Serving up love, art, and pure Tucson deliciousness
It’s hard enough opening up a restaurant. If this comes as a shock to you, trust here, it is a near-impossible mission on all fronts and accounts. But to open a restaurant in the shell once occupied by a half-century neighborhood Mexican food tradition it’s grappling with the insane. Let’s take it one step further shall we? How about on top of all the aforementioned struggles, you happen to set your grand opening on a major holiday, such as Halloween. Now we are veering into territory usually occupied by comic book villain sized dumpster fires floating on a rocky sea of tears in some undocumented hell province.
Three young men with impressive Tucson culinary pedigrees took those challenges, did a quick confident eye roll and went through with it anyway. The Sonoran Brunch Company is the cozy lovechild of chefs and business partners Kenny King, Tim Hilkemeyer and Adam Valenzuela who stumbled into friendship cooking and working across our tasty southern Arizona stratosphere. King, for many years, was the general manager and head chef of Fini’s Landing. To say the least, he was rarely at home. “With a wife and a new baby, being away from them all day and most days were starting to get to me,” says King. “I was seriously burning out. That’s when the idea to start a brunch concept began to develop. Then this place became available and I took that chance by throwing all of my cards in.”
The place in question was a late 1960s taco stand that eventually morphed into a Poco and Moms. When Hilkemeyer came aboard as a possible partner, the two did an initial walkthrough which garnered some hesitation.
“I knew we had a lot of work ahead of us,” notes Hilkemeyer, “but I also knew that I wanted in.”
So, in mid-2019, King, Hilkemeyer and newly added to the brunch fold Valenzuela began the process of literally gutting the place to make room for a scratch kitchen, keeping only the original tables and chairs. There were two curiosities the three had to contend with: a drive-through window and the fact there is no public restroom. “We will have a public toilet up very soon,” promises King. “But we plan on using the drive-through in the near future for burros and sandwiches and such. I really want to make Sonoran inspired donuts for a quick morning bite. We are still working out some ideas as we are still pretty new.”
Something that is easily thought out is the menu. Keeping it tight and keeping with the brunch theme, it is an inventive and hearty wink to our native desert food roots. An appetizer can consist of a trio of fry bread that is drizzled with locally produced honey; a crunchy yet downy bite matched beautifully by a subtle sweetness. Their take on a Cubano sandwich is the stuff of street food dreams. It is a sizeable treat filled with savory carnitas, house-made pickles, bacon, and Swiss cheese served on a fresh baguette. Possibly, honestly, the best I have had in recent memory.
One dish that is a passion piece for King is the Papas Gordo, a plated panorama of queso and poblano chile stuffed hash browns, topped with vegan red enchilada sauce, poblano hollandaise then finished with a bright and fresh avocado salad. It is absolutely unique, totally tasty and for $8 one of the best meal deals in town.
“That dish is a homage to my dad,” King says. “It is something he would cook for us when we were on camping trips. It’s easily my favorite dish and the reason for building this restaurant in the first place.”
It’s not just the food that is innovative and inviting. The artistic flair, both exterior and interior is chock full of local talent. A mural by Tucson’s own Danny Martin welcomes all on an outside wall while another inside by Jessica Gonzales is a colorful display encapsulating native charm, heritage, and harvest. Not to mention the ceiling is festooned with vintage car license plates from all across the US, hinting that the Sonoran Brunch Company may be an Old Pueblo original, but its reach easily spans way past our dusty borders with a comforting warmth in both food and refuge.
But why open your doors on Halloween? Who does that that isn’t a spooky holiday concept?
“Honestly that’s just how things worked out because we didn’t want to open on a Friday or weekend,” laughs King. “It was hectic because some people thought that we were still the former resident but once they sat down and had our food, they said we were a very welcome addition to the neighborhood.”
And things for the Sonoran Brunch Company just keep getting better. Danny Martin has just installed three new murals for their catering truck and, get this! They are planning on serving dinner very soon. So stay tuned for that. Now that they have breakfast on lock we can only imagine what they can do for a supper crowd. But will they keep the term “brunch” in their name since they are branching out beyond the walls of pancakes and hearty lunch offerings? Sonoran Munch Company…maybe?
Ouch. I hope not. They deserve more than a punning play on their name.
Whatever they decide to do, it’s certain that Kenny, Adam, and Tim will delight and surprise. Especially when that public toilet gets installed. The possibilities are endless with these guys.
Sonoran Brunch Company
1060 S. Kolb Rd.
Daily: 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
520-849-8005
facebook.com/sonoranbrunchcompany
