While Hi Noon Hospitality was formally founded in 2022, Arizona tastemakers have been obsessed with founding partner and Chief Executive Officer Adam Strecker’s culinary handiwork for nearly 20 years. The New Orleans native—the youngest in his family—got into cooking to make a little mischief on the plate.
“I was so that kid who loved getting into trouble,” said Strecker, noting in his early life the only thing that chilled him out was fishing trips with his family. “I started baking cakes when I was like 8, followed by more complex dishes, including cooking the fish we caught at a local lake, but more to just pair wild ingredients together and cause culinary havoc.” Though he made a mean cake by his teens, and his father owned a bar, Strecker did not think that his path would be in hospitality. In fact, he did not know how he would go to college at one point.
“We were upper middle class, so imagine my surprise when my dad asks me one day how I intended to pay for college,” said Strecker, thinking his father was joking in an effort to get back at him for all the tomfoolery. “He was dead serious, wanting to teach me a lesson in hard work, and I was suddenly faced with getting responsible.”
Both Strecker and his sister would pay for college by enlisting in the military and utilizing the G.I. Bill for schooling. Three days after graduating from high school in 1990, he was in basic training. “I started at Louisiana State University while an Army Reservist and continued to be undecided on my career path for some time,” said Strecker. “It wasn’t until a friend hired me on as a barback at a local bar called Paparazzi that I found my true calling.”
Immediately in love with the action at the bar, seeing it with adult eyes rather than as a kid as he did at his father’s hot spot, Strecker got serious about the restaurant business, transferring to the University of New Orleans when he was accepted into their prestigious hospitality program. As graduation neared, Strecker scored his first big break in a management position with the Hillstone Group.
“My work with Hillstone, including Houston’s and sister brands, took me all over the country,” said Strecker. “I counted it up once—I moved 10 different times in my 10 years with the brand.” By 2006, Strecker was a new dad and working in Nashville. His daughter’s mom had family in Arizona, so, eager to have loved ones nearby, Strecker began to explore opportunities in the Valley.
Through his Hillstone and Houston’s connections, Strecker met with Bob Lynn, founder of what was then LGO Grocery in Arcadia, as well as Chelsea’s Kitchen. “I joined the LGO team, which would soon become LGO Hospitality, and moved to Arizona. In addition to the LGO and Chelsea’s brands, we also expanded to wholly new concepts, including Buck & Rider and Ingo’s Tasty Food,” said Strecker, who would help lead the brand in its expansion of several concepts into California in his years with the company.
In 2019, Strecker took full control of the Buck and Ingo’s concepts with an eye for innovation and growth. “Of course, then the pandemic came, changing the face of food service worldwide in a way no one could have ever seen coming,” said Strecker. “Our team used the time to re-imagine Buck & Rider’s flagship location—both the food program and the interior—while plotting a strategy to expand both it and Ingo’s beyond Arcadia.”
As a result, today, there are three Buck & Rider locations and three Ingo’s across the Valley. Strecker, who founded Hi Noon Hospitality in 2022 to oversee the brands, is also in talks to expand both concepts to other states.
So, what’s next for Hi Noon? “This fall, we will open Pinyon in what was for many years the Pepin space next to AZ88 on Scottsdale Mall,” said Strecker. Here is a look at each of Hi Noon’s concepts, and a tease of what guests can expect from Pinyon.
Buck & Rider
Known for its legendary raw bar, Buck & Rider is setting the standard for seafood in Arizona. The eateries pride themselves on sourcing the freshest ingredients directly from farmers and fishermen of the East, West, and Gulf Coasts, where they fly in harvests daily. Buck & Rider’s commitment to quality goes far beyond just the seafood. Each of its steaks comes from a reserve beef program exclusive to the restaurants that is focused on only USDA certified Angus options that are aged and cut to the chefs’ specifications. Happy Hour makes for a particularly enticing option for dinner, especially when enjoyed family style. Signature cocktails, draft beers, and select wines are available at a discounted price and pair well with small bites, such as the Voodoo Fried Rice and Baja Shrimp Ceviche.. However, the full menu offers far more breadth and must be explored. Locations can be found in Arcadia, Gilbert, and North Scottsdale.
𖡡 4225 east camelback road, phoenix, az 85018
𖡡 7015 east mayo boulevard, scottsdale, az 85054
𖡡 3150 east ray road, gilbert, az 85296
Ingo’s Tasty Food
Ingo’s Tasty Food—a beloved dog-friendly casual eatery that debuted in Arcadia more than 10 years ago—opened its doors in downtown Phoenix in 2021 and in north Scottsdale last year. Ingo’s has become beloved for its crispy chicken sammie, shattered potato chips, grass-fed burgers, and frozen Greyhound cocktails. Each of the three locations is open for coffee service and breakfast in the morning before transitioning into a neighborhood hangout with its all-day comfort food menu.
𖡡 7087 east mayo boulevard, phoenix, az 85054
𖡡 101 east washington street, phoenix, az 85004
𖡡 4502 north 40th street, phoenix, az 85018
Pinyon
Set to open by year’s end, Pinyon will offer coastal Mediterranean cuisine inspired by Strecker’s travels with his wife, with a focus on dishes from Valencia, Barcelona, Nice, the Amalfi Coast, Rome, Athens, Istanbul, Malta, Marrakesh, and more. The space will feature a basement level, which will serve as a private dining room, while the main floor will serve as the primary dining room with floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open onto the park. The top floor will offer additional seating and a vantage point of Scottsdale unlike any other in town. The restaurant will use zero fryers—even baking their fries—and will feature an imported Josper charcoal oven from Spain.
𖡡 7363 east scottsdale mall, scottsdale, az 85251
written by: alison bailin batz | photographed by: luke irvin