Welcome to my website, I’m Debbie J. Elder, Founder and Culinary Curator.

I am a personal chef, licensed caterer, culinary instructor, food stylist, recipe developer, and event professional with more than 30 years of hands-on culinary experience.

As the founder of Culinary Curator, LLC, I bring the creative direction and culinary judgment behind every menu, private dinner, catered event, class, and Culinary Experience I produce. My role is to bring all the elements together — the food, presentation, timing, atmosphere, service, and guest experience — so that each occasion feels personal, polished, and effortless for the host.

My culinary education has been built through decades of active work in professional and private kitchens. Long before cooking became my profession, I was developing recipes, studying ingredients, exploring cuisines, and preparing food for family, friends, and community gatherings. I further developed my skills through culinary program at Scottsdale’s Classic Cooking Academy.

A defining chapter of my career was serving as the test kitchen manager for a national publication. In that role, I developed and tested recipes, prepared food for editorial projects, and produced and styled dishes for photography and video. That experience strengthened my technical cooking skills and developed the visual discipline that continues to influence every plate, platter, buffet, and table I create.   

Food should taste exceptional, but it should also invite people in. My background in food styling allows me to consider color, composition, texture, proportion, and presentation as carefully as flavor.

Before founding Culinary Curator, LLC, I built an extensive career in the meetings, hospitality, and special events industry. That experience gave me a valuable understanding of event logistics, guest flow, timing, vendor coordination, service standards, budgeting, and the countless behind-the-scenes details required to execute an event successfully.

I bring that same organization, foresight, and calm leadership to every culinary engagement — from a private dinner for four to a catered reception for fifty or more.

Today, I provide personal chef services, boutique catering, private dining, hands-on cooking classes, culinary demonstrations, custom menu development, food styling, culinary consulting, and specialty food preparation throughout Fountain Hills, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and the Northeast and Southeast Valley. Much of this work happens in my Kitchen Studio in downtown Fountain Hills — a dedicated culinary space that also serves as a private venue for showers, celebrations, meetings and gatherings of your own.

My menus are created with careful consideration for the occasion, the season, the client’s preferences, and the needs of each guest. Every dish is made from scratch using thoughtfully sourced, high-quality ingredients. Dietary needs and special requests are welcomed and incorporated with creativity and care.

Cooking for others is more than my profession. It is the way I create connection, celebration, discovery, and belonging.

I find great purpose in designing meals that encourage people to slow down, gather around the table, and enjoy one another. Introducing clients to a new ingredient, flavor, or culinary tradition is one of the most rewarding parts of my work.

It would be my pleasure to create something memorable for you.

Organizations & Certifications:

ServSafe® Food Protection Manager Certified Examination, January 2023. Certification examination accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Conference for Food Protection (CFP)

Maricopa County Environmental Services Department, State of Arizona, Catering Permit, March 2022-Present

Past President – Les Dames d’ Escoffier Phoenix Chapter, 2024.

Graduate, Leadership Fountain Hills, Arizona, 5th Year Class 2021.

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