The American impulse to want to win a reality show or a game show runs deep. You, too, probably turn on the Food Network, watch competitors race around some tricked-out kitchen set, and think: That could be me. I could win this show.
Except, you couldn’t. And in the case of cooking shows — certainly since the days of “Iron Chef” — the best position in the studio isn’t sweating over an erupting stove. It’s primly seated, making offhanded comments and mugging for the camera while you enjoy a multi-course meal prepared by one of the frantic chefs.
You don’t want to be the chef. C’mon. You want to be the judge.
This Sunday evening, you’ll get your chance. The Duce in downtown Phoenix is hosting a $150-per-person event called Sunday Dinner in which three celebrated chefs — two of them former “Chopped” winners, no less — will each whip up their interpretation of surf-and-turf. Their well-fed diners will crown a winner, who will go home with a laser-engraved cast-iron skillet. Although truly, judge, the winner will be you.
This is the inaugural Sunday Dinner, a competitive, completely indulgent evening produced by Johann Warnholtz, of Exceptional Vibe. When devising the event, Warnholtz says, he wanted to showcase Phoenix’s depth of culinary talent. His picks of chefs in this event testify to that talent pool.
For starters, you have Jennifer Caraway, who won the $10,000 top prize on the Food Network series “Chopped” in 2018. She founded and leads The Joy Bus, a Phoenix nonprofit that provides medically customized meals to cancer patients in their homes around the area.
You also have Derek Christensen, who joined the ranks of “Chopped” winners last summer. The creator of the pop-up Nordborg and crafter of the menu at Wren Südhalle works now as the executive chef at Mesa’s new Steadfast Diner, where he evangelizes cooking with local ingredients.
And you have Angy Dykstra, the senior sous chef at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown’s restaurant Carcara, who also has made her mark by leaning hard into Arizona flavors and ingredients.
The rules are simple. Each chef is allowed to pre-prepare as much as they like outside of the event the day before. The Duce is opening up its kitchen for finishing and plating, and will serve hors d'oeuvres as guests settle in. Each chef will present their dish, explaining the inspiration and preparation, and will chat with the diners before serving.
The Duce will pair each course with a cocktail made with spirits from Tempe small-batch distillery Adventurous Stills, and follow the final chef’s course with a dessert. Diners then cast ballots for their favorite and the winning chef walks out with that trophy skillet.
“It’s big and it makes a statement,” Warnholz says. “Plus it’s usable, pre-seasoned and beautiful.”
The night will amount to the friendliest sort of artistic competition, to hear Christensen — who’s also painter — tell it.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the different perspectives we can all have on traditional surf and turf vibes,” Christensen says. “Taking a classic idea and creating a large blank canvas with it lets us all run any direction to express it."
Friendly and expressive, sure. But also, these are three high-profile professionals. And Phoenix is a place where a chef’s reputation lingers. A win would be sweet.
“This is a competition at the local level,” Warnholtz says. “That aspect really ignites a passion.”
Warnholz is planning future Sunday Dinners that will invite a variety of chefs — from those who work at acclaimed restaurants to those running food trucks — to compete under the same format with different theme meals, like mole poblano or traditional Thanksgiving fare. He hopes to run the event with the Duce four times a year.
“I want this dinner to be an event series that people attend to expand their palates and explore new flavors,” he says. “People will be hoping for something different and exciting. The challenge the chefs will have is raising the bar to meet that expectation and really go outside of the box. It’s meant to be an adventure for everyone, guests and chefs alike."
Sunday Dinner at The Duce
Feb. 16 at 5:30 p.m.525 S. Central Ave.
