When it comes to Italian chefs in Phoenix, you can hardly ignore chef Peter DeRuvo. After all, he's been associated with some of the top Italian restaurants in town, including most recently, Davanti Enoteca, home of the most beloved focaccia di recco this town has ever known. The restaurant closed last year after having been open for just nine months, and with that incredible focaccia went the chef.

Now, after spending a year in Chicago, DeRuvo's back. He's teamed up with fellow Rancho Pinot alumnus Keenan Bosworth to host a five-course, pork-centric, nose-to-tail dinner at Pig & Pickle later this month.

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DeRuvo says the inspiration for the event comes from the Italian sagra, or festival, which often celebrate food or a specific ingredient. In this case, DeRuvo's chosen to celebrate the pig.

"This is just, kind of, a series of dinners I'll be doing over the next month or so involving different aspects of the festival, or sarga," DeRuvo says.

The menu, which you can view on the next page, will feature tradition Italian techniques and some of the items for which the chef has become well-known. You can expect offal, cured meats, and DeRuvo's porchetta and mortadella.

Since being back DeRuvo says he's been working with Bosworth and scouting locations in the East Valley for a place where he can "open his wings again, so to speak." The chef's being tight lipped about his exact plans, saying only "details to follow."

In the meantime, you'll want to mark your calendars for this "DeRuvo's a Pig for a Day" Dinner on Wednesday, October 29 at 6:30. The dinner will cost $55 a person and reservations can be made by calling 480-990-1407.

View the menu on the next page.

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