San Tan Valley chef Scott Abad is near the top of a national cooking contest and is asking his neighbors to help push him over the finish line before voting closes July 2.

Abad is competing in Favorite Chef, a national contest presented by celebrity chef and TV host Carla Hall. As of late June, the contest's website listed him as first in his voting group. The winner receives $25,000, an appearance in Taste of Home magazine and a cooking experience with Hall.

A Self-Taught Climb

Abad, who lives in San Tan Valley with his family, says he never went to culinary school. He says he started in restaurants about two decades ago as a busser — the person who clears and resets tables — and worked his way up, training under James Beard Award-nominated chef Anthony DeMuro at the Phoenix restaurant Different Pointe of View.

Over his career, Abad says he has cooked at well-known Phoenix-area spots including the Arizona Biltmore, the Buttes Marriott and Sam Fox's North Italia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he says he ran the kitchen at Canyon Winds Retirement in Mesa, cooking for senior residents who were isolated from their families. He now works as director of culinary experience at Acoya Troon, a senior living community in Scottsdale.

This is Abad's second time in the contest. He says he placed fourth the previous year before entering again this year.

Mentoring and a New Business

Abad says he uses his kitchen to mentor young people from the area, including San Tan Valley and Queen Creek, teaching them discipline and professionalism whether they stay in the restaurant business or move on to other careers or the military.

He also recently started an Arizona catering business, Flamingo Viands, that brings prepared meals into customers' homes. He says winning the contest would help him grow that business.

How the Contest Supports a Cause

Favorite Chef lets supporters cast one free vote per day for a chef. Voters can also pay to add votes through donations, which support the James Beard Foundation, a national nonprofit that works to raise standards in the food and restaurant industry. According to the contest's website, the donations are handled by DTCare, a registered public charity that grants the money to the foundation.

How to Vote

Voting closes Thursday, July 2 at 7 p.m. Arizona time. Residents who want to vote for Abad can do so on his contest page at favchef.com/2026/scott-abad.