2017 Devour Culinary Classic
The Devour Culinary Classic, formerly known as the Devoured Culinary Classic, is a week-long annual culinary celebration hosted by Devour Phoenix, Local First Arizona, Phoenix Art Museum, and Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance. The festival will be held Feb. 26 through March 5, 2017, with a series of events celebrating Arizona’s culinary talents at several venues in Phoenix.
The goal of the event is to showcase Arizona’s culinary talent as well as its fine food and drink producers and purveyors, while furthering metro Phoenix as a dining destination worthy of national and international prestige.
The main event, the Devour Culinary Classic, will be held on Sat., March 4, and Sun., March 5, at Phoenix Art Museum. The Dorrance Sculpture Garden will come alive with tastings of food, wine, beer and cocktails, as well as cooking demonstrations and interactive stations where attendees will have the opportunity to meet and interact with Arizona chefs.
As Phoenix’s food scene evolves and continues to gain national attention, the Devour Culinary Classic will introduce the following changes and additions to reflect its growth:
- The Devour Excellence Awards – The premier of the Devour Excellence Awards will feature special guest judges Adam Erace (award-winning food writer and Food Network personality), Barbara Fenzl (host of Arizona PBS cooking shows and founder of Les Gourmettes Cooking School), Cheryl Alters Jamison (four-time James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and host of Heating It Up on KVSF 101.5 and The Voice of Santa Fe Listen Live), Corby Kummer (James Beard Award-winning author, senior editor of The Atlantic and Boston Magazine), and Carey Polis (web editor for Bon Appetit). Judges will be on site to determine four awards to 2017 participants: Excellence in Innovation, Excellence in Taste, Excellence in Presentation and Excellence in Distinction.
- Culinary demonstrations and workshops – Culinary demonstrations and taste workshops will be present this year, featuring chefs and beverage experts showcasing their talents in collaboration with favorite Arizona food makers and their goods.
- New restaurants invited to participate – The Devour Culinary Classic has expanded its outreach efforts to include more of the new and diverse restaurants that have opened their doors in the last year. Confirmed new participants include Joe’s Midnight Run, Michael Goldsmith’s restaurant, formerly chef at Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn; CRUjente Tacos, a new concept opened by Rich Hinojosa formerly chef at The Wigwam, Nico Heirloom Kitchen, new concept by Gio Osso of Virtu; and Helio Basin Brewery, one of the newest additions to Phoenix’s craft beer scene.
- Expanded Local Foods Experience – Introduced at last year’s Devour Culinary Classic, the Local Foods Experience is a tool that highlights local food producers that many of the Devour chefs use on a regular basis, and put an emphasis on the importance of sourcing food locally.
Since having grown into a week-long culinary experience, the Devour Culinary Classic now features a series of pre-events including: the Devour Phoenix Bartending Competition, 7 Chef Singh Along, and Palette to Palate.
- The Devour Phoenix Bartending Competition | Sun., Feb. 26, 2017, at DeSoto Central Market in Phoenix.
- The 7 Chef Singh Along | Wed., March 1, 2017,. at Singh Farms’ new location in Tempe.
- Palette to Palate | Thurs., March 2, 2017, in downtown Phoenix.
Tickets for the eighth annual Devour Culinary Classic will go on sale in limited release on Mon., Nov. 21, and to the public on Mon., Nov. 28.
General admission tickets include unlimited access to food and beverage sampling throughout the event, as well as any event programming including chef demonstrations. Devour Culinary Classic ticket holders will also receive free general admission and discount admission for special exhibitions at Phoenix Art museum such as Samurai: Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection, The Propeller Group, Self-Published Photobooks, and Horacio Zabala: Mapping the Monochrome.
In addition to these benefits, VIP ticket holders will have exclusive access to the general tasting area a full hour before general admission ticket holders. VIP benefits also include a parking pass at the museum and access to private lounge areas featuring exclusive chef access, menu tastings, cocktail samplings.
PHOTOS BY MARK SKALNY
Devour Culinary Classic
Feb. 26 – March 5, 2017
Devour Culinary Classic (main event): Sat., March 4, and Sun., March 5, at Phoenix Art Museum.
For additional information, visit devourphoenix.com.
