Vincent on Camelback<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\u201cForty years later, we are still here,\u201d Guerithault says. \u201cIt goes by pretty fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a boy growing up in France, Guerithault developed a love for cooking, starting by helping his mother in the kitchen. He later worked in restaurants across France and then moved to the Chicago area. After three years and too much snow, Guerithault decided to move west.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He helped open a restaurant in North Scottsdale which served French and Mexican food and was later split into two restaurants. He was the chef at the French half of the restaurant, which was called Vincent, until 1984, and opened Vincent on Camelback in 1986.<\/p>\n
Inspired by his experience with Mexican cuisine, Guerithault decided to put a spin on French food at his new restaurant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we opened, we wanted to incorporate something different into French cuisine using Southwestern ingredients like herbs and peppers with French techniques. This allows us to be creative and have fun,\u201d says Guerithault, a James Beard Award winner and member of the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n
Guerithault\u2019s unique blend of flavors and techniques has remained popular for four decades, with longtime menu favorites like a smoked salmon quesadilla, lobster chimichanga, duck tamales and rack of lamb with spicy bell pepper jelly instead of the traditional mint. The menu also features French classics like foie gras and duck confit.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/vincent_lamb.jpeg\")
Guerithault\u2019s cuisine blends French technique with Southwest flavors. For example, lamb is served with spicy bell pepper jelly. <\/p>\n
In his four decades in the Valley, Vincent has developed relationships with several local chefs and has been a mentor to many.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVincent is the one who brought real French-trained excellence to the Valley, then broke the rules by blending it with Southwestern flavors,\u201d says fellow Arizona restaurateur and culinary icon Mark Tarbell, who has known Guerithault since he opened Vincent on Camelback.<\/p>\n
Over the years, Guerithault has trained many chefs, including Michael Rusconi of Rusconi\u2019s American Kitchen in Phoenix.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cChef Vincent is a true master of his craft and always driven to make his food and team stronger,\u201d Rusconi says. \u201cMy restaurant is a success in large part because I witnessed the masterful way he interacted with his guests in one of Phoenix\u2019s first true chef-driven exhibition kitchens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through a changing restaurant landscape, economic downturns and the pandemic, Vincent on Camelback has been able to survive and thrive by creating a special experience that has attracted a loyal customer base. Diners appreciate the attentive service, authentic French cuisine with a Southwestern spin and getting to know Vincent and his wife Leevon as a consistent presence in the restaurant. The restaurant offers a traditional and quiet ambiance with white tablecloths, velvet banquettes and European-inspired art covering the walls.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
And while it maintains many of its longstanding traditions, the restaurant has evolved over the years, adding banquet space and opening the more casual Vincent Market Bistro adjacent to the restaurant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the seasonality of the market, we are used to managing through downturns and changes,\u201d Guerithault says. \u201cIt\u2019s wonderful to see so many new resorts, restaurants and talented chefs in the Valley. While resort restaurants and steakhouses are great, our customers appreciate the intimate experience we offer. People come here because we know them and they know us.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/vincent2.jpg\")
Chef Vincent Guerithault has served Valley customers for four decades. <\/p>\n
Guerithault met his wife at a catering event in 1985, the year before the restaurant opened. Over the years, the restaurant has remained a true family business. The couple has three sons, the youngest of whom is currently a chef at the restaurant.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy sons grew up in the kitchen,\u201d Guerithault says. \u201cI tell them and show them that they have to be passionate and work hard to be successful in whatever they want to do in life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guerithault\u2019s customers and fellow chefs are lauding the restaurant\u2019s impressive milestone.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cForty years in this business takes talent, discipline and an unreasonable amount of heart,\u201d Tarbell says. \u201cVincent on Camelback isn\u2019t just a restaurant. It\u2019s a legend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent on Camelback<\/p>\n
3930 E. Camelback Road<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chef Vincent Guerithault moved to the U.S. from France in 1976. Ten years later, he opened his now-legendary…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":601629,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5131],"tags":[5229,5643,1587,27144,141257,1589,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-601628","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-arizona","10":"tag-az","11":"tag-chefs","12":"tag-history-nostalgia","13":"tag-phoenix","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-united-states-of-america","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","18":"tag-us","19":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116098786295794883","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=601628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601628\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/601629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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