The culinary Tiger Woods: Chef Brian takes comfort food to the next level

Chef Brian Hill knew the fried chicken was perfectly done without needing a timer.

He gracefully moved around the kitchen as Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake played in the background, putting the finishing touches on a juicy fried chicken sandwich as the music hit its crescendo.

Just by the subtle smell of pineapple in air, he knew his sweet tea was done brewing, ready to be poured into mason jars and put into the fridge.

Everything came to him naturally; crafting plates full of comfort food without ever dropping the big smile on his face.

It is what he was made to do.

“I’m the culinary Tiger Woods,” Hill said.

Only, instead of Woods' green jacket, Hill has his white chef’s coat.

Hill has been in kitchen since he was a little boy, watching his grandfather, Buddy, turn leafy greens into a flavorful stew. He attentively listened to all the culinary knowledge Buddy shared with him, taking it with him as his own star began to burn bright.

Instead of going out and playing with friends, Hill was sitting in front of his TV watching PBS, carefully studying chefs like Julia Child and Jacques Pépin.

There were times when his family would run out of food stamps before the month ended, so he said he began experimenting in the kitchen out of necessity. He would take his mother’s burnt meals and rejuvenate them, making them into something that his family and friends would ask for.

“I started cutting grass and shoveling snow during the winter to not only get a new pair of shoes, but to buy food so I can cook,” Hill said.

That passion for food continued to grow, eventually getting him to Los Angeles where he was on the first season of Top Chef, and became a celebrity chef for Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and Eddie Murphy.

In his nearly four decade long career, Hill has made his mark on the culinary scene. No matter what obstacle is thrown his way, Hill continues to show his greatness. And it hasn't been easy.

“As a Black person, no one looks at you as being gifted,” Hill said. “We have to defend ourselves against not being great, but guess what, we were born great.”

He also spoke about the unique challenges he faces as a Black business owner.

“I’m Black nine days a week,” Hill said. “I gotta be 30 times better than a non-Black restaurant.”

In 2022, Hill booked a trip to Tucson, touching down in Southern Arizona at 8:25 a.m. By 4 p.m. he had already made the decision he was moving here.

Now, he can be found inside the bright orange building of Chef Brian’s Comfort Kitchen, at 804 S. 6^th Ave. It feels like home as soon as you step in. The tables and seats are mismatched, like you just walked into your grandparents’ house, and The Notorious B.I.G. is blaring above as Hill sings along.

It’s a lively, vibrant scene, all thanks to Hill's commitment to being unapologetically himself, and doing the thing he loves the most: cooking up the best comfort food you’ll ever have.

A morning inside Chef Brian's Comfort Kitchen

Hill doesn’t need an alarm to wake up: he’s up at 4:06 a.m. every morning. He lays his uniform out the night before so he is ready for day. As he drives over, he said he feels like a kid on Christmas morning, expecting to see a pile of presents waiting for him at the restaurant.

I, on the other hand, did need an alarm to get up.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

I met Hill at 8 a.m. on Monday morning, ready to watch him work his magic in the kitchen.

His energy woke me right up, instantly greeting me as I walked into the cozy restaurant, he gave me the option to either start my morning with a sweet tea or blueberry punch. I chose the blueberry punch, which was the perfect, subtly sweet way to start off my day.

He even showed me all the freshly cooked pineapple and blueberries he'd made, each going in their respected pots to be cooked into a delicious drink. Hill makes 70 gallons of sweet tea a day, making sure his fridge is lined with mason jars full of the rich, deep brown tea.

Hill started with making me his Saturday Afternoon Chicken Sammy. ("Sammy" in honor of Sammy Davis Jr.) This is the sandwich he would make on his day off from cooking for Mary J. Blige. He would get flooded with text messages from friends asking if he’d make them one of these coveted sandwiches.

“Mary J. Blige told me to put this on my menu once I had a restaurant,” Hill said.

Music from Swan Lake played overhead as Hill coated his chicken with flour and batter, tossing them into the fryer. When it comes to frying chicken, Hill says to “stop the tomfoolery,” no need to add all these crazy flavors and brines.

“No need to re-invent the wheel, we already invented it,” Hill said.

He floated around the kitchen, continuing to build the massive sandwich. He stacked pepper jack cheese, leafy greens, his special paprika and herb mayo, cooked pineapple and onions on pieces of toasted Texas toast.

This is when his kitchen came alive. The smell of savory chicken filled the restaurant and a Prince music video silently played on the TV. I was pestering him with questions about all the celebrities he met, laughing as he talked about how Charlie Murphy once asked for fluffy pancakes.  

As the final touch on his masterpiece, he added two pieces of golden-brown fried chicken on top- the main star of the dish. He swiftly packaged it up and cut into it, putting it on a floral plate that looked like it came right out of the 70’s and handed it over to me with his signature smile.

Mary J. Blige was right: this sandwich was a winner. It was like a flavor explosion went off, with both sweet and savory notes dancing around in my mouth as I took a bite. I especially love the mayo and banana peppers he adds to his meals. They bring a tanginess to the dish that turns up the deliciousness by 1,000 notches.

“This mayo is crazy,” his employee told me as he was putting some in a ramekin for a customer. I 100% agree.

Soon, a couple came in, telling Hill how they had seen his restaurant on Tik Tok and decided to stop by and try his chicken and waffles. Hill helped them pick out the perfect meal, letting them know what side went great with each main dish.

Hill headed into the kitchen to start making their order when Earth, Wind and Fire started playing. The infectious beat of “Lets Groove Tonight” filled the restaurant as Hill tossed the biggest pieces of chicken I’d ever seen into the fryer.

He maneuvered around the kitchen like it was second nature, going from waffle maker, to fryer, to tossing sweet potatoes in seasoning with ease. There wasn’t a timer in sight: he just knew when everything was done.

He was moving like Tiger Woods did in 2000, creating something that’ll leave the crowd cheering and asking for more.

“I was born to do two things: run my mouth and cook food,” Hill said. 

He began plating the waffles, covering a fluffy waffle with juicy blueberries and a mountain of fried chicken.

Once the couple was done, they told Hill they were glad they had found him, exchanging their Instagram accounts with one another.

That’s the exact community Hill creates in his atmosphere. Once you walk into Chef Brian’s, you're family and he’s ready to serve you a meal that’ll make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Smiles, laughter, music and amazing smells: that’s what you’ll see at Chef Brian’s Comfort Kitchen. He doesn’t need to prove his greatness; you can sense it as soon as you meet him.

When I made my dinner that night, I was cooking chicken and making pasta at the same time (a big deal for me and my culinary skills lol) and thought to myself, wow, I’m channeling my inner Chef Brian.