As kid growing up in Tucson, Arizona, Joseph Zolnierowski IV
would rush home from school each day to watch cooking shows. After the Food
Network launched in the early 90’s, he got hooked on watching chefs like Bobby
Flay perform their craft for the cameras. At 15, Zolnierowski got his first
kitchen job at a local Burger King, and has been cooking ever since.
“I showed
all the warning signs of becoming a chef,” Zolnierowski says of his youth.
“Now, if you’re a chef, you’re cool. Fifteen years ago that wasn’t the case.”
If being a
chef is cool, Zolnierowski already has significant social capital in Rochester
as the executive chef at Nosh, the restaurant he helped to open in 2016. Now,
Zolnierowski is building on Nosh’s success with the opening of a sister establishment
close by. Old Pueblo Grill, which opened in mid-November, serves Mexican food
in a fast-casual setting and draws its inspiration from the food Zolnierowski
grew up eating in Tucson, Arizona.
Zolnierowski
is of Korean and Polish descent and grew up with a broad palate, enjoying
Korean specialties like kimchi and dried squid from an early age. “I learned to
use chopsticks before I learned to use a fork,” he says.
In 2012
Zolnierowski made the move from Tucson to Rochester to be closer to extended
family, and began looking for a position as a line cook, but it was tough to
find jobs at first, he says. Though he landed several interviews, many
restaurants told Zolnierowski that he was simply overqualified for a line cook
position. After interviewing at more than a dozen area restaurants,
Zolnierowski was offered a position at Mario’s on Monroe Avenue, where he was
executive sous chef until the restaurant closed in late 2015.
The
following year, Zolnierowski took the helm as executive chef at the
newly-opened Nosh, a joint venture with real estate agent Peter Lezeska and
attorney John Nacca. “They just believed in me,” Zolnierowski says.
At Nosh,
Zolnierowski became known for his bold, eclectic menus, which blend modern
American fare with southwestern and Asian flavors.
With Old
Pueblo Grill, Zolnierowski is going in a new direction. Though Nosh patrons
will recognize similar nods to Asian cuisine with dishes like the Seoul Man burrito
with bulgogi beef, kimchi, and gochujang (red chili paste), Old Pueblo Grill is
Zolnierowski’s homage to Tucson and Sonoran-Mexican-style street food. His eyes
light up when he talks about the Tucson dog, a bacon-wrapped hot dog topped
with beans, onions, and a variety of condiments. Zolnierowski says the Tucson
dog holds a similar place in Sonoran late-night street food culture that Nick
Tahou’s Garbage Plate and its many takeoffs have in Rochester.
The menu at
Old Pueblo Grill also boasts a lineup of eight different tacos, plus burritos,
tortas (sandwiches), nachos, chimichangas, tostadas, taquitos, and a small
breakfast menu. Zolnierowski hopes to have a liquor license by January and
begin serving wine, beer, and margaritas. For now, diners can enjoy a variety of
soft drinks including agua frescas, horchata, and Jarritos (brightly-colored
Mexican sodas that come in a range of fruit flavors). The restaurant seats
about 40, with outdoor seating available during warmer months.
I visited
Old Pueblo Grill on a Wednesday evening around 7:30 p.m. and found the place
buzzing with nearly every seat filled. The restaurant is situated almost
directly next door to Nosh in a large brick building known as The Factory.
Originally built in 1919, the former warehouse has been recently renovated by
Dutton Properties and is now home to lofts, retail, and office space.
The interior
of Old Pueblo Grill is a mix of industrial chic and Southwest flair. Simple gray
walls and concrete floors are broken up with eye-catching murals by Rochester
artist Mr. Prvrt, shiny wood high-top tables, and brightly colored stools, plus
a neon green sign that invites you to “Love Your Taco.”
I ordered
the Navajo taco ($11), a dish unfamiliar to me but which sounded intriguing. I
was unprepared for the small mountain of food which greeted me approximately
ten minutes later. This southwestern delicacy includes of a puffy, pillow-y,
addictively salty disc of Indian fry bread piled high with either chicken or
beef, pinto beans, crunchy cabbage, pico de gallo, crema, and avocado. The
fixings were outstandingly tangy and juicy (fork and knife definitely
required), and the fry bread proved more than up to the challenge of soaking up
the flavors. After finishing every morsel, and washing it all down with a sweet
and tart lime Jarritos drink, I was full until the following afternoon — a
sacrifice I was willing to make for journalism.
As the
executive chef and co-owner of two restaurants, Zolnierowski is busier than
ever and as a result has less time to visit his hometown. “I miss Arizona every
day,” Zolnierowski says, gazing at the back wall of the restaurant, which is
painted with a mural of Tucson’s San Javier Mission. “But I truly love
Rochester. Every year I’m here I love it more and more.”
This article appears in Rochester Ten 2019.
