9-Year-Old School Lunch Blogger 1, Council Censors 0

Efforts by local Scottish authorities to silence a 9-year-old food blogger’s school lunch critiques were met with such outrage that they were forced to reverse their gag order in less than 24 hours. Martha Payne, a 9-year-old from Scotland, was dissatisfied with the quality, quantity, and human hair content of…

Now Filming: Prepper Movie Jack Phoenix

There’s a prepper friendly movie in the works called Jack Phoenix set in post-nuclear — you guessed it — Phoenix. The titular hero is a CFO turned “doomsday survival expert” who finds himself, his daughter and small film crew, forced to fend for themselves in the post-apocalyptic wasteland of the…

Paula Deen to Import Italian Cooking Show, Renamed Food Chain

Variety reports that Paula Deen, the Queen of Cream, is shopping around a U.S. version of a popular Italian competitive-cooking show. Judging from the available clips, it looks like Chopped but with amateur cooks and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? lifelines. Deen’s show will be called Food Chain, but…

British Ice Cream Men Duke It Out in Turf War

If the business model of ice cream vending ever struck you as having just a wee bit in common with drug dealing — first one’s free, kiddo! — then it appears you were on the right track. The Lancashire Telegraph is reporting that two British ice cream men got into…

Free Ice Cream From Sweet Republic Tomorrow

Scottsdale’s Sweet Republic is celebrating four years of delicious ice cream by giving away free scoops from 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13. They’ll also be offering door prizes and giveaways including homemade marshmallows, bacon brittle, gift certificates, and Sweet Republic branded swag…

The Sandwich Nazi (NSFW, Not Even a Little)

Please do not disregard the NSFW tag. Beyond the initial candle-in-rectum story there’s a good bit of male frontal nudity and some of the foulest language imaginable. The handwritten warning outside of this man’s shop explains it best: This is the story of the world’s most profane sandwich maker, Salam…

Now Open: Tacos Sonora Grill

Downtown Phoenix could always use another eatery, particularly one that is open late, cheaper than dirt, and, most important, serves up some serious grub. Tacos Sonora Grill opened late last week and just southeast Chase Field, across Seventh Street…

Umami Burger Condiments Bring the Fifth Flavor to Your Cupboard

Umami Burger is something of a California icon. The restaurant has more than a half-dozen locations in L.A. and scads of accolades including GQ’s “Burger of the Year.” By most accounts, it makes a fine burger for two main reasons: 1. It uses quality meat in its ground. 2. Those…

May Restaurant Openings and Closings

A couple swanky spots opened up in the month of May, particularly in Scottsdale. At the same time the Valley had to bid a restaurant with more than 20 years of history adieu. That’s like 100 years in Phoenix restaurant years…

The Daily Show Takes on NYC’s Proposed Ban on Large Sodas

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently proposed a ban on the sale of sodas larger than 16 ounces in an effort to combat obesity. The ban would prohibit the sale of these sodas in pretty much every public place in NYC except for the supermarket. We could dwell on the…

Home Edition of Six-Volume “Modernist Cuisine” Tome in the Works

Nathan Myhrvold used to be the chief technology officer for Microsoft, then he retired and co-authored the $625, six-volume cookbook, “Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking.” The book embraced the burgeoning field of molecular gastronomy and used some extreme techniques, including sawing cooking equipment in half, to demonstrate…

Are Yelp Extortionists Giving Restaurants the Shakedown?

Editor’s Note: Obtaining a basic business account through Yelp is in fact a free process as is responding directly to Yelp reviews. Generally, here at Chow Bella we tend to report on restaurant owners behaving badly. Whether that be Amy’s Baking Company’s Yelp tirade or Tina’s Ethiopian Cafe’s comment section…

Your Mug for the Inevitable Zombie Apocalypse

If you’ve been following the news out of Florida these last couple of weeks, you might be kicking yourself for not sauntering down to the survivalist expo earlier this month. In that spirit, let’s talk about what is possibly the most impractical awesome drinking vessel ever milled out of a…

Japanese Artist Cooks and Serves His Own Genitals (NSFW)

Japanese illustrator Mao Sugiyama had his genitals removed on his birthday, March 31. A couple of weeks later, he served those genitals — scrotum, testicles and penis — at a special dinner where six “lucky” individuals paid the equivalent of $250 to consume them. Sugiyama advertised this unique meal via…

Mirth Wants to Be the Groupon Killer

Mirth, which announced its existence at TechCrunch’s Disrupt NYC convention, bills itself as a business-friendly alternative to deal programs like Groupon and LivingSocial. A Mirth account is attached to your credit card and automatically recognizes when you’ve gone to an establishment twice in a single month. This makes you a…