Sam Fox, one of the Valley’s most celebrated restaurateurs, has hired key personnel to oversee the food and beverage operations at his upcoming hotel in Phoenix and has released details on one of the five restaurants that will open at the property.
Fox, who rose to prominence with his company, Fox Restaurant Concepts — which he still runs even though it was acquired by the Cheesecake Factory in 2019 — is developing a 141-room hotel called the Global Ambassador in Phoenix’s Arcadia neighborhood. Fox is developing the project with his other company Author & Edit Hospitality Group and with his friend and longtime business partner Brian Frakes of Common Bond Development Group.
Fox has hired Eric Kim Haugen as head of culinary creative at the Global Ambassador. Haugen has worked in some of the country’s top restaurants including The French Laundry and he served as culinary director of Zakarian Hospitality, where he oversaw projects at The Plaza Hotel in New York City.
Haugen has also been a frequent guest on the Food Network on programs like “Iron Chef America” and “Big Restaurant Bet.”
