A smiling man wearing a dark button-up shirt, a blue apron, and a bracelet, standing outdoors with a blurred natural background.

Greetings!

I'm Todd Griffith, and here’s my story…

A smiling man in a black shirt and blue apron holding a wooden spoon outdoors, with mountains in the background.

Before starting Nopal Private Chef Services in 2025, I have been cooking professionally for almost 30 years. After a culinary internship during high school in Cleveland, Ohio, I moved to Flagstaff, Arizona and spent many years working in the city’s most iconic kitchens, including The Black Bean, Macy’s, Bigfoot BBQ and Diablo Burger. I owned my own kitchen on the south side of downtown from 2003-2008. I moved to Seattle, Washington in 2013 in search of a change of scenery. There, I spent time as Sous Chef at Local 360 and as Executive Chef of Re:Public. During my time in the northwest, I fell in love with cooking seafood and developed my farm to table style of cooking.

Close-up of a man wearing a cowboy hat and work shirt, holding a hammer with both hands, sitting on a couch with a chevron-patterned pillow in the background.
Seafood in shellfish with sauce, herbs, chopped garlic, and garnishing on a silver tray lined with salt.

In 2016 I left Seattle, very much in need of a break from chef life. I moved to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to work on a sod farm. I spent the next few years driving a tactor, learning to forage and teaching myself traditional Welsh spoon carving. In 2018 I started a small company called Axe & Apron, selling my wooden kitchen utensils at farmer’s markets. I still carve on occasion.

I always missed Arizona, so I moved to the valley in 2019. A return to the kitchen was inevitable, this time I landed in the catering business. I spent 5 years cooking for the largest catering company in the southwest, M Culinary Concepts. During those years, my desire to cook more refined food in more in more intimate settings pushed me further to the private chef side of the business. In 2023, with no real plan, I left the catering business to pursue my private chef career.

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I desire to be a well-rounded cook, but I’m most inspired by the cuisines of France, Spain and the Mediterranean. Farmer’s markets, live fire cooking and shucking oysters are a few of my favorite things.

“Through the simple act of feeding another human being, we do so much more.” Jacques Pepin

Man cooking a large piece of meat in a kitchen at night, wearing a black shirt and apron, using tongs to handle the meat.
Logo for Nopal, a private chef service, featuring a stylized cactus with pink and orange flowers and text around it.

The inspiration for Nopal came in late 2024. After almost a year of freelance chef work, contracting events and weddings, taking it month by month, I felt a desire for something different. I felt the need to have a clear and manageable schedule and to spend more time with my partner and my pets. I felt the need for financial freedom along with the ability to travel and rediscover my hobbies that I no longer seemed to have time for. I enlisted the help of a seasoned culinary business coach to expand my knowledge and guide me in building the business you see before you.

A smiling woman and man taking a selfie at a busy outdoor event. The woman is wearing a black wide-brimmed hat with a flower, sunglasses, and a white top, holding an orange-colored cotton candy. The man has a beard, short hair, sunglasses, and is wearing a red Hawaiian shirt with a floral pattern. The background shows other people, some with hats and sunglasses, a tall modern building, and a blue sky with some clouds. An airplane is visible flying overhead.

The name Nopal comes from the Spanish language and refers to the Opuntia cactus and its pads. Originating from the Nahuatl word “nohpalli” which translates to “cactus pad” or “prickly pear”. The Aztecs considered the nopal, especially its fruit, to be a sacred and nutritious food, and it played a significant role in their culture and legends. To me, the nopal symbolizes my connection to the desert, my love of foraging wild foods and the bounty our planet provides.

A smiling man with short dark hair, a goatee, and earrings, standing outdoors with arms crossed, wearing a dark shirt and a blue apron. The background is a blurred natural landscape with rocks and grass.
Logo with a cactus with a flower and a succulent, surrounded by the words 'Nopal' at the top and 'Private Chef Services' at the bottom.
Two people clinking glasses of white wine during a social gathering outdoors.

I am so grateful to share my craft with you and humbled to be a member of central Arizona’s communities, farms, and families. To read testimonies of some of the amazing individuals I have been lucky enough to serve on this journey, please visit the Reviews page. To get to know me even better, follow me on Instagram. I look forward to feeding you!

Cheers!

Chef Todd Griffith

USA Today Travel 2013

“Best Burger in Arizona”

Soelish Magazine Phoenix 2024

“Top 30 Private Chefs in Phoenix”