OCTOBER 2021 | 54 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA In some ways, the scramble felt like his early culinary days, when Tarbell was working his way up from dishwasher to chef. “I did an apprenticeship for a year in Amsterdam. I went to culinary school in Paris. I did apprenticeships at one of the top restaurants in Paris, a 3-star restaurant at the time, and then a 1-star restaurant. I worked in a butchery and at a wine bar,” he said. Tarbell became a chef, then a sous chef, then a chef in Boston before decamping to Arizona. Along with the move came the pivotal step to the front of the house to learn the business side of restaurants. Leveraging his wine experience, Tarbell became the food and beverage director at The Boulders Resort in Carefree when he was 23, the youngest of any 5-diamond resort in the world. “I entered into that whole realm for practical reasons and ended up loving working at The Boulders. I was there eight years.” Then came a fork. Money he’d borrowed planning to open a restaurant back in Boston wasn’t tied to location. “I’m grateful that, for practical reasons, I decided to stay here,” he “The world needs to know how great the chefs are here. It’s not just sunshine and new homes.” Tarbell is thrilled to host the 7 th Harvest Moon Feast in support of the Careers through Culinary Arts Program. This workforce development nonprofit mentors the next generation of food stars.

FRONTDOORS MEDIA | 55 | OCTOBER 2021 said. “I’d already established myself a little and knew where to get my food and wine. From a fear-based mentality, I stayed in Phoenix. And I loved it.” He opened Tarbell’s in Phoenix in 1994, and the restaurant became a hit. It was also the launching point for Tarbell himself, whose outsized work ethic and ambition spurred him to open several more restaurants, write a weekly wine column for The Arizona Republic , and make frequent radio and TV appearances, including winning “Iron Chef America” on The Food Network in 2007. His current Arizona PBS series “Plate & Pour” recently received four Emmy nominations. An engaging host, Tarbell takes viewers into interesting Arizona eateries and chats with chefs, restaurateurs and others in the local food community. The gig suits him. “The world needs to know how great the chefs are here. It’s not just sunshine and new homes,” Tarbell said. The show also offers a chance to shine a light on the good people of Arizona. “There’s so much charitable work,” he said. “People are committed to being here and are so generous.” A case in point is how the culinary community has rallied around the Careers through Culinary Arts Program. The 31-year-old nonprofit provides culinary, job and life-skills training to 9,000 Arizona high school students each year. “These kids get a purpose, and they get an opportunity to compete and meet other kids around the state,” Tarbell said. This year, they’ll also get the chance to show off at the 7 th Harvest Moon Feast that Tarbell is hosting in his restaurant’s Camelback East Village parking lot. With 25 food tables, C-CAP students will cater the event with their chef mentors. Tarbell is pulling out all the stops — closing down the restaurant for the night, inviting celebrity friends, even stepping in with Nate Nathan and the Mac Daddy-O’s on guitar. The event will not only help students get real-world cooking experience with professional chefs, but it will also raise funds to provide scholarships and jobs. “We have one of the largest, most effective C-CAP programs in the country,” Tarbell said, “One that others model themselves after.” Tarbell’s has taken on a lot of From the time he arrived in Arizona, Mark Tarbell has been a passionate advocate for the state’s food and beverage culture.