Fry Bread House was established in October 1992 by Cecelia Miller, a Tohono O’odham woman and a native of Arizona. After moving from the Tohono O’odham Nation in Sells, Arizona to Phoenix, Cecelia eventually settled in central Phoenix raising seven children with her husband, the late Rev. Joedd Miller.

Tiring of having no public restaurant for Indian people to gather and eat as they would at home, she refined her cooking and recipes, took a small business class and started Fry Bread House. Cecelia believed that many Native people, displaced from ancestral homes to find and located job and housing opportunities, like herself, in Phoenix would now be able to sit down to good home cooking just like they would at home with mom, grandma, or auntie in the kitchen.

Tohono O’odham people are known throughout the Southwest for their Red Chili Beef, large hand stretched flour tortillas (chumuth) and frybread (popovers) among their basket making and various other skills and trades. Due to the location of the Tohono O’odham’s native lands that encompass lands both south of the Mexico border and up into nearly central Arizona, traditional recipes have seen influences from our Southern neighbors in Mexico. This is why you see tortillas (chuchumuth), posole, and tamales on our menu. Cecelia felt it important to stick with food that were known to her and her culture and is the reason that she maintains these items on the menu rather than trying to incorporate native cussing from other tribal communities and cultures.

Fry Bread House began in a tiny two-room space on 8th Street & Indian School Road in a small strip mall. Her sons renovated the space into a commercial kitchen with a bathroom and a small dining area. Cecelia and her daughter worked the kitchen as well as a long-time family friend with the original menu consisting of frybread with beans, red chili beef, an indian taco, and a cooler full of canned soda.

As business picked up and Cecelia realized that there was a market for her cooking and traditional recipes, she continually added dishes common to the Tohono O’odham people and began hiring other Native people from the urban Indian Community. FBH soon outgrew the cramped location at 8th Street and closed that location permanently after settling into a newly, remodeled residential-turned commercial use structure at 4140 N. 7th Ave. Cecelia, Joedd and their family were able to create a larger space to accommodate more cooking, more indoor seating and hosting local artwork from local and regional Native artists.

In April 2009, the family suffered a huge loss when husband and father, Joedd Miller, passed away unexpectedly. Joedd worked tirelessly in the urban Indian Community and its surrounding tribal jurisdictions serving both Native and non-Native people as a Presbyterian pastor, mentor, friend, and brother for over 30 years. His work on social justice issues, homelessness, the Sanctuary movement, Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, Presbytery, Native social issues and many more are missed. Joedd rallied the family 25+ years ago to serve the urban homeless every Thanksgiving a traditional native meal just as they would get at home as they struggle on the streets. Fry Bread House continues that tradition every year as well as remembering and honoring Joedd every day since his passing.

In November 2009, Frybread House opened a second location in Mesa, Arizona at 1916 W. Baseline

In 2012, Fry Bread House was honored with a James Beard Award for American Classics. In her acceptance speech at the awards ceremony, Cecelia acknowledged and extended her gratitude to her staff and family for their work at the restaurant and the Phoenix community for their years of support.

In 2015 the location at 1916 W. Baseline was closed.

In 2017, Fry Bread House again renovated a former residential structure to a commercial restaurant and returned to the Melrose District in Mid-Town at 4545 N. Hazelwood where we continue to operate today.

In addition to our indoor seating, we built an outdoor patio for guests to dine and gather. We frequently host events at the restaurant that celebrate our culture and support the community. Some of these events have included “Chicken Scratch” dances with Waila musicians performing, performers celebrating our Two Spirit community, Girl Scouts selling cookies, Native book authors sharing their story/ies, etc. Along with this, Native artists are regularly invited to sell their art, jewelry and more as our patio turns into a place where native culture can be expressed and enjoyed.

In May 2020, our hearts broke when Cecelia passed away unexpectedly. Cecelia helped many Native and non-Natives throughout her life. She worked with women and children through her early work as a social worker, Head Start Director, Realtor, and when she served for 10+ years on the Arizona Foster Care Review Board. Her commitment to her Native community and legacy to helping children, families and others continue to inspire her family, employees and larger community. We are proud of the indelible mark on the Phoenix area, Arizona, and beyond.

The family continues to oversee the daily and catering operations. FBH continues to cater both to the urban Indian and non-Indian community in Phoenix and beyond believing strongly in continuing to introduce traditional Tohono O’odham food to the people of Arizona and those traveling through from afar.

Thank you for visiting our restaurant and for supporting us throughout the years. We look forward to a shared future of continuous quality food, service, and goodness!

Sapé