SEPTEMBER 2026 16 In the Kitchen with Andrew Belcher, Sous Chef at Nobu Scottsdale 7014 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale • noburestaurants.com In the Kitchen F rom serving in the U.S. Army to honing his craft in one of the world’s most recognized fine dining brands, Chef Andrew has built his career through discipline, determination and a passion for creating impressive meals, one perfectly prepared dish at a time. Tell us about your upbringing. I grew up in Arizona but I’m originally from Hagerstown, Maryland. My dad was in the military but after, he got a job here so I’ve been in Arizona since I was two. Was there a specific incident that cemented your love for cooking? I’d say it started with my grandma – she’s a little bougie. She would take me to all these nice restaurants and I just remember thinking how cool I felt. I remember thinking salmon was so fancy! Trying all these different, new flavors… my mom? Not a cook [ laughs ]. What I ate growing up and what I cook and eat now are two very different things. In high school I had a good friend and he watched Hell’s Kitchen and all the cooking shows, so one day I sat down and watched with him, and I remember thinking ‘okay, I could get down with this.’ I didn’t start cooking until, like, seven years later. I held a few other jobs until I realized that cooking is really what I want to do with my life. Where else have you worked? I was the manager at Fry’s – still near food – and then I joined the Army and was in the infantry for four years. I went to Syria and Iraq, the whole shebang. It was something I really enjoyed. My job consisted of a lot of training so when we were stateside, we spent weeks on end in the woods. All the food is in a bag. If you’re lucky, there’s hot water – add it to the powder, shake it really hard, and you’ve got scrambled eggs. Despite that, I had a great time, but then I was like, ‘Okay, I’m ready to do what I want to do.’ I started working at The Gladly on Camelback with Chef Bernie. Worked there for a year and then went to culinary school at ACI. Right at the end, Chef Carl Murray came by looking for people for Nobu and I decided to give it a try. Did you learn skills at ACI that you use today? I’d say that culinary school is a great intro into the industry. It’s nowhere near all the skills I’ve needed and learned in working here, but it gave me that initial look. I cut two fish in culinary school. I understood the basics and whatever path each person chooses is how they get better over time. What kind of training did you go through when you first started at Nobu? Our most famous dish – the Alaskan black cod – comes to the restaurant whole, 50 pounds each. The chef will show you how to cut it and you get one try. If you mess up, you have to wait for the next day to try again. You keep trying until you get two fish; three; then you’re breaking down whole cases of fish like it’s nothing. Start at the ‘bottom’ of the fish, cut through to the top – don’t worry, there’s no head – and once you can cut straight down, you’ve got it. That’s the main skill. Those first couple, though, I was really nervous. You can see the wavy lines in the fish and the chef goes ‘Nope, try again tomorrow.’ And then one day it clicks. I can break one down in 30 seconds now. Did you know from the start you wanted to be in fine dining? As far back as I can remember the Michelin Star has been my whole thing. I wanted to know everything I could about the star and about the restaurants with the stars. The chefs I read about – Morimoto, Jang – and in the first few pages of whatever book, they all said, ‘Nobu taught me so much.’ So I knew I wanted to check it out – and here I am! What can guests find at Nobu? Our popularity starts with the service itself. A lot of places talk about service but at Nobu there’s constant training, there are tests, there are ‘boot camps.’ Your server is so knowledgeable. There’s the fine dining experience with the knowledge. The Alaskan black cod is marinated for three days – it’s the most popular thing on the menu. Fire-wood oven, nice char, it’s a great intro to fish if you’re not sure. Other popular dishes are the spicy rock shrimp – that’s a crowd favorite; my personal favorite is the Chilean sea bass pan seared with Nobu’s custom dry miso on top. Give us a little backstory on the restaurant. Where did it debut? Nobu Matsuhisa opened his first restaurant – by that same name – in 1987 in LA, and Robert De Niro [yes, that De Niro] fell in love. He asked Nobu to open a restaurant in New York, and Nobu kept saying no… until two years later when Robert mentioned that he wanted him to check out a space, and the two partnered on the first spot that opened in 1994. It was insane for its time. He took the Peruvian and Japanese influences and fused them together and now there are 56 locations worldwide.

17 SEPTEMBER 2026 I train students and I always remind them that even though you’re being pushed hard day after day, keep remembering why you love it. Have you met Nobu Matsuhisa? I have – his security, his ambiance… he has a whole crew that rolls with him. His drip was brand-new, out of the bag. He’s so successful. I was so star struck. What is your favorite cooking technique? Sauté! I like my pans, I like working with hot food, reducing sauces, cooking chicken so it comes out golden brown. I’m very comfortable at the sauté station. When you’re not working, what are you doing? I have a one-year-old, so my life is super busy whether I’m at work or at home. Being a chef is very time consuming, but when I can, I get to the gym. I’ve been really boring this last year. I’ve been trying to bring the baby around things that I like, so I took her to the dirt bike shop, like, ‘This is a dirt bike. You might want to ride one of these someday. Your mom is going to kill me.’ [ laughs ] If you could cook for anyone, who would it be and why? Gordon Ramsey. I would love to get his blessing – if you do, you’re eternal, if not, keeping working at it. Keep getting better. What is your favorite part of the restaurant industry? Is it lame to say the food? [ laughs ] I love the busy nights when you get consumed by it all. Nothing else matters. You’re in the zone and all you can see is the food and the tickets and the chaos. When you get really good at it, you can see the panic on your team’s face but you tell them ‘okay, watch this,’ and just cool everything down until there’s a good flow. I’m really calm when I’m in the kitchen – I don’t know how. There are very few times that I’ve snapped at someone. It’s just formulating a plan, trying to stay ahead of what’s going on, plan for accidents, the tickets come out like nothing ever happened. What’s your least favorite part? Doing dishes! We’ve struggled – like a lot of other restaurants – keeping a dishwasher staffed so we all do our part. You’ll look over and I’m scrubbing and putting dishes away. Twelve hours in, you’re like ‘Okay, just have to get these dishes done and we can go home!’ What do you cook when you’re at home? Rice, veggies, protein. I love my Instapot; I love making stews. I’ve gotten into Korean and Japanese-style stews. I keep it simple. After working a long shift, when you don’t feel like cooking – or doing dishes – you find ways to make good tasting, healthy, simple food. What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking about going into the culinary industry? Give it a chance. Be ready for adversity. Come in ready to learn! After the first couple months, reflect back on your why. I train students and I always remind them that even though you’re being pushed hard day after day, keep remembering why you love it. Who are some chefs that inspire you? Oh, wow. Well, I can tell you all the French chefs I’ve admired, including Ducasse and Robuchon. Gabriel Kreuther’s style of food is amazing. I probably shouldn’t say this name but René Redzepi and the Noma crowd. Love their dishes. There are restaurants that inspire me, too, like Jungsik in New York – I like what they’re doing. I’ve learned that it’s the whole team that’s creating the food, rather than just one chef. My favorite restaurant right now is in California. It’s called Single Thread. It’s a bed and breakfast right next to vineyards and a farm. Every morning, the kitchen staff goes to the farm to tend to the veggies and 80 percent of their menu that day comes from the farm. They’re a three Michelin Star restaurant. That’s the real deal. What’s next for Chef Andrew? They’re opening a new location in Tennessee so I’m hoping I can find a spot there. They’re building a restaurant and Nobu Hotel overlooking a river so we’ll be heading there in the next few years. I’m excited to get out of the heat [ laughs ]. We’re going to grind and it’ll be a great way to get my name and my dishes out there. OUR FAMILY LAW TEAM HAS BEEN RANKED #1 IN RANKING ARIZONA FOR 6 YEARS IN A ROW! 1850 North Central Avenue | Suite 1400 | Phoenix, AZ 85004 602.285.5000 www.dickinsonwright.com