BY SUSAN LANIER-GRAHAM PHOTOS BY CARL SCHULTZ

Transcription

1 With restaurants dotting and defining the local restaurant scene, Fox has become a household name and a culinary visionary. Here, the Valley restaurant royalty talks about his restaurant empire, family, and giving back BY SUSAN LANIER-GRAHAM PHOTOS BY CARL SCHULTZ UPTOWN 26 OCTOBER 2013

2 Consistent. Quality. Attention to detail. Those are all words Sam Fox uses to describe his restaurant style. But mostly I m thankful, he continues. I m thankful to my employees and to guests who choose to spend their money in my restaurants. And throughout the past two decades since opening his first eatery, people have continued to spend their money in his restaurants because of the consistency, quality and attention to detail and the way the staff makes customers feel appreciated. The early years Fox, now an Arcadia resident, grew up in a restaurant family in Tucson, where his parents moved from Chicago when he was 5-years-old. My parents owned restaurants, but they weren t like this, he says, laughing and waving his hand around True Food Kitchen s dining room at Biltmore Fashion Park. They were truly mom-andpop places. Fox says he learned early on how to help out in the restaurant mostly things like peeling potatoes and cleaning up but he really had no idea how to run a restaurant. So it was a huge surprise to my parents when I announced I was dropping out of college to open my own restaurant, he says. Fox s first restaurant, which he opened in 1993, was definitely a learning experience. Not long after we opened, he explains, his blue eyes discreetly taking in every detail in True Food Kitchen as he talks, my chef and I got into an argument. He ended up with a broken hand and I had to cook for three months. I didn t know a thing about cooking, but he would sit there on a stool and tell me what to do. I was his hands for three months. Fox says those moments helped prepare him for his future in restaurants. I don t consider myself a chef, he explains, but I m very knowledgeable about food and I m involved in developing every menu. After opening his first restaurant at age 21, Fox started Fox Restaurant Concepts in 1998 with Wildflower American Cuisine in Tucson. Wildflower is still serving carefully constructed plates, artfully shaken martinis and loyalty to its guests. Building Fox Restaurant Concepts After Fox arrived in the Valley 13 years ago, he went to work building what other restaurateurs in the area consider to be an empire. Sam Fox is local restaurant royalty, commented one area restaurateur. Fox landed in Phoenix at the very beginning of the city s upward growth in the national restaurant scene. In large part, he helped to Since opening my first restaurant at age 21, I ve opened a total of 45 restaurants over the years, says Fox. I always like to work with builders and designers who can translate my vision. create Phoenix as a food destination. Every local foodie has heard of his restaurants: True Food Kitchen, Blanco Tacos + Tequila, NORTH Italian Farmhouse, Sauce Pizza & Wine, Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar, Culinary Dropout, The Arrogant Butcher, Olive & Ivy Restaurant + Marketplace, The Greene House and Little Cleo s Seafood Legend. They run the gamut from fast casual to fine dining, and the focus is always on the customer and the details. There is something customers feel when they walk into a Fox restaurant. Fox agrees that it is a deliberate something. It s not any one thing, explains Fox when asked about his secret. It s the napkins, the music, the fabric on the chairs, the floors, the uniforms, the details. Even though Fox has many restaurants today that are part of Fox Restaurant Concepts, he strives to maintain that same level of service and attention at every eatery. Just how many restaurants are there today? The general consensus is that it s hard to cite a number, because it changes so often. Fox laughs: Just go with 40 by end of the year. Fox s restaurants are currently in five states across the country, including Arizona and California. By the end of 2014, that number will be up to 10 states, including a couple of East Coast locations. What s new? The biggest question for most people who meet Fox is, What s next? There are a number of projects currently in the works at varying stages, from new development to almostopen not including the concepts that Fox says are always in his head. He s introducing a fresh-pressed juice concept, Juby True, which will be offered at both True Food and as a stand-alone shop at Scottsdale Quarter. For restaurants in the local area, Fox is planning a fast casual version of True Food Kitchen at 44th and Camelback (in the AJ s plaza) and The Henry, which will be located downstairs from Fox Restaurant Concept s offices, also at 44th and Camelback. The Henry will be an American brasserie, open daily for lunch and dinner. It will include a test kitchen for Fox s chefs that will also be used for cooking classes that are open to the public. In addition to the new concepts, Fox is also set to expand some of the existing concepts into new states. Specifically, True Food Kitchen will open in the coming months in both Georgia and Virginia. Since opening my first restaurant at age 21, I ve opened a total of 45 restaurants over the years, says Fox. I always like to work with builders and designers who can translate my vision. Just where does Fox get the ideas he has for new restaurants? There s inspiration everywhere, he answers. I m inspired by travel, OCTOBER UPTOWN

3 food, sometimes the actual location. Sometimes I find a building that inspires me. I like to look at the soul of the building and see if it matches one of the concepts I want to open. We have art and science in the restaurant business. The science includes running the business, creating the recipes. The art is the concept, the creativity, the vision. I like to think we do both really well. Key to success Fox doesn t take his success for granted. I am grateful to the public for deciding to spend their money with us. It is, in large part, that personal connection that helped Fox succeed even during the worst of the recession. In fact, while other restaurants scaled back between 2007 and 2012, Fox continued to expand. We were able to double-down during the recession, he explains. We decided it was the perfect opportunity to build a great foundation. We were able to buy some properties and hold on to them. Fox agrees that the recession dramatically changed the face of the restaurant business, especially here in the Valley. We had to ask ourselves, What is the key to success? and then we took time to really get back to basics. He motions around True Food Kitchen, packed even in the middle of a weekday afternoon. I never take for granted that someone is coming to spend money with us. We decided it was more important than ever to get to know our guests better and develop a personal connection with them and what they want. Fox says that for several years leading up to the 2007 recession, people simply threw money at a place. They didn t seem to care where they ate or what they spent. Today, there is more of a need to connect, to see where the food is coming from and to feel a sort of kinship with the places they eat. Tapping into that need to connect is what Fox believes his restaurants do best. Fox has focused on healthy options in several of his restaurants, including True Food Kitchen and the new Juby True juice concept. He uses sustainable seafood at the new Little Cleo s that opened recently in Phoenix. He offers gluten-free options at Sauce. So why healthy foods? We want to have a purpose, explains Fox. We like to offer customers a wide range of options. It s also important to be connected to the environment and the local community. Giving back to the community Another of Fox s passions is helping give back to the community that supports his restaurants and, in turn, his family. His newest project is honorary chair of this year s Phoenix Heart Ball, which is going to be held Nov. 23 at The Phoenician to benefit the American Heart Association. When they first approached me, I mentioned it to my wife and she didn t think I d do it. But, after speaking with [Phoenix Heart Ball Chairman] Susan Doria, I said yes, explains Fox. I did it because the people involved with the Heart Ball are so compelling and passionate. Susan told me that she wants to see the Heart Ball carried on by another generation. I felt that with the outreach of the restaurants and how many people we serve it s a good opportunity to spread the message. The Phoenix Heart Ball has been an annual event in the Valley since 1959 and, with the help of generous locals, has raised more than $30 million to help fight heart disease. Since its first event under the leadership of Mrs. Barry Goldwater, the Heart Ball has helped fund the development of such groundbreaking technologies and procedures as pacemakers, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and heart bypass surgery. Today, the organization also helps with programs aimed to educate children on nutrition and exercise, and to help adults better understand risk factors and ways they can reduce cholesterol and recognize the signs of heart attacks and strokes. It is a great opportunity to be part of the legacy, Fox explains. Getting to know Fox, the man Fox whose parents have since retired to Florida moved to Phoenix for a few reasons. Not only did he want to expand his restaurant concept out of Tucson and into the larger Phoenix market, but his wife Emily has family in the Valley. Since then, Fox has become father to two children, son Noah and daughter Chloe. The children have changed my life, says the obviously proud father. Even where the family eats out, when not at one of their own restaurants, is often determined by the kids. We love the classics, says Fox. The kids love to eat at Don & Charlie s [in Scottsdale]. Fox spends most of his free time with his family. I love to travel and spend time with my kids when I m not working. I coach my 9-year-old son s flag football team. Fox recently took his son on a trip to New York City. It was great. We ate six meals a day and my son was really into the food. New York is such a great food city. Fox describes himself as a compassionate visionary. I have a lot of compassion for people. Especially the people I work with. The future Fox laughs when asked what he sees in the future. I never thought I d be where I am today, so it s hard to predict what the future holds. I like to live in the moment. I always say that we re only as good as the last shift, so I want to keep moving forward with great shifts every day. He thinks for a few minutes. I guess specifically I want to open more innovative concepts. I want to be a leader in the community; a leader in the restaurant community. I want to have great places for people to work. We ve built the company based on people embracing what we do. Fox already employs approximately 3,000 people across five states, welcoming thousands of diners to his restaurants each year. When asked what they thought of their boss at True Food Kitchen in Phoenix, the responses were always the same: He s so passionate. He has so many ideas. He never looks down on you. As the employees scurry around the restaurant, creating beautiful as well as tasty dishes at True Food, Fox s passion shows through in the bright colors, the well-planned plates of food and the music playing in the background. It s a comfortable place to eat, hang out and meet up with friends or colleagues. It will be fascinating to watch where the creativity and vision of this five-time James Beard Award nominee for Restaurateur of the Year takes not only his company, but the Phoenix food scene, for years to come. View all the Fox Restaurant Concepts eateries online at www. foxrc.com. For more on the Phoenix Heart Ball, visit UPTOWN 28 OCTOBER 2013

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