A popular mobile pizzaiolo has a new spot to park his wood-fired oven.
Otra Pizzeria will take over the kitchen at Spce Coffee five evenings a week, starting on Saturday.
“This is just a win-win situation,” Otra Pizzeria owner Cesar Velasco says of the residency. “I am very excited.”
Velasco launched Otra in January 2023, popping up at spots mostly around downtown Phoenix such as Cobra Arcade Bar, Central Records, The Theodore and Sauvage Wine Bar and Shop.
This latest kitchen takeover is the most recent of several that have sprung up at venues around town. Spce Coffee owner Andy Kemp says he met Velasco when they were both serving at a festival and stayed in touch. The two owners "connected as friends first," Kemp says, and they continued to run into each other and exchange advice.
When Velasco asked Kemp about kitchen space, he suggested considering the cafe.
"I always knew I wanted to do some kind of food collaboration," Kemp says. "As long as I get some pizza, we're good."
Now, Velasco and his crew are readying to launch an expanded menu in Spce Coffee, another step toward opening a brick-and-mortar pizzeria.
“We’re going on the right road to get ourselves even more established to hopefully get to that end goal,” Velasco says.
“That was definitely a game changer, so it made me get into a healthy lifestyle where I was actually cooking for myself,” he says.
While at Glendale’s Independence High School, he got into culinary classes and then competed in a Careers Through Culinary Arts Program cooking competition, which tests students' ability in the kitchen for the opportunity to receive a postsecondary scholarship. Through the event, Velasco reconnected with a friend who set him up with a job interview.
“I didn’t realize what I was getting myself into when I walked into the restaurant," he says. "I was thinking it was a local mom-and-pop shop."
Instead, he walked into Christopher’s, the eponymous restaurant of James Beard Award-winning chef Christopher Gross, which, at the time, was located at Biltmore Fashion Park.
"I realized, OK, this is no joke," he says.
Velasco got the job. He studied and worked at the fine dining destination for more than three years, helping it transition to the Wrigley Mansion along the way.
He continued to learn and “be a sponge” at other spots throughout his culinary career, including Chula Seafood, Fat Ox and a private country club before landing at the Pemberton, where he managed the pizzeria Pie-Curious. While the chef had always enjoyed the process of baking and breadmaking, there, he found a new focus.
“That’s when I learned to love the art of making pizzas,” he says.
He then met a mobile pizza pop-up owner. Velasco’s interest in entrepreneurship peaked; he bought a pizza trailer and launched Otra Pizzeria.
Velasco says hand-stretched discs of dough are the perfect canvas to let his culinary imagination run wild, tapping into the knowledge he racked up at those revered Phoenix restaurants.
“That’s what excites me, when it comes down to making pizzas, because of the combinations of the flavors and the textures,” he says.
Spce Coffee opened on McDowell Road, along the Miracle Mile, in late 2021. It’s known for its dreamy atmosphere and otherworldly beverages, but like most coffee shops, Spce goes dark each day in the late afternoon.
With the addition of Otra, the shop will have a second life as a pizzeria on Tuesdays plus Thursday through Sunday nights. Having access to the kitchen at Spce, Velasco will expand the menu to include more appetizers, sandwiches and desserts and aims to bring back some fan-favorite pizzas.
Velasco works hard to find the right balance between airy and crisp crust, hand-stretching each pizza to order before topping it and baking it in a wood-fired oven. But he doesn’t consider himself a traditionalist or his pies "authentic."
Instead, he’s using his culinary experience to drive Otra’s menu. Think sauce made with Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes, Italian meats including ‘nduja sausage and mortadella and drizzles of truffle oil or balsamic.
There are classic styles, such as a Margherita, but they’re alongside a pizza topped with Cup and Char Pepperoni, basil and a swirl of housemade ranch.
When making pies for himself, the chef says he’s “a sucker when it comes to white pizza.”
He's proudest of his clam pizza, made with mollusks, capers, red onion and a squeeze of lemon. Velasco says it will make an appearance on the menu at Spce Coffee.
Among the new starters, Otra will serve arancini, fried risotto balls filled with bolognese and fontina, served with pomodoro sauce and a drizzle of bechamel and salsa verde.
“That’s something I’m very excited to start to make,” Velasco says. “When it comes down to cooking, I love the balance of the savoriness with the sweetness and some of that crunchiness.”
Velasco will add his take on a chicken parmesan to the menu, too: a crisp cutlet topped with roasted cherry tomatoes, pomodoro sauce, fresh mozzarella, pickled shallots, grated pecorino and arugula. Eschewing a traditional hoagie, the sandwich bread is a housemade focaccia.
While Velasco doesn’t mind fruit on his pies, he doesn’t like dessert pizza. But, in its new digs, Otra will serve something sweet: a burnt Basque cheesecake with a blueberry compote, granola and a blueberry sauce.
Spce will be the main place for people to find Otra, but the pizzeria will still pop up around town on occasion.
Velasco says he will load up the oven for festivals and will continue serving pizzas at Sauvage on Wednesday nights at least through the fall. There, he will also team up with CC’s on Central chef Devan Cunningham on the last Wednesday of each month to pair his pies with Cunningham’s wings.
The pizzaiolo says he loves the model that spots like Spce are adopting to share their kitchen with others.
“You’re helping this person build a following,” he says.
For Kemp, it's a way for two businesses to support each other and create a space for friends and neighbors to come together.
“Pizza is not just pizza,” he says. “It’s honestly an art.”
1736 E. McDowell Road
Otra Pizzeria will take over the kitchen at Spce Coffee five evenings a week, starting on Saturday.
“This is just a win-win situation,” Otra Pizzeria owner Cesar Velasco says of the residency. “I am very excited.”
Velasco launched Otra in January 2023, popping up at spots mostly around downtown Phoenix such as Cobra Arcade Bar, Central Records, The Theodore and Sauvage Wine Bar and Shop.
This latest kitchen takeover is the most recent of several that have sprung up at venues around town. Spce Coffee owner Andy Kemp says he met Velasco when they were both serving at a festival and stayed in touch. The two owners "connected as friends first," Kemp says, and they continued to run into each other and exchange advice.
When Velasco asked Kemp about kitchen space, he suggested considering the cafe.
"I always knew I wanted to do some kind of food collaboration," Kemp says. "As long as I get some pizza, we're good."
Now, Velasco and his crew are readying to launch an expanded menu in Spce Coffee, another step toward opening a brick-and-mortar pizzeria.
“We’re going on the right road to get ourselves even more established to hopefully get to that end goal,” Velasco says.
People line up to order from Otra Pizzeria. Now, they'll be able to enjoy their pies inside.
Brooklen McCarty
From fine dining to stretching dough
Food came into focus for Velasco when he learned he was prediabetic as a teenager.“That was definitely a game changer, so it made me get into a healthy lifestyle where I was actually cooking for myself,” he says.
While at Glendale’s Independence High School, he got into culinary classes and then competed in a Careers Through Culinary Arts Program cooking competition, which tests students' ability in the kitchen for the opportunity to receive a postsecondary scholarship. Through the event, Velasco reconnected with a friend who set him up with a job interview.
“I didn’t realize what I was getting myself into when I walked into the restaurant," he says. "I was thinking it was a local mom-and-pop shop."
Instead, he walked into Christopher’s, the eponymous restaurant of James Beard Award-winning chef Christopher Gross, which, at the time, was located at Biltmore Fashion Park.
"I realized, OK, this is no joke," he says.
Velasco got the job. He studied and worked at the fine dining destination for more than three years, helping it transition to the Wrigley Mansion along the way.
“It helped me improve myself not just as a cook, but as a person as well. It made me want to push myself to the limits," he says.
He continued to learn and “be a sponge” at other spots throughout his culinary career, including Chula Seafood, Fat Ox and a private country club before landing at the Pemberton, where he managed the pizzeria Pie-Curious. While the chef had always enjoyed the process of baking and breadmaking, there, he found a new focus.
“That’s when I learned to love the art of making pizzas,” he says.
He then met a mobile pizza pop-up owner. Velasco’s interest in entrepreneurship peaked; he bought a pizza trailer and launched Otra Pizzeria.
Velasco says hand-stretched discs of dough are the perfect canvas to let his culinary imagination run wild, tapping into the knowledge he racked up at those revered Phoenix restaurants.
“That’s what excites me, when it comes down to making pizzas, because of the combinations of the flavors and the textures,” he says.
Spce Coffee is splashed with a cutesy pastel palette and sells merch and artisan-made goods. Starting on Saturday, Otra Pizzeria will take over its kitchen five evenings a week.
Lauren Topor/Good Karma Photo
Spce residency allows for expanded menu
The invitation to take over Spce Coffee felt like a natural fit for Velasco, who was eager to stay near downtown.Spce Coffee opened on McDowell Road, along the Miracle Mile, in late 2021. It’s known for its dreamy atmosphere and otherworldly beverages, but like most coffee shops, Spce goes dark each day in the late afternoon.
With the addition of Otra, the shop will have a second life as a pizzeria on Tuesdays plus Thursday through Sunday nights. Having access to the kitchen at Spce, Velasco will expand the menu to include more appetizers, sandwiches and desserts and aims to bring back some fan-favorite pizzas.
Velasco works hard to find the right balance between airy and crisp crust, hand-stretching each pizza to order before topping it and baking it in a wood-fired oven. But he doesn’t consider himself a traditionalist or his pies "authentic."
Instead, he’s using his culinary experience to drive Otra’s menu. Think sauce made with Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes, Italian meats including ‘nduja sausage and mortadella and drizzles of truffle oil or balsamic.
There are classic styles, such as a Margherita, but they’re alongside a pizza topped with Cup and Char Pepperoni, basil and a swirl of housemade ranch.
When making pies for himself, the chef says he’s “a sucker when it comes to white pizza.”
He's proudest of his clam pizza, made with mollusks, capers, red onion and a squeeze of lemon. Velasco says it will make an appearance on the menu at Spce Coffee.
Among the new starters, Otra will serve arancini, fried risotto balls filled with bolognese and fontina, served with pomodoro sauce and a drizzle of bechamel and salsa verde.
“That’s something I’m very excited to start to make,” Velasco says. “When it comes down to cooking, I love the balance of the savoriness with the sweetness and some of that crunchiness.”
Velasco will add his take on a chicken parmesan to the menu, too: a crisp cutlet topped with roasted cherry tomatoes, pomodoro sauce, fresh mozzarella, pickled shallots, grated pecorino and arugula. Eschewing a traditional hoagie, the sandwich bread is a housemade focaccia.
While Velasco doesn’t mind fruit on his pies, he doesn’t like dessert pizza. But, in its new digs, Otra will serve something sweet: a burnt Basque cheesecake with a blueberry compote, granola and a blueberry sauce.
Velasco (left) and Devan Cunningham of CC's on Central team up on the last Wednesday of each month to cook wings and pizza.
Brooklen McCarty
Velasco says he will load up the oven for festivals and will continue serving pizzas at Sauvage on Wednesday nights at least through the fall. There, he will also team up with CC’s on Central chef Devan Cunningham on the last Wednesday of each month to pair his pies with Cunningham’s wings.
The pizzaiolo says he loves the model that spots like Spce are adopting to share their kitchen with others.
“You’re helping this person build a following,” he says.
For Kemp, it's a way for two businesses to support each other and create a space for friends and neighbors to come together.
“Community gathering has been one of my goals. It just makes sense having the space where you can do that," the Spce Coffee owner says.
And, as he's seen Velasco's business grow, he's excited to see that continue at Spce.
Velasco is looking forward to introducing more people to his cooking.
And, as he's seen Velasco's business grow, he's excited to see that continue at Spce.
“I believe in him. I think he’s going to do good things," Kemp says.
Velasco is looking forward to introducing more people to his cooking.
“Pizza is not just pizza,” he says. “It’s honestly an art.”
Otra Pizzeria
Kitchen residency begins 4 p.m. on Saturday1736 E. McDowell Road
