Carlos Aponte jokingly describes himself as “the Kevin Bacon of chefs in Tucson.”
Meaning if you haven’t eaten at one of the establishments where he’s cooked, you most likely have a close relationship with someone who has.
We’re talking a what’s what of high-volume, high-energy eateries: Firebirds, Keaton’s, Cheesecake Factory, Black Angus, Metropolitan Grill, El Parador, Anthony’s in the Catalinas, The Cork, BJ’s, the Doubletree, Lodge on the Desert and Casino del Sol to name more than a few.
Given the volatility of the restaurant world and the nonstop busy-ness and 24-7 demands of running a mass-quantity kitchen, perhaps, then, it’s easy to understand why Aponte decided to bring his culinary skills to Sonoita as proprietor of El Campo Cantina on Highway 83, in the former home of Tia Nita’s Cantina.
Being constantly on call and subject to the whims of corporate management can take a toll on a fellow.
“That’s the problem with a lot of high-volume, high-pressure places,” Aponte said. “That’s why I wanted to get this place.”
While his professional travels have taken Aponte from Tucson to New York to California and many places in between—“11 different cities in nine states”—he also can claim ties to the area. Grandmother Rosa Duarte gave birth to seven children in Patagonia, including his mother, Lydia. Plus, he was familiar with Tia Nita’s from passing through on fishing expeditions at
Parker Canyon Lake.
“I liked the location, I liked the casual atmosphere,” he said. “It was the right size, not too big, not too small, not too crazy busy. I like the idea that we can be closed three days a week and I can still have a life.”
Aponte opened El Campo in April with a soft launch featuring “fusion” pizzas and calzones. He recently added several pasta offerings.
The “fusion” part of the pizza equation involves marrying traditional pizza elements—dough, high-temperature baking—with nontraditional ingredients.
“I’ve got this huge pizza oven in the kitchen here, she (Tia Nita’s) has been doing pizza for 13 years,” Aponte said. “I’ve done a lot of pizza, I ate a lot of pizza, I know what good pizza should taste like.
“I’m like, I can make a menu where people don’t get burned out on pizza. How many days a week do you want to eat regular Italian pizza?”
Aponte’s alternatives include “taco pizza.” Aponte makes a salsa that serves in place of marinara sauce. The cheese is a combination of Mexican cheeses—Oaxaca, Asadero, Panela— and the meat is Vera Earl beef grilled over mesquite.
“I put shredded lettuce on it, some fried tortilla chips on there for the crunch, and use Mexican sour cream and some cilantro,” he continues. “You get this pizza in your mouth and start chomping on it, it’s like ‘I’m eating a taco’, but you’re eating pizza.”
Other variations include a cheeseburger pizza (ketchup, mustard, pickles, etc.), BBQ chicken and chicken alfredo.
Aponte describes the current offerings as a starter menu. He’d like to eventually add sandwiches, salads and appetizers, but that’s contingent on staffing.
“It’s just me back there,” Aponte said. “I would like to get more staff, but it’s hard to find qualified people in these small towns. This is nothing compared to what I want to put out there.”
One aspect of the menu that Aponte is proud to have rolled out right from the start is a selection of local wines.
“I want to make sure that I’m making the local people happy,” he said. “They’re going to be my bread and butter, they’re going to be the good word of mouth. And on the weekends, people that are doing the wine tours, this would be the last stop, where you’re going to get a big selection of local wines at a good price, nice atmosphere and good food too, since a lot of the wineries don’t have food.”
El Campo Cantina, 3119 Highway 83, Sonoita. Hours: 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.