For Stanya and James Gorraiz, opening Urban Hip-E Fresh Kitchen on Mill Avenue is more than the launch of a second restaurant. It’s a homecoming.
The husband-and-wife team behind G6 Culinary Concepts both grew up in the Phoenix area. Stanya attended Xavier College Preparatory, while James attended St. Mary’s High School before earning his degree from Arizona State University. After more than a decade building restaurant concepts in Colorado, the couple has returned to familiar territory with a fresh approach to fast casual.
“We’ve been watching this place evolve for years and years,” Stanya says of Tempe. “To now be smack-dab in the middle of it all is amazing.”
Located at Mill Avenue and 10th Street, Urban Hip-E sits across from the ASU campus and near ASU Gammage, putting it within walking distance for students, residents and theatergoers alike.
The concept began in Montrose, Colorado, where the Gorraizes saw an opportunity for food that was quick and approachable without sacrificing quality. Their philosophy, summed up by the tagline “Fresh Is Hip,” now anchors the Tempe location.
The menu draws on Mediterranean and global influences, with salads, gyros, grain bowls, flatbreads, pastas, soups and smoothies. Dressings, sauces and drizzles are made in-house, and the kitchen avoids seed oils and high-fructose corn syrup. Gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options are also available.
Among Stanya’s favorites are the Urban Gyros, Hot Honey Flatbread with peach and prosciutto, and Ruby Scarlet Salad featuring beets, pomegranate molasses chicken, pumpkin seeds and feta.
But bringing Urban Hip-E Fresh Kitchen to Tempe is about more than what’s on the menu. It reconnects the Gorraizes with the community that helped shape them.
After years spent building businesses elsewhere, they’re back where their story began, this time with something new to bring to the table.