Lisa Dahl: Blessed By Grace shares the inspiring journey of chef and restaurateur Lisa Dahl, who turned personal tragedy into a thriving culinary career in Sedona, Arizona. After the devastating loss of her son Justin, who was murdered in the 1990s while helping someone in need, Lisa found healing through cooking. In 1995, she moved to Sedona and opened her first restaurant, Dahl & Di Luca Ristorante Italiano, as a tribute to their shared love of cooking. Over the next nearly 30 years, she expanded her business to six acclaimed restaurants (Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill, Butterfly Burger, Cucina Rustica, and two locations of Pisa Lisa Wood Fired Pizza), each dedicated to preserving Justin’s memory.
Lisa Dahl: Blessed By Grace offers a heartfelt look at Lisa’s resilience, spirituality, and passion for cooking, which has brought comfort and joy to so many while keeping her son’s memory alive. Since opening Dahl & Di Luca — whose enduring excellence led to her Sedona restaurant expansion, including Mariposa being an instant hit — Lisa has cooked for tens of millions of people with nearly 500,000 people dining at her six restaurants every year. Dahl Restaurant Group is now one of the largest employers in Northern Arizona with its 300 employees.
Lisa Dahl is a trailblazer who has transformed the unimaginable loss of her beloved son Justin into a perseverance to serve others. Through her dedication to nourishing families and friends dining at her restaurants and humanitarian community outreach, Lisa is a beacon of light to those who have suffered inconceivable tragedies. Lisa Dahl: Blessed By Grace unveils her story like never before, offering audiences an up-close portrayal of a life embattled with hardship and salvation.
James Beard Award-winning Eric Wolfinger’s documentary short film, Lisa Dahl: Blessed By Grace, won at Indy Short International Film Festival the “Indiana Spotlight Award” and “Indiana Spotlight Audience Choice Award,” following its debut at the Sedona Film Festival on March 1, 2025. The film also won “Best Culinary Short Film” at Coronado Island Film Festival, as well as has screened at Burning Man 2025, Newport Beach Film Festival, Cordillera Film Festival, and Heartland Film Festival.
In the crimson glow of Sedona’s red rocks, a new chapter of humanitarian efforts begin with the official launch of The Lisa Dahl Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. Among the Southwest’s most decorated chefs, restaurateur Lisa Dahl sets forth a high-impact initiative to restore food insecurities throughout Native American communities in her home state of Arizona. For 30 years, Dahl has shaped Sedona’s dining scene into a global destination with her six restaurants all residing on sacred land from Native American tribes of the Hopi, Navajo, Tonto Apaches, and Yavapai people. The Lisa Dahl Foundation is a call to action to give back and help alleviate the profound needs facing Arizona Natives who have long suffered economic and nutritional inequities.
The Lisa Dahl Foundation is rooted in love, service, and the resilience of a mother whose grief has grown into a movement. After the devastating loss of her son Justin, Lisa found healing through cooking. Her devotion to nourishing people in need and those who came before us inherently traces the soul of Lisa’s three decades of work.
The cornerstone of The Lisa Dahl Foundation is Soup Hope, the Universal Soup of Love, which delivers nearly a days-worth of nutrition in every cup. Developed by Chef Lisa Dahl and served at Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill, Soup Hope is a plant-based, gluten-free, Minestra that blends 27 organic heirloom beans and legumes with vibrant vegetables, fresh herbs, and restorative spices. The result is a flavor-rich soup designed to provide immediate sustenance and comfort to those who need it most.
The Foundation’s first mission with Soup Hope will serve impoverished Native American communities across Arizona, where food deserts, limited access to fresh ingredients, and systemic inequities have left thousands vulnerable. Each serving delivers warmth, dignity, and the reassurance that no one facing hardship is forgotten. Soup Hope offers a lifeline to Native American communities and reminds us that nutritious food is a fundamental right.
Soup Hope initially rolls out to Native American lands as a wholesale product ready to be shipped for immediate impact. Lisa and her team are hard at work developing a shelf-stable retail jarred Soup Hope that delivers the highest standards of consistency, nutrition, and care. Soup Hope not only feeds hunger but also fuels a sustainable model in which retail sales will directly support and expand the Foundation’s humanitarian outreach.
Complementing Soup Hope is Justin’s Garden & Kitchen, a regenerative culinary program offering garden-to-table food production, culinary skills training, and pathways to employment for vulnerable populations, including Native communities, justice-impacted individuals, and people rebuilding their lives after addiction.
Compassion is the most powerful ingredient we possess, and real, tangible giving — changes lives.
