Meet Cory Oppold of Atlas Bistro in Scottsdale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cory Oppold.

Cory, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I moved to Phoenix from Illinois in 1998 to pursue a degree in architecture. Growing up on a farm, I have always had an appreciation for food and where it came from. But in 1999, a year after I moved out, I visit my first fine-dining restaurant. I was sort immediately. Instead of buying architectural digest, I started buying cookbooks. A year and a half past and one of my friends asked why do you not just go to Culinary school? So, I did. In 2001, I enrolled in Scottsdale Culinary Institute.

I graduated with honors from school and started working at “A Different Pointe of View” with Chef Ivan Flowers. He was on a molded my mentality and philosophy on food. I worked here for five years and then in 2007, I moved up to Sedona to be Chef De Cuisine at L’Auberge.

In 2009, I move back down to the valley. Ivan wants told me that to efficiently and effectively teach a crew faster, I should go teach at a culinary school. So, I did. I started teaching at the school I graduated from in 2009 at the now Le Cordon Bleu college of culinary. Through teaching others, I also taught myself. I got more in-depth into why foods react the way it does to different techniques. It is also here where my style plating and my style of food came out. I started to find my own identity and style of cuisine.

In 2012, I worked at a couple of different places until 2014, I landed the Executive Chef position at Atlas Bistro.
Atlas Bistro is a small restaurant and fits my style food very well serving higher-end cuisine in a three-course prefix menu. We are at dinner only establishment that offers BYOB services.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It is not always been a smooth road. The culinary world is full of so many struggles. Most of them being personal. As this is such a taxing and demanding occupation, chefs are often left to place their personal life on hold at times.
The real struggle is finding that balance.

Please tell us about Atlas Bistro.
Atlas Bistro is a small, fine dining establishment serving a three-course price fixed menu.
Our cuisine is known to be very vegetable-driven. My obsession with vegetables comes from memories. If we stay with the seasons, we can always tell a story of what time of year we are in with our menus. If you are eating a dish of watermelon, you know you are in the summer months. If we transition into firmer squashes, you would know we are in fall and winter months. To me, vegetables always set the pace and drive our menus.

At Atlas, we have achieved many things. I’m especially proud as a team that we landed #119 On the OAD casual gourmet list of restaurants in North America.

Another accomplishment was winning Chopped, on the Food Network just recently. But even better than that was Martha Stewart was one of the judges and I got to give her a hug!

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
There’s nothing I would’ve done differently. I am a firm believer that everything, good or bad, in life is supposed to happen and happens for a reason.

Food and the creative process of coming up with a dish that excites someone is my biggest passion. Food is an art form that appeals to all five senses. I cannot imagine myself doing anything different.

Pricing:

• 3 Course Price Fix Menu for $65
• Corkage Fee $15

Contact Info:

• Address: 2515 N Scottsdale Road #18
  Scottsdale, AZ 85257
• Website: Www.atlasbistrobyob
• Phone: 4809902433

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