Highlights

Clive Collective has named Erik Davila executive chef of Kuza, its Asian-inspired Scottsdale concept scheduled to open later in 2026, as Arizona Foothills Magazine and Fabulous Arizona both reported. Davila arrives with more than 16 years of culinary experience. His most recent post was executive chef at Sandfish Sushi & Whiskey, a credential that signals the group is building Kuza around a serious raw-bar and Japanese-technique program rather than a pan-Asian crowd-pleaser. The kitchen will be organized around a robata grill, a raw bar, and an open kitchen designed to put sushi preparation and robata grilling in plain view of the dining room. The menu is built around Edomae-style sushi, dim sum, house-made gyoza, and slow-developed ramen. ## What is Clive Collective? Clive Collective is the Phoenix-area hospitality group behind Kuza. The appointment of a chef with Davila's background at Sandfish suggests the group is positioning Kuza at the upper tier of the metro's Japanese dining market, where competition from established programs is significant. A specific Scottsdale address and opening date have not yet been disclosed in public records or the group's announcements. Kuza's opening is targeted for later in 2026.

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Sources

Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.

  1. arizonafoothillsmagazine.com retrieved 2026-05-08T15:03:34.875380+00:00
  2. Kuza (official site) retrieved 2026-05-08T15:03:34.875380+00:00
  3. Lead Kitchen (official site) retrieved 2026-05-08T15:03:34.875380+00:00

Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 2026-05-08T15:03:34.875380+00:00. Every claim traces to a source.