CUISINE

CHEF CONVERSATIONS

In the kitchen with Samantha Sanz of elements and jade bar

Samantha Sanz is the chef de cuisine of both elements and jade bar at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort, where she dreams up farm fresh American cuisine with Asian and Latin accents amidst some of the most breathtaking views in the Southwest.

BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ / PHOTO BY DEBBY WOLVOS

What inspired you to cook? I was born and raised in Nogales, Mexico, where my family owned a restaurant, Trocadero, for 60 years. It was my second home, so much so when I was 6 I picked up a skillet and started cooking while my mother’s back was turned. And I never stopped.

How did you make your way to elements? In 2008, I moved to Arizona to attend the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts and began my professional career as a pantry chef at elements, so this is my second time around here! Prior to coming back in 2020, most folks know me from my time as chef de cuisine at Virtu Honest Craft or for the five years I spent at Talavera, where I earned my two James Beard nominiations.

What dishes are you most excited about on the current elements menu? When I first started at elements in 2008, they had the best calamari in the state. The dish is still on the menu, and even better than I remember. At breakfast, don’t miss my authentic Mexican huevos rancheros, and at lunch don’t sleep on the burger. It is so addicting I jokingly blame it for any COVID-19 weight gain. Finally, the tuna crudo, which is a beautiful blend of elements’ signature Asian touches and my Latino ingredient leanings.

What’s your wildest kitchen memory? How about my wildest-smelling memory? While looking for something at the beginning of a shift in my early days, I shuffled a pan I assumed was empty only to find it was full of sea bass marinating in miso sauce. The entire contents spilled on me, and I had to work the next eight hours smelling of fish.

What would readers be surprised to know about you? I can baile folklorico with the best of them. That is the overall term for Mexican folkoric dancing, and I do it in the full traditional dress and everything.

Any foods you personally don’t like? Anything too eggy turns me off. For example, I will not eat anything with hollandaise.

Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort, 5700 E. McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley; 855.245.2051; www.sanctuaryoncamelback.com.