TASTE • DINE
The wagyu tomahawk ribeye is seasoned with a southwestern spice blend. (Tía
The 130-seat Tia Carmen was designed in collaboration with the Thomas Schoos.
Carmen/Submitted)
‘A Love Letter’ Celebrity chef debuts Phoenix restaurant honoring aunt By Jordan Houston
W
idely known for his appearances on TV shows like Bravo’s “Top Chef ” and HBO Max’s “Selena + Chef,” Angelo Sosa recalls two contrasting childhood experiences that shaped his culinary career. The renowned chef, born in Connecticut to a Dominican father and Italian mother, grew up in a “strict” and “militant” household. He spent most weekends laboring in the garden and preparing ingredients for the family’s weekly Sunday “feast,” he says. “Chores were taken very seriously, and part of my chores was to be my father’s sous chef,” Sosa says. “On the weekends, there were no flying kites or playing kickball. It was 5 a.m. garden weeding, tilling and harvesting the vegetables or feeding the compost.” Then, on the flip side of the coin, there was his Tía Carmen’s house in Queens, New York – where he recounts a starkly different family dinner scene. Sosa says his siblings during their visits “would slam the front door open and run past
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the kitchen to go play outside.” Meanwhile, Sosa was lured into his aunt’s kitchen. “I was a 9-year-old boy and I was tugged into the kitchen. It was like losing a battle of tug of war. I was tugged into the beautiful aromas of tarragon,” he says. “I would prop myself up on the kitchen and I would watch my tía. Many times, I only saw her from the back – I just saw her motions, movements and the heart and passion.” “When it was time to eat, it was really beautiful. She wouldn’t even eat until she heard laughter, joy or just love radiating in the room,” he continues. “In that moment, the contrast – I remember that strict, militant home and I’m staring at this woman in total awestruck. I knew I wanted to become a chef and this was love. I knew my love language was cooking.” Now, Sosa is honoring his late aunt’s legacy of love and influence with his new Phoenix contemporary Southwestern concept,Tía Carmen. Located at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, 5350 E. Marriott Drive, Sosa debuted the restaurant in April alongside seasoned restaurant operator Mark Stone. “It’s very important to me that we’re not
Chef Angelo Sosa, known for his work alongside restaurateurs like Alain Ducasse, Stephen Starr and Masaharu Morimoto, is widely recognized for appearing on several television shows such as Bravo’s ‘Top Chef’ and HBO Max’s ‘Selena + Chef.’ (Tía Carmen/Submitted
just serving food or just serving drinks,” Sosa says. “When you come in, you’re greeted with a gesture with a hand to the heart, acknowledging the people and acknowledging the guest. I want people to feel transformed and feel my Tía Carmen’s spirit in this space.” Tía Carmen, Sosa’s first Arizona restaurant, features flavors imbued from a wood-fired grill and aims to emphasize “the beauty and ingredients of the region.” The chef spent the past year and a half studying Arizona’s food scene while traveling back and forth between Phoenix and his California home. He also collaborated with a variety of statebased purveyors, including Hypha Foods, the lead producer of foraged mushrooms, and Arizona grass-raised beef and Top Knot Farms to incorporate responsibly raised meats. “I want to pay homage.This is really a love story to the region from me,” Sosa says.
