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The Desert Botanical Garden is about to get a serious revival by the man who knows “desert” in the best way possible — through food.

Located almost directly in the center of the Phoenix Metro Area, the Desert Botanical Garden showcases the wildlife of the desert in a tranquil, comfortable atmosphere. It’s easy to assume, then, that the gardens are a major local attraction. Yet, as many have observed, the DBG tends to largely attract tourists; local interest in the gardens has waned.

Chef Payton Curry, the mind behind the late (but critically acclaimed) Digestif in Old Town Scottsdale, intends to change that.

As a believer in fresh, local ingredients, Curry seems a natural fit to open the DBG’s first restaurant with the same mindset. This restaurant, appropriately named The Bounty, will showcase both locally grown ingredients from growers such as McClendon’s Select – the Peoria farm, which supplies much of FnB’s produce – as well as creations from other Valley chefs.

Curry refined his style while “externing” (working under a chef for only a few days) in Singapore. His culinary mantra “simplicity is elegance” will pervade the cuisine at The Bounty, showcasing the flavors of the ingredients.

The menu at the restaurant will change frequently with the availability of ingredients. Chef Curry jokes about the changing menu, saying, “Without the chicken, there is no egg ... if the chicken lays eggs, that’s great. If not, we’ll have fried chicken on Friday.”

The new eatery will feature fruit and vegetable plots behind the restaurant, which Curry hopes to farm a portion of his ingredients on. He sees these plots as an opportunity for patrons to “connect” with their food.

He “definitely” feels that the eatery has the potential to revitalize local buzz about the DBG.

“With The Bounty, we’re trying to make a local connection with people,” he says. “When they drive from Scottsdale to Phoenix and they find this beautiful place in between, we’re hoping it isn’t only the tourists that are attracted.”

Sophomore anthropology major Erin Runbeck says DBG would feel more like a place she could spend the whole day at if there were a gourmet restaurant on the grounds.

“I would be much more likely to spend a day at the Gardens if they had a [full-service] restaurant,” film freshman Yubicela Brito agrees.

The Bounty, which Curry hopes to open by November, will have a separate entrance from the DBG, allowing anyone to dine at the restaurant regardless of admission into the DBG or of membership. It will feature a fast, cafeteria-style component, a café component and a full-service, sit-down component.

Curry says he hopes to keep his new restaurant “gently priced” in order to appeal to a larger group of people. Along that line, he hopes for a large degree of community involvement, saying he would love to have students from around the Valley come to the restaurant and learn about local ingredients and how to grow them.

But for those who can’t wait until November, Curry can currently be found at the award-winning FnB in Scottsdale and writing recipes for McClendon’s Select’s blog.

Curry even foresees his upcoming restaurant as an avenue to “evolve” the Phoenix metropolitan culinary scene through innovative touches, such as on-site plots and community involvement.

“I’m tired of reading about how we are compared to San Francisco and all of these places,” he says. “With restaurants like FnB, Kai, and The Bounty, we are changing that.”

Contact the reporter at cbkelly@asu.edu.


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