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A recovered banker, Susie Timm of Girl Meets Fork Marketing & Media has found her true life’s passion promoting and marketing local restaurants, gourmet food products, and food events. Timm blogs about restaurant openings on her website and co-hosts several signature food events each year including the Grilled Cheese Throwdown, Taste of the Nation Phoenix and the Mac & Cheese Throwdown. Her creative marketing and event planning help keep our city’s food scene on the move — up, that is.
I arrived in Phoenix with… a sense of awe and wonderment. It was shortly after eighth grade and I was set to attend high school at Saguaro in Scottsdale. I was 100 percent certain that a high school education in Scottsdale would be identical to what the cast members of Beverly Hills 90210 experienced on a daily basis. Turns out, I was only slightly wrong. I had vacationed in Phoenix since I was 5 years old and frankly could not have imagined living here full time until the snowy winters of Wisconsin had my parents migrating south faster than you can say “snow blower.” I have loved Scottsdale unconditionally ever since and will defend it with vim and vigor any chance I get.
If I was sitting down to dinner for six, my five dream dining companions would be… Michael Ruhlman (so I could stare at him and say “Ruhlman” in an Anthony Bourdain-sarcastic and deadpan sort of way), Bobby Flay (because I have a thing for redheads), Rick Warren (for inspiration and to bless the meal) and Greg Gutfeld (for comic relief and right-wing musings).
One place everyone who comes to Phoenix must eat is… Old Town Farmers’ Market–come hungry on a Saturday morning around 8 am in October. The weather is perfect, produce fresh and OTFM is home to some of the most scrumptious pastries and local gourmet food around.
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One menu item this city could do without is… bad chips and salsa. Nothing makes me stabbier than a Mexican restaurant that has shitty chips and salsa. Come on people…if I can make amazing salsa (I’m a WASP from Wisconsin!), then anyone can. And greasy chips suck.
My last meal in Phoenix would be… FnB for sure. I would drink copious amounts of rose, get my leeks with mozz on, and speak slightly slurred Spanish with Pavle — no doubt reliving the good old days when we were both Saguaro Sabercats. Additionally, I would enjoy testing my theory that Char’s butterscotch pudding can indeed double as a tasty skin moisturizer.
The Tastemakers so far: 100: Tracy Dempsey 99: Craig DeMarco 98: Lara Mulchay 97: M.J. Coe 96: Betty Alatorre de Hong 95: Eric Schaefer 94: Hanna Gabrielsson 93: Shinji Kurita 92: Silvana Salcido Esparza 91: Mike Pitt 90: Christina Barrueta 89: Christopher Gross 88: Jan Wichayanuparp and Helen Yung 87: DJ Fernandes 86: Cullen Campbell 85: Chris Lee 84. Gwen Ashley Walters 83: Tony Morales 82: Lylah Ledner 81: Andrea White 80: Lori Hashimoto 79. Mrs. White 78: Eugenia Theodosopolous 77: Lou & Lovey Borenstein 76: Anthony Patafio 75: Carl Seacat 74: Sacha Levine 73: Sharon Salomon 72: Johnny Chu
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