Texas native Paul Steele has worked in many of the Valley’s most celebrated kitchens, from Tarbell’s to the Royal Palms to the now shuttered Phoenix Market Café. In October 2022, he became executive chef at the Musical Instrument Museum in North Scottsdale, trading late nights for days, which allows him to spend more time with his family. We recently caught up with Steele to learn about what it’s like to run a museum kitchen.
How do you determine which dishes to put on the menu?
The menu changes depending on the experience that the MIM has set up. Then, we can run a menu that mimics the region or experience that the museum is covering. We just got done with Ireland, so we had corned beef and cabbage for the week, along with more traditional Irish foods to stay in the theme. We have some core items like our burger and BLT that stay the same, but we change some menu items weekly and do a more drastic change every two weeks. It keeps things feeling fresh.
How do you incorporate local flavor into your menu?
I recently brought [Scottsdale-based] Mountain Sky Farms in. Usually when I’m ordering, I’ll ask what they have for the next week, and then I’ll incorporate that into the menus. It’s nice to have local farms and tap into that. I also use Wildflower Bread.
Who are your customers?
There are a lot of repeat local guests. I didn’t realize how many [local] people have memberships here. But, just like with any museum, there are people who come into town to check out the museum and may never come back, but hopefully when they’re here it’s a great experience, and they have good food and a good time.
Who or what inspires you?
I don’t know if it’s one individual. Maybe Jamie Oliver, because his food is rustic, it’s fresh, and there’s not a lot of “foofoo” to it. Simple food and really good product can mean so much to a dish – how it was grown and who it came from. Staying true to the food is what really inspires me. If you have this beautiful beet, cook it properly. Don’t just chop it up, but leave it in its whole, purest form possible. I don’t want to get a beautiful baby carrot and then chop it up.
What food is always in your home refrigerator?
Steak. Flour tortillas because you can turn anything into a wrap or quesadilla, and apples.
Can you tell us about your most memorable meal?
I was at Matsuhisa in Aspen, Colorado, and it was my first time eating sushi. I was up there doing the Aspen Food and Wine Classic. Eating at Nobu’s restaurant, the people sitting at the table and the food made it the best food experience I’ve ever had. Just amazing.
