St. Francis Welcomes Executive Chef Josh Duncan
Executive Chef Josh Duncan Now Stoking the Fire at St. Francis Restaurant
Arizona native and former St. Francis sous chef takes reins at longstanding Central Phoenix restaurant
(PRESS RELEASE) PHOENIX, Ariz. -- It’s been nearly seven years since chef Joshua Duncan began his professional culinary career as a prep cook for St. Francis restaurant. Now he’s back, and this time he’s earned the role of executive chef at the well-loved Valley restaurant.
“I’m excited to return to St. Francis and to bring some innovation to the menu, while still staying true to what this place has always been: an exceptional neighborhood restaurant,” Duncan says.
Joshua graduated with a degree in Criminology from Arizona State University, initially planning on pursuing a law degree and then using it to fund his ultimate dream of owning a restaurant. It didn’t take long, however, for him to realize the law would never make him satisfied. He began spending his nights at a local restaurant, trading labor for the foundation of education in the culinary arts.
“It was my nose that first drew me to St. Francis,” Duncan recalls. “I was working downtown and I could smell the wood burning oven on my drive home. When I finally felt I had enough chops to get a ‘real’ restaurant job, it was the first place it went to look for work.”
He was hired by chef and owner Aaron Chamberlin who saw in Joshua a deep passion for the industry, natural talent and endless potential. Less than one year later, Joshua had risen through the ranks to the role of sous chef.
In order to continue his professional growth, Joshua then moved to San Francisco, where he worked at Michelin starred restaurants including Spruce and Nico, a modern French bistro that earned its coveted Michelin star in its second year of operation. During this time Joshua traveled to three farmers markets each week to source the freshest, most unique ingredients for Nico’s daily menu. On his off days, he volunteered at local farms and staged at two and three Michelin star restaurants throughout the Bay Area.
Joshua eventually returned to Arizona and opened Arizona Provisions in 2016. The upscale catering company specialized in intimate, high-end events and in-home cooking classes in Paradise Valley. He joined the team at St. Francis in early summer 2018.
In the coming weeks, Joshua will begin to put his own stamp on the St. Francis menu. His devotion to sourcing high quality, seasonal ingredients from both the Valley and region will bringing a breath of fresh air to the menu, as well as his passion for wood-fired cooking, which has long been a pillar of the restaurant's menu.
New additions will include seasonal items such as creamy spigarello soup and tender lemon asparagus, in addition to exciting finds such as panisse, or Italian chickpea fries, and fresh oysters with raspberry mignonette.
St. Francis’ new dinner, brunch and happy hour menus are available now. For more information visit www.stfrancisaz.com.