Paul Gerard Swapped Music and Drugs for Food and Fire

At Antique Bar & Bakery in Hoboken, N.J., Paul Gerard crisps potato skins, caramelizes broccoli, confits heads of garlic, and sears steaks in a 100-year-old, 400-square-foot porcelain brick oven that rages up to 1,400 degrees F. It requires two tons of coal weekly to fuel, and a full two weeks to completely cool down.

“But 1,400 is a bit much for us,” Gerard...