ABOUT US
Más Amable started as a dream of desiring to open a restaurant in the East Valley that has a strong focus on seasonal food, music and personable hospitality. Our pop-up is certainly inspired by the jazz kissaten concepts found in Japan. Finding out about jazz kissas was revelatory in opening our eyes to realize that it is possible to combine our passion for music with our passion for food and service. We took a step in 2022 when we threw our first pop-up in Gilbert Arizona that turned out to be a fun and successful venture.
What really matters to us is that our guests feel loved and ultimately have a fun and restful time. Our team takes care of each other and that only spills out into the food, service and space. Our food is best shared, celebrating quality and simplicity while deeply inspired by italian + spanish flavors.
We hope we get the honor to serve and see you at one of our events and maybe one day a restaurant of our own.
THE TEAM
MATTHEW CELAYA
Matt is a blessed by his beautiful wife Aubrey and two children Cosette and Luca. Born & raised in AZ he and wants Más Amable to be a gift and blessing to the community and people around him. He’s been cooking for the last decade and began Más Amable as a dream to start his own restaurant. He currently co-owns and operates Cream of the Crop in Gilbert Arizona.
MLITA
Mlita hails from Germany, but has been all over the world before landing in Arizona. She has an interest in biology and indigenous cultures that led her to live in Nicaragua, Colorado and Colombia. No one works as hard as Mlita nor has a desire to learn as much she does. The only reason Más Amable became a reality is because of her drive to see it happen.
DALE STEFFEN, MEDIA
Dale is married to the beautiful Ellie Steffen. He works behind the scenes through a camera to capture the genuine and sweet moments of Más Amable. However, he has many talents having worked as a barista, investing in college students all over the nation, and even running his own thrifting vintage clothing company Chillinois. If there is one thing Dale does graciously well, it is make you look and feel incredible on camera and person.
JUSTIN DEAN,
Justin is one of the more humble members of our team. Servanthood is a fitting word for the type of person Justin is. You will never hear a complaint out of his mouth, nor will you see him grumble. What you will see is Justin doing what needs to get done no matter what the task is and also putting others before himself. Justin is a salt of earth type of worker—hardworking and humble. He is also a gifted musician and a friendly soul to have in your company.
MIKE PETRY
Mikey popped in and offered to help last minute at the first Más Amable event and saved the day for our team. Mike has dabbled creatively in music and cooking over the years and continues to grow his craft working at ESPIRITU. He is filled with laughter and joy and has an infectious way of making you feel loved and happy.
CODY BENDER
Cody loves to help out, but also acts like glue for our team, keeping us happy and good together. Although he works tremendously hard for his company Bender Insurance, he still puts in time for relationships and service. He has helped Más transform into a much more cohesive, efficient and fruitful business to which we are eternally grateful.
KAT CARR
Kat has a calm and collected personality that balances well with the messiness of Más. She is highly self-motivated, hard working and eager to contribute to the Más dinners that make her a joy to work and dialog with. More than likely, anything sweet and memorable you have tasted for dessert is a result of her work and passion.