Exclusive: Private dining club coming to Phoenix
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Tasting Collective will hold its first Phoenix event next month. Photo: Nat Gelb/Tasting Collective
A private dining club launched in New York City nearly a decade ago is tapping into Phoenix's culinary scene.
Why it matters: The Phoenix arrival of this first-of-its-kind dining series illustrates the Valley's growing reputation as a dining destination.
- Tasting Collective is already in 18 other U.S. cities, including foodie havens like Chicago and San Francisco.
The big picture: Tasting Collective partners with some of the nation's top chefs to host off-menu, five-course meals in their restaurants on days when they're generally slower or closed.
- The goal is to personalize the restaurant experience by introducing diners to the people behind some of the buzziest eateries in town, Tasting Collective CEO Nat Gelb told Axios.
How it works: The collective will host chef-led dinners in Phoenix at least once per month, starting with Chilte chef Lawrence "LT" Smith in June.
- To access the events, diners need to join the collective, which runs $165 per year — though the first 500 people to sign up in Phoenix will score a $99 membership.
- Each dinner costs $75 before tax and tip, with all proceeds going directly to the restaurants.
- Members can bring up to three guests for $95 each.
Between the lines: Chefs will have the opportunity to test out new recipes, share their inspiration with guests and participate in a Q&A over dessert, Gelb said.
- After dinner, diners can leave feedback on the new dishes via private comment cards — a healthier, more constructive version of a Yelp review, per the collective.
The intrigue: Gelb said Tasting Collective aims to "democratize" this type of chef's tasting experience, which can often run upwards of $200 per person.
- These aren't "nose-in-the-air" events for the elite — it's "the people's supper club," he said.
What's next: Tasting Collective tries to work with innovative chefs who are willing to push the envelope, Gelb told us. The initial Phoenix lineup certainly fits that bill.
- After Chilte, the collective will head to Lom Wong in July, where James Beard finalist Yotaka "Sunny" Martin will introduce guests to her acclaimed Thai cuisine.
- August's events will occur at Virtú Honest Craft, where chef Gio Osso has been whipping up creative Mediterranean-inspired fare for more than a decade.