19 Dec 18th-Dec 24th, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | among other national tastemakers. That doesn’t mean they feel prepared for what’s coming. “I know what Michelin is, but I don’t know what exactly I should be (expecting),” says Martin, who runs the regional Thai restaurant Lom Wong with her husband Alex. “Just like the James Beard (Awards).” While some chefs may “tighten up,” as chef Devan Cunningham puts it, he and other Valley cooks don’t think Michelin will become a primary motivator for how restau- rants operate. “On the flip side, I do think their presence will and should elevate the standard around town,” says Cunningham, who founded the southern cafe CC’s on Central with his mother, Sharon. The chef, who stepped away from CC’s over the summer and is currently running pop-ups and working as a private chef, offered a blunt take about Phoenix’s restau- rants on Wednesday. “Unpopular opinion,” Cunningham shared in a story on Instagram. “Idk if there’s anywhere in town that deserves a star? A Bib Gourmand, probably a few. But I don’t think we’re there yet.” 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’s take, with one saying Michelin should humble some chefs, while another bluntly replied, “Nope!” Underneath that brutal honesty is a desire for the industry to grow and improve. “I want to see us succeed. I want to see the city get recognition and be respected on a national level,” Cunningham says. “But, you know, it’s like that thing, in public, I’m going to cheer you on, but in private, then I’ll chastise you, then I’ll correct you.” Cunningham notes he’s not an expert in Michelin’s 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. The chef 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. “They’re very intentional about what they’re doing and why they’re doing it,” he says. But places like that are the exception to the rule, Cunningham notes. “It’s a lot of just the same copy and paste. I’ve seen this before, let’s go viral.” Even while voicing concerns, Cunningham echoes his peers, calling the inclusion in a guide “an exciting thing.” Chefs name spots to watch So where should Michelin’s restaurant inspectors dine around the Valley? Chefs have plenty of suggestions. Stalwart fine dining destinations like Christopher’s, Kai and Cafe Monarch are a natural starting point. Chefs we spoke with universally suggested Chris Bianco’s restaurants. Bianco is a long-time champion of Arizona ingredi- ents 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’s FnB. Restaurants with a strong culinary point of view and technique to match should also be on inspectors’ radars, according to our chefs. Cunningham suggested chef Rene Andrade’s ode to Sonoran wood-fire cooking, Bacanora, while Badman recom- mended chef Nobu Fukuda’s playful yet highly refined Japanese restaurant, Hai Noon. 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 “really deli- cious” Guerrero-style Mexican food from chef Erick Pineda’s Requinto. “Your soul is going to be really satisfied having a bowl of that pozole,” she says. 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. The Martins, who are balancing two restaurants and two young children, are, like most other Valley restaurateurs, waiting to see what happens. “We’re gonna do what we do, we’ve always just done what we’ve done,” Alex says. “If an organization decides that that jives with them, then thank you.” No matter chefs’ views on the guide and Arizona’s place in it, the speculation about the state’s dining scene is unlikely to end until Michelin announces its picks at a yet- to-be-scheduled ceremony next year. “There’s going to be some surprises, for sure,” Gross says. Chef Devan Cunningham shared a hot take on the arrival of the Michelin Guide in Arizona. (Sara Crocker) Chef Christopher Gross leads the award- winning, modern fine dining restaurant Christopher’s. (Jacob Tyler Dunn) A Star is Born from p 18
