Travis Peters, the culinary face of Tucson’s popular Southern-fusion gastropub The Parish, has joined forces with Tucson’s Detroit-style Transplant Pizza.
Peters, who left The Parish in late September, is partnering with Transplant’s owners Travis and William Miller to reinvent some of the menu at the 3½-year-old pizzeria.
Chef Travis Peters mixes up arugula for a sandwich at Transplant Pizza, 4603 E. Speedway.
“Travis really, really geeked out on the focaccia bread and nailed it so I’m gonna focus on everything outside of the pizza zone,” Peters said of his weeks-old role, which starts with reconsidering the sandwiches and appetizers.
“I think it’s going to be beneficial to have somebody to bounce ideas off of, which we haven’t had,” Travis Miller said. “We’re bringing him on as part owner of the Transplant concept and the hope is to fold him into all of our concepts in the future.”
In addition to Transplant at 4605 E. Speedway, the Millers own Craft, A Modern Drinkery taproom next door at 4603 E. Speedway, and four locations of their nearly 13-year-old pizza and sandwich concept Serial Grillers — 1970 W. River Road, 5975 E. Speedway, 7585 S. Houghton Road and 5660 W. Cortaro Farms Road in Marana. In late 2023, they added Mosaic Brewing when they took over the old Dillinger Brewing facility on North Oracle Road.
Peters and Miller had been flirting for several years about collaborating, but the timing was never right, Miller said. When Peters left The Parish, it opened the door, he said.
Tucson was the first U.S. city to land a UNESCO City of Gastronomy designation. San Antonio was the second, and former Tucsonan Kevin Fink is playing a critical role.
“The opportunity arose where I could come in and really be a big part of it,” said Peters, who brings to the table nearly 25 years of cooking in some of Tucson’s most notable restaurants including Cup Cafe at Hotel Congress, the former Metro Restaurants (McMahon’s Prime Steakhouse, Old Pueblo Grille) and the Cajun/Creole restaurant Nonie.
He and partners Steve Dunn and Bryce Zeagler opened The Parish in October 2011 and quickly gained a strong following among fans of Southern and Cajun/Creole cuisine. The restaurant won a handful of local accolades and landed on the Cooking Channel in 2017. In 2018, Peters won $20,000 on the Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games” with Guy Fieri.
Travis Peters, former co-owner of The Parish, left, is now working with Travis Miller, owner of Transplant Pizza and Serial Grillers, to develop sandwiches and other items for the menu. Here the two work together on testing a chicken sandwich at Transplant Pizza, 4603 E. Speedway.
Miller said he is hoping Peters can shake things up at Transplant ahead of plans to grow the concept. Peters’ new menu that borrows from fine dining and quick service is expected to roll out in February.
Peters said he has no designs on turning Transplant into a Southern restaurant, “but I’m definitely gonna use some of my history and Detroit’s background to have a little bit of that influence on that culture,” he said. “I think there’ll be some familiar flavors and things in there that’ll jive with it.”
