Christopher Gross
Based in Phoenix, AZ, Christopher Gross is a James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef who has been recognized among the best in the United States, including earning an 18/20 rating by Gayot Guide for Best French Restaurant, Best 10 Restaurant Wine Lists, Best 10 Restaurants with a View, and Best Romantic Restaurants. Recently, he was honored by DiRona (Distinguished Restaurants of North America) and the Ment'or Culinary Council.
Famed for his modern twists on classic French fare, Chef Christopher’s newest creation, Christopher’s at Wrigley Mansion earned a 2022 James Beard Outstanding Chef nomination, and received Arizona Republic’s five-star rating as Phoenix’s most innovative, enticing dining experience for its exclusive tasting-menu experience where the chefs also serve each dish. Named to the Scottsdale Culinary Hall of Fame in 2016, Chef Christopher has also been honored by Food & Wine magazine’s “America’s 10 Best New Chefs”, was the first chef in Arizona to be honored with the Robert Mondavi Culinary Award of Excellence and also created the now-nationwide "Flavors" fundraiser for the American Liver Association.
A native of Trenton, Missouri, Chef Christopher grew up in Phoenix, where at the age of 14 he found his calling: motorcycles. But after taking a job at a local restaurant just to earn enough to buy his own bike, he accidently stumbled into his true passion. Although he didn’t get there by bike, Chef Christopher’s love for food did take him all over world. He has proudly cooked for three US Presidents, and shared a kitchen with everyone from Jacques Pepin and Julia Child to Martha Stewart.
Starting as an intern at the Century Plaza in Los Angeles, Chef Christopher honed his skills cooking in kitchens from London to Paris to Normandy, and then back to LA. Returning to Arizona, Chef Cross was named one of Food & Wine’s “America’s 10 Best New Chefs” in 1989, before launching his first restaurant, Christopher’s & Christopher’s Bistro in 1990. Moving across the street, Chef Christopher reopened as Christopher’s Fermier and then Christopher’s and Crush Lounge, which he ran until 2018, when he moved up the hill to oversee the historic Wrigley Mansion. After reinvigorating the on-site Geordie’s Restaurant and Lounge, Chef Christopher opened the stunning modernist gem, Christopher’s at The Wrigley Mansion in 2021.
Still a passionate motorcyclist, Chef Christopher is also proud to support philanthropic efforts, including helping to found the Arizona chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food (AIWF). Currently an advisor for both the James Beard Foundation and the Art Institute of Phoenix, he previously served as a member of American Liver Foundation where he started the “Flavors of Phoenix” fundraiser, a concept still going strong 30 years later in 20 different cities.