Chef Dean’s Story

A Detroit Pizza Guru

Chef Dean Cotroneo has been making pizza since he was 17 and has spent years perfecting the art of dough making. Soon you’ll be able to taste the difference, right here in Hatboro! Dean is a Montco native – he grew up in Abington – and chef who studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He owned Frank’s Pizza in Elkins Park for 12 years, and Dino’s Pizza of Warminster where it won “Best Stromboli in USA Today” & “5th Best Pizzeria in PA” according to Yelp. Now he’s setting up shop at The Steel Penny Cafe.

Dean’s goal? Only “to make the best Detroit-style pizza that I’ve ever had and to share this pizza with as many people as we can.” We are excited to share this new addition to our cafe menu with you!

For Dean Cotroneo, the search for the perfect dough is a family affair. His love of baking started when he was a child, working alongside his Italian mother who was “constantly making homemade bread and pizza.” As a student at the Culinary Institute of America, he pursued his passion, becoming mesmerized by the science behind the process of bread baking and dough development. For years he has immersed himself in perfecting the perfect pizza dough recipe, and in passing along his attention to detail to his family – Dean and his wife have two sons, ages 12 & 10. “My boys actually know pizza terms. They’re pizza connoisseurs.”

We’re excited to welcome Dean to the Steel Penny family, and we can’t wait for you to try his signature recipe!