According to owners Jennifer and Tim Ward, the idea behind Mountain View Kitchen is simple. They want their guests to feel like they’ve visited grandma’s house for a good old-fashioned, home-cooked meal.

The restaurant, located at 16605 E. Palisades Blvd., Ste 162, is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily serving everything from breakfast and sandwiches to burgers, salads, fresh soups, dessert and a kids’ menu. They also offer catering and will host evening events within the restaurant. They’re also big on themed days, including things like Meatloaf Monday, Taco Tuesday and discounts for those wearing the proper attire on Red Shirt Fridays, and the restaurant also offers military and first responder discounts.

Tim came to Arizona to work for Harley Davidson, a job he still maintains. Jennifer has been running Mountain View Kitchen since it opened this past December, doing everything from helping out in the kitchen to serving customers and bussing tables alongside her staff.

Tim, a veteran, said he and his wife got involved with American Legion Post 58 in Fountain Hills, which introduced them to the community.

“We lived in Mesa and always wanted to move up here,” Tim said. “We got the opportunity to buy a house, so we did that and decided we wanted to venture into the restaurant business.”

Jennifer owned a catering company in Washington State for about a decade and then served as a personal chef in her home state of Tennessee. Upon arriving in Arizona, she moved from house management for clients in Cave Creek to working in a couple of restaurants. She said she never felt at home in some of those previous endeavors, so opening her own restaurant felt like the clear path forward.

“I wasn’t enjoying my job,” Jennifer said. “I wanted to create a place where people wanted to come to work and even wanted to drop in on their days off. I want guests to come in and want to be here.”

Jennifer said that goal is already being achieved, as it’s not uncommon for customers to eat and still be sitting in the restaurant, chatting with friends or family hours later. That feeling of “visiting a family member’s home for a meal” is exactly the type of atmosphere the Wards want to offer.

Jennifer described the Mountain View Kitchen menu as “down-home cooking.” Ingredients are “as fresh as they possibly can be,” with ingredients frequently sourced locally. Jennifer said they’re so fresh that bread is just about the only thing they keep in the freezer.

“We make comfort food,” she added. “I want our guests to feel like they just visited grandma’s house. I want them to feel uplifted. Leave your burdens behind, come have a good meal with good company and leave happy.”

The Wards said business has been “fabulous” so far, and the community has welcomed them with open arms. They recently added catering to their offerings and are hoping to expand the outdoor seating area in the future.

“Come give us a try,” Tim said. “It’s good, fresh-made food.”

“We actually have our own spice mix that we use and it has ‘Love’ on the jar, so we really do cook everything with love,” Jennifer added. “So come by and have a meal.”

For more information, visit mountainviewkitchen.net or call 480-590-6282. The community is also invited out to Mountain View Kitchen as the Wards host their Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 31.