When notable farm-to-table chef Greg LaPrad left Quiessence at the Farm at South Mountain to open his own restaurant, Overland Trout in Sonoita, owner Pat Christofolo (who also owns Morning Glory Cafe and The House at Secret Garden) filled the high-profile position with her chef-son, 32-year-old Dustin Christofolo of The…
On Monday, we chatted with Dustin Christofolo, the new executive chef at Quiessence, about how he’s prepared to take over the high-profile position at the end of the month. If you missed the first part of the interview you can read it here. Today, we’re back to talk about a…
Last week, the Valley food universe nearly cracked its cosmos when Valley pizza legend Chris Bianco was spotted in the kitchen at Pizzeria Bianco in the Town & Country Shopping Center. Turns out the James Beard Award winner and Arizona’s most famous pizzaiolo is indeed back and doing what he…
For the past 11 years, Heritage Foods USA has been selling Heritage Turkeys from farmer Frank Reese’s Good Shepherd Ranch. Unlike your typical store-bought birds, which are bred for their abundance of white breast meat rather than taste, these turkeys offer more flavorful dark meat. And just as important, they…
Dustin Christofolo Executive Chef Quiessence, The Farm at South Mountain 602-276-0601 www.quiessencerestaurant.com After years of running the show at The House at Secret Garden, chef Dustin Christofolo will take the reins at Quiessence when the restaurant reopens at the end of October. He’ll replace chefs Greg LaPrad and Tony Andiario,…
Recently, restaurants such as Postino East, So Cal Fish Taco Company, and Joyride Taco House have put down stakes in Gilbert, home to restaurateur Joe Johnston’s trio of dining spots (Joe’s Real BBQ, Liberty Market, and Joe’s Farm Grill) for around 15 years. Now, two more are doing the same…
Lovers of deep-fried foods, rejoice! The Arizona State Fair is now in full swing. Whatever food you can think of, the odds are good that someone has deep fried it, covered it in bacon, or both. We went out this weekend to indulge in some of the more unusual eats…
West Valley residents have a new spot for coffee as of last month, and this week they welcomed an adjoining urban bistro to the ‘hood. Courtesy of husband-and-wife team Steve and Karen Maynard, the new cafe, called Tempo Urban Bistro and Coffee, opened Wednesday, October 9, at 21067 West Main…
The things you find out about your barista. Shelby Moore of south Tempe’s hub for stuffed goodness, Crepe Bar, is a journalism student (full disclosure: he once interned for Chow Bella). When he isn’t busy hitting the books, he can be found in the restaurant whipping up tasty coffee drinks…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that…
A new brand of giardiniera, Kelsey D’s, has made its way to local store shelves, courtesy of Arizona State University alumna Kelsey Digman, who has turned her family recipe into a thriving business. Digman had grown up eating giardiniera, an Italian specialty condiment made of chopped garden-grown vegetables marinated in…
When it comes to risk-taking cuisine in the Valley, there’s no better example — at least not right now — than what they’ve got cookin’ in the kitchen at Renegade by MOD. The Scottsdale restaurant comes courtesy of Chef Michael O’Dowd, formerly chef at Kai, and partner Ed Leclere. Though…
This weekend is a big one for the Valley’s Oktoberfest scene. You’ll have your pick between the three-day fest at Tempe Town Lake and a two-day event up at Salt River Fields. And don’t worry, if lederhosen and bier aren’t really your scene, there are plenty of other things to…
Halo-Halo Kitchen, the Filipino restaurant on the city’s west side, is not only a place to eat, it’s also a place to party. On one side, there is the eatery, a bright white room of Filipino baked goods and groceries and a turo-turo, or a cafeteria-style “point-point” setup of meats…
Just when you think you know everything there is to know about Phoenix, someone finds an old trailer, once owned by a barbecued-beef baron, that used to house a radio station and, well, you realize there’s still more to learn about this crazy place. Built by Bill Johnson of Bill…
When one of the young dancers from the next-door studio wandered into Café 8 in Mesa, and announced that she couldn’t eat gluten, Tracey Chaker gave her one of the gluten-free cupcakes out of the display case. “The next day, she came back, tugged on my chef’s jacket, and said,…
Breaking beer news, drunks! Representatives of Phoenix beer distributors Crescent Crown announced Wednesday that Avery Brewing Co. will once again begin sending its beers to Arizona. Bottles and cans from the Colorado-based brewery should start reappearing on our shelves as early as mid-November…
When the restaurant gods shutter a Monk, they open a Bootlegger. At least that’s the case with Praying Monk, restaurateur and chef Aaron May’s stylish American beer cafe in Old Town Scottsdale opened in May of last year. Shuttered last night, Praying Monk, located at 7217 East First Street, will…
Oktoberfest is in full bloom, and while beer and brats go hand-in-hand, there happen to be several other German dishes worth trying, and jagerschnitzel is one of them. Traditionally, jagerschnitzel is a pork cutlet topped with a burgundy or creamy mushroom sauce. The schnitzel can be prepared with breadcrumb or…
Caroline Van Slyke over at Boho Farm & Home is getting busy on her property this October. In case you didn’t know, Van Slyke is an Arcadia-based designer, urban farmer, cheesemaker, jam-maker, soon-to-be beekeeper, mother of two, and tender of a bunch of chickens, a Scottish Terrier, a farm cat,…
When chef Jared Porter left The Parlor in September to start his own venture called Clever Koi — a modern noodle and dumpling house in Central Phoenix planned to open this fall — the Central Phoenix pizzeria owned by father-and-son-team Dan and Aric Mei (the two also also own Nello’s…
Welcome to Chow Bella’s Bites & Dishes, where Valley chefs and restaurateurs respond to a question New Times food critic Laura Hahnefeld has on her mind. Have a question you’d like to ask? E-mail laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. Think chefs don’t rely on a little help from the neighborhood supermarket to kick up…
