New 2013 Ripe Awards Honor Phoenix’s Five Most Cutting-Edge Chefs at Inaugural Event
PHOENIX (February 5, 2013) – In front of a standing room only crowd inside the Phoenix Art Museum last Thursday, Phoenix’s most talented chefs were awarded with the region’s new top honor, the 2013 Ripe award.

Ripe is the soon-to-be annual honor that recognizes extraordinary talent selected by a panel of judges who are immersed all year round in the Valley dining scene. Sponsored by the Men’s Arts Council of the Phoenix Art Museum, the group of judges will weigh in every winter to identify local culinary talent that is expected to do creative, edgy and even shocking things in the upcoming year. These culinary masterminds are branded ripe for the picking.

The 2013 inaugural class of Ripe is nothing short of stellar – from Esquire Magazine’s “Nation’s Best Restaurant” winners to an improvisational mastermind and a New York restaurateur turned Scottsdale favorite – this group of world-class talent can stand up to any James Beard award winner, past or present. 2013 Ripe honorees include Bernie Kantak, Executive Chef and Co-Owner of Citizen Public House, named one of 2011’s “Nation’s Best Restaurants” by Esquire Magazine; Josh Hebert, executive chef, owner and creator of Posh, the Valley’s first improvisational cuisine concept; Charleen Badman, Executive Chef and Co-Owner of Scottsdale’s...