Christopher Gross has a love of food and wine. He has spent years discovering and learning about food and wine in kitchens throughout Europe and the great dining rooms of notable American restaurants. Today, he has a solid reputation of a highly regarded, award-winning chef.
From renowned kitchens in Europe to the great dining rooms of American restaurants, Christopher Gross discovered and perfected his love of food and wine, devoting all of his knowledge and experience to establishing his reputation as a highly regarded chef.
Christopher's love of food came about by chance. He desperately wanted a bike to race motor cross. He landed a position with Phoenix's Adam's Hotel in 1974 where he was first exposed to cooking in the French tradition. To hone his skills he relocated to Los Angeles, working at the Marina City Club and Century Plaza from 1975-1978, which eventually led to a decision to head to Europe.
He worked in London for a short time at the Thierry Restaurant, but his mind was set on Paris. He secured a position in 1979 at Chez Albert, a Michelin starred restaurant. After Chez Albert, Christopher worked in Normandy in a patisserie, Maison Koberly, before returning to the United States.
Christopher chose Los Angeles and the city's most outstanding restaurant, L'Qrangerie, in 1981, as the place to continue his cooking career. He remained there two years. Upon returning to the Phoenix valley in 1983, Christopher was Chef de Cuisine at La Champagne, located at the Registry Resort in Scottsdale. His first joint venture in 1985 was Le Relais, which was heralded by the press. Each summer Christopher, who was the chef partner for five years, would close Le Relais and travel to France to continue "training," as well as picking up new cooking techniques.
In 1990, Christopher opened Christopher's and Christopher's Bistro, in the heart of the Biltmore area of Phoenix. Christopher's, an elegant, French-inspired dining room offered the best in new and traditional French cuisine, was one of the first restaurants in this country to offer over 70 wines by the glass and pairing them with his menu items. Christopher's Bistro, the more casual dining room, featured American International cuisine with a distinct French flair.
In 1998, Christopher opened Christopher's Fermier Brasserie & Paola’s Wine Bar within the Biltmore Fashion Park. The chef's new enterprise features fresh, French-inspired fare fashioned from ingredients obtained from local and regional farms.
Among his many media recognitions, Christopher was named one of America's 10 Best New Chefs by Food & Wine magazine. Christopher's, the restaurant, was named Best New Restaurant by William Rice of the Chicago Tribune and Best New Restaurant by John Mariani of Esquire. George Lang of Travel Leisure wrote in his Best of 1990: "Gross is a true master of the kitchen arts… All the food is made by a man who doesn't begin with a theory — he just cooks dishes that seem like home cooking to anyone wherever your home is."
In 1997 Christopher was the first chef in Arizona to be bestowed the honor of the Robert Mondavi Culinary Award of Excellence. In 1995, Perrier Jouet and the James Beard Foundation named Christopher Best Chef Southwest.
In 2006 Christopher became the newest member to be appointed to the American Liver Foundation Culinary Council. He joined other top chefs including Drew Nieporent, Jacques Torres, Patricia Wells, and Roy Yamaguchi.
Before Christopher's and Christopher's Bistro closed in mid 1998, both restaurants had received prestigious accolades in Gourmet, Conde Nast, Food & Wine, Wine Spectator, Bon Appetit, The Arizona Republic, Phoenix New Times, Phoenix Home and Garden, The New York Times, Connoisseur, Home Beautiful and others. Most recently, Christopher’s Fermier Brasserie & Paola’s Wine has been awarded America’s Best Restaurant – Phoenix & Scottsdale, Gourmet Magazine 2002, Best French Restaurant – Best of Phoenix 2002 & 2003, The New Times, and Best Lunch – The Rep’s Best 2002, Arizona Republic.
Christopher has become a dominating figure within the industry, offering his collective talents of food and wine. He consults regularly for Club Med, Crystal Cruises, Cunard Cruise Lines, Disney and others! Christopher has also been featured on numerous panels with Jacques Pepin and Julia Child at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen
Cooking for Christopher is not only a career, it is also a passion which he enjoys sharing through cooking classes, cooking segments on local TV, and his featured articles in Front Doors Magazine. He and his recipes have appeared in numerous cookbooks, including the Julia Child PBS series and cookbook; "In the Kitchen with Master Chefs." Christopher orchestrated the Arizona chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food (AIWF) and was its founding chairman, along with being the Chair of the American Liver Foundation’s “Flavor of Phoenix,” and the Chair of the Share Our Strength’s “Taste of the Nation”, the nation’s largest hunger relief program. Christopher also sits on the National Advisory Board for the James Beard Foundation and the Advisory Board of the Art Institute of Phoenix.
Christopher makes it a priority to give back to the community by donating his time, talent and cuisine to such charitable organizations as the Center Against Sexual Abuse, Cystic Fibrosis, American Liver Foundation, American Heart Association, Share Our Strength, West Side Food Bank, the James Beard Foundation and others. He was also a featured chef at Dinner of the Decade, "A Salute to Peter Kump," at the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games, and at a political dinner for President Bush. He has also cooked for President Ford, President Reagan and Vice President Al Gore.
Over two decades and twelve motorcycles later, Christopher still calls Phoenix home. He spends his free time riding his motorcycle. Christopher credits his success to hard work, perseverance, and settling for nothing less than excellent.