EVO in Scottsdale Announces New Executive Chef

It's been almost six months since EVO owner Nick Neuman abruptly parted ways with chef Peter DeRuvo. At that time, both were tight-lipped about the cause of the split, except to say that diners could expect business as usual at the Scottsdale restaurant. 

And business as usual it has been — at least until last week, when the Neuman announced the name of the restaurant's new head honcho. According to a press release, EVO is now headed up by local chef Stephen Fowler, who comes to the restaurant after spending time as executive chef at Remington’s at The Scottsdale Plaza Resort. 

Fowler, who's also worked at Tonto Bar and Grill and T. Cooks at the Royal Palms, won't be making any major changes to the menu in the immediate future, but "[embraces] the philosophy of serving lighter Italian dishes with the freshest ingredients," the release says.  

The new chef's arrival comes after a tumultuous year for EVO, a restaurant perhaps best known as being a late-night destination for wine and Italian fare. (The restaurant's kitchen is open until 2 a.m.) In July 2015, DeRuvo took over the kitchen — a kitchen he had previously occupied when the space was home to another Italian restaurant, Cuoco Pazzo — and a few months later, opened a second restaurant with the EVO owner in Tempe. Then, less than a month after Citrine's opening, the restaurant shuttered and Neuman and DeRuvo parted ways. 

Citrine has yet to reopen. 

For more information about EVO Scottsdale, visit the restaurant's website.