Chef Pablo Valencia Brings Campfire Cuisine to the Forefront in Tucson

From Sinaloa Roots to Tucson Kitchens

Chef Pablo Valencia’s culinary story began with foraging in his grandmother’s backyard. Born into a family with deep roots in Sinaloa, Valencia grew up learning how to make meals from scratch using what nature provided.

“My grandma was the one who actually taught me and my sisters how to forage from our yard and make our own foods,” he said. “She owned her own farm and never went to the doctor. She pulled her own teeth and did her own medical procedures on herself, and she lived to like 98.”

That sense of resilience and resourcefulness shaped his culinary path. When his family moved to Arizona, he held onto those lessons about simplicity and respect for food. At 16, he washed dishes at Roma Caffé in Tucson, a job that marked his first professional step into the kitchen.

“My sous chef at the time, Raul, taught me that I had a palate and learn how to expand from that,” Valencia said.

He worked his way up through prep and line cook positions, eventually joining large-scale operations such as Wildflower under Fox Restaurant Concepts.

“When you work in small restaurants, you learn the soul of food,” Valencia said. “In big corporate kitchens, you learn the militant side; the cleaning procedures, the holding temps, the cleanliness. Both sides are important. The small places teach you creativity, and the big ones teach you discipline.”

Blending Fire with Fine Dining

Today, Valencia co-owns Scratching the Plate, a Tucson-based culinary project he runs with his wife, Katherine Carbone. The concept highlights open-fire and cast iron cooking, combining rustic methods with refined presentation.

“Our specialty really is the life of the campfire and how that can actually integrate into our everyday cuisine,” he said.

The menu takes cues from Western migration, blending rustic methods with elevated presentation. Valencia describes the concept as “if a cowboy went to French culinary school.”

Scratching the Plate’s menus rarely repeat. Dishes are built from guest requests, ingredients in season, and creative impulse. “We rarely cook the same thing in two days,” Valencia said. “That’s our paintbrush.”

Signature touches include smoked corn husk oil and toasted birria seasoning that embody Valencia’s devotion to fire-driven flavor.

Where “Scratch” Means More

The name Scratching the Plate nods to both scratch-made food and Valencia’s former series, “Scratch It Wednesdays,” where he challenged himself to create dishes using unfamiliar ingredients.

“Technically, that’s what you’re doing when you’re eating,” he said. “When your fork and knife hit the plate, you’re scratching the plate. It’s a play on words that also connects to scratch-made food.”

The logo, he added, reinforces the theme. “It’s a fork and a knife that go around the plate, symbolizing eating and scratch cooking.”

Going Global, Staying Grounded

Valencia’s reach extends beyond Arizona. In 2019, he represented Tucson at an international culinary forum in Macau alongside chef Travis Peters.

“It was amazing and humbling,” Valencia said. “We cooked with chefs from about 20 countries like Peru, Argentina, Saudi Arabia. I taught them how to make tortillas and tepary beans.”

He credits those experiences with deepening his respect for culinary storytelling.

“You get to see firsthand how your food story can influence people from across the world,” he said.

Cooking with Intention

Valencia avoids industrial shortcuts and focuses on purity in both ingredients and technique.

“I don’t like promoting unhealthy lifestyles, like using a lot of seed oils and carcinogens,” he said. “We try to promote not only making the food healthy itself, but what you use to cook with as equally important. We use a cast iron for everything, no plastic.”

He prefers natural animal fats such as tallow and duck fat. “We make all our own tallows,” he said. “We separate the fat from our stocks and use every part of the animal that comes into our kitchen.”

When it comes to cooking fuels, mesquite and pecan wood are his go-to choices. “Those two are our biggest hitters,” he said. “Sometimes we’ll blend in hickory, but pecan gives the best all-around balance.”

Building Connection Around the Table

Valencia’s vision for the future involves intimacy over scale. He’s focused on small gatherings, wine tastings, and curated events.

“We want the parties that are involved with us to sit around the table,” he said. “It really does mean a lot to slow down and enjoy a meal.”

His events often blend entertainment and education. Guests might help cook or learn techniques as they dine. “We cook rib-eye on literal embers. We don’t need a pan,” he said.

A Community-Driven Chef

Valencia credits his peers and mentors, like chefs Kenneth Foy, Tanner Fleming, Obadiah ‘Obie’ Hindman, and Janos Wilder for shaping his journey.

“Without Gary Hickey, I wouldn’t have been able to even do ‘Knife Fight,’” he said.

His collaborations have ranged from boutique dinners to high-level events, including a vegan buffet for 250 scientists at the Biosphere.

“They grew their own produce in a controlled environment,” Valencia said.

For Valencia, Tucson’s food scene thrives on collaboration rather than competition.

“We’re so tight-knit here,” he said. “Nobody’s trying to get above anyone else. We’re all just trying to feed people, tell our stories, and pass on our trades.”

Keep up with Scratching the Plate on Instagram. For more information, visit scratchingtheplate.com.