If you like cooking as much as we think we do, you probably have at least a few referential or inspirational cookbooks tucked away in your personal library. You might prop them up against a solid mixing bowl and flip through their pages with buttery, sticky, garlic-y fingers and reckless…

In preparation for Caramelpalooza 2012, we’ll be introducing each of the local chefs submitting their sticky, sweet creations on Friday, March 2nd at Smeeks in Central Phoenix. Today we’d like to present Virginia Senior of Urban Beans. An architect and fine artist, Virginia believes in the power of design and…

Starting today, we’ve got some introductions to make. Meet our Caramalpalooza candymakers, starting with Monica Castillo of Churn. Castillo, who’s worked everywhere from the Parlor to the Valley Ho, is a pastry chef with a degree from Johnson and Wales College of Culinary Arts in Providence, Rhode Island. The hardest…

This week we’ve been talking with Chef Christine Boerner of The Baker’s Daughter. A chocolatier and pastry chef, Christine told us earlier how much it takes for her to get ready for the most chocolate-y of all holidays: Valentine’s Day. Today, she gives us a peak at her recipe for…

In recognition of Valentine’s Day we’re talking with chocolatier and pastry chef, Christine Boerner of The Baker’s Daughter. Yesterday she gave us a peek into how she prepares for V-Day and today we get schooled about how you go from cacao bean…to chocolate dream. So, how do you make chocolate?…

Since the first food truck festival rolled into Phoenix last October, it seems that nothing – not stupidly long lines, not inflated prices, not a complete and utter lack of organization, truly NOTHING – can stop the flood of food trucks and food truck festivals from saturating the Valley with…

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and whether you’re in love or so far out of it you can hardly stand the sight of another heart-shaped anything, the holiday does bring all people together around one thing. No, we’re nothing talking about those warm, fuzzy feelings. We’re talking about…

Earlier this week we mentioned that The Uprooted Kitchen, a vegetarian food truck getting ready to start serving around town, plans to reveal its menu of salad bowls sometime in the near future. These bowls won’t be your standard lettuce with dressing B.S. They’re loading them up with hearty greens,…

If you’ve been wondering why nobody’s thought (much) to bring vegetarian and vegan food into the burgeoning food truck scene, we’ve got the answer: They have. Meet The Romanoffs: Erin and Chad, a pastry chef and occupational therapist, who will be hitting the streets in their 1968 vintage Avion trailer,…

This week in Chef Chat we’ve been at Green talking to owner and chef, Damon Brasch. Over the last two days he talked about the process of renovating the two century-year-old buildings in downtown Phoenix, which now house the second Green location and his coffee/snack shop, Nami. Today he comments…

Yesterday we shared the first part of our talk with vegan chef and owner of Green, Damon Brasch who shared the story behind the century-year-old buildings that now house his most recent culinary endeavors in the middle of downtown Phoenix. Today Brasch, known also for his mad music skills (he’s…

At the second location of the vegan bistro, Green, we met up with owner and chef Damon Brasch for this week’s Chef Chat. Next door at the also new-to-town snack shop, Nami, we chatted over a cup of coffee (with soy milk, of course) about the history behind the recently…

Over the past two days we’ve brought you the highlights of our time with pastry chef Linda Schneider of 21 Cakes. If you haven’t made it out to the shop since it open last August, the elegant confections and beautiful space in which to enjoy them will make the drive…

This week we bring you Pastry Chef Linda Schneider of 21 Cakes, the gourmet cupcake and macron bakery in Scottsdale. Yesterday she told us about her childhood baking with her grandmother and explained the difference between a macron and a macaroon. Today, we ask her advice for new bakers and…

In this week’s Chef Chat we satisfy our sweet tooth by sitting down to chat with pastry chef Linda Schneider of 21 Cakes in Scottsdale. Schneider, a classically trained chef and cupcake master, grew up baking with her grandmother and mother. Today family recipes like her grandmother’s chocolate cake live…

Yesterday The Breadfruit’s Chef Danielle Leoni told us she’d be teaching how to make Appleton Rum Scallops at the Winter Chef Series later this month. Well we’ve got a sneak preview for those of you who just can wait. Appleton Rum Sea Scallops Serves 2 Ingredients: 4 Large Diver Scallops…

Today we’ve got the second part of our chat with Chef Danielle Leoni of The Breadfruit. Although the restaurant’s been open for several years, The Breadfruit stays true to its roots and original mission to offer fresh, Jamaican cuisine in a friendly, casual atmosphere. Leoni prides herself in the taking…

In many ways the exterior of The Breadfruit — tucked away on a quiet street and so unassuming that even walking right by, it could still go overlooked — reflects the amiable persona of its unpretentious chef. We met with Chef Danielle Leoni this week to get to know the…

This week we sat down to talk with Chef Peter Deruvo of Cuoco Pazzo in Scottsdale. He may have said, “there’s no such thing as Italian food,” but Chef Deruvo’s Roman-style feasts have been creating a buzz in the food community since the restauraunt opened in late 2011. Today, we’ve…

Today we have the second part of our interview with Cuoco Pazzo chef and owner, Peter Deruvo. Deruvo and business partner Mario Rana, also owner of Mad Chef Gastro Pub, bring the decadence of a Roman feast to the heart of Old Town Scottsdale with a menu they hope showcases Deruvo’s unique…

Cuoco Pazzo may translate to “crazy chef,” but the only crazy thing we noticed about Chef Peter Deruvo are his crazy humility and true passion for providing his guests with great food.   We sat down with Chef Deruvo in this week’s Chef Chat to hear how he’s handling his two…

This week we met up with Chef Jason Alford, who shared the story of his culinary roots from a small community in Oregon and discussed the evolution of Scottsdale’s London-imported Japanese restauraunt, Roka Akor. Today we’ve got his simple recipe for a Honey Yuzu Dressing featured on the New Year’s…