Acclaimed Phoenix chef Kevin Binkley has launched a new venture hosting multicourse dinners for six guests in his home. After closing his last restaurant in 2024, he seeks a more personal approach to cooking. The events sold out quickly after announcement in January.
Kevin Binkley, a celebrated chef in the Phoenix area, has shifted from managing multiple restaurants to offering intimate dining experiences in his own home. Previously, he operated four establishments with over 100 employees, but he closed his final venue in 2024 after two decades in the business.
Binkley, who grew up near Washington, D.C., began his culinary career as a teenager and later trained at prestigious spots like The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia and The French Laundry in California's Napa Valley. He returned to Arizona in 2002 to open restaurants in locations including Cave Creek, Carefree, Phoenix, and Scottsdale, earning several James Beard Award nominations. A trip to Japan with fellow chef Nobuo Fukuda, the 2007 James Beard winner for Best Chef, Southwest, inspired him to prioritize smaller, chef-focused settings.
"It was an eye-opening experience that changed my mindset," Binkley said. "While I was in Japan, I trained with a master sushi chef. It was a much smaller footprint and the chef was always present."
In 2016, he opened Binkley's in Phoenix, a fine-dining spot that only operated when he was cooking. After reflecting and traveling, Binkley expanded his home kitchen and hired a former manager to launch the new project. Announced on social media in January, the dinners for Thursday through Saturday sold out through March at about $330 per person, with guests bringing their own alcohol.
During each service, Binkley prepares and plates dishes directly in front of attendees at his kitchen counter. "It's a true chef's table," he explained. "You're sitting at the counter in my kitchen while I prepare your meal. It can be as interactive as the guest wants it to be."
The seasonal menus draw from his garden, citrus trees, local suppliers, and fresh seafood. The inaugural offering includes house-made ham with persimmon mustard, Wagyu beef cheek braised with honey and balsamic vinegar, Japanese striped mackerel with beets, black truffle barley risotto, and vanilla panna cotta with three types of grapefruit.
Meanwhile, the former Binkley's location on Osborn Road reopened as Tandy's Café in December 2025, run by Tandy Peterson, a former Binkley employee. "I'm so happy that one of my proteges is in the former Binkley's spot," Binkley said. "She is hyper-talented and is creating an amazing community café."
Binkley emphasized his enduring passion: "I got into this business because I love food. That has always been my focus and still is to this day."