Every Tuesday, Kristen Martinez spends four to six hours in a blazingly hot truck in a hidden corner of a downtown Phoenix art gallery-meets-cocktail bar-meets-food-truck-park space called The Pemberton, kneading dough and shoveling it into the oven until she has about 60 rectangle-shaped pies prepped for the week ahead.
Martinez' claim to fame in the Phoenix restaurant scene was Tex-Mex tacos and taquitos. They were served from her pop-up food trailer — MB Foodhouse — which made its debut in Arizona at Yucca Tap Room before moving temporarily to Cartel Coffee, then Club Contact, then the Melrose Kitchen, which is now America's Taco Shop. After months of struggling to stay afloat as a solo small business owner in an extremely expensive and competitive
market, she's switching gears.
Now, as the head chef of The Pemberton's pizza program, Martinez is using her taco knowledge in a new venture that combines Tex-Mex flavors with Detroit-style pies — aptly called Moodie's Border Town Pies.
It wasn't failure in the kitchen that inspired Martinez' shift away from tacos. Her standout Tex-Mex landed her a spot in the American Taco Guide. Rather, she said she needed a temporary change as she continues to seek a permanent brick-and-mortar home for MB Foodhouse.
She also feels that pizza is easier than tacos to prep ahead of time, which enables her to ensure consistent quality even when someone besides herself is in the kitchen — a fact that will become especially important next year when Martinez plans to go on tour with her noise rap group Moodie Black.
"I think there's not too many people doing the Detroit style (in Phoenix). And I think I've got a leg up because I'm adding those techniques (of Tex-Mex)," Martinez said. "I'd rather just do different."
What's on the menu at Moodie's Border Town Pies?
Pizza may seem like a sharp turn away from tacos. But Martinez is keeping the Border Town inspiration alive with house-made salsas and pizza dough, which is made with the same dough she previously used for flour tortillas.
Moodie's launched with a few basic flavors: pepperoni, margherita and "sweet n hot." But Martinez recently introduced two new Tex-Mex-inspired flavors: carne asada and elote.
The carne asada comprises a thin cut of beef, marinated overnight with cilantro lime balsamic and red chili powder that's then seared. The pie is completed with a red sauce, salsa verde, pickled onion, cilantro, lime juice and cotija.
To make the elote pizza, Martinez first cooks down a garlic butter chili oil for a few hours and then brushes it onto the fluffy pizza dough. She then sprinkles a "skirt" of cheese around the edges and adds the elote mix comprising smoked corn in a bechamel sauce. The pie is topped with cotija, Tajin, jalapeño crema, crunchy chips, cilantro and pickled onion.
How to order Moodie's Border Town Pies at The Pemberton
You can order Moodie's Border Town Pies from any bar inside The Pemberton. The basic flavors can be ordered by the slice, but the carne asada and elote must be purchased as a whole pie.
If you miss her Tex-Mex, worry not. Martinez still plans to make MB Foodhouse available via popups when and where she can. Her next popup event is Aug. 30 at The Pemberton.
The Pemberton is open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday; 5 p.m. to midnight on Friday; 2 p.m. to midnight on Saturday; and 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. It's closed Monday through Wednesday.
Details: 1121 N. Second St., Phoenix. 602-830-3797, thepemberton.com. @moodiesbordertownpies on Instagram.
Reach the reporter at eddie.fontanez@azcentral.com. Follow @ERFontanez on Instagram.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: The Pembertons' new head pizza chef marries Detroit pie and Tex-Mex
