Arizona’s summer dining scene is getting a serious chef-powered glow-up.
The 2026 Devour Summer Chef Series is back with a five-part dinner lineup designed to make the Valley’s toughest restaurant season feel a whole lot more delicious. Running from May through September, the series brings together some of Arizona’s most celebrated chefs for monthly collaborative dinners that spotlight local ingredients, seasonal flavors and the kind of culinary chemistry that makes this food scene worth bragging about.
The premise is simple and very hard to resist: five dinners, five chef pairings, five restaurants and extremely limited seats. Each month, two chefs will join forces to create an exclusive four-course pairing menu, giving guests an intimate, one-night-only look at what happens when Arizona’s top culinary minds share a kitchen.
It is dinner, yes. But it is also a love letter to the independent restaurants that keep neighborhoods interesting, creative and well fed.
“Summer is the most challenging season for independent restaurants in Arizona,” says Kimber Lanning, founder and CEO of Local First Arizona. “The Devour Summer Chef Series is our way of celebrating the chefs, teams and industry that pour their hearts into this work all year long. It’s a chance to support local in the most delicious way possible.”
That support is the heart of the series. Arizona’s independent restaurants are more than places to grab a reservation. They are neighborhood anchors, creative stages, gathering spots and, very often, the reason a regular Tuesday night suddenly feels worth dressing up for.
The Devour Summer Chef Series puts that spirit front and center, inviting diners to show up for the people behind the plates during the season when local restaurants need it most.
The dinners take place on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m., with each event built around a different chef collaboration. The series begins May 26 with chefs Lori Hashimoto and Justin Beckett at Beckett’s Table. On June 23, Beckett teams up with chef Bernie Kantak at The Gladly. July 28 brings chefs Gio Osso and Hashimoto together at Hana Japanese Eatery. On Aug. 25, chefs Kantak and Stephen Jones will collaborate at a venue to be announced. The series closes Sept. 22 with chefs Jones and Osso at Virtu Honest Craft.
Tickets are now available for $250 per dinner, with individual dinner tickets offered for each of the five collaborative experiences. Seats are extremely limited and expected to sell quickly, which feels about right for a lineup this stacked.
Hosted by Devour Good Food, an initiative of Local First Arizona, the series is rooted in strengthening Arizona’s local food system by connecting diners with locally owned restaurants, independent farms and food businesses across the state.
So consider this your official summer assignment: eat beautifully, support local and remember that Arizona chefs do not play around.
Insider Takeaways
- The 2026 Devour Summer Chef Series runs May through September with five collaborative dinners.
- Each dinner features two Arizona chefs creating an exclusive four-course pairing menu.
- The series supports independent restaurants during Arizona’s toughest dining season.
- Dinners take place on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m.
- Featured chefs include Lori Hashimoto, Justin Beckett, Bernie Kantak, Gio Osso and Stephen Jones.
- Tickets are now available for $250 per dinner, with extremely limited seats available.
To learn more, visit devourgoodfood.com/summer-chefs-series.
