That's what happened to a couple of Silicon Valley techies a couple years back, so they decided to do something about it.

The result is the Anytime Pizza machine, the first fully automated "portable" pizza make-and-bake system. The machine employs computer technology, conveyor movement and a conventional oven to prepare fresh, hot pizzas in about four minutes, and then more pizzas every 20 seconds.

Anytime Pizza dispenses four toppings plus sauce, including cheese and pepperoni. It can deliver up to 100 6-1/2-inch pizzas in an hour.

The entire process is automated. The operator enters up to four ingredients on a remote keypad then presses the "Enter" button. The machine does the rest and it's all visible to the customer.

The 600-pound machine manufactured by Edible Technology, Inc. of Vancouver, Wash., is distributed here by Granita Hawaii, which sells the machine for $22,500.

If you're not a big pizza buff, Anytime Pizza can be Anytime Omelette, dispensing a mixture of whole eggs into a specially made pan. It can dispense a choice of three-different toppings plus a variety of cheeses. And cooking takes only 3-1/2 minutes.

Hawaii distributor Greg Forsberg has been showing the machine since March to public and private schools, the military, and various convenience stores.

"It's cute, gimmicky and it works," Forsberg said. "And it's so much fun to watch work."

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