Best of Phoenix 2014: Borders

Once upon a time, there was a city. It was not the largest city, or the smallest. It was not the richest or the poorest. But this city had a reputation, nonetheless. It was known throughout the land as dry and inhospitable — heated to unimaginable temperatures for several months…

Fried: Chow Bella Writers Tell Stories of Food and Heat

DRIVE-THRU by Katie Johnson “Welcome to McDonald’s. May I take your order?” I’m 7 years old and I’m kneeling behind a low wooden chest in my parent’s cookie-cutter home in Ahwatukee. My stepfather, Jim, is on the floor with me. Hunched over in wilted work clothes, he studies a nonexistent…

Elizabeth Naranjo’s October Dreams

If you can’t stand the heat — get in the kitchen. On Thursday, June 13, at 6 p.m. at the Lounge at Crescent Ballroom, Chow Bella writers are warming up for summer with “Fried,” an evening of true stories. Admission is free; food and drink will be available for sale…

One Mom’s “Pinch of Cumin”

Chow Bella has a valentine for you. For the rest of February, we’re handing out Candy Hearts — stories of food and love from some of our favorite writers. Enjoy. From the moment her child is conceived, a mother’s love flows in the form of food. In the womb, it…

Elizabeth Naranjo’s “Good Enough” Fudge

Ah, the holidays. Christmas is all about love, sharing, sweetness and light — and keeping the antacids handy. In keeping with the spirit of the season, Chow Bella presents “Eating Christmas,” in which some of our favorite writers nosh on the real lessons we learn this time of year. Today,…