Local restaurateur and the brains behind Phoenix’s Aftermath, Charles Barber, is set to open his newest concept, Born and Bred, in the former home of Humble Pie in Scottsdale’s The Shops at Hilton Village, located at 6149 N Scottsdale Rd, this fall, as first reported by local media outlet Phoenix Mag.
The idea behind Born and Bred – its name an homage to Barber’s familial roots in the Paradise Valley region – was to “fill a void” in the area, and as a sort of response to Barber’s history working in restaurants around Old Town Scottsdale and customers routinely asking where he and the staff liked to eat.
“Not to say there’s anything wrong with a lot of chain restaurants, and big corporate restaurants, but I know that at every big restaurant I’ve ever been affiliated with, the guests were always asking where we went, where do locals go,” Barber tells What Now Phoenix, adding that as far back as 2007 when he was working at Zinc, he would regularly sing the praises of brands like Kazimierz, Cowboy Ciao, and other spots in the city’s nascent independently-owned restaurant scene.
While Barber will continue doing the small plates he’s become known for – citing, among other things, the economics for patrons who swing by solo – given the space’s past life as a pizzeria, he will incorporate pies into Born and Bred’s menu as well, as the dish similarly lends itself to large groups. To be sure, however, the beating heart of the concept will be on a communal experience, or what Barber dubs “fun dining.”
“When I go out, I love to go out with six or eight people and try everything – we’ll order half the menu,” says Barber. “And I wanted to create a place for that – kind of the food we do at Aftermath, plus crafty pizza is always super fun too.”
Asked if there’s anything else about Born and Bred that he’s particularly excited about, Barber says that while he can’t publicize the names of everyone involved with the project at this time, he’s “really excited about announcing a few more key members in our group,” adding, “We’re ready to just hit Scottsdale as well as we can, and be a big part of that Paradise Valley-Scottsdale-Old Town area too.”
