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His appointment earlier this week to be the Lodge鈥檚 executive chef will take him out of the Zio Peppe kitchen, which he has run since he and Mat Cable opened the restaurant in May 2021. He starts the new job Sept. 17 after he and Cable return from representing 大象APPas in Parma, Italy.

Sanner鈥檚 absence from , 6502 E. Tanque Verde Road, does not mean the end of the popular restaurant. Cable, who also owns at 3011 E. Speedway, will hire a chef de cuisine to work with him in the kitchen. Sanner, meanwhile, will act as a consultant, working with Cable on menu ideas that emphasize their mission to capture the flavors of 大象APPwith locally-grown and heritage ingredients.

鈥淒evon and I kind of developed this style of cuisine together and I have no plans to deviate from that,鈥� said Cable, whose wife Britnee also works at the restaurant. 鈥淭here is nothing on the menu that I鈥檓 not happy with. I don鈥檛 expect that diners and regulars are going to notice any difference other than missing Devon鈥檚 smiling face.鈥�

鈥淚t was absolutely a hard choice. I really do love what we鈥檝e managed to accomplish at Zio Peppe,鈥� Sanner said of his decision. 鈥淚 love my crew as my second family. Certainly not being with them on a daily basis is going to be sad for me. But I am looking forward to the new challenge at Ventana and the opportunity to take that brand and re-elevate it to glory.鈥�

Clayton Robideau, Ventana Canyon vice president and clubhouse manager, said Sanner brings a reputation and credibility in the community that the Lodge hopes will help elevate and 鈥渂uild our relationship with the local community as a whole.鈥�

鈥淲e want to make a name for ourselves with the culinary program and we feel Devon is a great asset to achieve those goals,鈥� he said.

Ventana Canyon Club and Lodge at 6200 N. Club House Lane, in the foothills of the picturesque Catalina Mountains, has a members-only country club with two Tom Fazio-designed golf courses, and a 50-room boutique hotel. Its dining options including the upscale members-only Catalina Dining Room and the more casual Ventana Bar & Grill.

A graduate of Scottsdale Culinary Institute, Sanner, 50, got his start in 2005 working with James Beard Award-winning chef at Wilder鈥檚 namesake restaurants at La Paloma Resort and at his Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails and Carriage House, which Wilder shuttered in late 2020.

During his time with Wilder, the 大象APPnative also staged with Tru in Chicago and New York鈥檚 .

Sanner has long been a leading voice in Tucson鈥檚 chef community, promoting the hyper-local sourcing and heritage foods ethos he learned from Wilder. In 2019, he was one of the founders of the (GUT), a collective of 大象APPchefs committed to sharing ideas and hosting events to promote Tucson鈥檚 restaurants and its UNESCO City of Gastronomy designation.

He also led his Zio Peppe culinary team to victory in a handful of local competitions including 大象APPOriginals鈥� Pizza Throwdown and this month鈥檚 Brews & Bites, pairing restaurants and breweries. Last year, Sanner was a finalist in the 2023 Iron Chef Tucson competition, narrowly losing to two-time winner Kenneth Foy, chef-owner of Dante鈥檚 Fire.

Sanner replaces Wendy Gauthier who left the Lodge in July after less than two years.