Greg LaPrad

Quiessence Chef Greg LaPrad Leaving the Farm at South Mountain for Sonoita

It's the end of an era. Chef Greg LaPrad -- the talented farm-to-table chef who made Quiessence a destination restaurant and kept it in the media spotlight for eight years -- plans to wrap up his eighth and last season at the restaurant on Saturday, June 15. Sister restaurant Morning Glory Cafe clos ... 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 >>

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 >>

8 Favorite Fresh-Baked Bread Experiences at Metro Phoenix Restaurants

Bread is such an important part of a restaurant meal. It's the first solid thing to hit the table, the first impression made, the first clue as to what we might expect about all that's to follow. If it's stale or cold or dry or just plain lousy, we're not only disappointed but worried. Bad bread nev ... 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 >>

7 Favorite Romantic Restaurants in Greater Phoenix: Cozy Home Edition

When it comes to romantic restaurants, there's something about those set in refurbished old homes that makes them more charming, more interesting in their history, and more full of character than the rest. See also: - 14 More Valley Places to Wine and Dine Your Honey Bun on Valentine's - 5 Sweet ... More >>

Greg LaPrad Dishes on the Ghost at Quiessence and Gives a Hilarious Answer to the Last Meal on Earth Question

This is part two of my interview with Greg LaPrad, chef-owner of Quiessence and Morning Glory Cafe. If you missed part one, where LaPrad gave negative "foodies" a serious tongue-lashing, read it here. See also: -- Joshua Johnson of Kai Dishes on Antelope Liver and Working for a Celebrity Chef You ... More >>

Greg LaPrad Explains Why Mangos Are Over-Rated and Gives the Best Lecture Ever to Negative "Foodies"

Greg LaPrad Quiessence & Morning Glory Cafe The Farm at South Mountain 6106 S. 32nd Street, Phoenix 602-276-0601 (Q), 602-276-8804 (MG), quiessencerestaurant.com, morningglorycafeaz. com See also: -- Phoenix Cold Snap Is Over But What Are the Repercussions For Local Farmers and the Restaurants Wh ... More >>

New Ripe Awards Rotten for Some Foodies

For most folks, the 2013 Ripe Awards, "a selection of five of the Valley's edgiest chefs," probably garnered as much attention as the also-rans at this year's Golden Globes. After all, a new culinary award program takes time to develop, even when, as in the case of Ripe, it's likened to "a James Bea ... More >>

Phoenix Cold Snap Closes Quiessence Tonight

Customers planning a cozy farm-to-table supper at Quiessence tonight will be frozen out, thanks to temperamental pipes and a water heater that just couldn't hack the unusually cold weather. As reported on Facebook, the restaurant will be closed for business this evening so that problems related to t ... 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 >>

Change Coming to The Farm at South Mountain

If you've wandered the grounds of The Farm at South Mountain, you've probably spotted owner A.Wayne Smith scooting around on his mini tractor. As a landscape architect, he's stayed very involved in the property he bought in 1983 and slowly transformed into a soothing pastoral retreat for frazzled u ... More >>

Julia Child Restaurant Week Specials at Five Metro Phoenix Restaurants

See also: Listen to Guns N' Roses, Watch Julia Child Threaten to Eat Vegetarians See also: Christopher Gross Compares Truffle Oil to Heroin and Dishes on the Foie Gras Ban Even though Julia Child stood at an impressive 6' 2", it's clear that she never looked down upon any determined cook. During Ju ... More >>

Final Meditations on the Phoenix Food Scene from Michele Laudig

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 >>

AZ Represent! Locals on Beard Semifinalist List

Chef Nobuo Fukuda, who won the James Beard Best Chef Southwest Award in 2007, is up for Best New Restaurant for 2011.​The highly anticipated semifinalist list for the annual James Beard Awards is out today, and some of the state's best and brightest chefs and restaurateurs have made the cut ... More >>

Tonight: Farmhouse Cocktails at Quiessence

​If you want a taste of cocktail culture's cutting edge, head to the farm.I'm being literal: Make your way to the Farm at South Mountain this evening, and try Quiessence's new Farmhouse Cocktails at a discount.From 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. every last Thursday of the month, chef Greg LaPrad's award-w ... More >>

81: Salumi at Quiessence

​Hungry yet? We're working up our appetites for our huge Best of Phoenix issue, out September 30, with daily servings of Chow Bella's 100 Favorite Dishes from across the Valley -- in no particular order Leave your suggestions for upcoming favorites in the comments section. Visit our sister blog, J ... More >>

Big Brain Award Winner Natalie Morris Makes Art of Gastronomic Proportions

FRESH the Movie Inspires Special Dinners

Movie screenings might usually make you hungry for a trashy dinner of popcorn, Twizzlers, and Coke, but FRESH the Movie has spawned a variety of tasteful culinary events that are far from the realm of junk food. Since the documentary celebrates the farmers and activists who are working ... More >>

Chef Greg LaPrad Invited to Cook at James Beard House in NYC

​Nobody from Arizona made the cut for the James Beard Awards' finalists lists earlier this week, but one local chef is getting an incredible chance for exposure to the culinary community at large. Quiessence chef-owner Greg LaPrad just confirmed he will be a guest chef at the James Bea ... More >>

Off to Italy, With the Slow Food Community's Blessing

​Natalie Morris was a Slow Foodie by pure instinct. During culinary school at the Art Institute, the budding chef hadn't heard about the global movement to eat seasonal, local food, but she immediately recognized a key issue: "'Why do we have to keep ordering food from one big company? ... More >>

This Week In Chow Bella

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: Tofurky & Gravy Soda Makes for a Bizarre Thanksgiving Draft Magazine's The Bi ... More >>

Recipe: Red Wine Braised Beef with Winter Squash "Mash" and Apple Gremolata from Quiessence

You're lucky, readers--this recipe was crafted just for you by Chef Greg LaPrad of Quiessence Restaurant & Wine Bar. Nicki Escudero Red Wine Braised Beef with Winter Squash "Mash" and Apple Gremolata​LaPrad made this dish using ingredients currently available at Quiessence, which rotat ... More >>

Chef Talk: Greg LaPrad, Quiessence

It's hard to believe Greg LaPrad, executive chef and owner of Phoenix's farm-to-table sensation, Quiessence Restaurant & Wine Bar, almost didn't make it as a chef. Nicki Escudero Greg LaPrad at Quiessence​The 28-year-old, originally from Connecticut, got his start cooking wee ... More >>

Quiessence Joins Downtown Phoenix Market

The Downtown Phoenix Market just enlisted Quiessence to start showing up on Saturday mornings -- hopefully Q's just the first of many more restaurants to come. Beginning on Saturday, February 21, look for free recipe cards from chef Greg LaPrad, who'll base his ideas on what's fresh and availab ... More >>

Quiessence Unveils Daily Menus on New Website

These days, restaurant competition is so tough that chefs can't just write a menu, keep it static, and ride the wave. The good ones know you need to stay on top of what's fresh and in season, and find a way to work as much of it into the rotation as possible. Discriminating customers expect it ... More >>

Quiessence Serves Italian 'Seven Fishes' Dinner on Christmas Eve

I have a dirty little secret: I never really liked Christmas ham! Which is why this "Seven Fishes" Christmas Eve seafood splurge at Quiessence sounds so delicious. (Here's the menu.) It was inspired by a coastal Italian holiday tradition, where people would celebrate Christmas with a whole di ... More >>

Last Chance to Vote for Local Heroes

My friend Pamela Hamilton, editor of Edible Phoenix, just sent an invitation to Chow Bella readers to vote online for this year's Local Hero Awards, the annual accolades given to hard-working people in the culinary community. Friday's the last day. If you're familiar with the mag, then you'll ... More >>

Get ready for West of Western

Italian inspiration at Quiessence

Letters From the Issue of Thursday, November 23, 2006

Farm Fresh

La vida local