FOOD

Food & Drink

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Family’s the name; food is the game at Famiglia Modern Trattoria

BY MALLORY GLEICH Progress Contributor

Chef Richard Rangel is an Arizona native who grew up in south Phoenix. Rangel’s love of food is a family affair – his father was a butcher in the community for 30 years, and his mother and grandmothers were “always in the kitchen.”

“I would watch my mother and grandmother cook in the kitchen for a family gathering the next day,” Rangel said. “They told me that I was always in the kitchen with them, watching them cook.”

Rangel said that his mother told him that even as a baby, he would crawl to the refrigerator, open it and eat the green onions that were easily in reach.

“Even the fuzzy part,” Rangel laughed.

Rangel started in the restaurant industry at age 17 as a server and bartender/ bar back and manager, but he always wanted to be in the kitchen. When his sister and her family moved to Connecticut, they offered to have him move with them as a fresh start.

“I didn’t want to because it’s across the country, but I decided to just go for it,” he said. “As soon as I got off the plane, I regretted it – it was eight degrees outside, and all I had was a sweatshirt and jeans!” His �irst job in the industry was in East Lyme, Connecticut, as a dishwasher for a small diner called Rustic Café.

“I didn’t get paid much, but I didn’t mind it because I was learning,” Rangel said. “Being in the kitchen, I fell in love with the chaos, too. I think the best part, though, is someone could be having a horrible day and come in and eat your food, and you could change their day.” Rangel spent �ive years in Connecticut, �irst at the Rustic, then at a New England seafood restaurant – where he worked for free.

“I messaged the executive chef and told him that I’d work for free, I’ll come in on my days off, so I can learn,” he said. Eventually, he became a prep cook. He also worked for an Italian restaurant, where he says his love for Italian cuisine came from.

“It was honestly kind of like working for the Goodfellas – like an old school ma�ia family,” Rangel laughed. “The family was always in the kitchen messing with me.”

Rangel returned to Arizona and worked as the kitchen manager at Cactus Jack’s in Ahwatukee for a year. A few years later, he found himself working at the Scottsdale Princess, moving from line cook to sous chef.

The executive chef was moving to Texas and wanted Rangel to move with him – so, after some time at another restaurant, that’s where he headed. He was executive sous chef and banquet chef while there.

“That was a huge learning experience for me, but the chefs knew I could handle it. It’s something I can now say that I’ve done,” Rangel said.

Rangel was also part of opening Sorriso, an Italian restaurant in The Woodlands, Texas. This, he said, is where he found his mentors: Chef Enzo Fargione and Charlie James; James was one of the people who persuaded Rangel to move to Texas. “Those two were the biggest in�luences as a chef. They taught me management, taught me food I didn’t know about – I thought I knew Italian, but then I met Enzo,” Rangel said.

He stayed at Sorriso for three years before heading home to Arizona, where he met Broc Chavez, who owned a restaurant called Famiglia in Fountain Hills.

When the pandemic hit, the pair adapted to changes. Still, they realized that it might be time to take their ‘family’ elsewhere – enter Famiglia Modern Italian Trattoria, a new bistro that opened on Scottsdale Road just north of Frank Lloyd Wright in July 2021.

“Finding this location was a blessing. The location is great, and it’s exciting because it’s a lot bigger,” Rangel said. Famiglia Trattoria is a casual-�ine dining eatery for “the average hardworking person,” according to Rangel. “I wanted to be in a restaurant where everyone – not just a certain type of person – can come in and eat and try food they’ve never tried before.”

The name comes from the Italian word for family – which Rangel explained is one of the crucial facets of running a kitchen. “Once you �ind the right crew, your restaurant crew becomes part of your family,” he said.

Famiglia focuses on the Italian-style way of eating – smaller portions with multiple courses. Most of the ingredients are imported from Italy, all of the pasta is handmade, and the recipes are old-school with Rangel’s modern twist.

Dishes like the tagliatelle Bolognese and the ricotta cavatelli are popular with guests, as well as the tomato and burrata, which Rangel said is his take on a Caprese salad (and the crackers that come with it are also homemade!).

Rangel said that feeding people and making people happy with food is his favorite part of being a chef.

“Knowing that people came in and had a great experience, walked out with a smile on their face and come back to see us, that’s the best part,” Rangel said.

The grand opening celebration of Famiglia is planned for next month. Eventually, Famiglia will open for lunch.

For more, visit famigliascottsdale. com.

Richard Rangel (Photos by Broc Chavez) Chef Richard Rangel's linguine clams are made Neapolitan-style with Penn Cove clams, sun gold tomatoes and anchovy bread crumbs.