Chef Cory Oppold recently achieved a career-defining milestone—his long-awaited nomination by the prestigious James Beard Foundation. This honor recognizes years of dedication, innovation, and the sacrifices made to bring his culinary vision to life.
At the heart of his journey is COURSE, a dining experience that redefines fine dining through immersive, 10-course tasting menus. Named Top Chef and Emerging Restaurant of the Year by the Foodist Awards, Chef Oppold pushes the boundaries of flavor and presentation, crafting dishes like a caviar-adorned doughnut and a reimagined “Fish & Chips” featuring sturgeon, potato, and smoked brook trout roe.
In true Paradise Valley City Lifestyle fashion, we played a fun game of 21 questions with Chef Oppold to dive deeper into his culinary journey and inspirations.
1. Growing up on a dairy farm, what is your fondest memory of food from your childhood? My parents and grandparents always having a garden. I enjoyed picking vegetables and weeding in the garden, and also the canning and preserving of the vegetables.
2. How did the farm life shape your work ethic in the kitchen today? Growing up on a farm was hard work; it was always constant and never ending. Any other job from there is pretty easy.
3. What inspired your initial interest in art and math, and do those skills influence your cooking? I don’t know what inspired it, but I often excelled in math and art. The art aspect is a huge inspiration in food as I view food as an art-form.
4. What was it about your first fine dining experience that made you change your career path? I saw food as art and entertainment as opposed to just nourishment.
5. How did teaching at Le Cordon Bleu College influence your culinary style? Teaching culinary school gave me the time to reflect on and define my style of cooking. To teach, you have to research.
6. What’s one lesson you learned early in your career that you still live by? Work hard and stay on your path.
7. How do you define “fine dining” in today’s food landscape? Fine dining today is beautiful and delicious food with a style of service that exceeds expectations.
8. If you could go back to when you first started cooking, what advice would you give your younger self? Travel more to learn other styles of food and different techniques.
9. If you could cook for anyone, who would it be and why? Will Ferrell. No explanation needed.
10.What’s your all-time favorite ingredient to work with and why? Salt. Without salt, there really is no flavor.
11.Are there any trends in cooking you wish would go away? No, everything has a purpose at some point or time.
12. What’s an underrated ingredient or dish you think deserves more attention? Sh*t on a shingle, which is creamed chipped beef on toast served in the army.
13. What’s a dish you’ve made that you’re most proud of? Lobster corndog.
14.If you weren’t a chef, what career path do you think you’d be pursuing today? I would be an architect.
15. Do you have a guilty pleasure food you love but would never put on a menu? Not in particular. There are always spins and plays we could do to incorporate it in our menu.
16. What’s the story behind the creation of COURSE in Scottsdale? COURSE has always been a dream of mine. I’ve always wanted a multi-course establishment, hence the name. But COURSE also refers to the direction in which we want to take the food.
17. What’s the most popular dish at COURSE, and what inspired it? Our tasting menu changes seasonally, but I would say the lobster corndog is among many favorites. The dish was inspired by the state fair.
18. What’s something about you that most people would be surprised to learn? I am claustrophobic.
19. How do you unwind after a busy day in the kitchen? I love watching movies.
20.Do you have a favorite restaurant or chef that inspires you? Thomas Keller
21.How do you want diners to feel when they leave your restaurant? We want their experience to be memorable and to exceed all expectations.
courserestaurantaz.com
"I see food as art and entertainment as opposed to just nourishment."
"Our tasting menu changes seasonally, but I would say the lobster corndog is among many favorites. The dish was inspired by the state fair."