A local favorite, Aioli Gourmet Burgers recently opened its third location at 430 E Bell Road, #103, in Phoenix, taking over the space previously occupied by recently closed Caveman Burgers.
“The last six months have been a crash course in creative entrepreneurship. Finding our way through this coronavirus pandemic has been a true test of our resilience and determination to succeed. We’ve reinvented ourselves several times during this crisis and it has proved to be an amazing experience and time of growth for everyone at Aioli Gourmet Burgers,” says Kyle Hollenbeck, co-owner. “We opened one store during the pandemic and now we’re excited to have the opportunity to expand again.”
The menu at Aioli Gourmet Burgers is packed with chef-driven, flavorful choices of burgers like the White Truffle Swiss – topped with roasted mushrooms, Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, and white truffle aioli, or the Italiano – topped with fresh mozzarella, tomato, balsamic reduction, crispy bacon, and basil garlic aioli. Other options include the wedge salad, mac-n-cheese bites, loaded fries, beer-battered onion rings, and over-the-top premium milkshakes and floats.
In addition, the third Aioli Gourmet Burgers location features an art gallery showcasing a collection of work by award winning Latinx cartoonist, John Carvajal. The collection includes Arizona, food truck and burger inspired pieces. All of the art on display will be available for purchase. The team at Aioli hope to be able to feature many local and nationally recognized artists.
Open since 2013, Aioli Gourmet Burgers started as a single food truck, quickly growing with the addition of one more food truck each year since then. The original restaurant location was opened in 2016 at 32nd Street and Shea off the 51 Freeway. That location has served as the brand’s home base for the past three-and-a-half years.
Year-over-year, the brand has more than doubled in size and sales with several other food truck concepts introduced, including Modern Tortilla and Oak Wood-Fire Pizza. Today, the restaurant group’s portfolio boasts seven food trucks, two taco carts, and a pizza cart, specializing in catering private events, birthdays, and weddings.
The restaurant group is led under the culinary direction of Chef Tommy D’Ambrosio, who, from a young age, had a passion for cooking. Combining differing flavors to make one-of-a-kind culinary creations, Chef Tommy was inspired by his grandmother, and having a huge Italian family, cooking and eating was a big part of his life.
Chef Tommy went to the Culinary Institute of America and completed an apprenticeship at The Greenbrier in West Virginia before returning to his hometown in Phoenix to open Aioli Gourmet Burgers. Tommy opened Aioli with two of his childhood friends, Kyle Hollenbeck and Michael Cartolano.
Chef Tommy is a Chopped champion, he’s competed at the World Food Championships, and has won numerous awards including the Scottsdale Culinary Festival’s Burger Battle several years running. For more information about Aioli Gourmet Burgers, visit aioliburger.com.
