The James Beard Foundation kicked off its culinary tour called Taste America in Phoenix on September 20 – 22, 2017. This 10-city tour brings together chefs with foodies for a series of events celebrating James Beard and the mission of the Foundation, which is to “celebrate, nurture, and honor chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone.” A …
“I leave you my portrait so that you will have my presence all the days and nights that I am away from you.” Frida Kahlo It is by sheer coincidence that recently I was invited to two separate events, one cultural and the other culinary, both having to do with the Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo. First of all, run, don’t walk, to the Frida Kahlo and …
While I have attended many wine tastings, a coffee tasting was a new experience for me. So when I was invited to a coffee tasting at Press Coffee Roasters in North Scottsdale, I jumped at the chance. Tastings are held every Saturday at their Scottsdale Quarter location (and every other Saturday at the Chandler location) at 10 a.m. It is $10 to register and after …
“Every time I go back, something’s different. I realized how much I loved Japan after I left.” Nobuo Fukuda, in Kakehashi: A Portrait of Chef Nobuo Fukuda by Andrew Gooi In 2007, Chef Nobuo Fukuda was voted Best Chef of the Southwest by the James Beard Foundation for his work at the (now closed) Sea Saw restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale. Fast forward 10 years …
The Devour Culinary Classic of Phoenix took place over the weekend of March 4-5 on the beautiful grounds of the Phoenix Art Museum. This event highlights the movers and shakers of the Arizona food and beverage industry. Attendees were ushered into the sculpture garden courtyard where they were treated to tastings from Arizona liquor, beer and wine merchants (plus a few from Cali) and several valley …
I had the pleasure of attending a winemaker dinner Tuesday night at Market Street Kitchen featuring Chad Melville from Melville Winery in Lompoc, California. Market Street Kitchen is in the DC Ranch area of North Scottsdale, near Jalapeño Inferno, Fleming’s and The Herb Box. The original DC Ranch holds an important place in the hearts and minds of the Scottsdale community, where only a few …
The Valley of the Sun never ceases to amaze me. According to a recent National Restaurant Association report, Arizona’s restaurant industry leads the rest of the country in growth, and is expected to do so for the next 10 years. Restaurants are a driving force of Arizona’s economy, with over 9,300 establishments whose sales figures are projected to reach over $11.5 billion in 2016.* There …
A Phoenix food writer, Dana Vollmer with cocktailsandcactus.com, encouraged a group of local food writers to come up with a restaurant “bucket list” for 2017. These would include a list of places in AZ we would like to visit, whether they have been open for some time or are set to open. I was up for the challenge, and had so much fun writing it, …
