365betÌåÓýÔÚÏßÊÀ½ç±­

Atria’s very own Rochelle Daniel and Michael Hopper are taking the Arizona food scene by storm.

Hopper was recently announced as Top Mixologist/Bartender for the 2025 Foodist Awards. In 2023, Daniel was awarded the Foodist Award for Top Chef.

Together, they are the only culinary duo to each receive a Golden Pineapple from the Foodist Awards.

“Everyone is always scared to work with their significant other, but I believe we do a great job at it,� Hopper, Atria's front of house manager, said. “It's fun to be able to work alongside one another, and I love seeing all the food she comes up with. She's really talented, and I like looking up from the bar and seeing her.�

“Having Mikey run the front of the house really helps me focus on just the back of the house,� Daniel said. “It's always nice to see him when I look up into the dining room. We give each other a smile then go back to work.�

Atria specializes in hyper-seasonal approaches to modern American cooking. It's located in the heart of downtown Flagstaff, with Daniel leading the way as executive chef and partner.

Daniel began cooking as a young adult in a country club kitchen, catapulting her into a lifelong love of bringing people together through food. She attended the Arizona Culinary Institute and diligently worked in kitchens such as Zinc Bistro and Fat Ox before becoming executive chef for L’Auberge de Sedona.

“Creativity and mentorship are the two most fulfilling [values] throughout my career,� Daniel said, “being able to create and share through food and to help and support others to do the same as they build their own careers up. I am very inspired by my own travels, experiences, by nature and by those who are in our restaurant family. This is where a lot of my creativity spurs from. I am driven by providing spaces, places and foods for the community I am in -- building that legacy through my own food as well as those who I work with that will go on to do the same. It's amazing to have such a great teammate as Hopper to always keep pushing ourselves to become inventive and on top of the trends.�

Three years ago, Hopper joined the Atria team after bartending at Rendezvous Cocktail Lounge for about a year, and met Daniel in joining their team. Hopper came to bartending as a career after having spent four years in the Navy. He sought out bartending school in California, building a solid foundation for memorizing cocktail recipes and mixology knowledge. Afterwards, Hopper began his career as a barback and worked his way up.

He now manages the bar and front of house operations for the restaurant.

“Bartending is still a really fun job to me that doesn't always feel like work,� Hopper said. “Being at the award show two years ago when Rochelle won Top Chef was awesome, and I was so proud of her. When they announced Top Bartender for that year, I thought to myself that it would be really cool to win that someday. I never thought I actually would get the chance being up in Flagstaff -- there is a lot of talent in Phoenix and a lot of bartenders that deserve recognition. It was a surprise to me when I was nominated, and it was a cool experience to actually win. I am thankful for all the people that voted for me. Being one of the only duos to get the award is really fun. We both work very hard, Rochelle more than me, that woman never stops or lets anything slow her down. She inspires me to keep learning and growing in the craft.�

With such dedication to their careers, Daniel and Hopper are learning to work through new challenges while still maintaining a commitment to their craft.

“One of the beautiful and rewarding aspects of this stage of my life is that I am able to see the benefit of this dedication to my craft, career and mentorship focused approach, as my day-to-day role is able to shift a little now and I am realizing that the foundation I built over the years has led to a place that I am not the only positive driving force in my business,� Daniel said.

The last year has brought big changes in their personal lives. The couple welcomed a baby girl in late 2024.

“It’s a blessing to have a little mini-me, and I’m so proud to have such a passionate, proud dad to help me on this journey," she said. "My biggest challenge is balancing work and family life. Everything is now scheduled around the little one’s schedule.�

“Having a baby together has posed some challenges; we both aren't at work as much as we used to be,� Hopper said. “When we have challenges, we talk through them. We have loved getting to spend time at home taking care of this little girl. No one makes us laugh harder than her. She's amazing. We plan our day around who is working and if we need to switch off with the baby in the middle of the day.�

The two continue to inspire each other inside and outside of the restaurant, whether it’s from their travels together or in their new venture to eat cleaner and create clean baby food for their child.

Atria is open Tuesday through Thursday from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Drop in or make reservations online to try award-winning drinks and food.