The complete artist and chef lineup has been announced for Palette to Palate, presented by Devour Phoenix and Local First Arizona as part of the Devoured Culinary Classic week of events.
Hosted by the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel on Thursday, March 3, at 6:00 p.m., Palette to Palate is an event that blends the visual arts and culinary arts by pairing chefs and painters to interpret each other’s work for a show that is at once unique and insightful into the worlds of the two artists.
The evening will feature Arizona wines and award winning chefs, paired with regional artists who will be carefully selected and who will prepare new works for the event.
Artist and chef pairings include with Leonardo Bianco paired with his son Chef Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco, Casebeer paired Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza of Barrio Cafe and Barrio Urbano, Jesse Perry paired with Chef Josh Murray of ICON Lounge at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel, James Angel paired with Chef Justin Beckett of Beckett’s Table and Southern Rail and Jonathan Buford paired with chef Stacey Carson of Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company.
Tickets are $40 each and available at http://devouredphoenix.com/tickets/. Attendees can purchase a combined tickets package to attend both the Devour Phoenix Bartending Competition and Palette to Palate for $60.
Meet the chefs and artists:
Chef Chris Bianco and Leonardo Bianco
When Chris Bianco started Pizzeria Bianco inside the back corner of a neighborhood grocery store in 1988, little did he know that he would be such a driving force in the slow food movement and specifically the artisanal pizza front. Chris, who won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2003, helped spawn a generation of independent and artisanal pizzeria’s, lending his advice, wisdom and food philosophies to dozens of fellow chefs and restaurateurs.
Leonardo Bianco, father of Chris and Marco of Pizzeria Bianco/Pane Bianco, is a still-life painter. His elegant aesthetic has given him the opportunity to paint the likes of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. His work has been featured in New York where he also worked for years as a professional wine label maker, to Arizona, where many of his pieces proudly grace the walls at all Pizzeria Bianco locations.
Chef Justin Beckett and James Angel
An award-winning chef and renowned restaurateur, Chef Justin Beckett partnered with his wife Michelle and their longtime friends and sommeliers, Scott & Katie Stephens, to open Beckett’s Table in the popular Arcadia area in 2010. Since then, Beckett’s Table has garnered national attention for its excellent service, memorable wine list and innovative menu, earning Wine Spectator’s 2012 and 2013 Award of Excellence and a nomination for Food & Wine magazine’s People’s Best New Chef. Following the success of Beckett’s Table, Justin and the ownership team set out to open a second concept in uptown Phoenix. Warm and centered around community, the highly-anticipated Southern Rail opened its doors on May 30, 2014. The vibrant restaurant offers Chef Beckett’s inspired interpretations of classic American dishes with a Southern twist.
James Angel is recognized as a major contributor to an “emerging” downtown art scene. As one of the founders of the artist collective 3CARPILEUP and the inaugural few Chaos Theory annual events, which now in it’s sixteenth year has become the most viable approach to engaging local contemporary artists and artwork currently produced in Arizona. A recent Contemporary Forum of Phoenix Art Museum emerging artist award recipient. www.jamesangelportfolio.com
Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza and Casebeer
Silvana Salcido Esparza is a baker’s daughter, an activist and a chef. She comes from a long line of cooks and bakers and was trained by her grandmother and parents, in business and in the kitchen. Now she’s busy training the next generation. Chef Silvana creates award-winning food and restaurants in Phoenix, where she is celebrated for her contributions to the city’s vibrant profile. Her food has been featured in Esquire Magazine, and on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Chef Silvana has been a semi-finalist for the James Beard Award numerous times and has been inducted into the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame. While Chef Silvana’s culinary expertise has earned her plenty of accolades, she is also a successful businesswoman and an promoter of the arts. Chef Silvana advises and mentors young chefs-in-training and has been an outspoken civil rights advocate. As a citizen of both the United States and Mexico, she feels a personal responsibility to elevate popular perceptions of Mexican American culture.
Casebeer is an artist and writer whose work explores meaningful coincidence. Her mixed-media paintings are composed of book scraps, color, brush strokes and drips, which are then built upon through layers of paint, found collage pieces and overheard sentences until they eventually reveal an order and a narrative, and a curious, synchronic relationship to one another. Casebeer is represented by Tilt Gallery in Scottsdale. She has exhibited her work in Scottsdale at Tilt and 5&6 Galleries, in Mesa at the i.d.e.a. museum, and in Downtown Phoenix at Modified Arts, Monorchid, The Ice House, Legend City Studios and the ASU Downtown Museum, and at the Phoenix International Airport Museum. Her piece, “Wait. Do You?” was part of The Phoenix 7th Ave Streetscape Public Art Project in 2012.
Chef Joshua Murray and Jesse Perry
Passion and focus would aptly describe the journey that has taken Joshua Murray to his place as Executive Chef at Phoenix Renaissance Downtown in Phoenix, Arizona. Joshua’s interest in food stems from his boyhood in rural Spotsylvania, VA, and he fondly recalls a home life filled with entertaining family and friends regularly and abundantly – the perfect opportunity to develop his keen interest in cooking as well as his kitchen skills. After graduating Johnson & Wales University, he forged a path that included chef’s positions at multiple private upscale restaurants, the Westfield’s Marriott in Virginia, Harbor Beach Marriott in Ft. Lauderdale, JW Marriott Desert Springs in Palm Desert, The Lodge at Sonoma Renaissance and on to Phoenix Renaissance Downtown in his current role. Accolades and honors accompanied him along the way: gold, bronze and silver medals in American Culinary Federation competitions, restaurant awards, television appearances, as well as being featured in numerous Signature Chef Events and in multiple publications.
Jesse Perry, age 30, is a lifelong artist with aspirations for greatness on a worldwide scale. He has worked with several art programs throughout Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Mesa and is now teaming up with a variety of organizations to bring some creative wisdom to the heart of one of America’s fastest growing metropolitan cities. Emerging as an artist at a young age, Perry was encouraged to nurture his creative side at every turn. He experimented with a variety of media and techniques in his formative years before releasing the, “How To: Series” in his 20’s which began as a line and space study that quickly evolved into an ambiguous blueprint behind a host of ideas and concepts. After completing his first public project in 2013, Perry has focused his efforts on larger scale murals, both public and private. He has had the pleasure of working with a wide variety of businesses and organizations ranging from the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel to Mother Bunch Brewery to the Downtown Mesa Association and is looking forward to some amazing projects coming up this 2016.
Chef Stacey Carson and Jonathan Buford
Stacey Carson is Wilderness Brewing Company’s first executive chef. She was brought on recently to take a fresh look at their menu of gourmet burgers and to tighten up the kitchen workflow. Stacey was the chef-owner of the recently closed Nosh Arizona in Chandler, which was known for its neighborly atmosphere and upscale gastropub offerings.
Jonathan Buford is a professional photographer and the creator of Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. With his photography, he seeks to find the unique and stunning images in the desolate areas of the desert, finding waterfalls that flow after the snow and capturing conservation through the lens of southwest sunsets. His point of view is often manifested in his unique craft brews at Arizona Wilderness, which has been named number one of the ten best in the world.
