Chef Michael DeMaria is renowned throughout the Phoenix Metropolitan region and beyond for his inventive and exceptional American with Italian influences contemporary cuisine.

Chef Michael was trained by the superior chefs at the five-star Arizona Biltmore. His dynamic background includes teaching culinary arts at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, training with Westin Hotel Corporation and working at well-known destinations such as San Francisco's Ritz-Carlton and Phoenix's famous Royal Palms Hotel and Lon's at the Hermosa Inn. 

Chef Michael is an avid fly fisherman!
Catch and release, only.

In 1992, Chef Michael was selected as one of 25 chefs to comprise Team U.S.A., which represented the United States in the Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt, Germany. For a decade, 1997-2007, Chef Michael's highly acclaimed namesake restaurant, Michael's at the Citadel, located in the high Sonoran Desert of North Scottsdale, received recognitions such as the AAA 4-Diamond award, Mobil 3-Star award, Wine Spectator magazine's Award of Excellence and the Zagat Survey's "extraordinary".

Business partners Chef Michael and Brandon Maxwell are co-owners of M Culinary Concepts with operations that include: M Catering by Michael's, a 36,000 square-foot commissary kitchen and warehouse, is a chef-driven concept serving world cuisine to parties of eight to 8,000; Main Course, Chef Michael's unique corporate dining experience that offers meal service to businesses within their on-site dining facilities, as well as VIP events, special meetings and holiday parties; and M Restaurants, a cutting-edge, contemporary restaurant concept designed and developed by Chef Michael. His newest venture is Heirloom - An American Restaurant, located at DC Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona, which opened in January of 2009.

Heirloom has received high praise from area diners, as well as the media: "...dinner at Heirloom is flat-out delicious". - The Arizona Republic; 'You'll love DeMaria's new place, which focuses on fresh seasonal delights". - PHOENIX Magazine, October '09; and One of 23 Best New Restaurants, November '09 - PHOENIX Magazine.

Chef Michael continues to receive awards such as Phoenix Home & Garden 2002 "Master of the Southwest" Master Chef; New Times "Best of Phoenix;" Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame Inductee 2002; as well as several PHOENIX  Magazine's "Best of the Valley" recognition awards.