In the 1980s, the Bashas’ family created AJ’s with the vision to bring an upscale gourmet market to Arizona. “My father worked in a leadership role with the brand in those first years of the business, and just after high school I worked behind the deli counter at the first-ever AJ’s on Scottsdale and Lincoln Roads, which still stands today,” said Michelle Jurisin.
It was while she was working behind the counter at AJ’s in 1987 that Eric Jurisin, then renting a house in Paradise Valley with a friend, saw her for the first time. “Did I get her to go out with me immediately? No,” said Eric, “However, we had friends in common so when she was looking for a room to rent, I was all too happy to offer one of ours. Friends first, it was not too long before I finally convinced her to give me a chance.” And that chance changed the course of the culinary landscape in the Verde Valley forever.
Once together, the two tested their romance in a big way: by going into business together. The couple successfully ran and sold a restaurant—Crouton’s in Mesa—before getting married in 1989. All the while, Michelle honed her skills as a chef and found her passion in Italian cooking inspired by her family’s heritage. She also crafted more modern recipes from brunch dishes to steak and seafood specialties. By late 1989, the Jurisins also became parents, welcoming a daughter, Nicole. As they enjoyed becoming a family unit, the couple went off on their own to work in jobs of a more corporate nature, both in the food industry.
“Fast forward to 1993, and we were headed on a road trip to Sedona, but there was a cow blocking the road—yes, really—so we ended up in Jerome instead,” said Eric. Hungry, the couple stopped in the mountain town for a bite to eat and were stunned that they could not find a tasty lunch spot that served alcohol.
“Over lunch, I looked at an abandoned building across the way and joked we should buy it and transform it into our next restaurant, if for nothing else to offer some good beer, wine, and cocktails to hungry guests in addition to food,” said Michelle. “What started as a joke quickly turned into reality.”
The couple used all of their savings to buy that building, going so far as to move into the basement of the space with their 3-year-old daughter Nicole, while they painstakingly refurbishing it into The Haunted Hamburger, opening it in 1994.
“Funny enough, it was supposed to be a Mexican concept when we were first working on it, until a Mexican spot opened just months before us nearly next door and we needed to change course,” said Eric. “The name is homage to the haunted history of Jerome but also all the wild things that happened to us during our journey to get it up and running.”
The couple tempered their expectations on opening day, bowled over when there was a line down the street of guests eager to sample the new spot. “The local community embraced us immediately, as did visitors from across Arizona and beyond,” said Eric. “When another building opened up down the street, we scooped it up to create a second concept, in part, to help cut down on wait times at the Haunted Hamburger. We also wanted to have a second space to ensure we were able to get a little break from each other given we were together 24/7 between work and home.”
The second concept became a brewery and then eventually Grapes, a wine bar and bistro, years later. “We had two locations hopping in Jerome by 2000 as well as a second child in Eric Jr., and no plans to expand into Cottonwood, but fate had other ideas,” said Michelle.
With two kids, the couple moved from nearby Clarkdale—where they relocated a few years prior—to Cottonwood in 2000 because they loved the schools. The only downside was that there were no great dinner restaurants in the area, causing the couple to trek to Sedona when they wanted to go somewhere special.
“Around the same time, Houlihan’s in the Biltmore area—one of our favorite spots when we lived in Phoenix—was closing down. Feeling nostalgic, we bought its wood and furniture at auction,” said Eric. “With the furniture in hand, it was either open a new concept and create our own place to have dinner in our new neighborhood or find a significant storage unit.”
Enter Nic’s Italian Crab & Steakhouse. “Named after our daughter, this concept—we believe the first authentic Italian steakhouse in northern Arizona—allowed me to spread my Italian culinary wings in a big way, as well as to move into fine dining,” said Michelle. “Think perfectly cooked steak and seafood with handmade pasta on the side, and incredible shellfish.”
Just like with The Haunted Hamburger, there were lines down much of Old Town Cottonwood waiting to get in. “By 2005, we had to buy what used to be the Silver Spring Movie Theatre across the street from Nic’s and convert it into Tavern Grill to keep up with the demand. It also allowed us to offer upscale takes on comfort American foods for a good price point, which was needed in the area,” said Michelle.
In the years since, both Jerome and Cottonwood—thanks in great part to the Jurisins’ vision and continued investments into the area—have grown into two of the biggest culinary gems in Arizona. Today, their collective parent company, The Haunted Group, is a family affair with eight total concepts across the two cities that employs more than 300.
“Our son followed Michelle into cooking, and he leads The Clinkscale Restaurant, which is our signature eatery inside of The Clinkscale, our boutique hotel [in Jerome],” said Eric, “And our daughter is now heading up operations of The Tavern Hotel, our boutique hotel in Cottonwood.”
The family also owns Pizzeria Bocce, STRADA at Bocce, and Crema Craft Kitchen, all in Cottonwood. “Pizzeria Bocce is the result of Michelle studying pizza making in Italy, with an eye to create something on par with the level of excellence one would expect from Pizzeria Bianco, while STRADA is our love letter to Italian Street Food,” said Eric. “And Crema? That is our breakfast, brunch, and lunch hotspot.”
Looking forward, the family is currently re-imagining Grapes into a new concept with eyes to a 2024 opening. In addition, 30 years after first spending their life savings to open The Haunted Hamburger, they are going to take the space to the next level.
“Thanks to the generosity of the City of Jerome, who sold us an old apartment building in recent months, we are going to spend the next year bringing our current building together with two others to create decks that peek over the side of the mountain, a three times larger kitchen, and something that will attract national attention without losing our character and what made us special in the first place,” said Jurisin.
For more information and updates on the expansion, please visit www.thehauntedgroup.com
written by: alison bailin batz | photographed by: luke irvin