The Same Delicious Pizza + Great Community Vibe: Hot Tomato Has A New Owner
Photo courtesy of Aaron Knapp
On a balmy afternoon in March, people line up outside the Hot Tomato to-go window to order pizzas, salads and beer. The popular Fruita pizzeria opted for take-out only during much of the pandemic to protect both its customers and employees at the often-bustling café.
Diners head to picnic tables set up on a portion of Mulberry Street that the city closed to traffic to increase outdoor dining opportunities for businesses. The City of Fruita installed additional portable heaters for cold days. In April, Hot Tomato reopened limited indoor and patio dining, however, the city plans to retain the additional public seating area on Mulberry for the foreseeable future.
New Hot Tomato owner Aaron Knapp will continue serving East Coast-style pizzas, as well as carry on the Hot Tomato tradition of being that “third place” — a term coined to describe “where people spend time between work and home to exchange ideas, have a good time and build relationships.” Knapp finalized the purchase in January 2021.
When Jen Zeuner and Anne Keller, both avid mountain bikers, founded Hot Tomato in 2005, their intention was to create a space for outdoor recreationists to come hang out and share stories. The café quickly drew customers of all types and became known as that “third place,” Zeuner says. “We really like people,” the ebullient former owner notes. “We wanted to be that place for people.”
When Zeuner turned 50 in 2017, she and Keller started searching for the perfect person to take over and carry on the Hot Tomato tradition.
They presented the option to buy the business to their leadership team in late 2018.
Six months later Knapp, a longtime employee, approached the women with his written vision. “I knew he was the right guy,” recalls Zeuner, who’s offered to serve as a mentor/consultant for as long as Knapp would like. “He sees the value of what we created; he bought a brand.”
That means not outsourcing key ingredients like dough and red sauce — which, even after the café went from making 50 pies a day to 50 an hour, the staff continues to make in-house. They buy their sausage and bacon from local farmers and some of the produce used is grown locally, as well.
In the summertime, the Peach Pie is especially popular — it’s made with fresh rosemary, gorgonzola cheese, Canadian bacon and Palisade-grown peaches.
Knapp’s personal favorite is the Bob Steve pizza, named for a friend. He describes the pizza as “salty and delicious,” with olive oil, garlic, spinach, Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, feta and mozzarella.
The menu also includes Stromboli, an array of salads and build-your-own calzones. “The Stromboli is really good and it travels well,” Knapp adds. “You can throw it in a pack. A Stromboli in the wild is one of the best things you’ll ever experience. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Hot Tomato serves several Colorado-brewed beers on tap — Odell Brewing Co., New Belgium Brewing and Crooked Stave — plus one from Freemont Brewery in Washington.
In addition to a loyal local following, Hot Tomato draws a regular out-of-town clientele. For the past 10 years, a group of Canadians who travel to Fruita each year to go mountain biking make the Hot Tomato their in-town hangout. “One of the cool parts about working here is the people who come from all over,” says Knapp. “It makes us feel good. It’s a measure of success.”
Plus, the “East Coast people (who seek out and approve of the legendary Hot Tomato) are very particular about their pizza,” he adds.
Knapp plans to continue the Hot Tomato tradition of being closed Sundays and Mondays, and for several days around special holidays. “It’s important to me and all who work here to have time to get outside,” Knapp says.
Originally published in the Summer 2021 issue.