KaTom Helps Bring Scratch-made Italian Dining to Sevierville
Dino Angelos remembers KaTom Restaurant Supply CEO Patrica Bible stopping by to eat at his father's Morristown, Tenn., restaurant when he was a child. Decades later, Angelos continues that relationship, partnering with KaTom to open a new pizza and pasta restaurant in downtown Sevierville.
Angelos has been in the restaurant industry since his first job at his father's steakhouse when he was a teenager. Since then, he has remained involved in the restaurant industry in various capacities, working both front- and back-of-house positions.
"You name it, I've done it," he told KaTom.
About 25 years ago, Angelos worked in a family-owned Florida restaurant that made fresh pasta from scratch. He was surprised by both the food's quality and the fact that nothing similar seemed to exist in the East Tennessee area he grew up in.
"That's what inspired me" Angelos said, "And then I thought, nobody does this in Sevierville, so I might as well do it."
The memory of the house-made pasta stuck with him. Twenty years after working in that Florida restaurant, he started experimenting, creating pizzas and pasta from scratch in the hopes of starting his own Italian restaurant.
Five years after opening Graze Burgers—also with KaTom's help—in downtown Sevierville, Angelos opened DŌ Scratch Made Pizza & Pasta less than a block away.
An Emphasis on Freshness
Angelos wanted DŌ to offer the freshest, best-tasting pizza and pasta in the area. He worked on the concept for three years, hiring two chefs to help him create a menu.
"The main goal was to make it feel like you're eating air, whether it be pasta or pizza," Angelos said.
The result is Italian food made fresh every day. Every morning, chefs come in at sunrise to start the dough-making process. The open kitchen allows customers to watch the pizzas being made, with all the prep work, pizza spinning, and baking done up front.
"We make everything from dough," Angelos said, "From the bread to the pasta to the pizza, and that's the main emphasis: very simple ingredients."
This enabled Angelos to offer pizza and pasta without preservatives or extra ingredients. He also wanted the meals to provide an authentic dining experience, using flour, cheese, and meats imported from Italy.
A Local Partnership
When DŌ Scratch Made Pizza & Pasta opened in November of 2024, it brought a new dining experience to downtown Sevierville, but the relationship between Angelos and KaTom has been well-established for years.
Angelos and his family have a long history of outfitting their restaurants through KaTom. The family's legacy of restaurants includes Angelo's father's Dandridge restaurant: Angelos on the Point and Graze Burgers in Sevierville.
When Angelos was working on opening DŌ, he purchased nearly all his equipment through KaTom, including supplies for a full bar, a walk-in cooler, ranges, and refrigeration equipment.
Strategic Account Manager Turner Whaley helped Angelos by setting up a priority account for him so he could order smallwares and other equipment directly from KaTom's website. This account enabled him to see available stock, track orders, and receive items through a weekly delivery route.
Whaley says these priority accounts are designed to support local businesses.
"We want to own our backyard and make this service super easy for folks," he said.
Even with a rough start from COVID-19-induced supply chain issues, KaTom, and the ability to establish a priority account, provided all the necessary equipment Angelos needed to open.
Angelos's relationship with KaTom is more than a business account. He maintains strong friendships with Bible, Whaley, and the whole KaTom team. Although running several local restaurants has made his life busier, maintaining his connection with KaTom is non-negotiable.
"I told Turner," Angelos laughed. "if they didn't come eat with me, I wouldn't buy anything from them again."
