This article originally appeared in the December 2019 edition of Canby Living Magazine.
After two decades serving — and growing — in McMinnville, Salem, Keizer, Hillsboro and Newberg, Odd Moe’s Pizza has come to Canby.
Though they have built a loyal following in the state capital — where half of their eight stores are located — co-owner Mike Sublett said he has always been a small-town, community guy at heart.
The locally owned and operated company began by engaging the younger markets in McMinnville — especially though the high school and Linfield College — and they hope to do something similar here in Canby.
They are located in the Safeway retail complex, which is flooded with teens from Canby High School during the weekday lunch rush.
But their commitment to supporting their local communities goes much deeper than that. They sponsor countless sports teams, helped build a skate park, awarded high school scholarships, done presentations at local schools and offer a number of other avenues for promotion and fundraising to local charities and nonprofits.
“You know, it just comes down to what they need, and what we can do,” Sublett says. “And for what we can’t do, we just work on bridging those gaps.
“I think community is pretty simple. To be a part of it, you just have to be a part of it.”
OK — enough about that! I’m supposed to talk about the food in this article. So…it’s good. Like, really good.
The highest praise I can offer is that Odd Moe’s “Bull Rider” is the only pie I’ve ever tried where I’ll admit pineapple on pizza makes sense. It’s a unique concoction that features chicken, sausage, bacon and, yes, pineapple, along with a tangy chipotle lime BBQ sauce in lieu of the traditional tomato.
The flavors work together wonderfully well, which is typical of Odd Moe’s menu. Sublett is extremely thoughtful in crafting their combinations.
He doesn’t even work with his favorite pizza topping — linguiça — because he hasn’t yet figured out a composition that brings out the unique flavors of the Portuguese sausage, rather than losing or overpowering them.
This thoughtfulness comes through in the final product, as does the quality of the ingredients they use and the careful way they prepare them.
“It starts with the dough,” Sublett says. “Dough is interesting, because it’s a very simple product in a lot of ways. But the key for us is the water. We have fantastic water here in Oregon. A lot of places on the East Coast — they don’t have that.”
Sublett loves to experiment, as well as check out what other pizza restaurants are doing in places he visits. Often, new pizza combinations, new menu items or just a new way of doing things will emerge from these trips.
“I love to do research,” he says. “I like to see how other people do the things that they do. I’ve been a student of the industry for 33 years now.”
If you’d like to become a student of Odd Moe’s menu, check them out today. They have a full menu of “all-star” combinations, or you can build your own. They offer a selection of appetizers (their wings are fantastic, and their signature cheesy garlic bread is also quite popular) and salads, as well.
Odd Moe’s is delivery or take-out only, and uniquely, they deliver craft beer, cider and wine. Give them a call at 503-263-8444, or check out their menu online here.
Hear more from Andrea on Episode 112 of the Canby Now Podcast: “That’s How It Moe’s.”
