Seven Courses, Ten Chefs at the New Singh Meadows
Who says too many cooks spoil the broth? Ten of the Valley’s top chefs are whipping up a once-in- a-lifetime, seven-course dinner on Wednesday, March 1. And check out the location: Singh Meadows, a new, 72-acre organic oasis in Tempe.
Chef Bernie Kantak (The Gladly, Citizen Public House) is coordinating the event, which is a fundraiser for the Devour Phoenix Restaurant Coalition and Local First Arizona. It’s a “team effort,” he emphasizes, that’s designed to be “a celebration of what we all do and the diversity of our culinary community.”
And the team he’s assembled is an all-star group.
Cullen Campbell (Crudo, Okra), Jacob Cutino (Homeboy’s Hot Sauce) and Josh Hebert (Posh, Hot Noodles, Cold Sake) are in charge of the indoor hors d’oeuvre reception. Don’t look for pigs-in- a-blanket or mozzarella sticks. They’ll be getting the evening off to a fast start with cold-smoked sea bass crudo, miso chiltepin macaroons with five-spice cream, and a sumptuous combination of oysters and uni.
Guests then move outdoors for the sit-down dinner. Gio Osso (Virtu, Nico) won’t be pulling any punches with his foie gras three ways. He’s followed by Kevin Binkley (Binkley’s), who is still working out the details of his dish.
Stephen Jones (The Larder + The Delta) is handling the next course, a tempting veal sweetbread terrine with Singh Farms vegetable giardiniera. Justin Beckett (Beckett’s Table, Southern Rail) takes the stage with duck confit and Parmesan farro, then Scott Holmes (Little Miss BBQ) flashes his beefy credentials with pecan-roasted tenderloin teamed with sweet potato flan and collard greens.
Ready for dessert? Kelly Fletcher, who spent a decade leading House of Tricks in Tempe, and Bernie Kantak end the meal with bang. Loosen your belt for Fletcher’s raspberry napoleon with lemon curd and roasted white chocolate, and Kantak’s beet panna cotta with stiffened buttermilk and lemon verbena shortbread.
The drinking will be as exhilarating as the eating. Todd Bostock of Dos Cabezas Wine Works is assembling an all-Arizona list to pair with each course.
“We want people to experience something they have never experienced before,” says an enthusiastic Kantak. “In the grand scope of things we’re there to have fun.”
Details: Singh Meadows Seven Chef Dinner, Wednesday, March 1, 5:30 p.m., 1490 E. Weber Drive, Tempe. Tickets: $160 (including tax and gratuity); $150 for Local First Arizona Localist members Info: devourphoenix.com/classic/tickets