More of these restaurants are set to open across the state, including closer to Dallas, over the next year. Maggiore says Fort Worth felt like a natural place to launch his restaurants in Texas.
“I love the market. I’ve got family down in Plano, my uncle and cousins, and so I spent a lot of time there” Maggiore tells the Observer. “I love the new area in Fort Worth. I like that there's other great restaurants in the area. It's very fun, it's new. It reminded me of Scottsdale, in a sense, so I was familiar with kind of the market.”
The restaurants will be located in a new retail center just west of the new H-E-B. Torchy's Tacos, Shell Shack, Firebirds and Chuy's are nearby.
The Titan of Phoenix's Food Scene
The restaurant business runs in Maggiore’s family. His father, Tomaso Maggiore, was a titan of Phoenix’s food scene, operating Tomaso’s Italian Restaurant from 1977 until his death in 2021. The elder Maggiore remains a major source of inspiration for his son.“When I started cooking, I trained under my father and you know it's never easy working with your father, but I idolized what he did," Maggiore says. “He used to make a dish, bring it to people and they would get all excited and say, ‘Wow, what an amazing meal!’ And I wanted that for myself.”
The Sicilian Butcher (and its accompanying bakery, The Sicilian Baker) is where Maggiore’s Italian roots have a chance to shine. The "craft meatballs" alone have made its three locations in the Phoenix area well-documented favorites of local foodies.
“The Sicilian Butcher offers an unprecedented range of meatballs, one that will appeal to the child or stoner in everyone,” wrote Chris Malloy of the Phoenix New Times when the restaurant debuted in 2017.
Maggiore describes it as having an “old school” and “super sexy” vibe.
The Perfect Pairing: Brunch and Selfies
Hash Kitchen, on the other hand, seems like the Instagrammable brunch spot to end all Instagrammable brunch spots. The interiors of previous locations feature bold, eye-catching walls that make the perfect backdrop for a selfie. And if you’re too humble for selfies, the frittatas, pancakes and cocktails look pretty enough to co-star in your #SundayFunday post.Maggiore calls Hash Kitchen his “super fun, out-of-the-box, crazy brunch concept.”
Dallas knows how to brunch, so that statement made us skeptical. However, 24K gold-flaked Billionaire's Bacon and Brunchilada Stack Hach looks sufficiently out-of-the-box. Fair enough.
The Ham(mer) Time sandwich is made with carved brown sugar ham, American cheese, hash browns and a fried egg on a croissant with hollandaise sauce. Roll up your sleeves.
“It hits all your senses,” he says (not just about the sandwich, although probably). “We spend a lot of time maintaining the quality and really making sure these recipes sing in your mouth. I just think the concept is going to thrive in Dallas.”
And Fort Worth.
Hash Kitchen and The Sicilian Butcher’s Fort Worth locations will be right next to each other. This was a stroke of luck, according to Maggiore, but he plans to embrace the benefits.
“It’s super fun to have the energy of both units next to each other,” he says. “It’s easier to control and to maintain.”
Though Hash Kitchen and The Sicilian Butcher are undergoing massive expansions, Maggiore is dedicated to maintaining his quality standard in both kitchens and immersing himself in the North Texas dining scene.
“We’re not just a chain coming in, you know," he says. “We maintain the quality. You know, the recipes aren't changing. We still do everything by hand. I'm super excited to come into the Texas market, especially Fort Worth and Dallas.”
But mostly Fort Worth. For now anyway.
