Highlights

<p>Three ticketed dinners this month give Scottsdale and Phoenix diners a reason to leave the air conditioning: a competitive seafood cook-off with a national championship berth on the line, a one-day tasting menu from a Chopped winner, and a four-month chef collaboration series at one of Old Town's most-watched Japanese kitchens.</p> <p><a href="https://sevenrooms.com">Uchi Scottsdale</a> opens its Collaborative Summer Dining Series on Tuesday, June 9, with chef de cuisine Blake Luecke hosting chef Digby Stridiron, executive chef and partner at <em>Latha</em>, described by Phoenix Magazine as a modern African and global concept. The kickoff evening blends Stridiron's African, Brazilian, Caribbean and Southern U.S. culinary techniques with Uchi's Japanese foundation. The series continues through September with collaborating chefs from INDIBAR (July 14), Pa'La (August 11) and Chula Seafood (September 8). Dinners run 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.; tickets are $175 per person, not including tax and gratuity, available via SevenRooms.</p> <p>On Sunday, June 21, Chef Cory Oppold hosts a one-day Father's Day lunch at <em>COURSE</em> in Scottsdale from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Phoenix Magazine notes Oppold's Chopped victory and multiple Best of the Valley wins. The multi-course menu starts at $150 per person; reservations are open now via OpenTable at <a href="https://courserestaurantaz.com">courserestaurantaz.com</a>.</p> <p>The most competitive of the three is Exceptional Vibe's Sunday Dinner Series stop at <em><a href="https://www.carcararestaurant.com/">Carcara</a></em> at the Sheraton Phoenix <a href="/entity/downtown/">Downtown</a> on June 7. Three chefs compete in a Seafood Remix format, with ticketholders voting on the winning dish. The winner advances to the Seafood Category at the 2027 World Food Championships, a qualification pathway confirmed by the <a href="https://worldfoodchampionships.com/qualifiers">World Food Championships' own qualifiers listing</a>. The $150 ticket covers appetizers from the Carcara team, dishes from all three competing chefs, and cocktails from the Carcara bar team. Tickets are available at <a href="https://exceptionalvibe.com">exceptionalvibe.com</a>.</p> <p>All three events are ticketed and selling now; the Carcara dinner is the nearest, with seats available for June 7.</p>

Sources

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  1. Phoenix Magazine retrieved 04/06/2026 03:06

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 04/06/2026 03:06. Every claim traces to a source.