Craving More "OTTOMATICAKE"

Gemma Cubero once again impresses us with a beautifully crafted documentary about the interesting individual who stand behind the famous Otto Cheesecake recipe here in Hawaii. From ten years worth of filming and collecting powerful moments of Otto's fascinating life -- "Ottomaticake" finally came to life at the 2017 Hawaii Film Festival (HIFF).

Honored to attend the International premiere of this highly-anticipated film, with the director (Gemma Cubero) and Otto himself in attendance, I was beyond excited: sitting in my red-velvet theatre seat, forgetting the constant flow of popcorn I was nervously putting in my mouth. There was a brief introduction before the commencement of the film by Gemma herself and when she asked Otto to say a few words he just said "Aloha" in his own Otto way and sat back down in his VIP seat.

The documentary was so refreshing and unique to previous films I have seen that are auto-biographically inspired. It followed Otto's journey into the cheesecake business alongside portraying his interesting personality. It was a quirky mix of Otto's wild life (being in bands, baking cheesecake and performing in drag) to an immediate focus on the avoided topic of open criminality that has risen in Downtown Honolulu. I was intrigued, genuinely surprised and shocked at the extent of police negligence that evidently exists within the streets we all call home. Otto's life journey was also so different and inspiring, as he openly spoke about his lifelong battle with dyslexia and how he turned his battles into literal cheesecake. His own Otto's Cheesecake is now a well-renowned business around the island, with customer loyalty and friendships helping him soar into success.

I asked my best friend Adrienne Waters to join me to the premiere and she was equally as impressed from the documentary's evolving mix of life battles mixed with social confrontations that we all could somehow relate to. Gemma Cubero did an amazing and extremely impressive job directing this film and made us crave endless list of flavors of Otto's Cheesecake.

I would recommend "Ottomaticake" to not only cheesecake lover but also to anyone who has experienced their own personal battles and hardships, as this film illustrates the greatness that can come from chasing a simple passion and dream through hard work and standing up for what you believe in.