Chef Thomas Griese of the new JING Scottsdale didn’t need long to get to know il Bracco‘s menu. He lives close to the Scottsdale restaurant (at 6160 N. Scottsdale Rd.) and had visited for lunch and dinner, so when we settled into a booth in the center of the open dining room, he already knew where to steer the table.
“The meatballs are probably where to go, for sure,” Griese said, pointing to the focaccia baked at il Bracco and served alongside them. (We have to agree; the texture was spectacular). He also always orders the Cacio e Pepe ($23), a bucatini pasta the restaurant makes with cracked black pepper and Pecorino. We added Crispy Artichokes ($20) to the Meatballs ($24) and Chicken Piccata ($31) with kale salad. Then, we dug in while talking food, travel, steak seasoning, and JING’s Josper oven.
From Indiana to JING Scottsdale
Griese grew up in West Lafayette, Indiana. His father was a veterinarian, his mother worked as a NICU nurse, and his maternal grandparents were farmers who planted corn and soybeans, all of which built his love for both food and serving people.
During lunch, Griese explained how a childhood favorite memory, picking strawberries, is integrated into his current menu. The fruit appears at JING in a strawberry sauce with vanilla bean and lime. “Strawberry and lime are flavors that always work together,” he explained.
After graduating from Johnson & Wales University, Griese went on to work at a plethora of demanding kitchens around the country, including Bouchon and The French Laundry. Later, he held a corporate chef role with Mina Group at Westin St. Francis’ Bourbon Steak. He has led JING’s culinary direction since 2019 and brought those years of experience to the group’s Scottsdale opening this last year.
Each state and city also changed the way he cooked. Griese said every place he lived in introduced him to new ingredients and approaches, which fueled his love of traveling. At JING Scottsdale, that curiosity appears on a menu that tours guests through several steak options, Peking duck, traditional Cantonese dishes, and sushi.
Griese described layering fresh oak and pecan wood into the Josper oven to build heat and smoke, then talked through the restaurant’s USDA Prime and wagyu options, including Japanese A5. “I don’t want to eat the same thing every single night,” he said. “That’s the fun thing about JING.”…