Chris Bianco confirmed yesterday that he's in the earliest phases of a new restaurant project with Nadia Holguin and Armando Hernandez of Tacos Chiwas — to be located the old Roland’s Market building in downtown Phoenix. Bianco was tight-lipped about what the eatery, to be called "Roland’s," will be cooking, in part, he says, because he doesn’t really know yet.
“It’s going to be something that reflects our community and our own personal history,” he says. “We’re still in research mode. We’re looking forward to getting in the kitchen.”
Bianco hints at the direction of Roland’s. He talks of his penchant for Italian food and how hard he has worked to develop his various crafts, of his wife’s Mexican heritage, and of what the Hernandez family is cooking at Tacos Chiwas, considered one of the finest taco purveyors in town.
“Something special is in the works,” Bianco says. “It’s going to have some type of accent, because we do.”
Bianco is also hyped about the chance to revive a storied building, something he has spoken to us about before. Squat, red-brick, and timeworn, the solo structure built a century ago on East Van Buren and 15th streets once served as a neighborhood cornerstone market, known for quality Chinese food and beef.
Stay tuned to find out what the building will be known for next.