“With sad news I have to announce the shuttering of this version of the larder & the delta for now ... I hope not forever because I truly believe that southern food belongs in the fine dining atmosphere,” Jones wrote in an Instagram post from the restaurant’s account. “There are so many stories of the black American south to be told, especially told in the valley.”
Jones confirmed via text that the closure is effective immediately. Diners who have pre-paid reservations for the restaurant’s tasting menu will be refunded by Friday, Jones said, noting that the process has already begun.
The award-winning modern Southern restaurant first debuted in 2015 at downtown’s now-shuttered DeSoto Central Market. Jones moved the concept to Portland Street, where it resided for five years until October 2023.
Binkley’s chef and owner Kevin Binkley sought out Jones to take over his restaurant on Osborn Road near 23rd Street, announcing the transition from one fine dining restaurant to another in April 2024. The Larder & The Delta opened on Osborn Road in September and is among Phoenix New Times’ Top 100 Restaurants.
The chef has been a James Beard Award semifinalist three times, in 2020, 2022 and 2025. Over the last decade of running The Larder & The Delta, Jones has showcased and elevated Southern ingredients and cuisine.
“When we began this new chapter of the restaurant it was meant to be the final chapter, the defining chapter of a concept that has grown from the crack in the concrete,” Jones wrote in the post. “But like so many things that rely on so many other things to consistently work that hasn’t been the case with this.”
The Larder & The Delta served a 12-course tasting menu that always featured a rice course.
The Larder & The Delta
He spoke with Phoenix New Times earlier this month about those changes. Jones said his aim was to give diners what they wanted while “still delivering high-quality food in a beautiful setting.”
However, in the same conversation, he said there was no gradual slowdown from the busy winter and spring to summer. Instead, things screeched to a halt after the spring edition of Arizona Restaurant Week.
His concern about the summer has been echoed by other restaurateurs around the Valley who have taken to social media to alert their followers about the challenges.
Jones thanked his team who “worked so damn hard” each day, his family and diners “who have supported us throughout this new journey and special thanks for those who showed up when we needed you.”
In the post, the chef noted he will cook with Justin Beckett of Beckett’s Table on July 21 as part of the Devour Summer Chefs Series and teased possible pop-up events in the future.
Jones also shared a call-to-action for Valley diners.
“Please support your local chef-driven restaurants this summer as much as you financially can, it’s already dead in some of your favorite places and that’s not a thing,” he wrote. “The rent still has to be paid. If you want them to remain there you have to visit them.”
