Who is better equipped to name the Valley’s most distinguished chefs than, well, the Valley’s most distinguished chefs? We asked local culinary luminaries to weigh in on who they consider to be the best in the biz, and here’s who their votes revealed to be the Valley’s Top Chefs.

THE VALLEY'S TOP CHEF: MATT CARTER of Zinc Bistro, The Mission and Bonfire Grill

For 10 years, Matt Carter has been one of the Valley’s most outstanding culinary talents as the chef at Scottsdale’s French-inspired Zinc Bistro. When Old Town’s The Mission opened nearly three years ago, Carter showed that his gourmet genius also included Latin cuisine. Now, with the spring debut of Bonfire Grill, where Carter is a consulting chef, he is dishing out casual wood-fired eats. What keeps him coming back for more? “I have always enjoyed the service, camaraderie and intensity of the business,” he says.
Before becoming the busy chef he is today, the former Scottsdale Culinary Institute student (Carter graduated in 1989) pursued classical training in Paris to hone his skills in French fare. “I took courses at Le Cordon Bleu, refined my skills at various restaurants and gained exposure to what I believe is the world’s finest cuisine,” he says. Since then, Carter has worked as a poissonnier (fishmonger) at Thomas Keller’s famed French Laundry as well as with the Valley’s own Christopher Gross and Michael DeMaria.

Chef Carter’s Favorite…
Type of cuisine: French Thing to cook: Fish Foodie movie: “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover” Cookbook: “Ducasse Flavors of France” Beer: Bud in a can, Stella on tap and Guinness for dinner