Hundreds of you came out to lick, crunch, chew and otherwise gobble caramel confections prepared by 18 of the Valley’s finest chefs Friday night, all part of the third annual Caramelpalooza, co-sponsored by Smeeks and Chow Bella. We might be a little biased, but we think it was our best…
Anyone else have a wicked sugar hangover this morning? Thanks to all — chefs, judges, caramel eaters — who came out to Smeeks candy shop last night for the third annual Caramelpalooza, co-sponsored by Smeeks and Chow Bella. Folks began lining up at 5:30, descended on the candy/ice cream/paleta/sauce/cookie makers…
Yeah, yeah, we’re all about the smartphone these days, but sometimes don’t you dream about putting down that iPhone and flipping through something real, something paper? Something you can rustle, turn the pages down on, tear pictures from and stick them on a real bulletin board? (Sorry, Pinterest.) You’re in…
All week long here at Chow Bella, we’ve shared our suggestions for where to eat and drink during Spring Training. In case you missed any, here are all 10 of our mini-guides, divided geographically by ballpark. Remember, this is a car town — you’ll have to drive (or be…
Los Angeles Angels: Tempe Diablo Stadium The name says Tempe, but if you’re catching an Angels game at Diablo Stadium (heh heh, we get it) and looking for a good meal, you’re much closer to a few excellent drinking and dining options in South Phoenix. We did tuck one Tempe…
San Franciso Giants: Scottsdale Stadium Seeing a game at Scottsdale Stadium? Lucky you. Not only is it a beautiful little stadium (not the newest, not the biggest, but a sentimental favorite), you are without a doubt in the best ballpark ‘hood when it comes to drinking and dining options. We…
Oakland A’s: Phoenix Municipal Stadium This little stadium is in a super location if you want to hike (Papago Buttes), take in the area’s flora and fauna (Desert Botanical Garden) or feed a giraffe (Phoenix Zoo). But it’s a no man’s land when it comes to food. There aren’t even…
From now through Caramelpalooza — March 2 at Smeeks candy shop — Chow Bella will introduce you to the 17 chefs participating in the third annual caramel tasting. Today, meet Brendan McCaskey. Brendan McCaskey tells Chow Bella he “lives downtown, and loves downtown!” A Scottsdale Culinary Institute graduate, he’s…
Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies: Salt River Fields 7555 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, saltriverfields.com The most important advice we can give you regarding finding food near Salt River Fields: avoid the Pavillions shopping center, unless McDonald’s and 5 & Diner are your idea of fine dining. You will have to…
From now through Caramelpalooza — March 2 at Smeeks candy shop — Chow Bella will introduce you to the 17 chefs participating in the third annual caramel tasting. Today, meet Brady Breese of Urban Cookies. A self-taught baker, Brady Breese started Urban Cookies several years ago with his wife, Shaun,…
We had some wonderful acrostic poems in our last Caramelpalooza contest, but there can only be one reader. The lucky person who gets to be a judge in our blind tasting is……
From now through Caramelpalooza — March 2 at Smeeks candy shop — Chow Bella will introduce you to the 18 chefs participating in the third annual caramel tasting. Today, meet the Veladors of Super Chunk Sweets & Treats. Husband and wife team Sergio and Country Velador describe Super Chunk Sweets & Treats as…
The week has come and gone and we still don’t know why — what with 52 weeks on the calendar — cocktail week and beer week had to fall at the same time. We’ll be thirsty the rest of the year, but at least we have some photos to look…
Our Caramelpalooza limerick contest didn’t draw as many entries as the haiku one did, but we do have a winner, Susan Martin, who came up with an excellent one: In life there are good things to eat, from savory right through to sweet. so I want to take a short…
The Phoenix food scene is a pretty amazing place. Just about every day, it seems, new restaurants, farmers’ markets and food trucks are opening for business. Ditto for other creative pursuits around this town — in the visual arts, music, design, fashion and more. Lucky us. To show our gratitude,…
You are poets and you know it. Between the entries in our comments section and those emailed directly to me, we had dozens of examples of caramel-coated haiku in our first 2012 Caramelpalooza contest. Caramelpalooza will be held Friday, March 2 at 7 pm at Smeeks candy store in central…
And we thought we were all about the caramel (-palooza, that is). Check out this caramel dragon “painting,” created on the street in China. Follow Chow Bella on Facebook and Twitter and Pinterest. …
http://www.etsy.com/shop/littlefruitbat What we imagine a test-tube hamburger looks like. Over the weekend, a Dutch scientist announced he’s found a way to mimic the creation of meat in a test-tube — with the goal of eliminating the entire meat production industry. He says the “meat,” made of cow stem cells, will…
Finding a King’s Cake used to be as tough as finding the tiny plastic baby buried inside one of these traditional Mardi Gras desserts. No more. Now it seems that everywhere we turn, there’s green and purple. And although tomorrow’s Fat Tuesday, it’s still not too late to get your…
The Caramelpalooza countdown has begun. Less than two weeks til the big night, Friday, March 2 at 7 p.m. at Smeeks candy shop. Later today we’ll introduce you to the first of our 17 (count ’em!) caramel makers — who will be bringing their best candy/sauce/paleta/ice cream/who knows what game…
Yep, it happened. Again. It’s Valentine’s Day and you have nothing. Nada. Bupkis. Take a deep breath. It’s not too late. Plenty of time. Chow Bella is here to help. And don’t worry. We’re not talking about a $55,000 diamond ring or that crazy plan Pizza Hut has to sell…
Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet. That’s all we can say about the line-up for Caramelpalooza 2012, the third annual caramel tasting event co-sponsored by Smeeks candy store and Chow Bella, going down Friday, March 2 at 7 pm. But don’t take our word for it — check out the list for yourself. Please, try…
