James Beard Foundation

Grab Your Favorite Dining Buddy: Arizona Spring Restaurant Week Is Almost Here

Twice a year, the Arizona Restaurant Association tries to entice us into dining out for 10 days straight by getting more than a hundred local restaurants to offer prix-fixe menus for $30 or $40. And every year, twice a year, it pretty much works. See also: - April Restaurant Openings and Closings ... More >>

Kevin Binkley Stiffed (Again) at the 2013 James Beard Awards

Tonight, the James Beard Foundation Awards, also known as the Oscars of the culinary world, announced this year's winners at the Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. See also: - Vincent Guerithault on Wolfgang Puck and Kevin Binkley - Bink's Mid ... More >>

Check, Please! Arizona Festival at CityScape Was a Hot Hit; Celeb Chefs Informed and Entertained

Channel 8 hosted its first-ever Check, Please! Arizona Festival at CityScape on Sunday and despite the ridiculous temperatures (100 degrees, but it felt hotter), everybody seemed to have a good time. See also: -- Chef Kevin Binkley a Finalist for James Beard Award -- Chris Bianco Opens Full-Blown P ... More >>

5 Things to Eat and Drink This Weekend in Metro Phoenix

Looking for something to put in your mouth this weekend? We've got you covered. Check out what's on our plate. See also: - Your Cheat Sheet to This Sunday's Check, Please! Arizona Festival at CityScape - 8 Great Guacamoles in Metro Phoenix 29th Annual My Nana's Best Tasting Salsa Challenge Great ... More >>

Your Cheat Sheet to This Sunday's Check, Please! Arizona Food Festival at CityScape

Check, please? Yes, please. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 28, at downtown's CityScape, Check, Please! Arizona, KAET Channel 8's restaurant-review series hosted by James Beard Award-winning chef Robert McGrath, will take its show on the road by hosting its very own food festival. See also: - ... More >>

Revival of Arizona Watermelon Festival in Historic Glendale on June 8

This summer, one of Arizona's oldest food festivals is back after lying fallow for several decades. First held in 1949, the Arizona Watermelon Festival is an old-timey Glendale tradition that once brought together up to 40,000 people each year to celebrate local agriculture. The revived version will ... More >>

Bink's Midtown Is a Must (Especially When It Comes to Veggies)

When a new spot opens in town, we can't wait to check it out -- and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that have just opened, sampling a few item ... More >>

Pretty Much Everything You Need to Know About Channel Eight's Check, Please! Arizona Festival at CityScape

One of the Valley's most popular local food shows is hitting the road -- specifically the streets of downtown Phoenix. See also: - Go lb. salt Launches Salt Education Series in Gilbert This Spring - Mark Tarbell, Beau MacMillan, & Barbara Fenzl to Team Up with Childsplay on April 13 From 11 a.m. ... More >>

Chris Curtiss Leaves NoRTH Fattoria Italiana for Bourbon Steak

Chef Chris Curtiss, who has spent the past 19 months implementing a house-made pasta program for Sam Fox's NoRTH Fattoria Italiana, is leaving Fox's organization to work for James Beard Award-winner Michael Mina at Bourbon Steak in the Scottsdale Fairmont Princess. See also: -- Chris Curtiss Dishe ... More >>

Kevin Binkley to Open Bink's Midtown in Phoenix on Wednesday

No, it isn't your St. Patrick's Day hangover messin' with your head: Bink's Midtown, the restaurant from James Beard Award-nominated chef Kevin Binkley, will open this week in the former Sophie's Bistro space on Osborn. See also: -2013 James Beard Award Semifinalists Announced: 4 Arizona Candidate ... More >>

Chef Kevin Binkley a Finalist for James Beard Award

Today, the James Beard Foundation Awards, also known as the Oscars of the culinary world, culled its huge February listing of restaurant and chef semifinalists into a short selection of finalists for this year's awards, which will be announced on Monday, May 6, at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall ... More >>

Enter to Win a Trip to New York for The James Beard Foundation Awards on May 6

Sure, Phoenix is far from being a favorite city of the JB foundation, but that doesn't mean we don't daydream about what it would be like to experience the biggest event in the culinary world. See also: - 2013 James Beard Award Semifinalists Announced: Four Arizona Candidates Make the Cut Aside ... More >>

Check, Please! Arizona to Host Downtown Food Festival: Think Local Restaurants, Chef Demos, and Auditions

Check, Please! Arizona, KAET Channel 8's popular restaurant-review series on which Arizonans share their dining experiences with James Beard Award-winning chef and host Robert McGrath, is taking its show on the road. Specifically, to downtown Phoenix. See also: - Wingstock 2013 on March 30 in Mesa ... More >>

Sam Fox Wants Us to Start Preparing for a "Life-Changing Food Experience"

Hey, how's your day going so far? Are you talking about last night's Oscars? (We all are!) Getting another cup of coffee? Planning where to go for lunch today? See also: - New Restaurants in the Works for Arcadia's La Grande Orange - 2013 James Beard Award Semifinalists Announced: 4 Arizona Candid ... More >>

Top Five Phoenix Food and Restaurant News Stories of the Week

Every week, there's a cornucopia of Phoenix food news, features, and reviews to report here at Chow Bella. If you're like most people, you probably just don't have the time to get to all of it. It's kind of like those burgers at Old Town Whiskey; it just won't all fit in your mouth ... or in this ca ... More >>

2013 James Beard Award Semifinalists Announced: Four Arizona Candidates Make the Cut

The James Beard Foundation Awards, also known as the Oscars of the culinary world, announced today its annual restaurant and chef semifinalists for 2013. As in years past, the list is gigantic, but come mid-March it will feature just a short selection of nominees. See also: Crudo Chef Cullen Campbe ... More >>

Crudo Chef Cullen Campbell Invited to Cook at the James Beard House

With the Oscars right around the corner, it seems fitting that chef Cullen Campbell of Crudo, his home of expertly crafted modern Italian fare in Phoenix, would be called upon by a foundation whose awards are known as the Oscars of the food world. See also: - Best Move 2012 - Crudo - Cullen Campbel ... More >>

Edible Communities Launches an iPhone App with Recipes, Menus and Bonus Organic Gardening Magazine Subscription

The James Beard Award winning collection of regional and seasonal food magazines, Edible Communities, founded by Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian, has recently launched an iPhone app. See also: - Four Best Farmers Markets in Greater Phoenix - Chow Bella's 9 Most Dramatic Moments in the National Foo ... More >>

Trading Places: Five Chef and Restaurant Switches We'd Like to See Happen in the Valley

After hearing that Chicago's Alinea and New York's Eleven Madison Park, two of the country's highly celebrated restaurants, will be trading chefs and staff for one week in the fall, it got us to thinking: What chef/restaurant switcheroos would we like to see in the Valley? Here are five we'd love to ... More >>

18: Sam Fox

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

41: Michael Perry

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

Kevin Binkley, Shinji Kurita, Kelly Fletcher, and More Scheduled for Beau Mac's 2012 Lunch & Learn Series

You know it's summer in the Valley when celebu-chef and flat leaf parsley fan Beau MacMillan brings some of the stars of the culinary world out to the Paradise Valley resort Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain for his popular Lunch & Learn series. Beginning Saturday, July 14, food fans can hook up wit ... More >>

Three Ways to Eat Your Way Through Arizona Restaurant Week

Sure, it may be called Arizona Spring Restaurant Week, but this nine-day sup-fest -- from Saturday, May 19, through Sunday, May 27 -- takes place when the Valley starts heating up and the restaurant business starts slowing down. In Phoenix and beyond, about 90 eateries are offering three-course di ... More >>

10 Favorite Chefs in Metro Phoenix

They are visionaries, highly devoted to their craft, inventing fresh ideas for dishes in kitchens all over the Valley using top-notch ingredients and seasonal fare. We love their food, expect an experience nothing short of spectacular when we dine at their establishments, and (sometimes) even giggle ... More >>

Bitters, Beef Cutters, and Cheesemongers: A Taste of the 2012 James Beard Foundation Book Award Finalists

The 2012 James Beard Foundation Book Award finalists include several of our favorites. Any of yours? Chow Bella Book Club read one of the finalist's books: Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton. We'll be reading another nominee, Extra Virginity ... More >>

Janos and J Bar in Tucson to Close Next Month

May 27 no doubt will be a dark day for Tucson food lovers. Two of the city's most acclaimed restaurants -- Janos and J Bar -- will serve their last suppers on May 26 before permanently shuttering their doors at the Westin La Paloma Resort and Spa. In a phone interview with Chow Bella, celeb chef J ... More >>

A Friends of James Beard Dinner in Our Own Backyard Last Night

Is a trip to NYC and a dinner at the famed James Beard House on your "bucket list"? Note to self, a taste of the experience and access to James Beard award winning chefs from across the nation is right in your backyard. Well, it was last night, anyway. While the James Beard Foundation celebrates ... More >>

Gâteau Marjolaine at Christopher's

Phoenix isn't exactly a culinary hub, and the Valley's restaurants don't always get the kind of attention as those in New York, L.A., and Seattle. But we have our fair share of star chefs, and if there was a leader of the pack, it might just have to be Chef Christopher Gross. He and his restaurants ... More >>

Almond Fritters with Azuki Bean Syrup at Nobuo Teeter House

With James Beard Award-winning Chef Nobuo Fukuda at the helm, it's no wonder that Nobuo Teeter House has one of the best restaurant reputations in town. However, it seems like every time someone says, "Their food is absolutely incredible," the high praise is followed by, "...but so expensive." Serve ... More >>

2012 James Beard Awards Finalists Announced: Only One Valley Nominee Moves On to the Finals

Last month, the James Beard Foundation announced its semifinalists for the 2012 JBF Restaurant and Chefs Awards -- and the Valley got loved on -- hard. Silvana Salcido Esparza, owner and chef of Barrio Cafe and Barrio Queen, and chef Kevin Binkley of Binkley's Restaurant and Café Bink were both n ... More >>

Chris Bianco: Behind the Design of Italian Restaurant, Pizzeria Bianco, Pane Bianco, and Bar Bianco

​Local chef and restaurateur Chris Bianco takes obvious pride in his food (after all, not every pizza in Phoenix can beat out a pie from New York City).  But equal to the fresh ingredients, including his own tomatoes, mozzarella, and family pasta recipes, are the environments that Bianco cr ... More >>

Jose Garces, What Are You Listening To?

​Jose GarcesThe Iron Chef and James Beard award-winning chef is executive chef of Distrito, Old Town Whiskey and Garces Trading Co. To-Go at The Saguaro Hotel. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? I have Sirius/XM in my car, and ... More >>

Silvana Salcido Esparza, Kevin Binkley, Sam Fox, Vincent on Camelback, and Shin Bay Announced as Semifinalists for 2012 James Beard Awards

​Today, the James Beard Foundation, the New York-based national nonprofit organization and undisputed standard of excellence when it comes to giving props to the culinary world, announced its semifinalists for the 2012 JBF Restaurant and Chefs Awards -- and the Valley is seeing some sweet Bear ... More >>

Scottsdale Culinary Festival: Battling Burgers, Chocolate and Wine, & Travel Channel Celebs

Spring will be here before we know it (Yer outta here, chilly, low seventy-degree days!) and that means celebrations-a-go-go for the Valley, including one of the biggest and most popular: The Scottsdale Culinary Festival. Featuring six days of events, restaurants and chefs, wine and spirits, and ch ... More >>

Top Ten Burgers in Greater Phoenix

​You can thank the St. Louis World Fair of 1904 for being the launching pad for the hamburger as we know it (at one point, it was called the hamburger sandwich). Today, the round patty in a bun is the primary way in which the Western world consumes beef. When it comes to burgers in the greater Pho ... More >>

Chef Christopher Gross Cooks for Martha Stewart (It's a Good Thing)

​Last night, while the rest of us were watching Modern Family and putting the finishing touches on our Transformers costume for Halloween, Christopher Gross, the James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of Christopher's and Crush Lounge in Central Phoenix, was busy with his own evening activit ... More >>

July 25 In Blogs: Zombies, Katy Perry, Noca, and Meth

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

Nobuo at Teeter House: One-Night Only, 5-Course Tasting Dinner, Sea Saw Style, on Thursday, May 26

​Give the people what they want. That seems to be the response from chef Nobuo Fukuda of Nobuo at Teeter House. When fans kept asking for a night of tasting (a la Sea Saw, the now-defunct Japanese tapas bar that earned Fukuda a James Beard Award in 2007), he obliged, with a one-night-only, 5-c ... More >>

James Beard Award Food Blog Nominees On Twitter

It's that time again. We've compiled a small but meaningful list of great Twitter accounts for any Phoenix foodie to follow. This week, we wanted to highlight the 2011 James Beard Foundation Book, Broadcast & Journalism Awards finalists in the "individual food blog" category. Naturally, these bl ... More >>

Taberna Mexicana Gives Phoenix's Mexican Food Competition a Run For Its Masa

Spring Training Eats: West Valley

Peoria Stadium sure holds a lot of hungry restaurant-goers.​Spring training is in full swing, and this food critic is betting that it won't take too many games before you baseball fans will get tired of all the beer and brats -- or at least all the brats. Looking for a place to chow down be ... More >>

Big Brain Awards 2011: Cash for Culinary Creatives

Are you on the cutting edge of the local culinary scene? Running a  food truck? Making a culinary documentary?​ Working on a fledgling urban farm? Come out to play, brainiacs.If you're a Valley resident with talent in the culinary arts, New Times wants you. We're seeking nominees for our ... More >>

Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame Nominees Announced

What's up with all the contests lately? Last week, the big news was all the Arizonans on the semifinalist list for James Beard Awards. Also, Noca's Chris Curtiss landed in Food Wine's chef popularity contest, which the public can vote on. Now, round three in the competition department: the Ar ... More >>

Tonight: Check, Please! Airs Later Than Scheduled

​I just got word that Check, Please! -- the new Valley-centric food review show hosted by Renegade Canteen chef and James Beard Award-winner Robert McGrath -- will not air at its regularly scheduled time tonight, in order for PBS Channel 8 to cover President Obama's visit to Tucson.Tonight's episo ... More >>

Chef Robert McGrath Hosting New PBS Show

​James Beard Award-winning chef Robert McGrath of North Scottsdale's Renegade Canteen has just been named the host of a new television show on Eight, Arizona's PBS channel. Check, Please! will be a half-hour restaurant review program featuring three different regular Arizonans' takes o ... More >>

Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza Cooks For Political Fundraiser

"I always watched politics like sports," says Barrio Cafe chef-owner Silvana Salcido Esparza. "But SB 1070 was the straw that broke the camel's back." Nowadays, the acclaimed culinary talent -- who was a semifinalist for a James Beard Award this year -- is getting more politically involved, speaking ... More >>

Photos: Chef Peter DeRuvo at James Beard House

An invitation to cook at Manhattan's James Beard House -- home of the late, great chef and food writer -- is a special honor for the country's best chefs, and last month Sassi executive chef Peter DeRuvo had a rare opportunity to do just that. His July 21 dinner, titled, "Sassi's Italian Summe ... More >>

Chris Bianco Branches Out to the Wigwam

Until Chris Bianco's asthma problems interfered with his day-to-day routine as Arizona's most famous pizzaiolo, the James Beard award-winning chef was a permanent fixture at Pizzeria Bianco's wood-burning oven, where he often watched the Phoenix Suns on a tiny TV next to his workspace. Former Suns o ... More >>

Pie vs. Pie

Digging out of the Valley's pizza rut

A Restaurant Named Desire

Deseo delights discerning diners