Tamara Stanger of Cotton & Copper in Tempe?
Chef Tamara Stanger of Cotton & Copper in Tempe has recently surged to near celebrity status in the local food scene. Her wild dishes inspired by the Sonoran Desert are making a name for themselves and receiving plenty of press. From her signature Tepary Bean Dip, to more eccentric creations like Rabbit Burgers and Meat Candy (spicy goat kabobs), Tamara is constantly pushing the limits of Arizona Cuisine. When she is not cooking or visiting with local small farmers to fill her larder, she is likely out in the wilderness of Arizona foraging indigenous ingredients. Wolf Berries, cactus buds, Nopales, and so many other overlooked ingredients find a natural habitat at Cotton & Copper. Now, the restaurant and cocktail bar in Tempe has become one of the best places to eat in the Phoenix Metro area.
Learning How to Cook
From as early as she can remember, Chef Tamara Stanger was eating wild foods. She recalls fond memories of her mother foraging for local ingredients as she grew up in Utah. Tamara’s mom didn’t forage out of necessity. She didn’t do it to be cool. It was simply a part of their life. Growing up Tamara was also surrounded by a professional kitchen, as the family owned and operated a small local restaurant. Her inside look at the kitchen inspired Tamara to begin her own experimentations with food. Tamara admits at first her creations were so bad even the dogs wouldn’t eat them. However, as she fell in love with the process, her skills steadily improved. The first really tasty thing she recalls making was rhubarb ice cream. Today her food continues to reflect that high-level of complexity and creativity.
Becoming a Professional Chef
Although Tamara grew up in a restaurant, she didn’t intend on becoming a chef. In fact, she wanted to get away from it. It wasn’t until Tamara moved to Arizona in the early 2000s that her love for great food was rekindled. After not long she found herself working in the kitchen of a sports bar, putting in the work to nail down her fundamentals. As Tamara improved drastically she landed her first executive chef role at Helio Basin Brewing Company in Phoenix. Tamara’s love for pairing food and beer made Helio Basin the ideal starting place. After flourishing at the brewpub and winning several awards, Tamara earned her way to opening her own restaurant.
Opening Cotton & Copper
In 2018, Chef Stanger partnered up with Sean Traynor and opened Cotton & Copper, a restaurant and cocktail bar in Tempe. While the gastropub is relatively new to the neighborhood, Cotton & Copper has quickly garnered a resounding positive reputation. Despite, or maybe because of, the eccentric dishes and wild ingredients Tamara uses, her restaurant frequently finds itself in the news and at the top of “Best of” lists. Cotton & Copper’s unbelievable cocktails and local craft beers are a fantastic accompaniment to the diverse dining menu. Tamara’s varied avenues of influence have created a beloved signature style known for highlighting the beauty of what Arizona provides us. From the freshest produce supplied by Rhiba Farms, to indigenous Tepary beans from Ramona Farms, Tamara’s food truly is a taste of Arizona.
True Arizona Cuisine
Tamara knows the flavors of the Sonoran Desert are something you can’t find elsewhere on the planet. This region has one of the most lush collections of edible plants in the world. Chef Stanger’s use of indigenous ingredients, combined with unique proteins including wild game, make her dishes one of a kind. Chef Stanger sees Arizona cuisine as a smoky, spicy flavor with ancient flair, brought together by delicate modern techniques and characteristics. Tamara’s impassioned advocacy for ingredients that grow naturally around us leads to near constant incorporation of highly sustainable foods. Ancient foods like cactus pads, more traditionally known as Nopales, are a must in Tamara’s kitchen. Since indigenous ingredients are so often forgotten about, Chef Stanger’s dishes are telling stories and creating flavors that have not shown their face for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Using these types of components creates a “sense of place” in Tamara’s food. Chef Stanger’s dishes undeniably capture the true essence of Arizona.
