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.
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
