KFC’s Buckets for the Cure: Charity, Hypocrisy, or Both?

After the launch of one of the worst jokes sandwiches in fast food history, the KFC Double Down, it seems a lot of folks have their feathers ruffled over the Colonel’s latest cause-marketing effort, Buckets for the Cure — a program in conjunction with Susan G. Komen for the Cure…

Caffiend: Hob Nobs’ White Chocolate Mocha

Hob Nobs, a quaint beatnik cafe housed in the old Willow House building, retains much of its predecessors’ ambiance: hardwood floors, colorful local art on the walls, cramped parking in the back — but the menu here offers more options, and we dare say the java’s just as good.We stopped…

Challenge to the Chefs at the Scottsdale Culinary Fest is Bleeping Bawdy

“You’re going to hear a lot of interesting language today,” announced Chef James Porter, host of today’s Challenge to the Chefs at the Scottsdale Culinary Festival and owner of Petite Maison. The question is, was he referring to the cool culinary terms everyone was throwing around or the fact the event would’ve had TV…

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: Arizona Barbecue Festival: Lessons Learned from Competing in a…

Read This: Epicute, The Cute Food Blog

  epicute.com ​We are the grumpy sorts who don’t care to be wished a “Happy Friday,” but we can’t stop grinning from ear to ear, after spotting this blog. EpiCute, the Cute Food Blog, is exactly that. And if you’re looking to waste some time, click over and spend some…

Winemaking 101: A Crash Course at Studio Vino

There’s something magical about making food or drink with your own two hands. Not that I haven’t passed a few store-bought cakes off as my own at dinner parties, but it just doesn’t feel the same when your contribution to the meal comes out of a bottle, box or KFC bucket. But what…

Where Am I Eating?

Ah, the glory of a sandwich. This place is seriously all about ’em. The turkey, bacon, sprouts, cream cheese and avocado number might put you back a few calories, but who can resist a classic chalkboard menu of artist-inspired sammies and salads? Sit back and soak in the university gossip…

Thin Mint Showdown: And the Winner Is . . .

The Chow Bella contributors do not make it easy on me.  I showed up at a recent meeting to discover a huge spread of beautiful, chocolatey desserts on the conference room table, each one of them with my name on it (metaphorically speaking). Everyone really hustled to create some new…

Chez Vous Creperie and Gelato Comes to Gainey Village

Seems almost predictable that someone from Scottsdale could head to Paris and fall completely in love with the City of Lights, leave friends and family behind, and make a Transatlantic move.But it also can happen in reverse.Last March, Richard and Isabelle Horvath visited Scottsdale from their native France, and took…

Beauty Lab 2010: Get That Food Off Your Plate and Put It On Your Face

Cookin’ up good looks in nature’s pharmacy. After my run-in with molecular gastronomy, The French, and their invasive metric system in FoodLab 2010, my kind-hearted editor thought I might need a little TLC (tequila-loaded cocktail) and a bit of pampering, Chow Bella-style. Enter The Beauty Cookbook, a first-ever recipe book…

The Humane Society and Big Agriculture Slug It Out Over Animal Rights

This week’s feature story, “Down on the Farm,” chronicles an increasingly heated national battle over “factory-farmed” food. On one side: a phalanx of corporation- and family-owned farms across the country. On the other: the Washington, D.C.-based Humane Society of the United States.Caught in the middle: independent farmers and voters.Voters? Indeed…

Last Night’s Chef’s Tribute Dinner, in Photos

​Media peeps did not get invited to last night’s Chef’s Tribute Dinner at J&G, but Chow Bella reader Valerie Paxton ponied up for a ticket and sent us some more of her drool-worthy photos. ​The event, part of the Scottsdale Culinary Festival, welcomed culinary luminaries Charlene Badman and Pavle Milic…

Chef Justin Beckett Prepares to Open a New Phoenix Eatery

Former Canal chef Justin Beckett has kept himself busy since the SouthBridge restaurant closed last summer — he’s been blogging about his home cooking escapades on Facebook (Beckett’s Kitchen Table), Tweeting about his research, and working on two new concepts, Beckett’s Food for the Neighborhood, and Scotty’s Original Po’Boy Shop…

Chef du Moo Farm Dinners coming to Superstition Farm

This month’s four-course, farm-to-table feast, which takes place Saturday, April 17, will feature roasted vegetable salad, Cuban pulled pork sandwich with pineapple curried vegetables, chipotle-raspberry ribs with apple-tarragon coleslaw and a yet-to-be-announced dessert. Farm owner Casey Stechnij says Johnson, chef at his Udder Delights ice cream shop in Gilbert, will prepare…

Cafe: Ocean Prime

It can be hard to find good sea food in the desert. Unfortunately, the restaurant featured in this week’s cafe column won’t exactly help your search. Food Critic Michele Laudig on Ocean Prime: Given his background working for Christopher Gross and Eddie Matney, and the sophisticated food he cooked at…

Top 5 Least Fattening Cocktails

Last week we featured the Top 5 Cocktails That Will Make You Fat, so it’s only fair to follow it up with what you may want to drink instead. Let’s be frank: if you’re trying to lose weight, you should probably stop drinking altogether; but if you’re merely trying not…

In the Raw: Local Chefs Get Naked for Charity

​Nice, um, cucumber!A friend showed me his copy of the new In the Raw calendar, and what can I say? It’s pretty ballsy.Ken and Lee Singh are the charming couple who run the all-natural Singh Farms — a 20-acre wonderland where their composting efforts have created nutrient-rich soil for fresh…

Kitchen Ink: More Tats from the Food Biz

The ink continues to flow. Following on the heels of our story about local chefs who are covered in tattoos, even more are stepping up to show off their skin art. Today, we have two guys from Scottsdale’s Culinary Dropout, executive chef Clint Woods, pictured on this page, and cook Matt Peshek,…