Some people are mama’s boys. TJ Culp will proudly tell you he is a grandma’s boy. And his being a grandma’s boy has been game-changing for the Arizona food scene.
Born in Orange County, Culp’s earliest years included a life-changing accident when, at just 2 years old, he accidentally started a house fire while in the care of his great-grandmother. He suffered severe burns, and his father, who had been out shopping for her, returned home in time to save his life. Though Culp moved to Tucson with his parents at age 5, treatment for his burns regularly brought the family back to Southern California, where his grandparents remained a major presence in his life.
His grandmother was also a restaurateur. “She owned several Round Table Pizza locations, including one in Long Beach that became my home base during summers as much for the arcade as for the exposure to the restaurant business,” said Culp. “She was also the family’s holiday host, helping fuel my obsession with food.”
By eighth grade, Culp had moved to Scottsdale, and while attending Chaparral High School from 2004 to 2008, chefs were becoming rock stars. He wanted in. “The problem was finding anyone willing to hire a 16-year-old cook,” said Culp.
After graduation, Culp moved to Colorado, where he finally landed in the kitchen of an Italian restaurant, thanks to his background at Grandma’s Round Table locales. Entirely self-taught to that point, he returned to Arizona at 19 and enrolled in Scottsdale Community College’s culinary program while landing his first significant Valley restaurant job with Fox Restaurant Concepts.
“I started with The Greene House and grew with the company, eventually becoming a traveling chef to help open locations in Arizona and beyond, Culinary Dropout in particular,” said Culp, who would stay with the company until 2013.
From there, he took on some high-profile roles in Las Vegas before leaving the kitchen for a spell to work in the bar industry, which is when he really began to put pen to paper on what a concept of his own might look (and taste) like. “I knew Las Vegas was not the right market for my vision, and Phoenix was home, so I moved back in 2015 and took a position at Central Bistro, eventually rising to executive chef to really test my chops when it came to running a team and creating a menu from scratch,” said Culp.
When the restaurant sold, Culp decided the next menu would be entirely his. “I sold my house and headed west in my car, driving up the coast, eating everything I could and meeting with dozens of chefs along the way,” said Culp, whose last stop was Le Pigeon in Portland. There, he sat at the chef’s counter and saw fine food presented with what felt to him like a punk-rock attitude. The food could be serious without the room taking itself too seriously.
Inspired and determined, Culp returned to Phoenix in January 2016 ready to do exactly that, though his first dining room was his apartment. “I started small, gathering 12 guests every Wednesday in my living room for a five-course, $75 tasting menu,” said Culp, who sold out within seconds of posting the opportunity to social media week after week.
The success of the dinners soon led to requests for Culp to recreate the experience inside guests’ homes. He did this while searching for a long-term space for his evolving vision, eventually finding the perfect spot in the Melrose District.
In 2017, Restaurant Progress became a reality. Nearly a decade later, the format remains remarkably faithful to those living-room dinners. The restaurant, which briefly shortened its name to Progress following the pandemic before returning to Restaurant Progress, still offers its $75 Leave It to the Kitchen menu, moving through five courses while giving guests the option to order à la carte as well.
Culp sources locally when possible while bringing in exceptional ingredients when they make sense, building menus that may begin with raw fish or another cold protein before moving through vegetables, handmade pasta, heartier courses and something sweet.
“Handmade pasta and crudo remain constants even as our preparations change with the seasons,” said Culp, noting signature items this fall include squash tortelli with brown butter and sage alongside a maple ice cream sandwich. Restaurant Progress also proved to be only the beginning.
“In 2021, I purchased a historic downtown Phoenix property, initially considering it for a possible Restaurant Progress move or expansion. Instead, the space practically demanded a French bistro, and my second concept, Sottise, was born,” said Culp. Its name translates from French to foolishness or silliness, but Culp deliberately gave himself far more rules there than at his first restaurant.
“Where Restaurant Progress allows me to follow inspiration wherever it goes, Sottise stays firmly within the framework of a French bistro, down to an exclusively French wine list and classic French cocktails reworked with contemporary spirits,” said Culp.
He has since added Sidewinder, a dive bar and diner with Southwestern influence, giving him three distinct places to play without forcing any one restaurant to be everything. And now his most important collaborator is joining the mix.
Culp married pastry chef Crystal Kass in 2026, herself a two-time James Beard Award finalist who made her name at Valentine before leaving the restaurant last fall. After taking some time away, Kass has now joined her husband as pastry chef, with the two increasingly collaborating across the line between savory and sweet. Culp, a 2026 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Southwest, suddenly has another formidable culinary mind beside him as they consider what comes next.
“For now, that does not necessarily mean restaurant number four,” said Culp. “We want to push the restaurants we already have, together, with the goal of making them among the best the Valley has ever seen.”
There is also another possibility. After a lifetime spent building restaurants, Culp jokes that before opening a fourth, he and Kass might focus on starting a family, making their next baby an actual baby instead.
written by: alison bailin batz
photographed by: luke irvin
𖡡 702 west montecito avenue, phoenix, az 85013
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