “an imported jibarito,” as he came to the island when he was eight years old, from Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he grew up with his two brothers. He became interested in crafts because he wanted to achieve financial freedom.

From there, Arte Puffay was born: “a craft workshop dedicated to promoting culture, a place where people could break away from their normal day in a different place.”

“I decided to make seed pieces as a form of respect, because I live in front of the Bosque del Pueblo and it was a protest against the mines and swapping metal in jewelry for seeds. I was able to create (pieces) with bamboo and seeds such as: Job’s tears, jacarandas, soapberry, and other elements borrowed from nature,” explained Luciano Arroyo.

His work earned an honorable mention from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and first prize in craft presentation at the Plaza Las Américas Fair in 2008, among other recognitions.

By 2013, “the need and evolution of craftsmanship arrives at El Campo es Leña. People visited my workshop, enjoyed the pizza with a spectacular view and we managed to merge the two.”

“It was not a coincidence but a team effort; that’s where my brother Sammy, who makes the pizza, comes in. We had financial needs at the time. We wanted to evolve, but the environment was difficult; we’re in the mountains, agriculture was nice, but it didn’t pay enough,” explained the 43-year-old man.

The name, according to Puffay, “came because, in the past, people used to say ‘el campo es leña’ (the countryside is worthless) and it was derogatory. We decided to change it up so that when people come to El Campo es Leña, they get confused. It’s not that it’s worthless, but a paradise.”

“That’s where the firewood “boom” comes from. I don’t know if we started this whole pizza craze, but it was organic; we didn’t have the time to do research on what others were doing. Work hard, and all this wonder is possible,” confessed Luciano. He is married to Jessica Carrero, with whom he has a daughter.

“Here we witness the beauty of the Bosque del Pueblo, the Karst, the sunrise, the fog, the climate of Adjuntas, which is nice. Of all those nice things, I created a package deal where you come not just to eat a pizza, (but to be) where you really disconnect,” he described.

According to Luciano, the culinary concept “is a pizza for the people; the best quality, fresh products and fair prices for everyone.”

“All our pizzas are medium-sized, 16 inches, and you can order them to your liking. We have “La Leñosa,” which is our supreme pizza. It comes with ham, pepperoni, peppers, tomato and different ‘toppings’, like for example, longaniza from Don Nando (Naranjito),” he explained.

“We have the traditional ‘toppings’, but you include them to your liking. We have the veggie pizza and the meat lover’s, which you can order with white sauce, red sauce, pesto or thin dough; you can order it however you prefer it. We’re here to satisfy our customers and their particular tastes, we’re flexible,” he highlighted.

On the other hand, the cocktail menu is headlined by ‘El Leñazo’, a cocktail made with white rum, medicinal herbs and seasonal fruits, including passion fruit, orange, soursop, jobo (hog plum), tamarind, and mandarin orange.

In fact, 40% of the products are harvested on a seven-acre farm that belonged to Puffay’s father.

“We try to have all the seasonal fruits through the Traqueteando con Puffay project, which is where all the farmers bring their products to El Campo es Leña. It is another economy where we try to make our cocktails 100% natural. If we’re out of something, we’re out,” he revealed.

It should be noted that the pizzeria provides 22 direct jobs, in addition to the suppliers who benefit from the business. Likewise, it has tables “to share,” since countless diners can be accommodated within the space, which is distributed throughout the property.

“El Campo es Leña is a place that people choose to meet up. I love it, that’s why we decorate with cultural details. The doctor promises to cure everyone, but the artisans, their oath is about culture and helps us remember who we are andwhere we come from,” he said.

Likewise, they have two bars and ‘Casita de Carmín’, “a kiosk that is run by my mother and my aunt. There we have finger food and fried foods made to order.

On Sundays, we have the typical dish of the day, such as carne frita con mofongo, sancocho (Puerto Rican beef stew soup), cuajito (hog maw) and tallarines, which is pasta with pigeon peas.”

“It’s not about paying for food, we simply treat our customers like a friend who’s visiting, willing to disconnect and enjoy a great weekend. I am inside this bubble that is my homeland, my culture, my friends. Our work is selling rum and pizza, but our specialty is gifting emotions,” he concluded.

For details, visit: El Campo es Leña on Facebook and Instagram.