Since returning to the Valley in 2023, Kristen Martinez has been on the hunt for a permanent place to serve her Texas-inspired taquitos and breakfast tacos. Meanwhile, Melrose Kitchen Table chef and owner Harmon Swartz has been working to grow the restaurant he bought two years ago.
Swartz met Martinez, a noise rap artist turned chef who serves her “new era Tex-Mex” under the moniker MB Foodhouse, through the Greater Phoenix Equality Chamber of Commerce, which serves LGBTQ+ businesses. Now, the two have teamed up inside Swartz’s restaurant on Seventh and Glenrosa avenues.
A chef in Phoenix for more than 15 years, Swartz worked in kitchens of locally owned breweries and large resorts alike before taking over the restaurant that was previously called Melrose Kitchen. The Melrose Kitchen Table owner, who cooks global comfort food, saw alignment between his menu and Martinez’s…