For 18 years, Frank Branham has been serving up fine dining in Flagstaff at the Cottage Place Restaurant in Flagstaff’s Southside. He and his wife Nancy have a love of the business and a love of serving the Northern Arizona community and its visitors
Tell us a bit about origin of Cottage Place and how you became a restaurant owner.
The Cottage Place Restaurant has been in business since 1981. Ron Freeman, Flagstaff’s best chef in the 70’s and 80’s transformed the small Craftsman style bungalow from the Tortilla Factory into Flagstaff’s first fine dining restaurant. My wife, Nancy, and I bought the restaurant in 1994 and have been updating the menu, wine list and ambiance ever since.
We never planned on owning a restaurant but it seemed like the right time in our lives when we learned it was for sale. By 1994 I had been a chef for over 10 years and as the Executive Chef at The Woodlands Plaza Hotel (now the Radisson) for 3 years I had gained a good reputation around town for creating great food and had learned what it takes to run a successful business. My new cookbook, Cottage Place Flavors, is full of interesting stories about my career and about the history of the restaurant. You can purchase the cookbook online at: www.cottageplacecookbook.com, at Cottage Place, or at area bookstores.
Tell us about the restaurant’s awards and honors. What do you think puts the “fine” in fine dining?
We are extremely proud to have been named “Best Fine Dining Restaurant” in Flagstaff by the readers of the Arizona Daily Sun each and every year since we have owned the restaurant. In addition we have received the “Best Wait Staff” award for every year since they created that category as well as several “Best Dessert” and “Most Romantic” awards. We are also excited to be named in the TOP TEN from nearly 300 Open Table Restaurants in Arizona for “Best Overall” (4th place), “Best Food” (3rd place) and “Best Service” (2nd place).
I have worked hard over the years to develop an extensive collection of wines for our patrons to enjoy. We have nearly 200 different wines to choose from, we feature Reidel glassware and our staff is known for their knowledge of wines. In addition to our Tasting Menu which features wine pairings, we also host wine tastings, wine dinners, and have a license to see retail wines. For the last 15 years the Wine Spectator Magazine has given Cottage Place it’s “Award of Excellence” recognizing our efforts. There are fewer than 200 restaurants in all of Arizona with this distinctive award.
We believe that The Cottage Place represents what fine dining should be. . . a memorable culinary experience with genuine and professional service offered in a warm and charming atmosphere. Dining has trended away from the level of formality and service that you find at The Cottage Place but we try hard to provide a “fine dining” experience while offering a fun and friendly atmosphere at the same time.
Please tell us a bit about your cookbook.
For years I have wanted to write a cookbook to share my recipes, stories of my career and especially the theories and thoughts I have about developing “flavor.” 2011 was the year my dream became a reality. Cottage Place Flavors has been very well received not only for the recipes (nearly 200 Cottage Place favorites) but for the amazing photography by Christopher Marchetti, the elegant design by Rudy Ramos and perhaps most of all the wonderful stories and essays that make it much more than “just” another cookbook. Most books are sold at the restaurant but they are available at about a dozen other places throughout Arizona and also through the cookbook website, www.cottageplacecookbook.com.
You also have restaurant events and cooking classes. . . What’s going on in September and October?
We quickly learned that in order for Cottage Place to be successful in Flagstaff’s competitive restaurant market (we only have 12 tables) we needed to expand our offerings. I have always loved to teach having been a history and education major at Auburn University in Alabama and about 15 years ago I started to teach a series of cooking classes. I offer classes about once a month on Saturday or Sunday afternoon and have also begun offering private classes (requires at least 20 participants). The classes include a packet of about 10 recipes, demonstration and instruction on each recipe, a taste of each item along with several specially paired tastes of wine. On September 15th OR 16th I will be teaching “Cottage Place Sauces and Specialty Soups” and on October 20th or 21st I will be teaching “Mediterranean Cooking”.
In addition Cottage Place has become well known for its catering. We do everything from small dinner parties to appetizer receptions for several hundred people.
We also have wine tastings in the restaurant. The next one is on September 11th from 4:30 to 7pm and will feature wines from Valley of the Sun.
Finally, we are well known for our multi-course wine dinners each year and we have one coming up on September 25th featuring wines from Chateau Ste. Michelle.
There is always something special going on at The Cottage Place and our customers can find out by signing up for email updates at our website, www.cottageplace.com or checking us out at Cottage Place on Facebook.
Is there anything you would like to say to the locals and to your customers?
Nancy and I will celebrate 18 years at The Cottage Place Restaurant this November. We feel that our little restaurant is an important part of Flagstaff and we try our best to give back to the community any chance we get. Flagstaff is an incredible town with more to offer than most towns its size. . . recreation, tourism, culture, NAU, the medical community, all of the non-profits and so much more. We are proud to call Flagstaff home and proud to offer our exceptional restaurant to as an option to our broad base of customers. Thanks to our loyal customers and friends who have supported us throughout the years!