The James Beard Foundation

Chef Greg LaPrad Invited to Cook at James Beard House in NYC

​Nobody from Arizona made the cut for the James Beard Awards' finalists lists earlier this week, but one local chef is getting an incredible chance for exposure to the culinary community at large. Quiessence chef-owner Greg LaPrad just confirmed he will be a guest chef at the James Bea ... More >>

Beard Awards Bypass AZ in Finalists List

Oh, the anticipation of Twitter.This morning, the James Beard Foundation live-tweeted the finalists for its prestigious culinary awards.Nobody from Arizona made the cut. There were five finalists for each category.In the running was Sam Fox of Fox Restaurant Concepts (Outstanding Restaurateur), ... More >>

Chef Christopher Gross on the Benefits of Winning a James Beard Award

Winning a James Beard Award is the holy grail of culinary achievement. (Yes, despite what you might think, having your own Food Network show is not quite as important as the Beard Awards.) Last week, when the nominees for this year's awards were announced, it got me thinking about how life migh ... More >>

Get Ready For New Restaurant Explosion in March

RnR is opening soon in a flashy new building on Scottsdale Road.​Like flower buds almost ready to bloom, a new crop of local restaurants is gearing up to debut in March, and from the looks of it, this will be one busy season. The trend is toward accessible, affordable fare, even at a c ... More >>

Spiked! and Slashfood's KitKat "News" in Today's Eater's Digest

An early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives. ​ Spiked! Is returning this spring to the Desert Botanicals Garden. Starting March 4th the DBG will be hosting 8 nights of local music, food and drink. The $25 ticket will get you all access to the gardens, a f ... More >>

James Beard Foundation Announces Award Semi-Finalists

​Congratulations are in order for an elite group of Arizona chefs and restaurants included in the list of 2010 James Beard Award semifinalists, which were just announced by the James Beard Foundation this morning. The nominees were chosen from among 21,000 entries from across the country ... More >>

What Do You Think of the James Beard Nominees?

Today's news of the James Beard Awards semifinalists had barely been out an hour before readers and friends started messaging me by Twitter, text, and email. What did I think of the Arizona nominees, and how was that list created, anyway?A committee from the James Beard Foundation selects the semifi ... More >>

Chef Nobuo Fukuda Officially Planning Downtown Izakaya

​He just signed the lease today. After about three and a half months of negotiations with the City of Phoenix and the city's Historical Preservation Office, chef Nobuo Fukuda is officially planning to open a new restaurant, Nobuo at Teeter House, this June or July. The location, across fro ... More >>

Food Critics: Outmoded or More Relevant Than Ever?

It's not easy being a food spy these days. ​No wonder food critics are feeling introspective. Between publishing's industrywide troubles, the ever-increasing speed (and seemingly decreased value) of online information, the mushrooming presence of food blogs, and the une ... More >>

Chris Bianco Stays Away From the Oven at His Famous Pizzeria

​A story posted on AZCentral this afternoon appears to have drastically slowed the newspaper's website (numerous attempts to log on stated that the link was broken) -- all because of two magic words: Chris Bianco. If you can manage to get through to the article, it details how the James Be ... More >>

Sunday Suppers Popping Up Around Town

Sunday brings a weekly dinner deal at Estate House, among others.​After busy Friday and Saturday nights, many Valley restaurants take a break on Sundays. But it's not a day of rest for everyone. It's business as usual for some eateries, a few of whom are promoting special prix fixe menus ... More >>

Chef Robert McGrath Returns to the Dining Scene

​As the Trib's Jess Harter pointed out on his blog last week, "Valley chefs are the new homeless." 2009 saw many of the top toques in town become restaurant ronin after their restaurants closed or they parted ways with their employers or business partners. But at least one of those notables w ... More >>

More Indie Breakfast Spots, Convenient Banh Mi, and Other Culinary Wishes for 2010

Former Sea Saw Chef Nobuo Fukuda to Open New Restaurant

​​We've been wondering what James Beard Award-winning chef Nubuo Fukuda has been up to since Sea Saw closed earlier this year. Yesterday, AZ Republic restaurant critic Howard Seftel reported that Fukuda is in talks to open a Japanese restaurant in Downtown Phoenix's Heritage Squa ... More >>

Foie Gras Protest Tomorrow at Christopher's Restaurant and Crush Lounge

Foie gras is on menus at some of the best restaurants in the Valley. But tomorrow, a group of protesters will do their best to shed a different light on the culinary delicacy -- and they'll do it in front of a well-respected Phoenix restaurant, James Beard Award-winning chef Christopher Gross' Chri ... 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 Nobuo Fukuda Brings Japanese Treats to Welcome Diner

​This really puts the "welcome" in Welcome Diner. James Beard Award-winning chef Nobuo Fukuda is testing out dishes for his in-the-works restaurant this coming Saturday (August 8) at Welcome Diner (924 E. Roosevelt). It's the second such night he's hosted since closing Sea Saw in early ... More >>

Chef Fokuda at the Welcome Diner Saturday Night

If you're jonesing for the yummy eats of the amazing (and James Beard Award winning) chef Nobuo Fokuda, head down to The Welcome Diner this Saturday. Chef Fokuda will be cooking up Japanese street food from 8 p.m. to midnight. Chef Fokuda operated Sea Saw, which closed in June. He's working on a new ... More >>

Phoenix Phoodies: Cafe Zuzu

Sloane BurwellChef Wiley relaxes in the Cafe Zuzu dining room. Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale is a fabulous merging of original, sophisticated mid-century design, punched up with modern, eye popping, colorific flair. That's a perfect match for the food served at the hotel restaurant, Café Zuzu (6850 ... More >>

Sea Saw's Nobuo Fukuda Teams Up With NOCA

Sea Saw chef Nobuo Fukuda's cutting-edge sashimi creations and luxurious omakase dinners have earned him not only legions of devotees, but a prestigious James Beard "Best Chef: Southwest" award. And since the opening of NOCA last August, chef Chris Curtiss has gained a cult following for h ... More >>

It's Official: Sea Saw is Closing

James Beard Award-winning chef Nobuo Fukuda is closing Sea Saw, his seven-year-old Stetson Drive eatery, to focus on a new project. Sunday, June 7, will be the last night of service. It's truly the end of an era in the Valley culinary scene, but also the beginning of a new one -- which Fukuda ... More >>

No Beard Love For AZ

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 vario ... More >>

Eight AZ Names Among James Beard Nominees

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 t ... More >>

Think Bink: Chef Kevin Binkley opens his long awaited bistro

It's a Wrap

Can the Web save Arizona's largest daily newspaper?

Congrats to Sea Saw's Chef Nobuo Fukuda!

How to Eat a Cholla

There's more that one kind of righteous bud

High Tee

Golfers go gourmet at Scottsdale invitational

Hooter Nanny

It seems gourmets go for sports-bar grub, too

The Radicchio's Red Glare

Valley eateries raise funds for the survivors of slain NY restaurant workers

Best Upscale Bar Food

Roaring Fork

Unfed, and Fed Up

Reservation mixup in Manhattan

Flashes 05-25-2000

Pantry Raid

My Left Fete

Second Helpings

Second Helpings

Tuna Turner

Second Helpings

EPICured

Has Todd Hall, the chef boy wonder, grown up?