Fruita's Former Hot Tomato Owners Are Cooking Up A New Project

Anne Keller and Jen Zeuner, known locally as the restauranteurs behind Hot Tomato Pizzeria, are cooking up a new project. 

Keller will be directing a documentary about the housing shortage facing workers in the service industry, with Zeuner producing. Local filmmaker Arielle Brachfeld will also be joining the producing team.

“We are creating this film because we care deeply about our industry, and the business has never been more difficult,” Keller says. “Due to our experiences operating a well-known and loved establishment, we have an unprecedented level of access to tell a deeply personal and intimate story about the hardships facing this industry and its people.” 

“This film is about the restaurant industry and the struggles the industry is facing with severe staffing shortages,” Zeuner adds. “My wife, Anne Keller, is the director of the film and together we founded The Hot Tomato Pizzeria in 2005. For the past 15 years, we have seen the highs and lows of the restaurant industry but nothing has prepared us for what is currently happening.”

A crowd funding campaign was launched Monday, March 14. Filming is slated to commence in the early summer with the film hopefully available by mid 2023. The goal behind the film is to give a voice to those struggling in an unprecedented situation. Colorado relies heavily on its resort towns, and those resort towns rely heavily on restaurants and their staff. It will feature stories from across Colorado.