We covered background, heritage and his son’s exotic eating habits yesterday. Today we cotinue our chat with Christopher Nicosia of Sassi. Nicosia’s “garlic and Gaelic” heritage, as he put it, has contributed to why he became a chef. He took an interest in cooking at a young age, recalling once…

The sprawling Italian style villa that is Sassi looks like something out of a movie. You almost expect an old-school, mustached Italian proprietor to swing the door wide open and welcome you in with a kiss on either cheek. Come to find out, the guy who runs things at Sassi is nothing of…

We chatted yesterday with Emilio Morales of Sunshine Moon Peking Pub about everything from the family of 10 he grew up in to a mutual distaste for Andrew Zimmern. He shows us today how to make kung pao scallops. As Morales warned us in part one on Tuesday, Asian food…

Keyon Fareghi​Yesterday we chatted with Emilio Morales of Sunshine Moon Peking Pub about what has brought him to this point in his life. Today our conversation continues as we discuss his plans for the future, Korean food and Anthony Bourdain. Morales comes from quite a large family, which has contributed…

Transitioning from the corporate life to running a restaurant of your own is no easy task. Close to 28 years in the making, Sunshine Moon Peking Pub in Old Town Scottsdale shows it can be done. Emilio Morales of Sunshine Moon, shares his journey from sous chef with P.F. Chang’s to…

  Our chat with Matt Carter ended yesterday with him explaining a little about why The Mission is different from other Latin restaurants in the area. The proof may not be in the pudding, but in the black cod dish that he will show us how to prepare today.  …

Keyon Fareghi Yesterday we spoke with Chef Matt Carter of The Mission and Zinc Bistro about some of what he loves about the culinary industry. Today he enlightens us about foie gras and lets us in on one of his biggest indulgences. What is the worst experience you have ever…

hef Matt Carter, a trip across Scottsdale means a journey from France to Spain — and back again. Now, that’s a worldly guy. The Mission  in Old Town Scottsdale offers margaritas and twinkly lights alongside the Spanish cuisine, while Kierland Commons’ Zinc Bistro is tres Francais from soup to nuts. Chef at both, Carter moves from one to the…

  After getting to know Alex Padilla of Taberna Mexicana, he let us in on the recipe for his favorite menu item, Cochinita Pibil, which is a Yucatan pork stew baked in a banana leaf and traditionally served with fried plantains, Mexican crema, pickled red onions, and flour or corn tortillas…

Yesterday we spoke with Alex Padilla of Taberna Mexicana and today our conversation continues… Honduran-born Padilla is notably health-conscious — nothing on Taberna’s menu is smothered in cheese and rice and beans are not automatic. Padilla tells us he is appreciative of all different types of cuisine and it is reflected in his…

Chef Alex Padilla may be new to the Valley, but not to the kitchen; he’s currently donning his apron at Taberna Mexicana in Scottsdale. Padilla recently moved here from Houston, where he was raised, to open Ninfa’s Mexican Kitchen, in Glendale, and now Taberna (in Scottsdale Seville, Roy’s former spot). The menu…