Phoenix Mexican restaurant in national spotlight with best new chef

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Food and Wine released its list of 13 Best New Chefs and Lawrence "LT" Smith of Chilte in downtown Phoenix made the list for his playful “new-wave” Mexican-inspired menu.

Chilte started getting attention soon after opening its brick-and-mortar. Within a year, it made it on best restaurant lists on Bon Appetit, Esquire and Mashed.

To create the Best New Chef list, Food and Wine consulted with food writers, previous winners and cookbook authors for a list of restaurants. Then editorial staffers, which include editor in chief Hunter Lewis, deputy editor Melanie Hansche, executive features editor Kat Kinsman and associate editorial director Chandra Ram (and the 2021 and 2023 Best New Chef winners Paola Velez and Chris Shepherd) traveled the country to taste and find the "most promising and dynamic chefs cooking today."

Chefs who had been running a kitchen for five years or less were eligible for Best New Chef. Smith and his now wife, Aseret Arroyo, started Chilte as a food truck and opened their first brick-and-mortar at the Egyptian Motor Hotel in February 2023.

What's on the menu at Chilte? Smith's menu is informed by the soul food of his upbringing in the southern United States and his wife's Sinaloan Mexican heritage, as well as his travels.

According to Food and Wine, "The food at Chilte is courageous, ambitious, playful, and bold. It's Mexican at heart and global in its imagination."

Dishes that received a nod included "three moles on a plate," "jet-black tortillas using squid ink," "Mexican 'banchan' (including electric cucumbers dressed in a sweet and spicy salsa macha) and a som tam steak aguachile (a Thai-inspired riff on carne apache) that’s all funk and fire."

In addition to food, Chilte's eclectic furniture and wall art received nods from the magazine.

Details: 765 Grand Ave., Phoenix. 602-807-5225, chiltephx.com.

Reach the reporter at BAnooshahr@azcentral.com. Follow @banooshahr on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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