Welcoming customers to Neil & Otto's Pizza Cellar on Merchants’
Row in Middlebury, Neil Matthews and Otto Hektor offer a hearty greeting and an
invitation to sit at a table with a Parcheesi board under the plastic table
covering.
The two are a dynamic pair, as inseparable in an interview as in
friendship and business. Co-owners of the Pizza Cellar since June 1996, they
have kept their business alive past the forbidding six-month mark which nearly
two-thirds or restaurants never attain. Matthews and Hektor, friends since
eighth grade, have worked in restaurants — primarily pizza joints — since that
time, Heirs to the legendary Chicago tradition of pizza making, they are in
business for themselves, making pizza in Middlebury.
Matthews, who worked at
the Pizza Cellar throughout his undergraduate career at Middlebury, called
Hektor in Wisconsin
in October 1995 to say that the restaurant was for sale. After many meetings
with loan officers, the Small Business Administration, and insurance agents,
they were ready to sign.
Then they went straight to work. In mid-June 1996, they
opened the former "Pizza Cellar" as "Neil & Otto's Pizza
Cellar," in the basement of Grace
Baptist Church
In the seven months since, they have done "a lot of
growing up." Acknowledging the cliché, Matthews points out that they are
in the real world, in Middlebury. "Nobody gives us encouragement. We
mostly hear complaints. It's a crazy game, but it's fun." Having proven
Murphy's Law numerous times, and not yet having taken advantage of the
excellent skiing conditions this winter, both clearly enjoy their work and
their home in Salisbury .
That house, shared with a third housemate, provides refuge,
if not sustenance. "The fridge probably has some butter in it,"
Rektor offers as illustration that they often eat at work, "We eat a kit
of pizza, but I'm not sick of it yet,” claims Matthews. Spending so much time
at their business is demanding, but both insist it is fun. They also agree that
they wouldn't do it alone; having a friend and business partner along for the
ride has been advantageous. "We do a lot together, and it's nearly always
fun. Two minds are better than one," Matthews argues.
The future, as ever,
is unpredictable. They are developing new pie styles, one of which has never
before been seen in the Middlebury area. They havc just adapted their standard
crust in response to customer feedback, and are not sure what they will bring
back from the Pizza Expo in Las Vegas
in March. That event, an industry convention, is sure to provide them with
ideas and projects for the near term. In the long term, Matthews says, he will be
in food service, but where exactly is unsure. He definitely enjoys living and
working in Addison
County
It’s a neat way to meet people. According to Hektor,
"you have to figure out what people are searching for.” In addition to
their clientele, the two must supervise employees their own ages. Matthews
admits this can be a challenge, but is willing to make sacrifices for his
employees, even at his own expense. While most of his employees are from town,
the restaurateurs are grateful for the support their College customers have
given them.
It is hard, Matthews says, to be a College alumnus in this
town, but he finds nearly everyone generous enough to give him a chance to
prove himself. "Once you give something back to the community, people
accept you," he says. He does depend on both the College and the town for
business; "it's a hard balance to strike, but we're looking to create a
space where people from the College can come and mix with people from the town,
and get to know each other and get along."
Open long hours (11 am to midnight Monday through Thursday,
11 am to 2 am Friday, 4 pm to 2 am Saturday, and 4 pm to midnight Sunday), the
restaurant is clearly doing well. "We do a lot of deliveries, and we're
just beginning to really try to get people to come down to the restaurant to
eat here." Matthews predicts it will be a challenge, but one the business
can meet. They have worked very hard so far, even sleeping on sacks in the
kitchen in the wee hours of the morning, but Matthews and Hektor say that the
rewards are definitely worth the price.
"We are here to offer our knowledge of food, and our
experience making good food. We care about what we do, we work hard, and we
enjoy it. We like making pizza for people, and we like to hear what we could do
better. Of course," Matthews notes, "if you like things, tell us that
too!"