Our own Otto’s Pub and Brewery has been nominated for the upcoming Martha Stewart American Made Contest. The contest hopes to showcase handmade, local products by people who have a “passion for quality craftsmanship and well-designed goods.”
Ten winners are chosen by the editors of the Martha Stewart Living magazine and are given American Made Awards. Additionally, six winners are voted on by the audience in unique categories with one grand prize winner who will get $10,000. The winners will be invited to showcase their goods at the American Made Workshop in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal Vanderbilt Hall on October 16th and 17th. Voting begins on August 26th.
“I read about the contest in my latest Martha Stewart magazine and decided to enter Otto’s,” manager Kelly Garthwaite said. “We are a family business and pride ourselves on all things local so it makes sense to take that a step further with American Made.”
Otto’s opened its doors in 2002 as a startup brewery and restaurant. Ten years later, they moved to a larger location due to the restaurant’s success and what Garthwaite described as a “growing demand for more fresh beer and locally made food.”
The restaurant typically has about nine homemade beers on tap and bottle their concoctions as well. Garthwaite explained in the restaurant’s contest nomination that they also grow their own herbs and microgreens and use leftover grain from the brewing process to feed their cattle. They use fresh produce from local farmers and only serve Pennsylvania-brewed beer in addition to their own.
“Otto’s started small and has evolved over the years to what it is today with the help and support of this town,” Garthwaite added. “The owners are a Penn State graduate and a former Penn State employee who has had roots in the community for over 30 years. It would be great to recognized nationally for all the hard work and dedication they have given over the past 10 years.”
Zach Berger is a StateCollege.com reporter and Onward State's Managing Editor Emeritus. You can find him at the Phyrst more nights than not. If he had to pick a last meal, Zach would go for a medium-rare New York strip steak with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and a cold BrewDog Punk IPA. You can reach him via e-mail at [email protected] or on Twitter at @theZachBerger.
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