Urban Hip-E Fresh Kitchen debuted on August 10. The restaurant is originally from Colorado but the owners have taken their decades of experience to one of Tempe’s most prominent locations. Stanya and James Gorraiz, the husband-and-wife team behind G6 Culinary Concepts, opened the new “elevated fast casual” restaurant at the corner of Mill Avenue and 10th Street.
Sitting across from Arizona State University, Urban Hip-E Fresh Kitchen puts fresh salads, gyros, grain bowls and other globally inspired food close to students, faculty and neighborhood residents. The Gorraiz family grew up in the Phoenix area, so the opening also represents a homecoming for them.
“We’ve been watching this place evolve for years,” Stanya said. “We’ve seen how much it’s changed and how much the city has done to revitalize the area. To now be smack-dab in the middle of it is amazing.”
Urban Hip-E’s menu centers on what the couple calls “Mediterranean flair,” drawing inspiration from the cuisines and flavors of Morocco, Spain, France and other parts of the world. Salads, pastas, flatbreads, ramen and dumpling soups and fresh smoothies are just some of the items featured on the menu.
A key part of the concept is ingredient transparency. Urban Hip-E eliminates all seed oils and high-fructose corn syrup from its menu items. All of their dressings, sauces and drizzles are made in-house, rather than relying on premade versions.
Stanya believes that the details matter as much as the overall finished dish. Some of her favorites include Urban Gyros that have traditional and unique flavors and ingredients, the Hot Honey Flatbread topped with peach, and the Ruby Scarlet Salad made with beets, pomegranate molasses chicken, pumpkin seeds, feta and other mix-ins.
Restaurants were not always the couple’s bread and butter. The couple owned a landscape design installation and maintenance firm as well as a public nursery. They had envisioned turning the nursery space into a restaurant, bar and place for people to gather and spend time together. They sold that property before moving to Telluride. After moving, they had the opportunity to pursue that vision, turning their longtime interest in food and community into the reality of a growing restaurant business.
Urban Hip-E was designed to be quick and approachable for casual lunch or dinner. “Fresh Is Hip” became both the restaurant’s tagline and the philosophy behind the concept. For more, visit UrbanHip-E.com.
