“Uchi has always been a place where chefs and culinary enthusiasts love to dine, and welcoming guest chefs into our space is a great opportunity to infuse the flavors of Uchi with some of the best Arizona has to offer,” Cole says.
On April 1, Executive Chef Phil Rubino of Élephante joined forces with Uchi Chef de Cuisine Blake Luecke for an evening mixing Mediterranean with Japanese flavors that quickly sold out.
“Collaborating with other local culinary leaders is always very exciting for us to take part in,” Luecke says. “We have the opportunity to get creative behind the kitchen, learn from each other, network and introduce some unique dishes.”
When working with other chefs, Uchi Chef de Cuisine Blake Luecke hopes to "bring Uchi to them."
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Each brought their own culinary perspective, whether Latin American, French-inspired or Thai, to create a unique dining experience.
"My approach when collaborating with chefs whose cuisines are different to ours is to bring Uchi to them, rather than the other way around," Luecke says. "Our food is Japanese at heart, but it can also be about the aesthetic or the mentality of it, not necessarily always Japanese ingredients. Because of that, I think our food lends itself well to collaborating with other chefs."
The second event will take place on May 20, this time with chef Rochelle Daniel of Flagstaff’s Atria.
For this dinner, the goal is to lean into Daniel's hyper-seasonal approach. Daniel and Luecke say that it takes about a month to put the menu together for these one-night-only events. Dinners consist of a 10-course omakase experience where Uchi creates five dishes, plus dessert, and the guest chef creates four dishes.
"We try not to overuse or overlap ingredients as much as possible from event to event," Luecke says.
While Daniel has never collaborated with Luecke before, she usually participates in events like this a few times a year.
"It's a great way for me to explore new dishes and try out different ingredients," she says. "It's a sneak preview for what might be on our early summer menu."
While devising a cohesive menu may be a challenge, Daniel relishes the chance to collaborate with other chefs.
"It's really cool being able to share knowledge," she says. "It's one of the secrets to success in life, in our industry. I just bring my best foot forward, and so will he, and it will just come together."
Luecke is already looking ahead to the summer to add additional collaborative dinners or events during the typically slow season at the restaurant.
"In June we'll have a maki class, which we had in February during Fashion Week," Luecke says. "You get to have dinner and create maki or rolls, it's very interactive. Those usually sell out fast, and it's a fun thing to do in summer."
