John Samora Photography
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While some chefs aspire to expand their restaurant empire, acclaimed Valley chef Kevin Binkley is intentionally downsizing. Binkley once had four restaurants and over 100 employees. Now, he’s cooking multicourse meals in his Phoenix home for six guests.
“I went from 130 seats to 26 to six,” Binkley says. “I had a great staff, and I love restaurants and food, but I don’t love the day-to-day operations of the restaurant business.”
Binkley grew up near Washington, D.C. and got his first restaurant job as a teen. He moved to Arizona to study music, but decided to go to culinary school instead after working in several restaurants and developing a passion for food and cooking.
“Every job I had was in a kitchen,” Binkley says.”I love the environment, the people, the mentality and the instant gratification of producing a dish, putting it in front of people and seeing their response.”
Early in his career, Binkley worked at Michelin-starred restaurants The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia and The French Laundry in California’s Napa Valley.
“Working in those kitchens alongside chefs who are always trying to excel and make each other better opened my eyes to what food could and should be,” Binkley says.
John Samora Photography
Binkley moved back to Arizona in 2002 to be closer to his mother and stepfather. He opened restaurants in Cave Creek, Carefree, Phoenix and Scottsdale and earned impressive recognition, including multiple James Beard Award nominations.
On a trip to Japan with friend and fellow Valley chef Nobuo Fukuda, who won the 2007 James Beard Award for Best Chef, Southwest, Binkley was inspired to create a more intimate dining environment.
“It was an eye-opening experience that changed my mindset,” Binkley says. “While I was in Japan, I trained with a master sushi chef. It was a much smaller footprint and the chef was always present. I realized that as my business grew, it was taking me further away from my passion, which is being in the kitchen.”
After several years of running multiple restaurants, Binkley decided to focus all of his attention on one location. He opened his Phoenix fine-dining restaurant, Binkley’s, in 2016.
“Binkley’s was not open unless I was present and preparing the food. We got smaller and smaller, and I loved the direction,” Binkley says.
After 20 years of owning and managing restaurants in the Valley, Binkley closed his last venture in 2024. While he loved the smaller venue, he wanted to move away from the business of running a restaurant and focus more on food.
“I took the time to step back from the restaurant business and reflect,” he says. “I spent time traveling and cooking for people I love. I knew I wanted to do something far more intimate.”
Binkley decided he wanted to cook for guests in his own home. To realize this vision, he expanded his kitchen island and hired one of his former managers.
In January, Binkley announced his new venture on social media, and within a few hours, seats sold out through March.
“I was hopeful people would be excited about it, “Binkley says. “The response has been flattering and overwhelming.”
John Samora Photography
During each intimate service, Binkley prepares and plates every dish directly in front of guests.
“It’s a true chef’s table,” he says. “You’re sitting at the counter in my kitchen while I prepare your meal. It can be as interactive as the guest wants it to be. I can talk about what I’m doing, answer questions and describe the food as you’re eating it. Whether you’re in my restaurant or in my home, what you’re eating is what I want to eat.”
Dinners are available a few evenings a week, usually Thursday through Saturday, and reservations can be made online. The price is about $330, varying depending on the menu. Attendees can bring their own alcohol.
The seasonal, multicourse menu will change every few months, using items from Binkley’s garden and citrus trees, as well as local suppliers and fresh seafood. Binkley’s inaugural menu features house-made ham with persimmon mustard, Wagyu beef cheek braised with honey and balsamic vinegar, Japanese striped mackerel with beets, black truffle barley risotto and vanilla panna cotta with three types of grapefruit.
Back at the former Binkley’s on Osborn Road, a new restaurant has taken shape. In December 2025, Tandy’s Café opened, named after owner Tandy Peterson, a chef and chocolatier who worked for Binkley for seven years.
“I’m so happy that one of my proteges is in the former Binkley’s spot,” Binkley says. “She is hyper-talented and is creating an amazing community café.”
He’s happy to pass the torch to another chef eager to feed the community and run the business. For his next chapter, Binkley returns to his true passion.
“I got into this business because I love food,” he says. “That has always been my focus and still is to this day.”
