For many of us, certain dishes always remind us of a beloved family member or childhood memory, and chefs are no different. Many, in fact, proudly highlight the ingredients and flavors on their menus each day that bring them back to a specific time and happy place.
At 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist Beginner’s Luck (BeginnersLuckAZ.com), for example, chef Bernie Kantak has a dish aptly called My Rich Uncle’s French Toast ($15.50). As the name suggests, the five-spice-kissed take on the morning delight—complete with challah bread, salted butterscotch syrup, and coconut-pecan granola—is homage to his late uncle, whose early-morning kitchen lessons helped inspire Kantak’s life.
Similarly, the Birria Tacos ($18) at Brittlebush Bar & Grill at The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa (WestinKierland.com) are a tribute to chef de partie Norma Avila’s entire family. The recipe, in fact, is based on the slow-braised birria with Oaxaca cheese that was reserved for big family celebrations, including Avila’s own wedding, for as long as she can remember.
Both Collins Brothers Public House (CollinsBrothersAZ.com) and Maple & Ash (MapleAndAsh.com) also feature nostalgic dishes. At Collins, the Bone-In Veal Parmesan ($44), available Saturdays after 5 p.m., is a twist on a closely guarded family recipe that has been passed down from chef Christopher Collins’ father, who would make it only on special occasions. The Whipped & Buttered Potatoes ($15) at Maple & Ash are chef Danny Grant’s update to his mom’s recipe, albeit with slight changes that replicate her slightly garlicky and very buttery flavor profile but with an insanely silky-smooth texture as compared to her slightly lumpy version.
And then there are the Italian offerings.
Famous for keeping it all in the family, one is hard-pressed to find an Italian eatery without a dish or two that tastes like home or is homage to a special person in its chef’s life. At Marino’s Italian Kitchen & Bar (MarinosItalianKitchenAndBar.com), the large-tubed Rigatoni Bolognese ($23) with simmered beef ragu is a recipe entrusted to chef Collin Hutchinson by his mentor, chef Gianluca Gorini of daGorini in Bagno, Italy. Along the same lines, chef Joey Maggiore’s popular Bolognese ($28) at The Italiano (TheItaliano.com) is a heartfelt tribute to two of his mentors in his father, iconic chef Tomaso Maggiore, and his nonna, which is Italian for grandmother. The base of the dish is Tomaso’s beloved Bolognese sauce, a slow-simmered ragu of beef, pork, and veal, enriched with secret spices and left to develop its deep, savory flavors over five hours. It is paired with his updated take on his nonna’s meatballs, which uses the same trio of meats, plus pine nuts, raisins, provolone, and a few secret ingredients.
Finally, there are dishes from Marcellino Ristorante (MarcellinoRistorante.com) and Sfizio Modern Italian Kitchen (SfizioItaliano.com), both of which are inspired by the chefs’ childhoods in their native Italy. During chef Marcellino Verzino’s childhood, his family often enjoyed polenta with mushrooms for its heartiness and because wild mushrooms grew near their home, making it a very convenient meal. The family would forage the mushrooms and then saute them in olive oil before pairing them with fresh-made polenta. Marcellino’s Polenta E Funghi ($18) is a direct descendent of those family meals, albeit with a few enhancements, including decadent white truffle oil. Chef Rocco Pezzano, both the chef and owner of Sfizio, is proud that every dish on his menu is in some way connected to his upbringing in Calabria, Italy, and his family. The Gnocchi Sorrentina ($21) is especially important to Pezzano as it honors his Uncle Pasquale, a war veteran who vowed he would only eat hearty meals after years of broth in the service. Upon his safe return, Pasquale’s mother took extra care to visit the local butcher daily to select fresh meats, which would become the foundation for the family’s Sorrentina sauce. It would be adopted by his mother, and now by Pezzano, who showcases it nightly on the menu with handmade gnocchi.
At Collins Brothers Public House, theBone-In Veal Parmesan is a twist on a closely guarded family recipe.