Regardless of their feelings about the guide, chefs agreed that the arrival of Michelin and its anonymous diners can help put the state\u2019s restaurants on the map and may attract food tourists who wouldn\u2019t otherwise visit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like it\u2019s still our mission to make people understand that there\u2019s really wonderful food coming out of Arizona,\u201d says Charleen Badman, the award-winning chef and co-owner of the vegetable-forward, farm-to-table restaurant FnB<\/a>. \u201cSo maybe Michelin is going to be something that allows even more people from around the world to discover what we have here and how wonderful it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis year, make your gift count \u2013<\/strong><\/strong> \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOur work is funded by readers like you who make voluntary gifts because they value our work and want to see it continue. Make a contribution today to help us reach our $30,000 goal!\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n However Michelin\u2019s arrival impacts Arizona, it\u2019s already gotten chefs talking.<\/p>\n Michelin\u2019s arrival: Exciting or premature?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s exciting,\u201d Christopher Gross, the award-winning chef and restaurateur behind the modern Phoenix fine dining restaurant Christopher\u2019s<\/a>, says. \u201cI think it will put everyone on the edge of their chair, at least I\u2019m on mine.\u201d<\/p>\n Chefs and food lovers have speculated for years about Michelin coming to Arizona. Though the guide started as a roadtripper\u2019s companion 125 years ago, its starred awards have become synonymous with fine dining. Michelin debuted its first U.S. guide in New York 20 years ago. Badman was surprised but pleased to learn of Michelin\u2019s Arizona expansion plans.<\/p>\n \u201cI was like, \u2018Oh, really? Finally,’\u201d she recalls. <\/p>\n Now, chefs are awaiting a new layer of exposure from Michelin.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will be good for every restaurant business here,\u201d Lom Wong<\/a> chef and co-owner Yotaka \u201cSunny\u201d Martin says. \u201cPhoenix can be one of the top cities (where) people come looking for something exciting to eat. That will be good for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n Now that Michelin has staked a claim in Arizona, speculation about which restaurants will be included in this exclusive list has begun. Badman is hopeful that some of the small, unique and off-the-beaten-path spots that have earned places on other regional U.S. lists will likewise be acknowledged. <\/p>\n \u201cI really hope that (Michelin inspectors are) seeing these restaurants that are just a little different, and doing something their way,\u201d Badman says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Restaurants included in the guide may be awarded from one to three stars. Other Michelin nods include\u00a0Bib Gourmand<\/a>, \u201ca special distinction for restaurants that serve high-quality food at great value,\u201d per Michelin, and \u201cgreen star\u201d restaurants noted for their sustainability efforts.<\/p>\n Chefs like Badman, Gross and Martin are no strangers to awards. They have all been named \u201cBest Chef \u2013 Southwest\u201d by the James Beard Awards. Their restaurants have also received acclaim from Food & Wine, Esquire and Bon Appetit, among other national tastemakers. That doesn\u2019t mean they feel prepared for what\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n \u201cI know what Michelin is, but I don\u2019t know what exactly I should be (expecting),\u201d says Martin, who runs the regional Thai restaurant Lom Wong with her husband Alex. \u201cJust like the James Beard (Awards).\u201d<\/p>\n While some chefs may \u201ctighten up,\u201d as chef Devan Cunningham puts it, he and other Valley cooks don\u2019t think Michelin will become a primary motivator for how restaurants operate.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOn the flip side, I do think their presence will and should elevate the standard around town,\u201d says Cunningham, who founded the southern cafe CC\u2019s on Central<\/a> with his mother, Sharon.<\/p>\n The chef, who stepped away from CC\u2019s over the summer and is currently running pop-ups and working as a private chef, offered a blunt take about Phoenix\u2019s restaurants on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cUnpopular opinion,\u201d Cunningham shared in a story on Instagram. \u201cIdk if there\u2019s anywhere in town that deserves a star? A Bib Gourmand, probably a few. But I don\u2019t think we\u2019re there yet.\u201d<\/p>\n His DMs have been flooded with comments from chefs, other industry folks and food influencers, he told Phoenix New Times. Most have agreed with Cunningham\u2019s take, with one saying Michelin should humble some chefs, while another bluntly replying, \u201cNope!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Underneath that brutal honesty is a desire for the industry to grow and improve.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to see us succeed. I want to see the city get recognition and be respected on a national level,\u201d Cunningham says. \u201cBut, you know, it\u2019s like that thing, in public, I\u2019m going to cheer you on, but in private, then I\u2019ll chastise you, then I\u2019ll correct you.\u201d<\/p>\n Cunningham notes he\u2019s not an expert in Michelin\u2019s criteria, nor has he worked in a Michelin-starred restaurant. His comments are based on his experience in Phoenix and his reading of how inspectors evaluate restaurants.\u00a0<\/p>\n Michelin\u2019s mystery diners have five criteria to judge an eatery: the use of high-quality products, harmony of flavors, mastery of cooking techniques, the chef\u2019s unique voice and personality reflected in the cuisine and consistency between visits.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no secret recipe for a Michelin Star \u2014 we\u2019re just looking for exceptional cooking, whether it\u2019s innovative or traditional, a tasting menu or \u00e0 la carte, an artful presentation or something more rustic,\u201d Michelin explains of its star ratings<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cunningham feels that Valley restaurants lack in two key areas: technique and personality in cuisine. He calls Lom Wong a bright spot in both of those areas.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re very intentional about what they\u2019re doing and why they\u2019re doing it,\u201d he says. But places like that are the exception to the rule, Cunningham notes. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of just the same copy and paste. I\u2019ve seen this before, let\u2019s go viral.\u201d<\/p>\n Even while voicing concerns, Cunningham echoes his peers, calling the inclusion in a guide \u201can exciting thing.\u201d <\/p>\n Chefs name spots to watch<\/strong><\/p>\n So where should Michelin\u2019s restaurant inspectors dine around the Valley? Chefs have plenty of suggestions. <\/p>\n Stalwart fine dining destinations like Christopher\u2019s, Kai, and Cafe Monarch are a natural starting point.<\/p>\n Chefs we spoke with universally suggested Chris Bianco\u2019s restaurants. Bianco is a long-time champion of Arizona ingredients and he put the state on the pizza map with his groundbreaking Pizzeria Bianco, but his Italian beauty Tratto is also worthy of consideration. Gross also applauded the work of Badman and Pavle Milic\u2019s FnB.\u00a0<\/p>\n Restaurants with a strong culinary point of view and technique to match should also be on inspectors\u2019 radars, according to our chefs. Cunningham suggested chef Rene Andrade\u2019s ode to Sonoran wood-fire cooking, Bacanora<\/a>, while Badman recommended chef Nobu Fukuda\u2019s playful yet highly refined Japanese restaurant, Hai Noon<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lastly, these chefs highlighted cozy spots they love to visit on their rare days off. Gross has a soft spot for the family-run New Mexican restaurant Los Dos Molinos. Badman hopes inspectors make a stop at Linger Longer Lounge to try the \u201creally delicious\u201d Guerrero-style Mexican food from chef Erick Pineda\u2019s Requinto<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cYour soul is going to be really satisfied having a bowl of that posole,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n The Martins were reluctant to call out places to watch, saying not every chef wants to be on this list. Michelin recognition can be life-changing for a restaurant and its staff, but it can also create immense pressure in the pursuit of maintaining that honor.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Martins, who are balancing two restaurants and two young children, are, like most other Valley restaurateurs, waiting to see what happens.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re gonna do what we do, we\u2019ve always just done what we\u2019ve done,\u201d Alex says. \u201cIf an organization decides that that jives with them, then thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n No matter chefs\u2019 views on the guide and Arizona\u2019s place in it, the speculation about the state\u2019s dining scene is unlikely to end until Michelin announces its picks at a yet-to-be-scheduled ceremony next year.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s going to be some surprises, for sure,\u201d Gross says.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Chef Devan Cunningham shared a hot take on the arrival of the Michelin Guide in Arizona.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/new_times-christophers-jacob_tyler_dunn-012.webp\")
Chef Christopher Gross leads the award-winning, modern fine dining restaurant Christopher\u2019s.<\/p>\n