Catching Fire with Nick Hogan of Pyro Restaurant

Our guest today is Nick Hogan, Co-Owner and CEO of Flagship Restaurant Group, the team behind the popular new, award-winning restaurant Pyro in Arcadia, next to the Global Ambassador. In addition to Pyro, they have 16 other restaurant concepts spanning across Arizona to Chicago to Nashville! This team has defied the odds of successfully creating and managing multiple restaurant concepts simultaneously and talks about all the risks and luck in this journey.

In this episode we’ll hear about how this restaurant group founded over 20 years ago in Omaha, NE got started with a team of four friends who are still the same group of owners. Since, they have grown to multiple cities and states and over 40 locations and become a success here in Arizona. Just like architecture, this career is a mix of creativity and mathematics and takes a great team and leadership.

Nick will tell us about how Pyro came about and the design and menu creation. Also here in town, be sure to check out the beautifully designed Palma, Cham Pang Lanes and Ghost Donkey in downtown Phoenix and later this year two Blue Sushi Sake Grill locations are coming to Surprise and Tempe and a couple more in the works for 2026!

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To learn more about Flagship Restaurant Group visit:

www.flagshiprestaurantgroup.com

Making a Full Pirouette in the Restaurant Business with Mark Tarbell

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Today’s guest is one of my all-time icons, Mark Tarbell of Tarbell’s Restaurant! You all know how much I love to cook, but this guy is at the top of the top when it comes to this profession and passion we both share. Mark will talk about his culinary beginnings in Amsterdam and Paris, share what it was like to compete and win Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” and achieving his dream of opening his own restaurant in 1994.

Hundreds of accolades later, the Tarbell’s team continues to serve contemporary dishes and classic comfort food in the elegant, art-filled space. Being in the restaurant business right now as we all know is as tough as it gets and we will get into this during the podcast. However, this guy is still open and cooking every day, so I encourage all of you within driving distance to support not only Tarbell’s, but all of your favorite dining establishments in your neighborhood.

We also LOVE his show “Plate and Pour” on PBS Arizona that takes viewers behind the scenes of local restaurants, which is the perfect escape right now while stuck at home!