Pat Connors, Owner and General Manager at Pastiche Modern Eatery

Pat started working in the restaurant industry in high school in Phoenix and has worked in several positions for numerous restaurants in both Phoenix and Tucson. Pat and his wife finally realized a long-time dream when they opened Pastiche early in 1998, and in 2005 they opened the Pastiche Wine Shop and Private Dining/Meeting Rooms next door.

Pat thrives on the passion and energy of Pastiche and can be found at the restaurant most of the time. However, somehow Pat also finds the time to volunteer in Tucson community events, be a very involved father and active with his son’s school, play racquetball, and still seriously dedicate himself to strengthening independent restaurants, both locally and nationally. Pat sits on several boards and is committed to the philosophy that independent restaurants should not perceive each other as competitors, but instead work together so that independent restaurants can survive and flourish.

Pat is married to Julie, they have a son, Cole, and eight 10 adopted beasties (A.K.A. pets).

Amanda Wahl, Restaurant Manager, Wine Shop Manager and Server

Amanda is affectionately known as “Amazing Amanda” to both Pastiche staff and patrons. “Amazing”, a Tucson native, was class valedictorian at Sunnyside High School and is currently studying Public Management via NAU.

Amanda was content working at Beyond Bread, before Pat Connors lured her away with the ‘glamour and mystery of wine’, prior to opening The Pastiche Wine and Cheese Shop in 2005. Since then, Amanda has studied enthusiastically to become highly skilled in both her wine expertise and cheese knowledge. Amanda continually brings exuberance, passion and success to her many arenas at Pastiche.

Amazing” took a brief breather from wine while she was percolating “Wonderful Warren”, who arrived in February 2009. Now she’s cheerfully back on the job, much to the delight of Pastiche’s regular guests who greatly missed her radiant smile, sunshine disposition and quirky sense of humor. Being a Mom hasn’t slowed “Amazing” down one bit, in fact her smile is bigger than ever!

Chef James Walsh

James Walsh joined the Pastiche family in early 2008, and he and Pastiche complemented each other well from day one. James was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, the youngest of six children. With the exception of five summers working in Colorado, he has resided in Arizona his whole life. He has two teenage children, son Dylan and daughter, Chelsea.

James started cooking professionally when he was fifteen and discovered early that he had a passion for both eating and creating great food. He moved to Tucson in 1989 and worked for large corporate hotels for eighteen years, holding a range of positions including Sous Chef, Garde-Manger, and Country Club Executive Chef. He recently made the transition back to the independent restaurant scene, where he feels more in touch with his customers and more closely connected to the community.

James’ food philosophy is: Consistency is top priority in any restaurant, but having the ability to improvise is crucial!

Kristie Guest, Pastry Chef at Pastiche Modern Eatery

Kristie began working in the restaurant industry in 1985 at Café Terra Cotta as a cashier. In 1988, she started waiting tables at Boccata. These two experiences led to a love of great food and good wine. Starting in 1991, she traveled a seasonal circuit that saw her working and learning in such varied locales as Nantucket, Aspen, and Maui. Kristie moved to Maui in 1996 and started baking specialty desserts as a hobby for the Plantation House restaurant where she was employed as a server This led to her helping to create a dessert menu and then graduating to making all of the desserts.

In 2005, she decided that culinary school was the next step and attended the prestigious Johnson & Wales in Denver. She did her internship at the Delphi Mountain Resort in Ireland. She graduated with honors in 2006. That summer she returned to Hawaii to work in the pastry kitchen at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort. Now, Kristie finds herself coming full circle to Tucson to be with family and friends, and in the challenging position of Pastry Chef at Pastiche.

Kristie is married to David and they have one daughter, August.