Food industry veteran James Piazza recently opened Bad Jimmy’s in Scottsdale (in the former Starlite BBQ space), a second location of his wildly popular smashburger joint. Piazza started the business as a pop-up, with a griddle and a fryer, eventually graduating to a food truck before opening Bad Jimmy’s in Downtown Phoenix in 2023. Now that he’s opened a second brick-and-mortar, and soon to be a third location in Phoenix at the end of the summer, he sat down with PHOENIX to dish about his crazy good burgers – and the even crazier stories sizzling behind the scenes.
How did you get your start in the restaurant business?
I worked with Chris Bianco for 10 years and went from the bottom to the top. I washed dishes and wrapped sandwiches, and then I expressed interest in cooking and started making pizza and worked my way up to chef. He was a great mentor.
Do you miss the pop-up and food truck days?
I don’t miss it in the summer because it was like being in a tinderbox. It’s cool to reflect on where I grinded so hard to make it happen, and now I have restaurants with air-conditioning. It’s such a crazy transition of not having any employees to creating jobs and opportunities for people.
What makes a good smashburger?
It’s the science, the Maillard reaction [when the meat becomes crispy and browned] that gives it depth of flavor. For me, it’s also the textural contrast of lacy and crispy edges, a soft bun and juicy center and the American cheese that binds the beef together.
Tell us the craziest thing you’ve ever seen in a kitchen.
At Bianco at Town & Country, they have windows where you can see inside the kitchen. Some woman lifted her shirt and put her breasts against the window right in front of my face.
