TEMPE, AZ — Celebrity chef Nik Fields is set to open ‘Chic Chef 77’ in Tempe come Super Bowl week.
The Bistro and Wine Bar will have an emphasis on wine (obviously) and the food selection will be a focal point at the location once you take a seat.
East Coast transplants — don’t be surprised by the menu items! Fields made sure there was an homage to New York by including references, songs, and places in the menu, like the cocktail named ‘Yonkers.’
Here’s what you need to know about the wine selection, cocktails, food, and, above all, the woman behind this new East Valley concept.
WINE AND DRINKS
The East Valley wine & bistro is set to have a “200-bottle wine list and rotating selection of by-the-glass pours."
Fields hopes to diversify the guests’ wine selection at her location.
“There’s so many wine producers, like woman-owned and a lot of black-owned wine companies that just don’t get to be serviced but they actually do deserve to [be]serviced but are overshadowed by the bigger brands. So we want to bring all of that into Chic Chef,” said Fields.
The place will also have a whimsical and fun cocktail selection.
![The [middle] drink with inside honey bear is called the ‘Yonkers’ which is a bourbon, cranberry, honey cocktail. “We have a lot of fresh herbs in there, it’s just a very sweet but also [a] refreshing cocktail… one of my ’ said Fields.](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ae6dc90/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1376x768+0+0/resize/1280x714!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F37%2F81%2F5eeaf46c4c668d81d075ed73cf3f%2Fscreen-shot-2022-06-02-at-12.57.43%20PM%20%283%29.jpg)
MENU
Some of the staple items on the menu include the Chelsea [mussels in a white wine lemon garlic butter sauce] and the La di-da’s [deviled eggs with grilled Cajun shrimp]. You can click here to see the full menu.
On selected nights, guests will have the opportunity to try dishes from other chefs, diversifying the menu and highlighting the wines at Chic Chef 77.
“Once a month we’re going to have a chef within the Valley or even a chef from a different state- they’re going to come in and do a prix-fixe dinner for the weekend,” said Fields. “The chefs will be selected based on the seasons, based on what they like to cook, but also the wine that we’re going to be highlighting that particular month.”
FROM FINANCE TO CHEF
The passion and love for food is nothing new for Fields — it’s been a dream to embark on the culinary world for years.
Fields graduated from a Culinary Arts School in Italy but didn’t pursue a career in the field because her parents told her, "there’s no money in food," so she went back to college and got her MBA in finance.
“I have a degree in finance, so I was a vice president of a bank for 20 years and when I turned 40 I said, 'okay I don’t want to do that anymore, I want to follow my passion with food,' so I created my own olive oil and vinegar, lime spice blends, sauces, and then as I started to do that, people… celebrities started asking me to cook for them. They literally came out of nowhere. My first private client was Sharon Stone, so it’s been uphill from that,” said Fields in an interview with ABC15.
Word about her talent traveled fast among celebrities and when the pandemic hit, that’s when Phoenix Suns players started reaching out, says Fields.
Now the local entrepreneur is getting ready to share her celebrity clients’ favorite dishes with the Valley.
“It’s unbelievable that we have the opportunity to open up the wine bar. We’re the first black-owned wine bar in the entire state,” said Fields. “We chose Tempe to have the business in and Tempe is so fantastic… everyone has been extremely welcoming, and we haven’t even opened yet.”
IF YOU GO
- Grand opening date: Wednesday, February 8, at 5 p.m.
- Address: 1221 E Apache Tempe, AZ 85281
