Cardinals go to the Super Bowl, Arizona gets a windfall of PR. Totally expected.
But publicity for a local chef is certainly an unusual perk for the Phoenix culinary world.
Turns out, executive chef Beau MacMillan, from Elements at the Sanctuary on Camelback, is the lucky one getting the national exposure on the Today Show, this Friday.
He's been selected to represent Arizona in a culinary challenge against an as-of-yet unannounced chef from Pittsburgh. (What does that say abo
We understand that in the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. Worry not! We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:
Valley Fever:
Arizona Cardinals Send Off In Video
Arizona Cardinals Get Big Airport Send-Off by Fans Before Heading to Tampa
Up on the Sun:
TheDirty.com, Combichrist, Religious Rockers and More Over the Weekend
New Mastodon Single: "Divinations"
Chow Bella:
Chef Beau MacMillan to
All right, I'm having fun with headlines. But I couldn't help but notice how many local "celebrity" chefs are listed in the "all-star" lineup of a charity event that just so happens to take place on Valentine's night -- one of the busiest nights of the year for most restaurants. It's a night when people splurge to dine at a fancy joint, and surely, what customer wouldn't assume that the head chef will be in the kitchen?
Sorry, the NBA takes priority over your romantic dinner, dude.
Eddie Ma
Creme brulee at Vincent's
In a press release this morning, the James Beard Foundation announced its preliminary lists of nominees for various categories in the prestigious James Beard Awards.
There are 20 nominees in each category, and eight Arizona individuals and restaurants are among the elite group. Finalists will be announced on March 23, and the awards gala will be held in New York City on May 4.
In the running for Best Chef - Southwest, there's Kevin Binkley (Binkley's), Mark
Wah wah wah... Today's an anticlimactic day for some of the most talented people in the Arizona restaurant biz, as the James Beard Foundation announced its finalists for the 2009 awards. Nobody from this state was on the list.
But the eight semifinalists who'd been in the running for various categories since the announcement in February are still part of an incredibly elite group. So congratulations again to Kevin Binkley (Binkley's), Beau MacMillan (elements), Mark Ehrler (V
The Scottsdale Culinary Festival sounds monolithic, but the granddaddy among the Valley's culinary festivals is surprisingly multifaceted -- a dozen different events at 16 different restaurants and venues around town, ranging from casual tastings to semi-formal sit-down occasions.
What happens when you get a bunch of chefs from notable local restaurants, you put them on a trolley, and you take them bar-hopping downtown?
I don't know, but there should be some sort of cheeky punchline here.
Anyway, it sounds like a fun time, and it's happening tomorrow night. Chef Christopher Gross recruited 15 or 20 chefs from his professional network (James Porter and Beau MacMillan among them) after a mutual friend introduced him to Terry Madeksza (operations director for the Downtown Ph
Sloane BurwellJames Porter gets Aaron May's autograph.
After this weekend, it's time to replace "party like a rockstar" with "drink like a chef." Friday night is a bit of a blur for most (if not all) of the participants in a Chef's Tour of central downtown Phoenix restaurants (yes, and bars) dreamed up by chef Christopher Gross and made a reality by Terry Madeksza and Samantha Jackson from the Downtown Phoenix Partnership.
Terry and Samantha invited me along to serve as a tour guide, so here's
