In what might be the fastest restaurant opening in Tucson history, chef Michael Powell started serving customers just six days after signing a lease with the Temple of Music and Art for his new eatery, Simplicit.
Temple management wanted Powell’s restaurant opening to coincide with the Arizona Theatre Company production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” so the Tucson-born, award-winning chef had to make a lot of decisions quickly. The first, deciding on a menu. He grew up in a family that prided itself on its Mediterranean roots, and before returning to the Old Pueblo, he was chef at a Michelin-recommended Mediterranean restaurant in Napa Valley.
Mediterranean-style cooking “is almost second nature at this point and because I am really transitioning from chef to owner I realize how full my plate is going to be,” Powell said. “I thought I wouldn’t have to do too much training with my restaurant and my staff because the recipes were already tested.”
Why open in the Temple of Music and Art?
“I was looking for spots downtown. I felt I was ready to come home a year and a half ago and saw how downtown has grown and it had a whole new energy. I spent a lot of time walking around, days and days and checking out the scene and different places, and Tucson is definitely a budding food city. ... Once I saw the Temple, it kind of made everything else seem just so-so. It kind of called out to me in a lot of ways. In my vision and in my dreams I never thought of being part of something much bigger than myself and my restaurant.
“You are reminded and humbled every day of the institution you are partnering with . ...I definitely think Scott street is the most beautiful street in downtown Tucson, and the property — when you are out there you feel like you’re away from everything and you are off someplace else. it’s a nice place to be a part of.”
What kind of restaurant is Simplicit?
“Simplicit is a small, intimate restaurant attached to the Temple of Music and Art. One of the plans for the hopefully not-too-distant future is to have a hydroponic grow wall where we will grow all our own produce. Hopefully state-inspired and globally-inspired (produce). That’s one of my passions, global flavors and using them in a way people can enjoy. Now I am using Mediterranean flavors because my grandfather was from Cyprus. He was my inspiration for wanting to be a chef when I was 7 years old.”
Was your grandfather a chef?
“He wasn’t a chef. He died when I was 4, but all my memories of him were in the kitchen. Whenever there were family and friends around, they would always talk about him and his food. He would throw parties in the backyard and roast whole lamb. He was very passionate about food. I remember him telling me good food would make people forget about their problems for a little while. It made sense to me and when I was 7, I decided that is what I wanted to do with my life and I pursued it ever since.”
How would you describe the menu?
“Locally sourced, globally inspired as much as possible.”
Do you have any signature dishes?
“I could probably say there are tons, but at the end of the day I am passionate about everything that goes on the menu or I wouldn’t put it on there.”
