Edible Cooks with C-Cap

From C-CAP Student to "Chopped" Champion

Young chef Peter McQuaid blazes a path to culinary success

By Shoshana Leon | May 31, 2024

Courtesy of C-CAP AZ

At just 26 years old, Peter McQuaid is executive chef at Scottsdale restaurant Cala and a champion on the Food Network show “Chopped.”

McQuaid’s involvement with the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) as a high school student played a foundational role in his success and his career trajectory. C-CAP, which serves middle and high school students in Arizona and other areas across the country, is a workforce development nonprofit that provides teens a pathway to success by providing culinary, job and life skills.

While working on a Spanish project during his freshman year at Tempe Preparatory Academy, he contacted acclaimed Barrio Café chef Silvana Salcido Esparza. He interviewed her and they made guacamole together. She made a very strong impression on him. He made a strong impression on her as well and she offered him a job.

“I fell in love with the restaurant industry and Silvana became one of my greatest mentors and introduced me to Beau MacMillan, another incredible mentor,” said McQuaid.

Esparza told McQuaid about C-CAP and he reached out to get involved. He sold tickets to a dinner to raise money to bring C-CAP to his high school, cooked at other C-CAP high schools, volunteered at C-CAP events and participated in competitions, which won him a C-CAP scholarship to the International Culinary Center (ICC) in New York City.

“I wasn’t the best student and felt like an outsider in high school,” said McQuaid. “C-CAP exposed me to people with similar passions. While most of my high school classmates aspired to go into academic fields and attend college, C-CAP showed me that there was another path.”

McQuaid began working at the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain resort in Paradise Valley under MacMillan, a well-known leader in the Arizona culinary scene, a celebrity chef and regular guest on several Food Network shows.

After graduating high school, McQuaid moved to New York City to attend the ICC and while there, also worked for renowned chef Daniel Boulud at Daniel NYC, one of the world’s most celebrated French restaurants.

McQuaid returned to Arizona after graduating and became sous chef at Sanctuary. When COVID hit and the resort closed, he had culinary stints in Flagstaff and Las Vegas before returning to the Valley to open Cala in 2022.

Today, McQuaid remains involved in C-CAP as an advisory board member. “I encourage C-CAP students to volunteer at as many events as they can, like I did,” he said. “It provides the opportunity to meet incredible chefs and make great connections. If you follow your passion, it is amazing what you can achieve.”

One of McQuaid’s recent accomplishments was defeating 15 other chefs to win a “Chopped” tournament, an experience he greatly enjoyed. “I was in my element and I stayed true to myself,” he said. “I wanted to cook the best food I could and show off my skills. I had so much fun doing it and I want to explore more in this area.”

McQuaid is also working on new concepts with Clive Collective, which owns Cala. “We hope to bring more unique restaurants to the Valley,” he said. “With all of the outstanding chefs and restaurants we have, Phoenix is becoming a food destination with so much to offer.”

This young chef attributes his success to the support provided by his family and his fiancée—whom he met when both were employed at Sanctuary. “I wouldn’t be where I am without my family, my fiancée and my mentors, as well as the opportunities that C-CAP provided,” said McQuaid. “It’s the people around you that can help make your dreams come true.”

For more information visit ccapinc.org and www.calascottsdale.com.