Chrysa Robertson

Gio Osso of Virtu on the Ungers, Beau Mac and the Unnecessary Hype Around Farm-to-Table

This is part two of my interview with Gio Osso, chef-owner of Virtù Honest Craft in Scottsdale. If you missed part one, where Osso dished about his favorite local restaurants and whether or not he should be considered an Italian chef, read it here. See also: -- Juice Core Opens Fresh Juice Shop i ... More >>

Steve Freidkin of TEXAZ Grill On Great Texas Restaurants, the Terlingua Chili Cook-Off and His Last Meal On Earth

This is part two of my interview with Steve Freidkin, owner and operator of TEXAZ Grill. If you missed part one, where Freidkin dished about chicken fried steak, his favorite local deli and two local chefs he admires, read it here. See also: -- TEXAZ Grill's Chicken Fried Steak is a Classic Guilty ... More >>

Steve Freidkin of TEXAZ Grill On Chicken-Fried Steak, His Favorite Local Deli, and the Two Local Chefs He Most Admires

Steve Freidkin TEXAZ Grill 6003 N. 16th Street, Phoenix 602-248-7827, texazgrill.com See also: -- Free Ice Cream: Sweet Republic's Five Year Anniversary on Wednesday, June 12 -- Next Up on Diner's, Drive-Ins and Dives: Tempe's Curry Corner and The Duce in Downtown Phoenix This is part one of my in ... More >>

Former Kai Guy Michael O'Dowd on What He's Up to at Renegade by MOD and the Problem with Comfort Food

Michael O'Dowd Renegade by MOD 9343 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale 480-614-9400 See also: -- Ex Kai Chef Michael O'Dowd Opens Renegade by MOD in Scottsdale this Friday This is part one of my interview with Michael O'Dowd, executive chef and co-owner of Renegade by MOD. Come back Tuesday when O'Dowd dis ... More >>

16 Favorite Places in Metro Phoenix to Eat at the Bar

Restaurant bars stopped being strictly bars years ago. Nowadays, many people consider them the best seats in the house for a casual dinner that doesn't require reservations, waiting, or a deep reservoir of patience. Because most of them operate on a first-come, first-served basis, customers are free ... More >>

11 Favorite Salads in Metro Phoenix

Summer is just weeks away, which means it's panic time for those of us who packed on the lbs. over the winter. Yes, of course, we should've seen this coming, and what the hell happened to that exercise regimen we felt so enthusiastic about back in January? Now there's no place to run and certainly n ... More >>

Ehren Litzenberger of BLD in Chandler on Mario Batali and Why It's Hard to Be a Three-Squares Chef

This is part two of my interview with Ehren Litzenberger, executive chef at BLD in Chandler. If you missed part one, where Litzenberger dished about simplicity, chocolate-covered grasshoppers and his beef with "foodies," read it here. See also: -- 11 Great Cooking Supply Stores in Metro Phoenix -- ... More >>

Chris Bianco on Jamie Oliver, the Local Chefs He Most Admires, and What Makes an Awesome Pizza Awesome

Chris Bianco Pizzeria Bianco, Bar Bianco 623 E. Adams Street, Phoenix, 602-258-8300; 609 E. Adams St., 602-528-3699 Pizzeria Bianco/ Trattoria Bianco 4743 N. 20th Street (Town & Country), Phoenix, 602-368-3273 Pane Bianco 4404 N.Central Avenue, Phoenix, 602-234-2100, pizzeriabianco.com See also: -- ... More >>

Top Five Phoenix Food Stories of the Week

Every week, there's a cornucopia of Phoenix food news, features, and reviews to report here at Chow Bella. If you're like most people, you probably just don't have the time to get to all of it. So, here's a recap of some of the top stories from the week that you may have missed.

4 Phoenix-Area Chefs to Watch and What Their Big-Name Bosses Say About Them

If you're any kind of food geek at all, you're already familiar -- by fork and good press -- with local celebrity chefs such as Chrysa Robertson, Chris Bianco, Kevin Binkley, Greg LaPrad and Charleen Badman. But what you're far less likely to know are the names and faces of the behind-the-scenes che ... More >>

Charleen Badman: On Lori Hashimoto, Chris Bianco's Mom, and the Kitchen Phrase That Gets Under Her Skin

Charleen Badman FnB 7125 East Fifth Avenue, Suite 31, Scottsdale 480-284-4777, www.fnbrestaurant.com See also: -- Charleen Badman and Pavle Milic to Open FnB on Craftsman Court on Tuesday -- FnB's Charleen Badman Tells Food & Wine Her Favorite Places to Eat, Shop and Sleep in the Valley -- 15 Met ... More >>

15 Metro Phoenix Restaurants to Visit During Spring Training 2013

Spring Training is almost upon us, which means winter is officially over and it's time to break out the shorts. This right here is the weather we Phoenicians live for, the reason we endure five hellish months of summer and severe cases of cabin fever . . . just for the few all-too-brief months of ba ... More >>

When Life Throws Lemons (and Other Citrus-y Stuff), Chrysa Robertson Makes Limoncello

Italians are nuts for limoncello, a sweet, bright lemon liqueur traditionally served chilled as an after-dinner digestif. They drink it in restaurants and make it at home, using family recipes passed down for generations. In the last few years (and possibly owing to cocktail culture's interest in tr ... More >>

12 National Food Trends We'll See in Phoenix in 2013

Everybody likes to say that Phoenix is years behind "real" food and drink towns, and for an embarrassingly long time, that was absolutely true. Lately? Not so much. I've read a slew of end-of-the-year predictions about what we Americans will be eating and drinking next year, and in many cases, we've ... More >>

Chrysa Robertson Dishes on Male Chefs, How She Handled a Customer Complaint and Why She's Not Really Arizona's Alice Waters

This is part two of my interview with Chrysa Robertson, chef-owner of Rancho Pinot. If you missed part one, where Robertson talks about what it takes to be a woman chef and whether she's a marshmallow or a hard ass, read it here. See also: Aaron May Dishes on Being a Chef, a Restaurateur and a Part ... More >>

Chrysa Robertson Dishes on Her Role as Exorcist and What It Takes To Be a Woman Chef

Chrysa Robertson Rancho Pinot 6208 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale 480-367-8030 www.ranchopinot.com See also: Chrysa Robertson Sells Heritage Turkeys and Talks Turkey at November 18 Cooking Class Tastemaker #11: Chrysa Robertson This is part one of my interview with Chrysa Robertson, chef-owner o ... More >>

Chrysa Robertson Sells Heritage Turkeys For Thanksgiving and Talks Turkey at November 18 Cooking Class

If your Thanksgiving turkey was a turkey last year, stop blaming your cooking skills and consider the source: you're probably buying a commercial bird, bred for rapid growth and big breasts (insert juvenile, mammary-related joke here), not taste or texture. See also: Thanksgiving Classics We Hat ... More >>

Tastemaker No. 1

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

Tastemaker No. 2

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

Tastemaker No. 3

4: Cathy Hayes

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

5: Stephen Jones

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

6: Francesca Bianco

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

7: Snir and Kierstin Mor

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

8: Bob McClendon

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

9: Eytan Zias

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

10: Joe Johnston

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

Carol Steele Tribute Dinner at Rancho Pinot: Menu Features C. Steele Classics and Asian Pear Belinis from Aravaipa Farms

Chrysa Robertson has a well-earned reputation as a hard-charging business woman -- and one of the best chefs in town -- and she learned from the master: Carol Steele, who set the standard for culinary goodness in metro Phoenix with C. Steele and several other businesses in the Seventies and Eighties ... More >>

Carol Steele's Aravaipa Farms Is an Arizona Treasure -- and It's For Sale

Carol Steele is a legend in the Phoenix food scene. Between the mid-70s and early 90s, Steele launched the local farm to table movement and has been the veritable "godmother" of local chefs and restauranteurs ever since. Steele left the Valley two decades ago to take up residence at her 300-acre f ... More >>

Carol Steele Is the Godmother of the Phoenix Culinary Scene

Chow Bella's Top Phoenix Food Stories of the Week

Every week, there's a cornucopia of Phoenix food news, features, and reviews to report here at Chow Bella. If you're like most people, you probably just don't have the time to get to all of it. It's kind of like those burgers at Old Town Whiskey; it just won't all fit in your mouth ... or in this ca ... More >>

How To Be a Restaurant VIP and What It Will Get You

See also: Kevin Binkley Stiffed at Beard Awards Shh, don't tell anyone, but some people get the royal treatment in restaurants while others don't. You've probably witnessed some version of Special Handling in action -- servers scurrying to and from a particular table, the chef-owner engaging in an ... More >>

42: Barb Harris

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

74: Sacha Levine

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

Fava Beans at Rancho Pinot and FnB -- Hurry, They're Almost Gone

Fava beans -- quite possibly the spookiest legumes of all time. Remember Hannibal Lecter, who scared the bejeezus out of Clarice (and the rest of us) when he deadpanned, "I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti"? And then that little slurpy noise he made after? Seriously creepy. The ... More >>

95: Eric Schaefer

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

Pavle Milic's Quest to Make Wine: A Quixotic Exploit?

Earlier this spring, we launched Vine Geeks -- in which AZ Wine Merchants' Brian Reeder and Pavle Milic share advice, news and a little levity from the world of wine. Today, we bring you Romancing the Grape. In this occasional series, Milic will spill about his current mission to learn how wine is ... More >>

Chef Chrysa Robertson Barters with Customers for Mulberries, Pecans, Zucchini and More

Social media experts often recommend that restaurateurs get interactive with customers through Yelp, Facebook, and Twitter. Well, how's this for good old-fashioned interaction? Chrysa Robertson, chef-owner of Rancho Pinot in Scottsdale, does what she calls "backyard barter" -- encouraging customer ... More >>

A Friends of James Beard Dinner in Our Own Backyard Last Night

Is a trip to NYC and a dinner at the famed James Beard House on your "bucket list"? Note to self, a taste of the experience and access to James Beard award winning chefs from across the nation is right in your backyard. Well, it was last night, anyway. While the James Beard Foundation celebrates ... More >>

Chrysa Robertson at Downtown PHX Market Tomorrow for Summer Chef Series, and a Peek at Aaron Chamberlin's Session from Last Saturday

Jennifer Woods​ The Summer Chef Series -- Saturday afternoons through the beginning of September at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market -- has to be the best way to escape the heat, meet fellow food folks, learn something new in the kitchen, get fed, sip a variety of local wines, and lose ourselves ... More >>

Tracy Dempsey, Jen Anderson of Windsor, Aaron Chamberlain of St. Francis, and More to Hold Cooking Classes at Phoenix Public Market

​Learning how to prepare fresh ingredients with chef Aaron Chamberlain of St. Francis? Tastings with chef Jen Anderson of Windsor? Recipes from the Queen of Sweet, Tracy Dempsey? This summer is gonna be face-time fabulous thanks to the Summer Chef Series at the Phoenix Public Market. From 2 t ... More >>

Chrysa Robertson, Eugenia Theodosopoulos, Vincent Guerithault Inducted into Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame

  courtesy of Vincent on Camelback Vincent Guerithault​Chrysa Robertson, Eugenia Theodosopoulos and Vincent Guerithault were honored last night with induction into the 2011 Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame, mouthbysouthwest reports. Want to learn more about the winners? Chow Bella know ... More >>

Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame Winners to be Announced Tonight

  scottsdaleculinaryfestival.org The Scottsdale Culinary Festival kicks off tonight not just with a kick-off party, but also with the announcement of the winners of this year's spots in the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame. The nominees make for quite a power meeting, don't you ... More >>

Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame Nominees Announced

What's up with all the contests lately? Last week, the big news was all the Arizonans on the semifinalist list for James Beard Awards. Also, Noca's Chris Curtiss landed in Food Wine's chef popularity contest, which the public can vote on. Now, round three in the competition department: the Ar ... More >>

Chrysa Robertson's Grilled Butternut-Kale Salad

​Chef Chrysa Robertson of Rancho Pinot says she's dying to use Tuscan kale in her dishes this autumn. Lucky for us, she's willing to share. Today, Robertson tells us how to make a fall-appropriate Grilled Butternut-Kale Salad, so you know what to do with all that kale once it starts showing up at ... More >>

Chrysa Robertson of Rancho Pinot, Part Two

Chef Chrysa Robertson of Rancho Pinot is a true Italian chef; why, you ask? "I always make way too much food!" Robertson laughs. Today she tells us about her first nerve-racking Italian feast, sweetbreads and all; her embarrassing fryer oil incident three days into a job, and the one addictive snack ... More >>

Chrysa Robertson of Rancho Pinot

When Chef Chrysa Robertson decided to launch lunch at her restaurant Rancho Pinot, her restaurateur friends thought she had lost her mind. Not so, says Robertson. Her inspiration: The economy. Her vision: Keep it simple, do it well, and it just might work.

Rancho Pinot Starts Lunch Service Oct. 11

​Could there possibly be any more to love about Rancho Pinot? I didn't think so, given chef Chrysa Robertson's masterful touch with seasonal, organic vegetables and heritage meats (she is the founder of the local Slow Food convivium, after all). This is one of those rare restaurants where I ... More >>

Union Wine Bar & Grill pours its final glass . . .

State of the Union