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He tried it.

He gave it three years.

His conclusion: 鈥淚鈥檓 not good at retirement,鈥� he said.

On Sept. 28, he鈥檚 putting his apron back on, firing up the stoves and getting back to what he loves most: Cooking.

But his new venture, , isn鈥檛 a restaurant.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 call up for a reservation for two,鈥� he said.

But you can reserve a private dinner for two, where Wilder will 鈥渂e cooking and plating right in front,鈥� he said, creating 鈥渆xceptional experiences for my guests.鈥�

Studio Janos is a 600-square-foot nook on the first floor of the VFW Loft Apartments, 124 E. Broadway, where Wilder will delve back into every thing that the James Beard Award-winning chef loves about food.

He鈥檒l champion the heritage foods and farm-to-table ethos that defined his namesake Janos restaurant during its nearly 30-year run and his finale, Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails, that he had for the last 10 years before retiring in 2020.

He鈥檒l host cooking demonstrations and classes and community discussions about the glories of Tucson鈥檚 culinary landscape that earned the city the prestigious designation in 2015.

And he鈥檒l offer consulting services to restaurants and chefs.

鈥淭his is an opportunity for me to continue to do what I love but really on a scale that is hopefully manageable,鈥� Wilder said earlier this month during a phone call from his summer home in Colorado.

Wilder has been working on the idea for a year and when he pitched it to his former Downtown Kitchen landlord, he offered him the small space in the building.

It was perfect, the 69-year-old Wilder said.

鈥淚t was the same thing when I saw the Stevens House for the first time back in 1982,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 knew immediately this is what I needed.鈥�

Studio Janos has a professional kitchen and dining area along with areas where guests can sit. Wilder said he will use the space for private caterings, where he will cook multicourse meals for people celebrating anniversaries, birthdays or other special event landmarks, or just get-togethers with friends.

鈥淚n my mind, there will be a corporate piece to this where businesses that want to have a board of directors dinner or entertain special guests or host a special dinner that they want to be private,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檝e had a lot of inquiries just from word of mouth from people saying, 鈥業鈥檓 going to get a bunch of friends together.鈥欌��

The clients can request the menu, but given his druthers, Wilder will steer them to the heritage ingredients near and dear to his taste buds.

鈥淚 would rather focus on the high-end art of cuisine with somewhat humble ingredients,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut that, of course, doesn鈥檛 mean I won鈥檛 use caviar sometimes.鈥�

Studio Janos also features a complete video studio, where Wilder will film cooking shows that he plans to stream on a YouTube channel.

To book an event beginning Sept. 28, visit or call 520-991-9780.