Culinary Arts

Check Out Kick Ass Kake's Larger-Than-Life Lady Gaga Cake

It's safe to say that Kick Ass Kakes' designer and owner, Jay Murphy, is a big Lady Gaga fan. How big? Big enough to lovingly render a slightly larger than life in cake, frosting and fondant. See Also: --Lady Gaga, US Airways Center --Do Your Cakes Look as Incredible as They Taste? Enter the 2013 ... More >>

Classic Cooking Academy Opens New Restaurant, Aptly Called Test Kitchen, in North Scottsdale

For music fans, seeing a band before they become famous is pretty flippin' cool. So why not hitch your wagon to a rising star of the culinary world as well? You may be able to find one at North Scottsdale's Classic Cooking Academy. The non-profit culinary school, opened in 2006, recently announced ... More >>

Six Favorite Places to Take Cooking Classes in Metro Phoenix

There comes a time in everyone's life when they have to learn to cook more than scrambled eggs and frozen pizzas. For those of us who grew up in homes that relied on take-out and frozen foods, this can be a particularly hard transition. But fret not, there are plenty of places where you too can lear ... More >>

Anatomy of a Fondant Covered Cookie with Tammie Coe of Tammie Coe Cakes

See also: The 2012 Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame Inductees Are... See also: Tammie Coe Cakes' Tammie Coe: Caramelpalooza Candymakers When you're cooking, it's all about a dash of this and a splash of that. But baking is another matter, an exact science. In this series, we're going behind the bakery ... More >>

Chef Eric O'Neill and Perry Herst of SmartKitchen

SmartKitchen SK Chef and President Eric O'Neill ​We're chatting this week with the chefs of SmartKitchen, an online culinary school based out of Scottsdale. Chefs Eric O'Neill and Perry Herst will be explaining how they got involved with the unique culinary concept and later this week we'll ... More >>

Cooking Classes, Fatazz Meatball Competition Cancels, and Coconut Shrimp Soup in Today's Eater's Digest

thenoshery.com​Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Cooking ClassesSur La table Kierland has  busy month ahead of them. Their calender is packed full of exciting cooking classes waiting to be taken advantage of by aspiring chefs like yourself. ... More >>

Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame Solicits Nominees

​Three years ago, the folks behind the Scottsdale Culinary Festival invited local foodies to make nominations for its Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame, whose winners are selected by private committee and then feted at the culinary fest's awards dinner. It was the first time in the award's h ... More >>

Scottsdale Culinary Institute Changes Its Name

​Get ready to say a mouthful as the Scottsdale Culinary Institute changes its name to Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. Maybe we should be excited--Julia Child, who was featured in the now-on-DVD movie Julie & Julia, attended the Le Cordon Bleu school in Paris. There are cur ... More >>

Chef Talk: Felicia Ruiz, Lola Tapas

Heather Hoch Chef Felicia Ruiz on her newly opened outdoor patio.​Chef Felicia Ruiz is totally adorable. Okay, we don't mean to gush, but she's that special kind of person that makes you feel automatically welcome and at ease, especially in what she calls her second home, Lola Tapas.We gues ... More >>

Sunday: Dine Out With the Chefs at Scottsdale Center

J&G Steakhouse​Start saving your appetite now.This Sunday will be a splurge worth blowing your diet for, courtesy of more than 20 high-profile chefs from across the Valley who'll be dishing up mouthwatering tastings at Scottsdale's fourth annual Dine Out With the Chefs event.The festiviti ... More >>

Coming in September: Phoenix Cooks!

​Yes, Phoenix -- this city will come back to life pretty soon. Things feel slow right now, but at least there's a big culinary event right around the corner, ushering a whole season of activities for food fanatics. Phoenix Cooks! is the shindig to put on your calendar. Scheduled for Saturda ... More >>

Chef Talk: Matt Taylor, Metro Brasserie

Lauren Gilger Executive Chef Matt Taylor in Metro Brasserie in Old Town Scottsdale.​A traditionalist and an up-and-comer at once, 25-year-old Matt Taylor is probably the youngest executive chef around, and he's one of the most well known. Taylor is a curious combination of discipline and e ... More >>

Chef Talk: Jacques Qualin, J&G Steakhouse

Lauren GilgerChef de Cuisine Jacques Qualin at J&G Steakhouse.In a world teeming with celebrity chefs, Jacques Qualin isn't particularly well-known. The J in J&G Steakhouse -- the newish, top-of-the-bill restaurant at The Phoenician -- stands not for Jacques, but for Jean-George, as in J&G's creato ... More >>

Behind the Bar: Dave Johnson at Sol y Sombra

Lauren Gilger Dave Johnson behind the bar at Sol y Sombra.In case you were wondering: Gin was the first flavored vodka; the word "sommelier" originally meant "keeper of pack animals;" and organic spirits will be the next big wave in designer drinks. Oh, and Grey Goose is not any better than a ... More >>

Cooking School Secrets: Cooking for Vegetarians/Vegans

I've lived with vegetarians. I even was one for a while. And I live with a vegan now. Cooking without meat doesn't faze me. But it elicits quite a negative response from many of my fellow students. I don't get it. So I'm getting on my soapbox. Chefs should be able to deal with all sorts of dietar ... More >>

Food and Fights: Highlights of the 2009 Scottsdale Culinary Festival

Everyone who's anyone in the Phoenix metro culinary scene, from local foodies to the stars of Hell's Kitchen and Bravo's Top Chef, turned out for this weekend's Scottsdale Culinary Festival. Libations flowed at the Southwest Festival of Beers and inside the Robert Mondavi wine garden. Restaurant che ... More >>

Cooking School Secrets: Salt & Pepper

It's a pair like no other. Salt and pepper are so essential to cooking that one of the chefs even joked that culinary school is about paying big money to learn how to use them. I've always been pretty liberal with my use of salt and pepper, but I've said my goodbye to Morton's and black pepper whe ... More >>

Scottsdale Culinary Fest Comprises 12 Events This Week

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.

Cooking School Secrets: Con Fusion

I'm a Food Network devotee. I love the Iron Chef challenges. The pressure is thrilling but mostly I'm blown away by the way chefs like Hiroyuki Sakai, Masaharu Morimoto and Bobby Flay combine traditions and ingredients. Fusion cuisine. It's innovative...and a big part of why I wanted to go to cu ... More >>

Next Week: Digestif Hosts Top Chef Stephanie Izard

The torturous thing about watching Bravo's Top Chef is that it tends to leave viewers with insatiable cravings for food that only exists in TV land. You watch the chefs hustle to create a dish, you cheer them on... and then, you go to bed very, very hungry. So here's your chance to actually eat ... More >>

Wright's names a new chef de cuisine

Get ready for a Food Fight

Is cuisine an artform?

Chef Robert McGrath hosts fellow celeb chefs at Taste America

Schmooze with the chefs

New dishes in season at Bloom

You Say You Wanna Resolution . . .

Well, you know, we all want to change careers

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Spiked

Local chef takes off, and political hopeful is just off

Creatures of the Night

Zoo hosts party animals

Look Who's Cooking

Symington develops a taste for restaurateuring

Bon Headed

Valley foodies get a taste of the big time

High Tee

Golfers go gourmet at Scottsdale invitational

Cook Key

A personal chef is just a click away

Best Kitchen Gadgets

Sur La Table

Chef's Surprise

Local chefs wait eagerly for award announcements

Hangover and Out

Tips for getting rid of the blahs

Free Range Chefs

Three top talents strike out on their own

Whining and Dining

Food fight at the Phoenician

Epicure-all

My Left Fete

Ego System

Shelf-Help Group

Girth of a Nation

Second Helpings

Main Dish Antenna

Second Helpings

Second Helpings

SECOND HELPINGS

SECOND HELPINGS