You must meet the king of brunch

Chef Joey Maggiore is all about bringing everyone’s favorite weekend dish to the most fun spots at his popular Hash Kitchen restaurants in the Phoenix area and beyond. He’s got a cookbook that will have visitors salivating this fall.

Finding the right note

Before we take the first bite of carnitas hash or sip of that over-the-top Bloody Mary, let’s hear a round of applause for Maggiore’s attention to one very important detail in setting the right tone in the dining room.

DJ Iceman, Hash Kitchen’s resident music maestro, has created playlists for each chapter of Maggiore’s upcoming “Brunch King,” all uploaded to Spotify and accessible via QR codes on the book’s pages. “DJ Iceman has been with us since the beginning,” Maggiore said in a recent phone interview. “In the kitchen, cooks know that the only peace we have is when there’s music, so we wanted to share that.”

Given the diverse approach to Hash Kitchen’s menu, it’s no surprise that the playlists are downright eclectic. Fire up the Hash, Hash, Baby chapter playlist and you’ll hear Dua Lipa’s Dance the Night from the Barbie soundtrack, Shakira’s Hips Don’t Lie featuring Wyclef Jean, and—wait, what?—Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl. So much fun.

That’s because fun is Hash Kitchen’s core mission. “We wanted to make it a nostalgic, fun place, the kind of place where you go leave your troubles behind,” he said. Oh, that also explains the disco balls and the homemade Bloody Mary bar and that s’mores French toast finished with a blowtorch. (Recipe below.)

Influences from everywhere

Maggiore was born and raised in New York City before his family moved to San Diego during high school. He started cooking at age 13 and opened his first restaurant at 19. A decade ago, he and his family moved to Phoenix to be near his father. “We had three great years together before he passed away from cancer,” Maggiore said, adding that his father was a chef who inspired him to pursue professional cooking. Living in different parts of the world has played a role in the chef’s recipe development, especially when it comes to hash. The birria hash is an homage to his years in Southern California, while the gnocchi hash is an homage to his Sicilian heritage, though he conceded that there is no such thing as brunch in Italy.

“I spent my summers in Sicily with my father when I was a child, and in the mornings we ate warm milk and stale biscuits,” he says. As for the homemade ricotta gnocchi hash, “you can call anything with potatoes in it a hash, right?”

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Directly from the menu

The cookbook features some of Hash Kitchen’s greatest hits, including ten-layer breakfast lasagna, crème brûlée waffles with strawberries, biscuits and gravy “Yorkshire Puddings,” and mega mimosas topped with cotton candy.

Recipes that were deemed too complicated were removed. “We wanted them to be easy for home cooks to make, so we sent them to a few people who had no cooking experience and we got really good feedback,” Maggiore says.

That said, you’ll need a kitchen torch if you want to make the famous S’mores French toast. Here’s the Instagram-able recipe:

ENGLISH NUTELLA

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
• 8 medium egg yolks
• 1⁄3 cup Nutella

Combine milk and cream in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar and egg yolks until sugar is dissolved. Pour a small amount of milk mixture into egg mixture, whisking continuously. (This tempers the eggs. If the hot cream is added all at once, the eggs will scramble.) Continue to add ladles of milk mixture, whisking continuously, until custard is smooth. Return mixture to saucepan and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain mixture to remove any bits of cooked egg. Stir in Nutella until well blended. Set aside to cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

FRENCH BREAD DOUGH

• 1⁄3 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 beaten eggs
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄3 tsp ground nutmeg

In a large shallow bowl, whisk together milk, vanilla, and eggs until well combined. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir into egg mixture until well combined. Batter can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

ASSEMBLY

• 1⁄4 cup (1⁄2 stick) butter
• 4 slices brioche or challah bread, about 2 inches thick
• 2 cups French toast batter
• 2 cups of English Nutella
• 1⁄2 cup large marshmallows
• Graham Crackers

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Dip bread slices in batter, coating both sides and letting excess drip off. Add to skillet, then cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown. Flip and repeat. To serve, place 1 slice of French toast on each plate. Spread 1⁄4 cup English Nutella over slice. Top with a layer of marshmallows. Top with a second slice and more English Nutella. Finish with more marshmallows and graham crackers. For a s’mores look, use a kitchen blowtorch to toast the marshmallows.

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Final note: Just in case you needed another reason to celebrate breakfast, September is Best Breakfast Month.