18 Oct 22nd - Oct 28th, 2026 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Full House Every restaurant coming to Peoria’s new Churchill. BY SARA CROCKER M ore than a year after breaking ground in down- town Peoria, The Jefferson House is nearly ready to open its doors. Now we know who will set up inside. The long-anticipated West Valley version of The Churchill, a downtown Phoenix eating and shopping hub erected from shipping containers, was announced in April 2024. It will feature six places to grab food, drinks and other treats. The space will also welcome several stores, according to an announce- ment shared with Phoenix New Times. The project is a partnership between the city of Peoria, Kell Duncan, who built The Churchill, and local West Valley restaurateurs Lance and Gavin Linderman. The brothers, along with Micah Bentley, run downtown Peoria’s popular cafe, Driftwood Coffee Co., Twist Hot Chicken and the Glendale bar Easy Tiger. “We’re just chomping at the bit to get this thing going,” Lance Linderman says. “We’re excited.” At the groundbreaking last year, offi- cials said redeveloping this downtown Peoria corridor took decades. Even as plans for the Jefferson House moved forward, changes to its design, from two stories to one, and construction delays held up the opening. “With a project of this size and scale, there’s just more parts and pieces,” Duncan says. Now, its developers can see the finish line. The Jefferson House is anticipated to open late this year on 83rd Avenue and Jefferson Street in the West Valley city’s historic downtown district. The space will feature a courtyard, splash pad and a concert-ready sound system. What’s opening at the Jefferson House? The Jefferson House will also offer plenty of spots to eat and drink, including three restaurants, a bakery and a bar. One is familiar to Churchill regulars. Stoop Kid, the popular Phoenix bagel and smashburger shop, opened in The Churchill in 2020. Its Jefferson House eatery will be Stoop Kid’s third, joining its downtown outpost and a new kitchen coming to The Joy Lush Club. The team is “stoked to bring burgers and general nonsense west,” owner Steven McMillen said in the announcement. A mobile pizzeria, Local Hive Pizza Co., will plant roots at Jefferson House, too. This family-run outfit bakes artisan pies in a wood-fired oven. True to its name, many of its pizzas get finished with a drizzle of hot honey. Diners will also be able to opt for sweet and savory stuffed frybreads. Hope Peshlakai will open a West Valley outpost of her popular Mesa eatery, Hope’s Frybread. Peshlakai used her grandmoth- er’s frybread recipe to start a roadside stand in 2011. After more than a decade, she opened her Mesa restaurant in 2022. Now, she will share “a taste of Navajo culture and tradition” in Peoria, Peshlakai said in the announcement. “We’re looking forward to sharing the food we love, the culture we’re proud of and creating new memories with our Peoria community,” she said. Diners can look forward to capping off their night with a sweet treat from Chewk’s Cookies. The bakery, which focuses on warm, soft cookies, got its start in a college dorm room before opening a twee shop in Uptown Phoenix. Chewk’s cookies are often studded with chocolate chips and candies or draw on dessert flavors, like caramel apple pie. At Jefferson House, Chewk’s will offer its nostalgic bakes à la mode with soft- serve ice cream, “the way they were meant to be,” owner Hunter Beshears said in the announcement. There are several spots for a sip, too. JOOS will sell cold-pressed juices, well- ness shots and smoothies, as well as fresh fruit cups. The Phoenix juicery started at Arrowhead Farmers Market. For a more spirited option, customers will be able to head to the Jefferson House’s bar, Good Trouble. Its taps will be filled with 20 beers, and bartenders will pour specialty cocktails. Two shops and a hair studio fill out the rest of the shipping containers in the hub. “It’s a fun mix,” Duncan says. The Book Haul will sell fantasy, romance and other fiction titles. Those hunting for vintage and secondhand finds will be able to stop into Lovely Goods. There, photographer Sarah Day will curate a mix of housewares, furniture and clothing. The barbershop and hair salon, Fade & Blade Studio, will offer cuts, shaves, color and, yes, fades. When the Jefferson House opens, it will join Caldwell County BBQ as part of a $15 million revitalization effort led by Peoria. The city built both the smokehouse and the shipping container complex. The Jefferson House announced Novel Ice Cream as its first tenant last year. However, the popular ice cream shop is no longer associated with the project. Owner Shawn Allard announced in September that Novel would pause its West Valley plans. He did so to focus on the historic preservation project they’re undertaking in Tempe. Though the popular ice cream shop may not be joining the Jefferson House, the new development will bring plenty of new dining options to the area. And the sooner, the better. “No more delays is what I’m hoping for,” Duncan says. The Jefferson House Opens in late 2026 8308 W. Jefferson St., Peoria The Jefferson House will be a new shopping and food hub in downtown Peoria. (Sara Crocker) Stoop Kid serves standout smash burgers at The Churchill. Soon, the team will expand to Peoria. (Stoop Kid) The Nutella banana frybread, one of Hope’s sweet options. (Zee Peralta) Chewk’s started in a college dorm before becoming a food trailer and a brick-and-mortar storefront. (Chewk’s Cookies) ▼ Food & Drink