PHOENIX — As a guy who grew up bartending, I always thought it might be fun one day to open my own restaurant. You know, pop in, schmooze with the customers and tinker with the menu.
But after hanging out with Valley restaurateur and soon to be hotelier Sam Fox just a few days before the opening of The Global Ambassador, I am rethinking my post-TV plans.
Spending an afternoon with Fox wore me out. He was a bundle of nervous energy, eyes constantly scanning his lobby, his spa, his luxurious rooms and, of course, the restaurants that will occupy his new property on the corner of 44th Street and Camelback Road in Phoenix.
"If you're not nervous, then, you know. I wake up everyday nervous," Fox said.
If you ask Fox, and I did, what his secret to success is, his answer is simple: no detail is too small, no problem too big and never settle.
It’s a formula that has worked spectacularly for Fox over the years.
After dropping out of U Arizona (by the way, it’s how he came up with the name Culinary Dropout), Fox has hit one home run after another in the restaurant business. Flower Child, The Henry, True Food, and North, just to name a few.
But after selling his restaurants to The Cheesecake Factory, instead of planting himself on a beach in Maui (which I would have done), it didn’t take Fox long to embark on his next story… a hotel.
But Fox being Fox, it couldn’t just be any hotel, it had to be world class, and The Global Ambassador is.
From the lighting to the liquor, the fries to the faucets, Fox made sure every detail was perfect for guests.
"We worked a lot on the water pressure. We take all the water and instead of sending it to the rooms, we send it to the roof. And then we build up the pressure on the roof and then it goes all the way down," Fox said.
Fox has brought in some high profile investors including former Cardinals icon Larry Fitzgerald, Suns star Devin Booker and country superstar Dierks Bentley. All three will have specialty suites bearing their name, with a portion of the proceeds of the rooms going to their respective charities.
"It's been exciting to do some business with them and have them part of this journey," Fox said. "You know, Booker is working right next door at the Suns' facility. You know, Dierks lives in Nashville and comes here all the time, he needed a place to stay. And obviously, it's been fun with Fitz. I've been beating them on the pickleball courts. So, it's been a lot of fun to spend some time with those guys."
However, for Sam Fox, it’s always going to be about the food and Global Ambassador will feature five restaurants. What else would you expect from a 12-time James Beard award nominee?
All of the restaurants are spectacular. A French-style market for coffee and pastries in the morning; a French steakhouse, Le Ame; a more casual Peruvian poolside restaurant, The Pink Dolphin; and Thea, a Mediterranean feast for the senses that will sit atop the hotel, which will be the largest rooftop restaurant and bar in the Valley.
There will also be a private restaurant for members of the private club that sits within the hotel. If you want to join, sorry, there is already an extensive waiting list.
The Global Ambassador officially opens on Dec. 6.
If I were a betting man, my money is that the hotel, like everything else Fox touches, will be a hit.
As for me opening my own place, I’ll have to get back to you… I’m going to take a nap.