How Lisa Dahl Helped Define Sedona’s Dining Scene

But her path to restaurateur is not a typical one. As a teenager, she had space in a health-food store where she sold avocado sandwiches and grain salads. And even as a teen, Dahl was pushing boundaries. “I wanted to challenge the whole meat and potatoes mentality of the Midwest,” Dahl says.

Despite this culinary pull, she pursued fashion first, not cooking. Her mother was a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology and had a string of avant-garde clothing stores in Indianapolis; Dahl decided to follow in her footsteps and had a career in fashion in San Francisco for many years.

And then, a major life blow changed everything for her. Following the tragic death of her then 21-year-old son, she decided to leave San Francisco. That put Dahl in Sedona, finding comfort through food and her specialty – making comforting soups.

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Dahl decided to make food and nourishing others her mission. She and a business partner, Andrea Di Luca, opened Dahl and Di Luca in 1995 in a space that had been an early Sonic Burger. She transformed the interior into an elegant restaurant and served refined Italian dishes such as house-made linguini with clams and grilled Scottish salmon finished in a Limoncello reduction. The success of that restaurant led to her second venture, Cucina Rustica.

Fast forward to today, and Chef Dahl has since bought out her partner and launched three other restaurants: Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill, Pisa Lisa wood fired pizza and Butterfly Burger, a couture burger lounge. She believes in creating an entire experience for the customer.

“No matter which restaurant my customers chose, they will be eating vibrant, natural and full flavors from nature,” she remarks. “We let the food shine, and we aim to create dishes that offer a unique spin on favorite meals.”

Given her background in fashion and design, Dahl has cast her discerning eye on every aspect of her restaurants, from the architecture to the style of the water glasses. And, more often than not, she can be found cooking in her kitchens still, after 30 years. 

“I wouldn’t put my food on any old plate!” she says. “You have to present food beautifully, whether it’s a burger, pizza or a grilled fish. If you present food with a twist of originality, you are elevating all the senses.”

This mentality extends beyond just the Dahl. David Dimler, her CFO and wine director, has garnered over 42 Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence in the last 20 years. He and Dahl worked for over a year to bring a private-label wine into the group and ended up hitting a home run. Passionista de Sedona – a GSM; Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre blend received 96 pointes by Somm Journal and The Tasting panel.

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Dahl is widely seen as one of the top chefs in Arizona, but she’s also gained fame beyond the Southwest. She has appeared twice at the James Beard House in New York, where she cooked for sold-out crowds. Her 2010 cookbook, “The Elixir of Life: Finding Love and Joy in the Passionate Pursuit of Food” won an Independent Publisher’s Award and was named the 2011 Cookbook of the Year. During covid Lisa self-published her second cookbook “A Romance with Food,” dedicated to the cuisine of Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill. She has appeared on Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay.” Most recently, in 2025, her documentary short film “Blessed By Grace” debuted at the Sedona International Film Festival, and has been an Official Selection in multiple film festivals, often receiving audience and culinary awards.

Although Dahl’s restaurants have vastly different menus and décor, what unifies them is her approach to cooking. Her mantra is “When you cook with love, you feed the soul.” And we couldn’t agree more.