Exclusive: Chef Alex Stratta, The Herb Box have big plans together

• Renowned fine-dining chef Alex Stratta has joined The Herb Box as directory of culinary operations
• Stratta will revamp the menu at The Herb Box while also overseeing the market and catering operation
• With Stratta's help, Wilcox will expand the scope and scale of The Herb Box, locally and nationally

In an era when food is as much about identity as sustenance, it can be a little too easy to paint those in the industry with a broad brush. Team kale and avocado wants fresh and healthy, while team foie gras and turbot seeks luxury and artistry, and never the twain shall meet.

Except when they do.

Alex Stratta, former chef of the eponymous Michelin-starred Alex in Las Vegas, and Susan Wilcox, CEO of The Herb Box in Scottsdale and Phoenix, have joined forces, and the longtime industry veterans have big plans for the Valley and beyond.

Having left Prado in July, Stratta recently joined The Herb Box as director of culinary operations, overseeing all culinary aspects of the restaurant’s three Valley locations, carryout market and catering division. The pair were introduced by a mutual friend, and immediately hit it off.

“We sat down and met and it was just kind of a meeting of the minds,” Wilcox says. “We’ve both been down the road, we’ve both spent many years in this industry, and there was a connectivity, I think, that we both got from each other.”

For Stratta, "it’s a great opportunity for me,” he adds. “As far as my professional development, which hasn’t ended, I think it works perfectly.”

The pair sat down with The Republic to share their vision and discuss a partnership that some might find surprising.

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'I was pigeonholed' in fine dining

Though the connection was obvious to them, for much of the dining public, Wilcox and Stratta represent very different types of dining.

Wilcox, who split with longtime business partner Becky Windels last year, has spent the past two decades building a brand based around light and fresh fare in a casual setting that draws a crowd seeking dishes both flavorful and accessible.

Stratta, meanwhile, has long been known as one of the heavyweights of the ultra-fine dining scene, spinning luxury ingredients into decadent meals in some of the world's most renowned and expensive restaurants.

Is that who they are, or are those the archetypes we’ve assigned to them?

“You know what? I think people just don’t know Alex,” Wilcox says. “His accolades are amazing, but he’s more than that.”

“I was pigeonholed for so long in fine dining,” says Stratta, who also briefly ran a casual tapas restaurant in Las Vegas before moving to Phoenix. “I continue to try to make food much more accessible, not just super fine dining where you have to spend (big) dollars to try my food. And quite honestly, it’s the way I eat. I rarely go out to fine-dining restaurants.”

'Now, his food is for everybody'

Which isn’t to say that Stratta isn't bringing his high-end pedigree to bear on his new project. The Herb Box has launched a new fall menu at its Southbridge location in downtown Scottsdale, and will do the same at DC Ranch and central Phoenix's The Colony on Nov. 1.

“The perception is that you can’t have (Stratta’s) food. It’s for other people,” Wilcox says. “Now, his food is for everybody. That’s exciting.”

While most of the changes — for now — will be seasonal adjustments familiar to regulars at The Herb Box, Stratta is starting to work some of his creations into the dinner service, like a braised short rib with wild mushroom polenta, and herb-roasted chicken with fork-smashed potatoes, Swiss chard and roasted garlic jus.

As Stratta explains, “The goal is to make the dinner a little more..."

“...elevated,” Wilcox interjects.

“...and approachable to a diverse clientele,” Stratta continues. “Because I think dinner has big potential here.”

'Grow and multiply'

Stratta’s influence on The Herb Box will grow in the coming months, expanding into more dinner offerings, the lunch menu and beyond.

“It’s always been my plan to expand,” says Wilcox, who has every intention of utilizing Stratta’s help to increase the scope and scale of her business. “He’s had his own places and understands what the grind looks like. It’s a huge skill set of his, the business of the kitchen. That’s exciting to me, and to have Alex at the top of the heap for us is huge.”

“What also excited me is the idea of the potential of growth,” Stratta adds, “which is definitely what I want to get into, something where we can start establishing a culture that can grow and multiply.”

Wilcox is planning more branches for The Herb Box in Phoenix and other U.S. cities, and hopes to develop the Southbridge location’s market into a standalone entity for fast and healthy carryout. Stratta's addition to the team gives her the chance to explore new restaurant concepts.

For his part, Stratta is enjoying a role with an increased scope, taking his work in the kitchen and developing ways to make it accessible on a larger scale. And though it may surprise some, the chef who has handled some of the world’s finest ingredients is enjoying the challenge of figuring out how to make more common ingredients uncommonly flavorful.

“My tools were always these super high-end ingredients, and simple is easy when it’s just a chunk of foie gras with a little bit of vinegar on it,” Stratta says. “Now, simple needs to be thought out a little bit more. You don’t have a piece of wild turbot, you have salmon, and you have to make it taste delicious and cook it correctly. This is going to be something that’s got the same heart behind it.”

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The Herb Box fall dinner menu

The Herb Box

• At The Colony: 5538 N. Seventh St., Phoenix. 480-393-0432. 
• At Southbridge: 7134 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale. 480-289-6160.
• At DC Ranch: 20707 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale. 480-289-6180.

Details: theherbbox.com.

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