Tag Archives: mike keon

OTTO featured in ‘Crusts: The Ultimate Baker’s Book’

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OTTO founders Anthony Allen and Mike Keon are featured in Crusts, a brand new, 848-page baking book from Cider Mill Press.

Crusts: The Ultimate Baker’s Book features over 300 recipes from expert bakers around the world, covering breads, croissants, pizzas, pies, and more. The publisher describes the cookbook as “the ultimate resource for every level chef, and is a keystone addition to your cookbook library.”

Written by Barbara Elisi Caracciolo, owner of Spigamadre bakery in Sweden and blogger behind Bread and Companatico, Crusts runs the gamut, featuring: gluten-free, Paleo, vegetarian, and vegan recipes; complete how-to sections on making your own dough, bread, and pizzas with easy-to-follow instructions; helpful tips and techniques from expert bakers and chefs; culinary histories behind your favorite loaves and pastries; an illustrated catalog of more than 100 grains from around the world and throughout time, and much more.

IMG_7097The book features a profile on OTTO, an interview with owners Mike and Anthony, and the recipe for OTTO’s signature ‘Masher’ pie (Mashed Potato, Bacon & Scallion), which has been named one of the best pizzas in America by The Food Network.

It’s an elegant and informative book, packed with a wealth of insight and inspiration. Pick it up at your local independent bookstore, directly from the publisher, or anywhere books are sold.

OTTO to Make Four Appearances at the 2016 International Pizza Expo

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OTTO co-owners Mike Keon and Anthony Allen, and OTTO Director of Marketing, Eric Shepherd

This March, three members of the OTTO team will be making a total of four appearances at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. (Yes, that’s really a thing.)

Over the past thirty years, thousands of restaurant owners, managers, manufacturers, distributors, food brokers, and service providers have been convening every March for this industry event — the largest pizza show in the world.

In addition to the International Pizza Challenge (bake-offs before judges in five divisions, with Pizza Maker of the Year finals) and the World Pizza Games (skills competition in five divisions), the four-day convention also features approximately 90 keynote addresses, seminars, workshops, panel discussions and demonstrations.

OTTO co-owners Anthony Allen and Mike Keon will be making two appearances.

On Tuesday, March 8, Mike and Anthony will be performing a live baking demo, ‘Pizza Outside the Box,’ where they will discuss OTTO’s penchant for non-traditional ingredient combinations. Attendees will get to watch step-by-step baking demonstrations of two of the pizzeria’s signature pies: The Mashed Potato, Bacon & Scallion pizza, and the Butternut Squash, Cranberry & Ricotta.

On Wednesday March 9, Mike and Anthony will present a seminar, ‘Creating a Unique Dining Experience in Nontraditional Settings,’ in which they will discuss OTTO’s unique dining environments — from a location in a former gas station to booths built out of scrapped pianos.

Eric Shepherd, OTTO’s Director of Marketing and Communications will be making two appearances at this year’s Pizza Expo.

On Monday, March 7, as part of the School of Pizzeria Management, Eric will be co-conducting a 4-hour workshop entitled ‘A Coordinated Marketing Plan for Pizzerias,’ in which he will share knowledge, tools and techniques to raise brand awareness, expand customer bases, and increase repeat business.

On Wednesday, March 9, Eric will lead a seminar entitled ‘Grow Your Customer Base With Cause Marketing’ in which he will discuss OTTO’s dedication to the communities in which it does business, through multiple weekly fundraisers in two states, and year-round support of local and regional charities, organizations, and schools.

This will be Mike and Anthony’s second year presenting at Pizza Expo, and Eric’s third time around.

If you happen to be in Vegas, come by and say hello. Other OTTO team members will also be on hand. We look forward to seeing you, and we hope to come back smarter, and inspired.

Three OTTO Team Members to be Featured at the 2015 International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas

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Every year, thousands of pizzeria owners, operators, managers, distributors and food topbrokers from all over the world convene at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas for five days of educational seminars, workshops, cooking demonstrations, competitions, exhibits, and activities. In other words, the Pizza Expo is kinda the South By Southwest of pizza.

This year, 3 members of the OTTO team will be making several appearances:

Allen-KeonOTTO Co-owners Mike Keon and Anthony Allen will be featured in the Pizzeria Concept Showcase, an annual presentation by “super-successful pizzeria owners, who will describe the evolution of their concepts and take your questions.” Mike and Anthony’s session will focus on multi-market operations.

Anthony will also be part of a panel discussion for new pizzeria operators entitled Common Pizzeria Start-Up Mistakes and How to Avoid Them. Like any entrepreneurs, the panelists have made some mistakes, and they hope to save others the trouble.

EricShepherdEric Shepherd, OTTO’s Director of Marketing & Communications will be leading a seminar entitled Growing Your Customer Base With Cause Marketing, co-leading a workshop entitled Digital Marketing For Pizzerias, and will be part of a panel discussion entitled Building Business With Mobile And Online Orders. This will be Eric’s second year presenting at Expo.

If you happen to be in Vegas, come by and say hello. Several other OTTO team members will also be on hand. We look forward to seeing you, and we hope to come back smarter, and inspired.

Boston’s ‘Chronicle’ Showcases OTTO’s Coolidge Corner Location

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Chronicle, the long-running Boston newsmagazine featured OTTO last night in its showcase of several new choices in the Boston restaurant scene.

OTTO was featured alongside Empire, City Landing, 75 On Liberty Wharf, and others. Chronicle host Shayna Seymour and her crew spent some time at the Coolidge Corner OTTO, speaking with co-owners Mike Keon and Anthony Allen, and sampling some of our signature pies.

If you missed the show’s original airing, you can view the OTTO segment here (sorry, no embedded video available yet).

(Note: The OTTO segment begins at the 2:12 mark — following the segment on Prime Roast Beef & Seafood)