Samantha Sanz, a James Beard Award-recognized chef, is preparing to open a new restaurant called Glenrosa in Phoenix’s Grass Clippings Rolling Hills in Tempe at 1415 N. Mill Avenue.
The renowned chef partnered with Grass Clippings Rolling Hills Golf Course as they were looking to create a chef-driven Sonoran-style restaurant concept. Sanz tells What Now Phoenix that she hopes to open the 5,800-square-foot restaurant in Spring 2025. Glenrosa will feature cuisine from her hometown, Nogales, Mexico, with a menu focused on Sonoran live-fire cooking using a custom wood and charcoal grill. Highlights include wood-fired quesadillas, whole grilled snapper, tacos, and burgers, as well as some more casual items like tacos and Sonoran hot dogs, to family-style platters with combinations of grilled meats, salsas, and tortillas.
“I grew up literally in the kitchen and seeing the wood fire in her restaurant,” Sanz tells Phoenix New Times. “That’s what I grew up eating, so it just hits home. I really want to showcase that and show people what Sonoran cuisine is like across the border from Arizona.”
Glenrosa is part of the Tempe course, which reopened in 2023 following a $15 million renovation, according to the news release. Grass Clippings features an 18-hole par-3 course, a 15,000-square-foot putting green, and a 25-bay driving range. The public course is also the only spot in the state where golf can be played at night.
“This area has always been a gathering point, dating back to the ancient Hohokam people, and famously with Hayden’s Crossing in Tempe, because it was one of the few places where you could cross the Salt River,” Grass Clippings co-founder Jake Hoselton said in the release. “Today, we’re proud to honor this history, both with authentic Sonoran Desert cuisine but also by welcoming people from across the Valley to this scenic setting.”
