In a world where chefs are attacked for simply serving foir gras, being a carnivore can be a difficult proposition. Meatless Mondays? It’s bad enough the economy is going down the tubes without giving up a satisfying portion of seared animal flesh every seven days. Even Taco Bell, that refuge…
Find Tracy and 11 other chefs at Caramelpalooza, Friday, March 11, from 7 til the caramel runs out, Smeeks candy store, northwest corner of Central and Camelback. Catch up with the other candymakers we’ve profiled so far:Tammie Coe, Eugenia Theodopolous, Charlie Blonkenfeld, Meghan Olesen, Veronica Arroyo, Brianne Day, Virginia Senior, Slade Grove, Danielle Morris, Brendan McCaskey…
It takes some serious huevos to open a restaurant specializing in Mexican food in the Valley. Every variation on this, the most delicious of ethnic cuisines, must be present already, right? Think again muchacho. This week’s Cafe column argues that there’s a new restaurant giving the Mexican food scene in…
Caramelpalooza is almost here and Chow Bella (if you haven’t noticed) staff, contestants and judges are getting excited. Caramel brings to mind another simple to prepare, sugar-based sweet: butterscotch, associated more with nostalgic American desserts than fine French sweets. The question that came up this week: what is the difference…
Find Brendan and 11 other chefs at Caramelpalooza, Friday, March 11, from 7 til the caramel runs out, Smeeks candy store, northwest corner of Central and Camelback. Catch up with the other candymakers we’ve profiled so far:Tammie Coe, Eugenia Theodopolous, Charlie Blonkenfeld, Meghan Olesen, Veronica Arroyo, Brianne Day, Virginia Senior, Slade Grove, Danielle Morris, Tim O’Connor…
Opening a Mexican restaurant in this city full of Mexican restaurants has got to be tricky. The demand is clearly there, but so is the competition, and it takes a lot to stand out from the crowd. Homemade tortillas? Excellent guac? Cravable tacos? Even among the Valley’s upscale Mexican eateries,…
Before the “Honey Moon,” co-owners and bakers Tim & Joan O’Connor met while studying at the Culinary Institute of America in New York in 1983; since then, the culinary duo have been partners in both love and food, opening Honey Moon Sweets in 1996. I ended up in the kitchen…
EDITOR’S NOTE: WE WILL CLOSE THIS CONTEST ON FACEBOOK AT NOON, THURSDAY, MARCH 10, SO WE CAN NOTIFY THE WINNERS!If last year’s event was any indication, the line at Friday night’s Caramelpalooza might just stretch around the corner. A bit. Don’t you wish you could be guaranteed a spot near…
BLD; she is co-owner and pastry chef for both. I ended up in the kitchen because I don’t have to wear makeup! My favorite dish to make is I guess I don’t really have a favorite; I like to make new things to keep from getting bored. Find out…
We can’t believe how fast February flew by. The short month left us with several new places to grab a bite and took with it two local faves, including the abrupt closing of Simply Bread — and not to mention the impending closure of Mary Coyle’s, which technically belongs on the March…
For a while now, we’ve been able to get our Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie fix out of season by heading to the supermarket and picking up Keebler Fudge Shoppe Grasshoppers. In fact, we’ve found similar cookies or knock-offs for all the other Girl Scout cookies, except the popular caramelly, coconutty Samoas. Those…
Last week we featured quinoa in a cabbage roll. You found out about the ancient seed treasured by the Incas and called “the mother grain”. Quinoa has a higher percentage of protein per serving than wheat, oats, buckwheat or barley and is gluten free. We had a request for a…
The caramel sampling continues today with last year’s Caramelpalooza winner in both the blind judging and peoples’ choice award categories, Slade Grove. Grove is the Executive Pastry Chef for Wicked Kitchen Gourmet and Cookies From Home in Tempe. I ended up in the kitchen because I decided it was time…
Senior is an artist who quite often uses food as her medium. I ended up in the kitchen because creating is what I do best, and it doesn’t matter if the medium is food, art, architecture, it’s the creative process I love, plus you get to eat it when you’re…
Our candy-coated conversation continues today with Brianne Day from The Herb Box. Day has been overseeing baked goods at The Herb Box for more than four years. I ended up in the kitchen because I’ve always had a passion for baking. When I was young I would spend every Sunday…
Another week has come and gone leaving us to ponder the upcoming events that will shape our lives and, more importantly, our dinners out. But before we move on, let’s have one last look at the blog posts from this week. Pantry Raid: The Virgin Takes a No-Recipe Challenge Bomberos…
It’s the moment you all (well, the 17 of you who entered, anyway) have been waiting for. The announcement of the 2011 Caramelpalooza reader judges. We asked our readers to leave a comment explaining why they’d make good judges for our caramel tasting next Friday, March 11, at Smeeks candy…
If you’ve looked over the vendor list for the beer festival set to be held Saturday at Tempe Beach Park, you might have noticed something odd. At an event that bills itself as the Great Arizona Beer Festival, several of Arizona’s greatest breweries — Papago, Barrio, Nimbus, and this little…
Staying in? We’ve got you covered — both on the culinary and entertainment fronts. Now presenting Dinner and a Movie — a guide to a do it yourself evening of food and film. Film: I Am Love (2009) Popcorn Alternative: Popcorn with Rosemary Butter, Parmesan, Tart Cherries, and Black Pepper Entrée: Sage Brown…
There’s a new sandwich on the menu at select Dilly’s Deli locations in the Valley. It’s called the “Brown Bag Fowl,” and it was invented by a local comedy group, but there’s nothing funny about this yummy lunch item. It’s seriously tasty.The Brown Bag Fowl is the brainchild of Erica…
Today’s candymaker: Veronica Arroyo of Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak Scottsdale. Arroyo’s passion for a pastry career began in her grandmother’s kitchen and took her to New York’s famed Le Cirque and Atlantic city’s Borgata before dropping her off at Bourbon Steak Scottsdale. I ended up in the kitchen because it…
