Four Seasons Resort

Chef Samantha Sanz, who oversees the Resort’s Talavera restaurant.

The James Beard Awards — often referred to as the Oscars of the food world — were announced last month, and an unprecedented number of Arizona chefs are nominated this year.

Ten chefs from Arizona made the list this time around, potentially signalling a shift for the local restaurant community. Could the Arizona’s chefs finally be getting their due?

If you ask one of those new nominees, Samantha Sanz, the answer is a long overdue "yes."

Sanz is the chef de cuisine at Talavera at the Four Seasons in Scottsdale, and now is also a nominee in the Rising Star Chef of the Year category for the James Beard Awards. She said she was shocked when she saw her name on that list.

Sanz has been cooking since she was a kid, growing up in the family restaurant — Trocadero in Nogales, Sonora — which has been in business for 60 years. She said it wasn’t a bad place to grow up.

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