Meet Pat Christofolo of The Farm at South Mountain in South Phoenix

Today we’d like to introduce you to Pat Christofolo.

Pat, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My career in the food industry began at the family deli, Capistrano’s. Inspired by my father’s entrepreneurial spirit, I opened out to Lunch, the first of many successful food businesses in 1981. After detecting a need in the Phoenix market for a fabulous caterer, I founded Santa Barbara Catering Company in 1992. After growing my business I opened a sister company Santa Barbara Cooks at The Farm, and took over the culinary operations at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix. At the time there was only one restaurant, The Farm Kitchen, serving lunch. I went on to open two additional restaurants at The Farm; Morning Glory Café, serving breakfast and Quiessence, known for its award winning fine dining. I further developed my vision for The Farm by purchasing the property in 2012 and adding a beautiful new venue space to host events and weddings. Santa Barbara Catering was also awarded the contract to manage Palette, the restaurant at the Phoenix Art Museum in October of 2011. To keep up with the latest business trends, I joined the International Caterers Association, where I served on the Board of Directors from 1996-2003. I am also a current member of Les Dames d’Escoffier International.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Being in the food industry always has its ups and downs. Being passionate about what you do and the food that you make always leads you to success.

Please tell us about The Farm at South Mountain.
I have been involved with The Farm at South Mountain since 1997. Since that time I have expanded the dining options by adding our breakfast restaurant, Morning Glory Cafe, and our dinner restaurant Quiessence. We take pride in providing high dining experiences while fully embodying the “garden to table experience”. We use ingredients that are sourced from local farms and fields, and many of the ingredients come from our own garden here at The Farm. Since purchasing the property in 2012 I have grown the business further by turning The Farm into a wedding and event venue while still managing the on-site restaurants, making The Farm a unique destination that offers something for everyone.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have started being an entrepreneur sooner in life!

Contact Info:

• Address: 6106 S 32nd St, Phoenix, AZ 85042
• Website: https://www.thefarmatsouthmountain.com/
• Phone: (602) 276-6360
• Email: |[email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefarmarizona/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFarmAtSouthMountain/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefarmarizona?lang=en

Image Credit:
All photos are taken by our in-house photographer. For more “A Day at The Farm photos: https://sbcc.smugmug.com/A-Day-at-The-Farm/

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