Celebrate Memorial Day at these veteran-owned bars and restaurants in metro Phoenix
These military veterans served their country and now they're serving their communities in a different and delicious way. For these veterans, post-military callings ranged from mastering pit barbecue to crafting the ideal cider, from opening the ultimate lemonade stand to running a popular local restaurant group. The reasons these former military members went into hospitality are as diverse as their menus, from finding healing in the culinary process to returning to first loves. The one thing they all have in common is a passion for service that translates into some pretty fantastic dishes and drinks.
This Memorial Day, celebrate those who served by patronizing a veteran-owned bar or restaurant. Here are a few favorites to get you started.
The new classics: 100 essential restaurants in metro Phoenix
Cider Corps
What started as a way to help co-owner and retired Marine Jason Duren recover from traumatic brain injuries that resulted from two improvised explosive devices has evolved into a homegrown family enterprise. Jason owns Cider Corps with his brother Josh, who came up with the idea of making cider as a more creative and fun brain exercise than the traditional puzzles doctors suggested. Today, the Durens run the state’s first and largest cidery.
Since opening in 2017, the brothers have garnered a large fan base, many of whom had previously dismissed mainstream ciders as too sugary before sipping theirs. Cider Corps uses a craft cocktail philosophy of combining sweet and bitter elements to create over 200 well-balanced ciders. Their ciders can be found at restaurants, bars and grocers across the state, but the best place to try them is at the Cider Corps taproom in Mesa.
Details: 31 S. Robson, #103, Mesa. 480-993-3164, cidercorpsaz.com.
Cuties Lemonade and More
Quincy Milam initially joined the Army as a way to afford college tuition, but shortly thereafter, the 9/11 attacks inspired him to embrace his service in a new way, including a deployment to Afghanistan. Today, the retired soldier runs Cuties Lemonade with his wife Tiffani. The food truck-turned-beverage stand now has standalone locations at Chandler Fashion Center and Arizona Mills Mall. The menu includes lemonades and slushies that are made-to-order with alkaline antioxidant water, which ensures a perfect pH-balanced base for Milam’s refreshing concoctions.
Details: Multiple locations, cutieslemonade.com.
Flyin' K BBQ
After serving his country, Army combat veteran Ken Davis served as a hotshot for the U.S. Forest Service before returning to his first love, cooking. Now the chef and co-owner of Flyin' K BBQ food truck and catering company, Davis was born in Arizona and his family traces their roots back to the original settlers in the northern part of the state where he grew up on his family’s cattle ranch. Along with his wife and business partner Heather, Davis now combines central Texas-style techniques with Arizona spices and rubs made from scratch, all cooked over Arizona oak. In addition to sandwiches filled with smoked sausage, tri-tip and Buffalo chicken, Flyin' K BBQ serves nopales tacos and a mac and cheese bowl topped with barbecue sauce and smoked meat.
Details: flyinkbbq.com.
Fire at Will, Hush Public House and Vanilla Gorilla Tap Room & Bottle Shop
Marine veteran Dom Ruggiero is the chef and owner of a trio of restaurants, which he runs as part of his Cast Iron Concepts restaurant group. When Hush Public House opened in 2019, it drew immediate attention and accolades for Ruggiero’s elegant yet approachable take on comfort foods, like his famous take on an Italian Beef made with braised oxtail, smoked provolone and Chicago-style giardiniera on brioche, and his use of local products like pasta from Sonoran Pasta Company.
Next to Hush, he opened Vanilla Gorilla, a tap room, bottle shop and spot where guests can nosh on small bites while waiting for a table at Hush.
Ruggerio’s latest addition to the lineup is Fire at Will, which opened on Veterans Day 2022 with the same eclectic flair that oozes through the dishes at Hush. The diverse menu flaunts familiar yet uncommon dishes such as lamb tartare, Scotch egg and Clams Casino alongside soba kicked up with gochujang and tahini, a traditional lobster roll and a 14-ounce hand-cut grilled beef ribeye. Ruggerio practices whole animal butchery and cites his travels throughout Asia, Australia and the Middle East as part of his service which serves as inspiration for his creations.
Details: Hush Public House, 14202 N. Scottsdale Road, #167, Scottsdale. 480-758-5172, hushpublichouse.com.
Details: The Vanilla Gorilla, 14202 N. Scottsdale Road, #165, Scottsdale. 480-597-6526, tvgtaproom.com.
Details: Fire at Will, 4912 E. Shea Blvd., #108, Phoenix. 480-207-1819, eatfireatwill.com.
Chicago made Italian Beef famous. This Scottsdale chef made the iconic sandwich his own
BKD’s Backyard Joint
Kelly Cooper joined the Marine Corps after graduating from high school and was deployed to Cuba, Okinawa and South Korea. A South American tour and mission brought him to every country in Central and South America. Now, the veteran and 2024 Congressional District 4 candidate is among the ownership team of BKD's Backyard Joint, a Chandler sports bar with a neighborhood vibe. The restaurant offers a daily brunch, build-your-own pizzas, more than a dozen sandwiches and burgers along with indulgent takes on sports-viewing munchies like wings, which come with a choice of three kinds of rubs and four sauces, Buffalo chicken bacon fries and smoked brisket poutine. To pair with the elevated pub grub, there's more than 20 rotating beers on tap. Cooper also owns both Arizona Melting Pot restaurants in Ahwatukee Foothills and Glendale.
Details: 980 E. Pecos Road, #5, Chandler. 480-935-2537, bkdsbackyard.com.
Do you have a favorite veteran-owned restaurant? Let us know about it! Email the dining editor at felicia.campbell@azcentral.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Veteran-owned metro Phoenix restaurants to try this Memorial Day
