Mark Tarbell to Replace Robert McGrath as Host of Check, Please! Arizona

When season seven of Arizona PBS's award-winning Check, Please! Arizona airs this January, a new Valley chef will moderate the show's round table discussions of local restaurants. The show's new host is none other than Valley restaurateur Mark Tarbell, who owns Tarbell's restaurant, The Tavern, and The Wine Store in Phoenix. ...

By Lauren Saria

September 19, 2016

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When season seven of Arizona PBS's award-winning Check, Please! Arizona airs this January, a new Valley chef will moderate the show's round table discussions of local restaurants. The show's new host is none other than Valley restaurateur Mark Tarbell, who owns Tarbell's restaurant, The Tavern, and The Wine Store in Phoenix.

In case you're not familiar with the format of the Emmy-winning show, each Check, Please! Arizona episode features three guest reviewers who each recommends his or her favorite restaurant. All three reviewers then visit each restaurant and get together to discuss the experiences with the show's host.

Tarbell's own restaurant was featured on the show in season two and in order to appear on the show, restaurants must be local to Arizona, independently owned, and have been in business for a minimum of two years. By the end of the upcoming season, nearly 250 Arizona restaurants will have been featured on Check, Please! Arizona.

In addition to having competed on Iron Chef America, Tarbell has plenty of accolades to justify his selection as the show's new host. He's been nominated for the Best Chef Southwest award by the James Beard Foundation, is a two-time inductee into the Arizona Hall of Culinary Fame, and at age 23 became the youngest food and beverage director of any Five Diamond property in the world at The Boulders.

For more information or to nominate a restaurant to appear on the show, visit the Check, Please! Arizona website.

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