SCOTTSDALE’S CULINARY SCENE EARNS NATIONAL ACCLAIM
By Laura McMurchie, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ
After more than 10 years, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ is home to another James Beard Award winner. And thanks to Chef Charleen Badman, 2019’s Best Chef – Southwest, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ is sure to solidify its status as a destination for foodie travelers.
Badman’s talents have captured national acclaim and recognition. Already, she has used her platform to promote Arizona’s entire culinary industry, sharing the spotlight with the area’s quality ingredients and her talented peers.
We at ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ have seen Badman preach the virtues of Arizona’s cuisine firsthand. Each year, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ invites dozens of visiting travel journalists to enjoy a dining experience at FnB. It becomes a night these journalists never forget, as Badman and FnB co-owner Pavle Milic bring out plate after plate of delectable dishes, paired perfectly with Arizona-produced wine. They hear from both Badman and Milic about Arizona’s bounty – both in vegetables and grape varietals.
As a result of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ’s invitations and pitches, last fiscal year, FnB was featured in national outlets like AFAR, Elite Traveler, The New York Times, Forbes and more.
It’s no surprise that Badman has been a semi-finalist for the James Beard Awards since 2014, and rightfully secured the honor in 2019. And while ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ visitors, influenced by both the award and the destination coverage they read, will snag reservations at FnB, they will find that the restaurant is part of a much larger, rising culinary scene in ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ.
With over 800 restaurants, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ has eateries that appeal to all tastes and budgets. ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ is privileged to have talented chefs at the helm of such restaurants, including Samantha Sanz of Talavera, Brandon Levine of Sel, Gio Osso of Virtu Honest Craft, among many.
As food tourism continues to gain popularity, that’s a good feather to have in our destination’s cap – and just one of several feathers that we promote. According to travel industry researcher Skift, travelers spent $58 billion on food and drink while traveling in 2017, up more than 30% from 2012. According to Longwoods International, restaurant food and beverage accounted for 27% of expenditures for ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ’s domestic overnight visitors in 2017. As travelers’ interest in local dining has grown, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ has highlighted ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ’s culinary prowess more and more.
The nearly 400 journalists ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ hosted last fiscal year sampled the area’s restaurants, from fine dining to casual haunts. Writers from media-rich markets like New York and Los Angeles met with local chefs and winemakers. Through such public relations efforts, resulting media coverage on ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ’s culinary story reached more than 700 million readers and viewers.
But our food tourism promotions extend beyond public relations. In 2018, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ partnered with James Beard Award-winning filmmaker Andrew Gooi to capture and produce video interviews with ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ culinarians. His visual storytelling featured the likes of Sweet Republic, Chula Seafood and Zak’s Chocolates.
ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ’s website and printed visitor guide offer a glimpse into the depth and breadth of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ’s dining culture, with restaurant listings and articles like “Healthy Eats & Decadent Treats” and “Cheers for Churros.”
ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ boasts talented chefs, respected restaurants, and innovative wineries, breweries and craft cocktail bars. ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ has the privilege of helping introduce ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ’s nearly 11 million annual visitors to local businesses like FnB, so that they hopefully come back for second helpings.
Laura McMurchie is the vice president of communications of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ.
