Follow Arizona Seven at NYC's James Beard House

The Arizona Seven have planned, they’ve prepped, they’ve packed, and now they’re descending upon New York City’s Greenwich Village for their day in the spotlight at the prestigious James Beard House.

But seven chefs at the Beard House means a lot of moving parts and a lot of big personalities in one of the world’s biggest cities.  It promises to be an exciting day.

Cullen Campbell of Crudo and Okra, Kelly Fletcher of El Chorro, Joshua Hebert of Posh Restaurant, Scott Holmes of Little Miss BBQ, Stephen Jones of DeSoto Central Market, Bernie Kantak of Citizen Public House and The Gladly and Gio Osso of Virtù Honest Craft are collaborating on a five-course menu plus passed hors d’oeuvre and dessert at the home of the James Beard Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to honoring and preserving the culinary arts in the United States.

It’s a chance for them to represent themselves and the Valley’s dining scene on one of the world’s most respected culinary stages, and I’ve traveled to New York to liveblog the event from first light to final toast so their fans and friends back home can follow along.

Check back for updates throughout the day. I can’t promise the liveblog will be as delicious as being here in person, but this is a colorful crew that promises to provide plenty of good stories.

10:50 p.m. - Curtain Call

With the final dishes served, a rowdy crowd of chefs piles upstairs to be introduced by the staff and answer a short Q&A. Fletcher speaks of how this event grew out of the seven chef series of dinners in Arizona and their love of cooking together. Jones speaks of a desire to represent Arizona on a bigger stage and make sure everybody knows that there are "great things going on in the desert." But Hebert delivers an impassioned plea to fight for the culture of good food and the pleasures of dining together with friends, and he closes the evening with the night's biggest applause line, saying "Do not let food go the way of Wal-Mart."

In a place like the James Beard House, he's preaching to the choir. But the choir sings its appreciation in response.

10:15 p.m. - Dessert

7 Bites from 7 Chefs:

Foie Gras Sorbet with White Truffles from Joshua Hebert

Miniature Meletti Amaro-Pecan Pies from Cullen Campbell

Rice Waffles with Miso Butter, Ginger, and Pineapple Compote from Bernie Kantak

Chocolate Truffles with Smoked Black Pepper and Sea Salt from Scott Holmes

Mayan Cocoa with Masa Crema and White Chocolate-Vanilla Popcorn from Kelly Fletcher

Sorghum Monkey Bread from Stephen Jones

Nutella Macaroons from Gio Osso

9:30 p.m. - Fifth Course

Smoked Snake River Farms Wagyu Brisket with Jalapeño, Cheddar Grit Cakes, and Brussels Sprouts Slaw from Scott Holmes

9:00 p.m. - Fourth Course

Smoked New York Duck Breast with Castagnaccio and Gianduja Chocolate from Gio Osso

8:35 p.m. - Third Course

Mesquite-Dusted Sweetbreads with Apple, Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Chestnut Mousse, and Mesa Walnut Vinegar from Stephen Jones

8:20 p.m. - Second Course

Clams with Lobster Bottarga, Olive Oil, Controne Chile, and Polenta from Cullen Campbell

8:00 p.m. - First Course

Squid Ink Biscuit with Buttered Leeks, Uni Gravy, and Wasabi from Joshua Hebert

7:45 p.m. - Introductions

The guests are seated, and after a brief introduction to the James Beard House, the man's legacy and the foundation that works in his name, we're off!

7:30 p.m. - Fourth Hors d'Oeuvre

Chicken Liver Mousse with Seaweed and Trout Roe from Kelly Fletcher

7:25 p.m. - Third Hors d'Oeuvre

Lavender-Cured Cobia with Tapioca and Curried Peanuts from Bernie Kantak

7:20 p.m. - Second Hors d'Oeuvre

Pork Belly Pastrami Steamed Rye Buns from Bernie Kantak

7:15 p.m. - First Hors d'Oeuvre

Tuna with Avocado Wasabi, Soy, Rayu, Grapefruit, and Pork Skin from Kelly Fletcher

7:00 p.m. - The Crowd Descends

Before, the house was cozy. Now, it is downright crowded. The atrium is packed with guests and the hors d'oeuvre are flowing.

6:50 p.m. - It Begins

The first guests start to trickle in, and the chefs are plating hors d'oeuvre. And taking pictures of their own.

6:15 p.m. - The Storm

This time, when I arrive at the house, the good smells greet me outside the front door.

The kitchen's humming, but controlled. Osso has managed to locate wood chips and stand-ins for the broken macarons. The chefs are finishing up their last minute preparations and clearing room to start plating.

The basement is packed with house staff, smartly dressed for service, who file into the kitchen for the evening's staff meeting. Hebert, one of the chefs who has previously done a solo dinner at the Beard House, plays ringmaster, calling out and introducing the rest of the chefs as they step up to familiarize the waitstaff with their menu items. After a brief meeting, Hebert cracks the whip, urging everybody to get their stations clean. Guests enter through the front door, walk down to the basement, and through the kitchen to get to the reception in the back.

3:00 p.m. - The Calm

A perk of having seven chefs put on the dinner rather than one is that on an individual basis, none of the seven have a heavy amount of prep to do.

Result: Two hour lunch.

While some of the chefs are back at the hotel taking a break before the evening's festivities, Campbell, Hebert and Fletcher seize the opportunity to eat. And since they're devotees of the craft in the middle of one of the culinary world's biggest playgrounds, they do it in style at Buvette.

Twenty minutes after being seated at a worn wooden table in a dense, lively room, there's duck liver mousse, a croque madame with sage, steak tartare, duck rillettes, octopus salad with celery and olives, creamy scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and creme fraiche, and more fine wine than most have at dinner.

They discuss the things you'd expect chefs to discuss — appreciation of the meal at hand, gossip about other restaurants and chefs, trading notes on how to manage balance sheets and maximize tax breaks, where to go for lunch tomorrow — shop talk.

For perhaps eight seconds, a question of strategy for the evening's service emerges. Who will direct traffic in the kitchen so they can avoid the proverbial pitfalls of having too many cooks?

Either the question remains unresolved, or the answer is obvious enough that it needn't be verbalized. I'm unsure which.

As the wine continues to flow, the conversation sounds less like three chefs talking and more like any three guys talking.

It's time to go. The chefs have to cook. I have to change.

2:15 p.m. - Well-Stocked

You hear a lot about how the kitchen at the James Beard House is well-stocked and well-designed, making good use of the small space. And while it's probably unremarkable to most kitchen professionals, I'm not sure most diners have a sense of what that means. The underside of every counter in the kitchen looks like this, meticulously organized and stuffed to the gills with all manner of pots, utensils, hotel pans, sheet pans, cutting boards... the list goes on.

It makes sense. Most chefs who cook in the kitchen at the house have never done so before, and it's usually one of the most important meals of their lives. Fumbling around for the right piece of equipment is the last thing you want to be doing.

1:10 p.m. - So That Just Happened

A Beard House staffer enters the kitchen with an announcement.

"Hey, chefs, I thought you might like to meet Jeremiah Tower."

In glides Tower, one of the pioneers of California cuisine during his time at Chez Panisse and Stars, a true culinary titan of our time.

The chefs are momentarily stunned. Once they regain their composure, it's handshakes and photos and ear to ear grins. Tower is doing an interview elsewhere in the building and came down to see the kitchen. He says he's off to his house in the Yucatan and scuba diving in Cozumel.

"Now that I'm out of the kitchen, I have to swim with the sharks to keep my adrenaline levels up."

12:20 p.m. - Chris Bianco and Jonathan Waxman

The kitchen is getting a little tense as the chefs start to feel the time.

Campbell's shredding carrots and talking about getting Chris Bianco's tomatoes shipped in from Arizona.

"Yeah, I'm talking to Bianco about shipping his tomatoes out here, and he says, 'If there's a problem with the shipment, don't worry. My friend's restaurant is right near there and I'll have him bring some over. His name's Jonathan Waxman,' and I'm thinking, gosh, I kinda hope the tomatoes don't show up."

Sadly, the tomatoes showed up.

12:05 p.m. - "Are there any oak trees?"

Osso is in a tough spot. He needs wood chips to smoke his duck breast, and hasn't been able to locate any. The chefs are all trying to think of where he might find some. Somebody suggests calling some local barbecue restaurants. Holmes perks up.

"Are there any oak trees around here? I think I saw some oak trees."

I think he's serious.

11:30 a.m. - Finalizing the Menu

Grant Crone of MMPR Marketing, who represents Campbell and is helping to make arrangements for the dinner, is going over some of the evening's details with the Beard House's Director of House Events, Claudia Karach. They talk about how the chefs will be announced, and Crone approves the final version of the evening's menu. It looks almost exactly the same as the menu the seven initially released in September, with only a few minor adjustments.

10:15 a..m. - Last-Minute Shopping

Campbell and Fletcher walk over to Chelsea Market to do some last-minute shopping. The pair are gushing over a salt from Long Island that they tried at Eleven Madison Park on Thursday night, and Campbell thinks maybe he'll use some if he can find it. Campbell doesn't locate the salt, but he does walk away with some 'nduja. Whether it's for cooking or personal consumption, I'm not sure.

Fletcher hunts for rayu — a spicy Japanese sesame oil — while I drool over one of the best seafood selections I've seen outside of Tsukiji. Note to Phoenix: Can we have this, please?

9:40 a.m. - The Gang's All Here

Campbell and Fletcher arrive, hauling more massive boxes of ingredients. Even with all seven present, it's a smooth-looking operation. It isn't the first time these seven have shared a tiny kitchen.

Osso's maracons were badly damaged in transport and he's working on a backup plan.

9:30 a.m. - Getting Into Gear

"It's starting to smell good in here, boys," shouts Osso.

He's right. Osso is trimming blood oranges, Kantak is baking miso rice cakes, and Jones is sautéing chestnuts with rosemary, thyme and bay leaf. The kitchen's starting to come alive.

It's also starting to get crowded. Hebert arrives and sets up his station. It's looking like they'll need to cook in shifts. Or get very, very cozy.

8:25 a.m. – The Crew Arrives

I step out onto the street to have a look, and Kantak, Jones and Osso pile out of a car hauling boxes and carry-ons crammed with ingredients. Osso just came in on a redeye and flies out again at the crack of dawn Saturday. The three join Holmes in the kitchen and start unloading their gear and ingredients. Among the goods is Holmes’ missing stash. It turned up after all.

This is already the third or fourth package scare of the trip. Jones and Kantak spent yesterday afternoon panicking when packages that had been delivered to their hotel in the morning weren't located until late at night. Yesterday's weather caused Holmes' briskets to arrive a day late, forcing the all-night cook. Osso is still waiting on a delivery to the house. He's confident it's coming.

8:05 a.m. – A Piece of History

In all seriousness, I’m a little taken aback by just how exhilarating it is to be here. This is a piece of history. And it’s been preserved in a way to remind you of that. The dining room — if it can be called that.

7:55 a.m. – Little Victories

Five extra minutes!

The staff opens the front door, and Holmes hauls his briskets into the kitchen and starts looking for a place to keep them warm. He finds an Alto-Shaam – a low-temperature holding oven – and is practically giddy.

Though the exterior of the Beard House is all but invisible, the interior is a different story. There’s a tiny, low-ceiling kitchen in the basement and an atrium on the back, but the upper floors look like they haven’t changed in a century. When there’s no activity and the lights are low, it’s a talking James Beard marble bust away from taking on a certain Haunted Mansion-esque quality.

I’m pretty sure the eyes on this portrait just moved.

7:35 a.m. – The Waiting Game

We arrive at the Beard House and almost miss it. Unassuming doesn’t even begin to cover it. But for a tiny plaque next to the door, it’s a completely nondescript brick rowhouse.

The kitchen opens to visiting chefs at 8:00 a.m., so Holmes and I talk while waiting for the starting gun. At ten minutes to eight, Holmes gets a call. It’s Kantak. They can’t find Holmes’ ingredients back at the hotel. Holmes is serving the last savory course, and his afternoon nap after an all-night cook may have just turned into an all-day dash for ingredients.

7:05 a.m. – Backseat Brisket

Holmes and I grab a ride back to Manhattan and the car smells like smoked brisket. This driver loves us or hates us. I’m not sure which.

6:20 a.m.  – Taking a ‘cue

Scott Holmes’ hands glisten with beef fat and the sleeves of his grey sweatshirt are covered with soot as he leans into a jet black van-sized smoker and pokes at four huge hunks of meat wrapped in paper. We’re standing on a street corner outside of Hometown Bar-B-Que, where he’s piggybacking on their night’s smoke, since he can’t exactly truck his smokers across the country for the event.

“It’s the barbecue community,” says Holmes. “We help each other out.”

Holmes has been here since 9:30 p.m. Thursday,  tending the fire and nervously watching the briskets that will be the centerpiece of his dish.

“I thought about cooking them at home, vacuum sealing them, bringing them out and warming them in a water bath, but then it was like, you know, it’s just not the same," Holmes said. "You don’t travel to NYC just to half-ass it.”

Smoking brisket is a delicate operation, and it’s tricky on unfamiliar equipment, but he’s feeling pretty good. He also hasn’t hasn’t slept all night and is getting increasingly delirious (and loquacious) as the sky brightens.

Fortune is on his side. Smoked brisket is done when it’s done and last night’s rain made it difficult to maintain the smoker’s temperature, but it turned out to be a mercifully short smoke, and he starts pulling the briskets and packing them for the ride to the James Beard House.

Meet the Arizona Seven