AZ Daily Sun – Gail G. Collins

Matters of Taste: Chocolita Chocolate Café

Flag Live! January 16, 2025

Written by Gail G. Collins

Chocolate is chemistry. It is a product of cocao, forged by fire from its inherent ingredients. During roasting, the sugar and protein of fermented beans cause the Maillard reaction, which creates chocolate. Upwards of 800 chemical compounds are found in chocolate with the majority offering allegedly positive effects. And the darker the chocolate, the more compounds it contains.

So, chocolate is healthy … in degrees. There is caffeine and theobromine, also found in coffee, antioxidants, phenethylamine, an aphrodisiac, and more. This brings us to the go-to gift on Valentine’s Day—chocolate. Yes, there chemistry in love as well.

“Chocolate is one of the most chemically complex foods on the planet,” said Sarah Lesslie, owner of Chocolita Chocolate Café, located in Kachina Square Shopping Center. “It’s high in iron and magnesium, which relaxes the body, and PEA (phenethylamine), the bliss molecule, so you feel good when you eat it.”

The student of chocolate opened Chocolita on Valentine’s Day 2022. With a background in theater arts and herbalism wand a minor in sustainability, Lesslie wants to do a good thing as an opportunity for the Earth. “The business lent itself to this inherent love of environment.” She takes herbs daily to support her health, but they can be off-putting, so, “I created a chocolate I could eat every day and cover up the bitter flavors of the herbs. It was amazing and effective.” She began sharing her product with friends, which birthed Chocolita.

“Chocolate is a food, and that’s how I approach it,” explained Lesslie. “We don’t use the world ‘candy’ in our shop, which depends on the sweetness. I add superfoods to it <creating> a chocolate vitamin to take each day that is functional—to improve performance or mental acuity, like lion’s mane—in a delicious form.”

Lesslie believes we should be more connected to where our food comes from. “This is the genesis for the botanical chocolate line—to enjoy herbs and the taste as well.”

Products include Moontime Rose, blended smoothly with a bounty of angelica rose petals for female cycle support. Strawberry Passion is an aphrodisiac. Morning Matcha aids the brain.

There is sipping chocolate, and the season begs a warm cup. Ecuador Dark and Sweet, Exotic Mint, Ancho and Cayenne, Heartswell and more tease with a trademark mug for sale among the complementary goods. There are spreads in hazelnut chocolate, which is not oil based, nutty Jaguar Spread with a theobroma base and botanical perfumes on offer.

“It’s hard to make chocolate, and there are levels and science to it,” Lesslie said. “Melting and dipping is easy, but tempering is the challenging part—snap is an indicator of good temper—to create a shell and add a filling. The crystal and structure between the sugar and fat equates temper.”

Lesslie wears multiple toques. As a chocolate maker, she utilizes raw ingredients for couverture chocolate, which is ground to a finer texture and contains higher percentages of cocoa butter for enrobing truffles and bonbons. A chocolatier makes the truffles. Lesslie does both. Her display case contains such fantasies as the pyramid bee honeycomb, dragon heart with dragonfruit jelly, rose cardamom with sweet tahini, sleepy moon with turmeric and blueberry rose and mint magic with blue butterfly PEA powder and coconut mint. “They are vegan, plant-based, soy-free and botanically crafted.”

Chocolate is grown as varietals in regions, as with wine, with flavor profiles. Lesslie sources shade-grown cacao from understory trees, a complementary style of growing.

Now, consider the ceremonial aspects to sipping chocolate—to sit and set intentions—creativity, plans and putting words to an idea followed by steps of accountability. These rituals are practiced in hosted Sip Circles, which meet on the third Thursday each month. These informal gatherings share the magic of cocao and connection with a bonus discount on branded purchases. “I want to do what I can to make healthy food accessible.”

Chocolita supplies a wholesale market at upscale outlets, such as Lassens Natural Foods and Vitamins, Good Earth Markets in Utah and Island Naturals Market and Deli in Hawaii. This has fueled a second location on San Francisco Street.

Lesslie runs a strict certified organic kitchen—everything is catalogued and accounted for. Certified organic is expensive, full of paperwork and has a clear legal standard, but achieves reults.

Production is work, “but chocolate is interesting for me. It extends my artistic side,” she said and smiled. “Chocolate picked me. It was serendipity. I was fascinated to learn about it. It is nerdy and neat. Why does it work that way? My art and science worlds merged there. There is so much math in the kitchen.” There is such mystery and promise in the chocolate. FlagLIVE!

https://azdailysun.com/flaglive/features/chow/matters-of-taste-chocolita-chocolate-caf/article_1c16caf2-c94b-11ef-90a3-e3a8248f680d.html

Matters of Taste: Los Alteños Restaurant

AZ Daily Sun, December 27, 2024

Written by Gail G. Collins

How much do we learn standing by our mother’s side? Plenty, especially in the kitchen. In real time, her actions model what matters. We learn priorities, discipline, skills, techniques, creativity, joy in serving, teamwork, and of course, love.

Beginning on a step stool, even the toddler can participate and appreciate the effort it takes to provide a beautiful meal and its associated tasks, like dishwashing or sweeping up. In time, important elements are passed on—the family recipes and traditions.

So it was for Bertha Lopez, who at 14 years old was her mother’s right hand in cooking for her nine siblings in Mexico. Daughter Brenda Lopez emphasized, “Bertha is the OG—the original gal—the creator of the big idea and the recipes at Los Alteños. Cooking is a big thing in our family. At get-togethers, we are always about the food.”

Los Alteños Restaurant has stood in its present location on Milton Road in Flagstaff since 2000 when Bertha helped her uncle Juan Rodriquez to open it. She worked there for many years until he retired in 2017. Brenda said proudly, “We kept it in the family,” and the business continued with Bertha’s family.

Brenda grew up in the kitchen, learning at her mother’s elbow. “Our food is authentic. Some are family recipes. With 40 years of cooking experience, Bertha can taste a dish and list the ingredients. She does trial and error to reproduce something.”

The seriously family business includes Bertha and husband Juan, Brenda, Ruben and Maria. As for living and working together with the challenges they can present, Brenda said, “We got the hang of it, but bumped heads lot to start. With family, you work things out.” She added, “I wouldn’t want to work with anyone else.”

The Jalisco style is simplistic, according to Brenda, with low seasoning—posole, carne asada and birria, beef marinated in red, spicy sauce. The sauces are scratch made and fresh ingredients feature. “It’s not over-seasoned; it’s like you’re at Grandmother’s house.”

Los Alteños is well known for its salsas in mild to hot chili in flavors of avocado, guacamole, green and hot red—the popular pick. Guest mix them, creating personal blends. “We’re working on selling jarred salsa as a personal touch because people are always asking,” Brenda said.

From the specialties list, birria tacos are the top seller. Tortillas are dipped in house enchilada sauce and include cheese, cilantro, onion, salsa verde, guacamole and birria, a rich broth for dipping.

Breakfast is served all day in combo plates with a range of protein choices and as burritos with egg and cheese plus American standard ham or sausage to Mexican chorizo or machaca, plus hash browns. The balance of the menu is vast and happily anticipated. There are six types of tortas, tostados and quesadillas, hard tacos, a dozen burrito and soft taco choices, seafood, such as the ceviche tostado, and soups with menudo offered daily.

From the combination plates, served with rice and beans, the grilled steak fajitas are most popular. The gorditas, with filling choices of carnitas or chicarron to al pastor or tripa to polla or shrimp, utilize house made batter, which is hard to find, Brenda suggested.

Located in a strip mall with easy parking, Los Alteños is a simple dining strategy with ordering at the counter to be served by friendly staff. There is ample seating around taupe wood tables with the dining space divided by a long, elevated bar with chairs. Framed prints in Mexican design line the walls, and outside, patio shade is available.

The crowd is heavily local from NAU students to construction crews and passersby. The business caters weddings and other church or family events. Setting up a taco stand and salsa bar is straightforward and full of choice, while a grill cart for steak fajita platters offers another delicious, desirable option.

With such an array of authentic and fresh menu items, no one ever leaves hungry from Los Alteños Restaurant. But it is more than that. “At Christmas, firefighters and police eat for free as way of saying, ‘Thank you.’” Tamales made in house are available then. And Brenda added, “Anyone in need will be fed. We believe, whatever you give out, you will get back.” AZDailySun

https://azdailysun.com/flaglive/features/chow/matters-of-taste-los-alte-os-restaurant/article_a32183c2-c21e-11ef-8aad-871c1897b351.html

Matters of Taste: Queen Mum’s Royal English Toffee

AZ Daily Sun, Mountain Living Section—November 27, 2024

Written by Gail G. Collins

What is so English about toffee? While sweet treats abound in Britain, none is as prevalent as toothsome toffee. Candy, in general, came to prominence there with the abundance of sugar from its colonized Caribbean islands in the late 1800s, and the experimentation began.

Toffee is created by caramelizing (or inverting) sugar with butter and pouring it out to harden. Its popularity grew due to its simple list of ingredients and flawless balance of delectable sweet and buttery break—or as some said, “toff,” suggesting the name. Key to its production is the careful heating and cooling of sugar, butter, sometimes adding vanilla and salt, and from the early 1900s, almonds. This final evolution formed toffee’s traditional crunchy texture and buttery flavor, branding it as wholly English.

Such amorphous and humble anonymity also pervades the best toffee available in Flagstaff—Queen Mum’s Royal English Toffee, whose purveyor prefers a low profile. “My mother made toffee for years and years, and I learned from her,” said the toffee expert. “She would make it and take to the veteran’s hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado, where she volunteered.” The mother had an Irish background, and the daughter always helped when she was around, especially when pouring out enormous pots of hot toffee to cool even at 97 years of age.

Word of mouth brought customers from points around the country, such as a lady in California, who has bought 30 pounds from the mother for 20 years. She uses them in gift baskets, whose clients teasingly threaten to quit if the toffee isn’t in there at Christmas.

In Colorado, Enstrom’s brought awareness to English almond toffee with the tagline, “made with magic; disappears like magic,” and Mom competed for sales from her kitchen. “Their price is dear, and it’s not as good as mine, commercialized production with stingy amounts of almonds,” the daughter remembered her saying.

Mom moved to Arizona and died shortly after in 2010, and the daughter took on her customer list, copying her mother’s manufacturing and distribution chain. “I would make the toffee and take it to work to sell or trade with a friend, who made tamales.” Later, her adult children would take it to their job sites for sale.

During cooking, the ideal timing is revealed in the pop, according to the pro. It’s a messy and rather precarious craft as hot sugar boils and nuts pop with inevitable spatters. “It’s important to know the temperature of it all or the butter will separate, and you must keep stirring once it’s added. A small signal it’s nearly ready is the toffee color and the consistency, which starts thick, and then, thins as it finishes,” she advised. “When it’s nearly done, the nuts pop.”

Queen Mum’s Royal English Toffee maker is a purest, shunning the notion of cashews or pecans or using them only for topping. “It’s not authentic, not right and doesn’t have the same flavor profile without almonds added to the toffee,” she insisted. Ghirardelli chocolate is spread over the toffee in the final stage.

Humidity can affect the outcome of toffee making. During a monsoon, the toffee will draw moisture and become sticky. For this reason, Queen Mum’s boxes are vacuum-sealed to preserve the quality and can be frozen for up to four years and remain fresh for six months in the refrigerator.

The point of sale for Queen Mum’s Royal English Toffee is the Butler Mobil gas station, owned by relatives Curtis and Michelle Gregory. The couple bought the station in 2020, remodeling it in time for Christmas. Since then, winning public votes have awarded them for best liquor, beer and convenience store.

“Our aim is to be different, to try hard to bring in local products, like Pie Guy’s pies, Sam Murray the Bear Guy’s carvings, Arizona beer, spirits and more,” Michelle said. “We try to feature Flagstaff and keep the money here in town.” The couple is present in the shop daily, noticing clients bond over products, like pies and toffee. “Loyalty is hard to find and means everything to us.”

That seems to be the family way. The second generation toffee maker has shared her recipe and tips with the family, but shaking a finger, has threatened them not to share the knowledge. “We are preserving the legacy for the next generation of candy makers,” she said. AZDailySun

https://azdailysun.com/flaglive/features/chow/matters-of-taste-queen-mum-s-royal-english-toffee/article_d1f6069a-ab59-11ef-99dc-171311df6ebc.html

Sedona’s Top Luxury Hotel Launches Lunar-Themed Offerings for Travelers Seeking Celestial Experiences

AZ Daily Sun, November 21, 2024

Written by Gail G. Collins

There is nothing as enchanting as a starry night. Gazing upwards, lights winking back, one entertains the infinite as it beckons in its most promising, diamond-studded style. According to the city, Flagstaff was recognized on October 24, 2001 as the world’s First International Dark Sky City for its pioneering work balancing preservation of our night sky with concerns about public safety and economic security.

Dark Sky Community efforts to promote responsible stewardship has expanded throughout northern Arizona, and Sedona’s clear skies also allow for unrestricted views that rival any stargazing destination in the world. The rewards are full moons, meteor showers and planet alignment spectacles.

Matching those celestial rhythms can bring wellness to the body. Sedona’s rich connection to nature and the cosmos inspired the construction of Ambiente, a Landscape Hotel, and the only MICHELIN Two Key hotel in the state. This fall, the lavish property launched lunar-inspired wellness, dining and adventure offerings designed to align guests with the moon’s natural rhythms amongst a breathtaking, red rock backdrop.

The renowned Velvet Spa, an intimate six-room retreat, combines age-old wellness traditions with innovative technologies. Treatments incorporate native ingredients, reflecting the region’s healing essence, in a variety of rejuvenating rituals. The Energetic Experiences include: Recharge, Realign, Reawaken and Revitalize, the latter introducing energy exploration.

The Sound Healing Journey, experienced under stunning skies, blends sound vibration and meditation, intention and breath work, leading to release and alignment. A variety of instruments, crafted from natural materials, like sand, brass and crystals, along with a Native American drum, help induce a state of deep relaxation.

Deborah Waldvogel, director of spa and guest services, said of the treatments, “The sound journey or charging crystals impact brain waves and energy pathways, and the parasympathetic nervous system is brought to the forefront. Blood pressure goes down to bring healing and reduced anxiety. In a meditative environment—eliminating distractions—the body is energized, creative and focused as a result.”

Selenite, named for the Greek goddess of the moon Selene, represents purity and clarity. “This stone has the ability to charge other waning crystals, like a battery, to balance energy in a space and to enhance serenity and intuition,” she said.

Clients come from California, Arizona, Texas and Colorado mainly, but Ambiente’s reach is expanding to include international travelers. “In general, there are two different types of guests—those familiar with sound energy and healing work, and others, who want to explore those elements because of the area’s reputation,” Waldvogel explained. “What you get out of it is very individual—many feel some sort of shift…and the quiet allows it to come forward.”

Heading outdoors, jeep tours explore the western canyons at night. Partner Sedona Jeep Tours offers guided, private encounters with the landscape, stunning stars, history and folklore under a bright moon.

“With the sky lit up, especially under a full moon, you sense the formations in the rock, a talk on the area’s history and an explanation of the sacred moon with a ceremony in respect to elders of the original people. Or enjoy stargazing on the rooftops (of the guest atriums)—our most popular, private offering,” she invited. Dennis Casper, a resident astronomer, uses personally-crafted, state-of-the-art telescopes to educate visitors about constellations, star clusters, galaxies and more.

Atriums of sustainable, organic architecture merge with their natural surroundings providing a disconnection from the daily pull and a reconnection with nature. Luxurious accommodations feature sleek, elemental interiors and amenities such as a petite kitchen—restocked daily with refreshments—and bespoke design touches, including live-edge wood furnishings, rain showers, oversized soaking tubs and a rooftop deck equipped for stargazing with a daybed and fire pit.

Beyond rhythms, release and reconnection, one must also enjoy a repast. The hotel’s full-service signature restaurant, Forty1, serves seasonally rotating breakfast and dinner menus that showcase the Verde Valley’s abundance through Modern American cuisine. A pre-fixe menu offers three courses: a shared appetizer, a choice of filet or sea bass each, a shared dessert and a bottle of Moët, all set on the patio under a star-filled sky. A moonrise menu teases with sweet treats: strawberry and chocolate mousse domes with edible glitter, Denizen Farm milk and snickerdoodle cookies plus a limited-time Starry Night cocktail mixing Tito’s vodka, butterfly pea flower, egg white, strawberry syrup, lemon juice and an edible glitter bomb.

Ah, breathe deeply. Then, be still and study the stars. AZDailySun

https://azdailysun.com/flaglive/features/beat/sedona-s-top-luxury-hotel-launches-lunar-themed-offerings-for-travelers-seeking-celestial-experiences/article_c87687f6-a6c3-11ef-8c7d-fb2df90ae628.html

Matters of Taste: Hankerin’

AZ Daily Sun, Mountain Living Section, October 2024

Written by Gail G. Collins

Our relationship with food is complex, and too often, it becomes a moral dilemma, involving good foods and bad foods. But can’t eating be more neutral? Put directly, why can’t that drive provide pleasure, and in turn, satisfaction? Our basic survival is dependent upon it. When a craving occurs, no substitutions will sway us—only that thing will do. But where to turn to satisfy that craving?

Hankerin’ opened in August 2021 to curb a craving. “The theme—the name of the place—is a menu full of cravings,” said owner Chas Townsend. “It’s what I like to eat when going out.” The green Chile chili burger is a perfect example. Townsend fell for a similar burger on a trip to Durango, so it had to be on the menu. He made regular trips to Cameron for the fry bread tacos, so the native taco, a Northern Arizona must, piles fluffy fry bread with house chili, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheddar cheese, green chilies and sour cream. It’s a big seller. “These are things I crave. The elote is for my wife.” The Mexican street corn fave comes on a stick with mayo, cotija cheese, butter and a special chili powder blend.

Townsend married into a Hispanic family and connected with them in the kitchen. Growing up at the hospitality-oriented Grand Canyon, he was continually involved in food service. “No matter the circumstances, I ended up cooking, especially for family.” Now, his boys, Benny and Chris, help out at Hankerin’ as does wife Mely.

According to Townsend, the carne asada fries are easily the most popular item. “Interestingly, it was the last thing I added and at our customers’ insistence, but they are not far off from chili fries, and I love those.” The fries are covered in beef, avocado and roasted red pepper salsa, cotija cheese, onions tomatoes.

The street tacos have a strong following with college students. Townsend tells the story of a regular, who began working his way through every salsa combination Hankerin’ offers to satisfy his taco craving. It took weeks. His buddy was a burger guy, and the determined taco man would give his friend the side-eye, secretly desiring the bread and meat, but sure he would regret not ordering the tacos—a quandary. Townsend took his pain to heart and shaped the creamy, shredded chicken into a patty and seared it, adding the street taco toppings—cheddar, lettuce, tomato, house made avocado salsa and chipotle mayo—a tedious task, but the taco-lover was satisfied. But he talked to friends about it, and the requests came in. Townsend streamlined the process for the cooks, and a Southwest chicken cheese burger joined the menu.

“I owe my success to my regulars,” he said. “They are the base of my business.” Located close to Northern Arizona University’s campus, Hankerin’ is settled within a neighborhood with no traffic to draw attention. In his first week of business, the only other commercial shop was going out of business. “The neighbors in these houses are my business. I take them seriously—it’s what motivates me.” There is little tourist trade, but there are sorority girls, who are friends and show up midmorning in their pajamas.

Hankerin’ doesn’t advertise or pursue catering gigs, but if approached…like when a food truck failed to come through for a wedding, and they needed 50 cheeseburgers quickly, he said, “I will make it work if I can; I will try.”

A secret to Townsend’s success is, “No one is open as late as I am. It’s a point of pride because it’s hard to do.” And for this effort, Hankerin’ won Best of Flagstaff’s Late Night Bites.

Hankerin’ operates like a food truck with a limited footprint, staff and offerings, yet it still participates in Greek life fundraising percentage nights and other community projects. Plans may yield a truck to service catering and events.

“I don’t prioritize being unique, but in doing it right,” he explained. “I don’t want to hear, ‘That’s interesting;’ I want to hear, ‘That’s the best street taco or burger I’ve ever eaten.’” The tri-tip is trimmed and seasoned personally, while the burgers are weighed and patted out. “It’s important to have my hands on it.”

Townsend has experimented with unique in his chicharachos, fried pork rinds smothered in carne asada with the usual creative toppings, plus avocado salsa and Valentina hot sauce. The item doesn’t sell as much as he thinks it deserves because it is an unknown quantity. “We are packed here late at night, or people are ordering online—the menu has got to sell the items. We don’t have the staff to explain things. Our customer experience here is: You know what you’re getting.” And what you’re getting is the pleasure of satisfying your craving. AZDailySun

https://azdailysun.com/flaglive/features/chow/matters-of-taste-hankerin/article_2de1bfc6-915b-11ef-8240-2389c0892f7f.html

Matters of Taste: Relic Road Brewing Company offers pints and pictures

AZ Daily Sun, Mountain Living Section, August 22, 2024

Written by Gail G. Collins

Northern Arizona stands on a corner of collaborative culture. It was named in the 1972 top ten hit “Take it Easy,” and as the story goes, Jackson Browne was traveling Route 66 when he suffered a breakdown in Winslow. He likely stood on a corner waiting for a tow. Later, as he put his adventures to music, Eagles lead man Glenn Frey, who lived in the same apartment building as Browne, dropped in and partnered in the production. Soon after, the Eagles soared, singing:

Well, I’m astandin’ on the corner in Winslow, Arizona with such a fine sight to see. It’s a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford…

But what about the girl? Well, that mutual attraction took place in Flagstaff in front of Route 66 Dog Haus. The writers conflated the events, giving both towns a stake in the song. Winslow rightly invested in their mention, and while one can dispute the claims to fame, “We outghta take it easy,” as the song suggests.

Relic Road Brewing Company, located across the street from the iconic corner in Winslow, is doing just that, wooing tourists in for a pint after a picture. It was the dream of owners Troy and Stephanie Armstrong, born in their garage, brewing for friends and family.

“It’s what Winslow was missing—a place, where after you get off of work, you can have a meal with family—a brew pub, not a bar scene,” Troy said.

While under construction, Stephanie remembered, “We’d see people coming to the The Corner to take a picture. Our idea was to create a destination—walk by, have a drink and stay.”

In 2017, elements within the community fell into place and friends and family stepped up. The Armstrongs took on the construction themselves. “Everyone got dirty helping from building tables to kids with nail guns working through the night,” Troy said. Locals donated art, a glass chiller, anything that could contribute to the build-out or decoration. “Community is a big part of us.”

Relic Road’s name embodies the vintage items of the pub. A plank table extends from a cutaway truck, and another adorns a wall, plates and all. Heavy wood, iron supports and corrugated metal beneath the bar with Route 66 memorabilia throughout offer a rough, historical, small-town vibe.

Six motorcyclists pulled up in front of Relic Road, pegged their bikes and looked through the glass. Tourists and locals alike make the brew pub successful. “People send us stories, recommendations and repeat business,” Stephanie said. “Some make it their annual pit stop.”

Presently, the pub carries 20 craft beers with smaller Arizona brews on tap. “We highlight those, because we want to be those,” Troy said. Relic Road is backing into brewing beer in the near future with the renovation of a 10,000-square foot building a block away. “We will keep some beers on and add in our own as we go.”

The Armstrongs have found the brewing community welcoming, sharing tips and a strategy. “The path to success is laid out,” explained Troy, “and they’re willing to discuss, advise and help. There is a formula to this.”

To buttress the craft beers, there is craft food—fresh and kitchen-built, as Troy put it, with scratch sauces, hand-cut and -breaded chicken and more. Family contributed recipes and voted on the menu. Sis created the Canyon Diablo Burger built with the signature half-pound brisket burger on an everything bagel smeared with house cream cheese, green chili and pepper jack cheese plus a side of spicy slaw. Grandma dished on her Armadillo Eggs—stuffed jalapenos encased in sausage and fried to perfection. The Southwest Burger is topped with tumbleweed fried onions, Relic BBQ sauce, pepper jack cheese plus lettuce, tomato and pickle, and of course, guests can built their own burger.

Salads, like Grilled Chicken Relic Cobb and Buffalo Blue, create a cooler meal, while Jaeger Mushroom Sliders—mini cheeseburgers covered in ‘shroom sauce—or Relic Tacos—blue corn tortillas loaded with burger goods (a local thing)—compete with Shae’s Mac ‘n Cheese—available with bacon and green chili or tossed tenders. Executive Chef George Murillo is given free reign along with five other chefs to create specials, like a Wagyu Brisket Sub. The aim is something you crave.

Relic Road is a family affair, owned and operated with son Shae, daughter Kadance and son-in-law Brady. Staff totals 33 with teams of relatives, more than half of whom have been there since Relic opened. Stephanie said General Manager Nick Russell makes the world go around, following through on their vision.

Relic Road is inviting and another happy distraction in Winslow. “Come in and make a memory,” Stephanie suggested. “You may enter a stranger, but when you leave, everyone knows your name.” AZDAilySun

https://azdailysun.com/flaglive/features/chow/matters-of-taste-winslows-relic-road-brewing-company-offers-pints-and-pictures/article_8a1fcf76-5f4c-11ef-8660-23b0933c3beb.html

Matters of Taste: Diablo Burger keeps it all local

AZ Daily Sun, Mountain Living, July 25, 2024

Written by Gail G. Collins

Sustainability—it’s more than a trend; it’s a culture of addressing the dynamic relationships between land, water, air, plants, animals and people, and how they coexist for the best quality of life for each situation. It is not a static goal, yet a consistent one. It includes soil conservation to maintain fertility and prevent degradation, crop diversification, water management, planning and policies to oversee land use, plus education and training to encourage adoption and implementation of traditional or new practices.

Sustainability is built on supporting small-scale farmers through credit and technology—such as efficient irrigation and organic farming to enhance production— with markets to aid the transition. Research and innovation of specific areas and needs lead to effective solutions, but the local and key factor is community. Engagement at ground level fosters stewardship and commitment to place.

For Diablo Burger, their maxim is, “All About Local.” The Arizona foods-based burger joint on Heritage Square is spatially small—round, dressed in russet and ochre with tunes blasting—but it is big on mission. Founder and principal owner Derrick Widmark estimates that 90-percent of the products on the menu are locally sourced from within a 250-mile radius. This partnership includes farmers, ranchers, bakers, cheese-makers, brewers and vintners.

“The connections to producers are because of a personal and commensurate commitment to doing things with excellence,” he shared. “We honor and respect the people who brought these foods to our door.” This ethos of transparency he fosters with producers extends to what is put into our bodies. “We should ask: Where does this food come from? By asking that question, we learn about their intentions, priorities and values.”

It starts with the beef, according to Widmark. The New York-based communications specialist burned out and sought a greener life in a green place, landing in Flagstaff to join Diablo Trust as a communications coordinator. Established in 1993, Diablo Trust is one of the oldest collaborative management groups in the West. Founded by two ranching families—the Metzgers of Flying M and Prossers of Bar T Bar Ranches—the trust is dedicated to serving local, regional and national individuals, organizations, communities and businesses. Diablo Trust had received a National Stewardship Award, but their efforts weren’t known in the neighborhood. The wide appeal of a burger made an ideal platform.

Widmark’s job was to tell the trust’s story locally. “It wasn’t the impetus for Diablo Burger, but we tell a conservation story about the trust without proselytizing, increasing awareness of what Diablo Trust does as far as conservation and economy.”

The genesis for Diablo Burger was Widmark’s experience and a working model. Gary Nabhan, Northern Arizona University professor and McArthur Fellow for his work on food systems, connected the trust with Lava Land & Livestock, who introduced lamb to restaurants and grew appreciation for local products. After a conversation with Nabhan, Widmark conceived the idea for Diablo Burger in 2007, wrote a small business plan, presented the idea to Diablo Trust and sought investors.

“I’d never owned a business before,” Widmark said. People advised him about structure, “but at that point in my life, I was interested in doing things differently, not to be different, but to make a difference.” That local, sustainable model served as the guiding value for all the micro-decisions, which flowed from there.

As Widmark began the venture, Blake Spalding, a previous Flagstaff resident and caterer, and now, owner of Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm in Utah, asked him a simple question, “Why are you doing this?”

Widmark’s spontaneous answer surprised even himself. “It’s an expression of my belief in the community.”

Diablo Burger opened in 2009 and proved viable that first year. Its investors became shareholders with 10-percent of the shares owned by the business, providing employee benefits, rewards and profit sharing, creating defacto shareholders.

“Flagstaff is a beacon in the Colorado Plateau, and I could see how Diablo Burger would fit, and Flagstaff would embrace it.” A strong relationship with the ranching community and landscape developed.

The beef is 100-percent grass-fed, open-range, antibiotic- and growth hormone-free. “This is landscape conservation you can taste,” he explained of the grassy northern Arizona flavor. “The focus is taste and remaining true to place…to enhance the connections between community and ecology through gastronomy.”

It’s no accident that the best-selling burger on the menu is The Blake with Hatch chili mayo, roasted green chilies and sharp cheddar. Each six-ounce patty is 95-percent lean and cooked medium rare to be pink and juicy, unless otherwise requested. The menu lists 10 burger choices and a blackboard special plus a custom-built Ziggy Stardust.

Burgers are served on a Breadworks English muffin—“db” branded into the bun—with seasonal fixings, tomato, pickle and frites.

The frites are ridiculously good Belgian-style fries, fresh cut and never frozen, double-fried in peanut oil and tossed in herbs de Provence seasoning. Eight sidekick sauces include coffee BBQ to sriracha mayo to house thousand island.

The Big Daddy Kane boasts the addition of bacon, sharp cheddar, sliced pickles with a slather of DB special sauce.

Pride of the barrio, The Cheech holds scratch holy guacamole, pepper jack and jalapenos. Uncle Dee’s grilled cheese is a triple treat of cheeses, spread with chimichurri and stacked with grilled tomato and green chilies with an optional fried egg. The Beaut veggie offers a textural, fiber-rich patty with options for cheeses, spreads and veg tailored for ultimate accessibility.

The DB salad of McClendon select organic seasonal greens is mixed with beets, tomatoes and blue cheese and dressed with house vinaigrette or ranch on the side.

Fifteen years on, the right place at the right time with the right fit was one of those rare moments for Diablo Burger. To sell the best beef the landscape has to offer is a cooperative venture that works well, and the focus remains true. “We just do one thing as well as we can do it.”

The challenges have evolved but Widmark meets the moments and meets community, finding it rewarding, “to be present with a measure of integrity.”

And he still reflects on that impromptu answer he gave as it all began. “It comes back to me. It’s kind of a love affair between Diablo Burger and Flagstaff—the leap of faith it took, and Flagstaff rewarded that faith.” AZDailySun

https://azdailysun.com/flaglive/features/chow/matters-of-taste-diablo-burger-keeps-it-all-local/article_4910a506-49e8-11ef-8413-37355ce58f89.html

Matters of Taste: Agassiz Lodge proves Snowbowl sports more than just skiing

AZ Daily Sun, Mountain Living Section, June 2024

Written by Gail G. Collins

In winter, all eyes are on the snow report. It wasn’t always like that. When a record winter delivered abundant snow in January 1915, Norwegian brothers Ole and Pete Solberg introduced the wild notion of skiing. They had grown up on skis before immigrating to Flagstaff, so the brothers carried their homemade equipment up Observatory Hill and skied down. The next day, the entire town turned out to watch the men. It caught on quickly.

Cross country skiing evolved as the norm for years for utilitarian reasons, but in 1933, Arizona Teachers College, now Northern Arizona University, advertised snowmen and skiing to appeal to students by holding the first winter carnival. A couple of years later, someone finally looked up at the San Francisco Peaks and linked skiing and the mountain. In 1938, Arizona Snowbowl invited the public to embrace recreational skiing.

Naturally, food followed, and early on, Agassiz Lodge fed hungry skiers, according to Snowbowl’s marketing director Angelina Grubb. Over time, the mountain lured nature lovers for hiking and cooler climes, but in the last several years, Snowbowl evolved as a playground destination with multiple distractions. Foremost is the enclosed seating of the gondola, which premiered in 2021.

“For longest time, we had only the three-seater chair lift, but the Scenic Gondola offers a good experience despite the weather circumstances,” Grubb said. Other entertainment includes the longstanding tubing hill, bungee trampoline jump and rock climbing, which can be bought as a package of activities, plus gem and fossil painting. There are also free activities, such as a tumble wheel, and 18-hole disc golf course. “It is elevated play.”

Forest Service approvals are necessary for any expansion use, and rangers educate guests, pointing out geology, landmarks and areas from the peak view. A short overlook trail kicks off from there.

“We are a winter through summer destination. Stop by Snowbowl on your way to the Grand Canyon, ride the gondola and play,” Grubb suggested.

The Sunset Meal package creates dynamic pricing. For $29, guests can ride the gondola as the sky turns fiery, and for $39, they can enjoy fine dining beforehand. Book a day ahead. The choices include a steak or pork chop dinner or vegan pasta.

Kitchen manager Javier Garcia creates such meals to encourage lingering. In general, he has developed more variety in menu items to move beyond burgers and chicken tenders to include wraps, rice bowls, fresh salads and soups. He said, “I stepped back—thinking of myself as a customer—and offered variety and quality to provide a great experience. Every plate is good from meats to produce with attention to detail.”

Garcia engages local connections as it’s possible and practices sustainability despite a quick pick-up style. “We use biodegradable service items that won’t affect the wellbeing of our mountain,” he said. “It’s sacred land, and we should love it and take care of it.”

The charcuterie board carries the bounty of fresh strawberries and blueberries, dried fruit and nuts, cured meat, three cheeses, marinated artichoke hearts, jam and fresh honeycomb, tempting guests to dawdle with a glass of something wonderful from 9,500’ Bar.

Michael Tolleson, hospitality operations manager, curates a wide range of local and national brands of brews, wines and spirits. Four Peaks, San Tan Brewing and Tower Station, of course, feature. Top selling cocktails include Hotachada, Sunset Mai Tai and the Draft Margarita, fashioned with 3 Amigos tequila in a choice of flavors.

The signature Sunset Meals are generously portioned. The steak showcases a 16-ounce New York strip with a side of garlic butter, mashed potatoes with brown gravy and grilled asparagus. It is enough to share. Two pork chops topped with house made bacon jam stacked on a smash of red potatoes with roasted brussel sprouts also make up a meaty plate. The vegan linguine is melded in a carefully crafted deep tomato vodka sauce, mixed with zucchini quarters and olives. Add parmesan, salmon or chicken to up the ante.

Events are fully handled in-house from bartending to catering and are expanding again since the pandemic. Tolleson and Grubb collaborate with businesses for promotion and charity padding the weekends with live music and DJs. Brews and Views is upcoming, while regular activities, like yoga or Paint and Pint by Creative Spirits offers a drink and gondola ride. For the kids, there are Power Days for Season Pass holders, which include free activities in summer. Coming soon are a seasonal cocktail program, and in August, Astronomy on Tap, in partnership with Lowell Observatory, which will present a talk and trivia.

Much has changed in more than 85 years of Arizona Snowbowl history, but the mountain has gathered momentum as a year round destination in just the past few. Grubb welcomed guests, “We are a whole new thing on the mountain. It’s happening, we’re open. Come join us.” AZDSUN

Matters of Taste: Biff’s Bagels toasts the competition

AZ Daily Sun, Mountain Living Section, May 2024

Written by Gail G. Collins

So, you want the hole story on bagels? It’s a confluence of melting pot and boiling pot. Bagels originated in Poland in the 1600s and Jewish Eastern Europeans, who settled in Manhattan’s Lower East Side in the 1800s, brought the recipe with them. Popularity in New York surged, and for 50 years, the bakers union regulated bagel-making down to their size. In the 1970s, machine production introduced bagels to the masses, albeit as a softer “roll with a hole” version. But machine-made bagels can’t compare to those crafted by hand. The contrast of crunchy crust with dense chew is the mark of an artisan bagel. It’s the real deal that seeds and smears highlight, not hide.

Such attention to production is why Biff’s Bagels “toasts the competition.” Located in a historic building in downtown Flagstaff, the line stretches down Beaver Street as the doors open on a Sunday. Yet, they can get you in and out within 30 minutes. In fact, on those busy summer weekends, the shop turns out 76 dozen bagels. This does not include commercial accounts, like White Dove Coffee and Bookmans, or the 80 breakfast bagels bound for Woody Mountain Campground.

This blitz of bagels comes in a dozen sweet and savory profiles covering salt or sesame to blueberry or cinnamon raisin to asiago or green chile cheddar. Monthly specials also expand a seasonal line-up with pumpkin, rainbow or heart-shaped chocolate raspberry.

It’s local love that sustains Biff’s. “A solid number of our customers are regulars,” said longtime employee Kristina Macfarlane. “When they walk in, we start putting their breakfast bagel together. It’s fun to get to know them and be part of their daily routine, like Eugene, who wants his blueberry bagel toasted.”

All products are handcrafted, including the specialty smears or custom-blended cream cheeses. General manager Mae Brown perfects the recipes, like caramel apple—a blend of burnt brown sugar and fresh fruit in a moist muffin. It is big enough to share. Other scratch pastries and a daily cookie fill the display case, while custom, packaged dog treats, bagel chips and granola are grab and go. Signature soups are also available, and organic, full-roasted Firecreek Coffee is on hand to sip.

Biff’s Bagels was the natural outgrowth of a generous spirit, as bagel making for friends outgrew the home kitchen. Turney and Keri Postlewait couldn’t keep up with demand and thought, “I guess Prescott needs a bagel shop.” The couple opened their first location there in 1995 and expanded to Flagstaff in 2000. A few years later to bring the best to both places, they focused only on Flagstaff.

The shop is named in honor of their beloved dog, Biff, who passed away as they began their venture. According to the Postlewaits, he is the soul of their aims and a glamour shot of the handsome canine hangs in the shop. This spurred similar devotion from customers, who brought framed photos of their dogs. Over the years, the walls became covered, and a streamlined means emerged with rotating images on a screen serving as a digital memorial for all. Today, fanciful art of dogs enjoying the good life, and a casual, upbeat energy permeates the place.

Biff’s is not just dog-centric, but dog considerate. Logo sticker sales, averaging $500 monthly, is donated to a rota of rescue-related charities in turn. Biff’s also sponsors the Boy Scouts and contributes day-old bagels to the food bank.

A bagel is versatile—it’s bread, it’s breakfast, it’s lunch—which covers Biff’s menu in short order. “Hands down, the most popular item is the build your own sandwich—a full 50-percent of our business,” said Macfarlane. Pick your bagel, meat, cheese and eggs as you like them to custom build your favorite sandwich.

The turkey melt is spicy with southwest flavors, layered with roasted turkey, avocado, jalapeño, tomato, onion and a choice of cheese for toasty, hefty handhold. All meats are roasted in house. “We keep it simple and fresh. First and foremost, we serve quality—sourcing the best meats and serving fresh products—with community involvement.”

Another standard is the lox and capers sandwich, loaded with wild caught sockeye salmon, fresh tomato, onion and cream cheese—the classic option.

The good news is Biff’s has wheels, and now, includes a food truck to service events. In short, Biff’s Bagels is a family-run shop and a healthy choice, offering good vibes and excellent customer service while supporting rescue operations. As they suggest, Biff’s is a conscious nosh. AZDSun

Matters of Taste: Elote Café in Sedona showcases Mexican street food

AZ Daily Sun, Mountain Living Section, April 2024

Written by Gail G. Collins

Corn—Mexico’s diet was built upon it. Cultivated as a staple crop by the Mayans and Aztec, they bred early, inedible ears into the delicious vegetable we relish today. As masa for tortillas, it undergirds a mainstay menu from tacos to enchiladas and tamales. Corn has been cooked by various means, but grilling cobs over an open fire predominated, and since then, a few condiments were added, and elote evolved as Mexico City’s favorite street food.

Elote Café finds its roots a bit farther south on the map. Chef-owner Jeff Smedstad polished his professional skills at Scottsdale Culinary Institute and with Susana Trilling at Seasons of my Heart Cooking School in Oaxaca. There, the chef spent time cooking on ranches with locals. To hone his craft, Smedstad spent 20 years traveling the back roads of Mexico, Veracruz, Puebla and his native Arizona shopping markets, sampling restaurant cuisine and engaging families.

With some preliminary insight gained at Los Sombreros in Scottsdale, Smedstad found his new home in Sedona, opening Elote Café in 2007. “The experience translates in a dish as it pops, reinterpreted as me,” Chef said. “I consider the dishes edible postcards.”

The most popular items include lamb adobo—braised Superior Farms lamb shank served with a robust ancho chile sauce; and smoked pork cheeks—braised all natural pork cheeks served with cascabel chile sauce, grandma’s corn cake and buttermilk cumin drizzle. The richness of the pork contrasts with the coffee-colored cascabel or rattle chile and sharpness of the tomatillo.

The tomato and nopales salad features the cactus paddle tossed with house-crafted Oaxaca cheese and apple cider vinaigrette for a textured sensation.

Ingredients are as locally sourced as possible, but the focus is on quality, sustainable products. Niman Ranch livestock, a coop collective, raises traditional, humanely processed animals for the best, all-natural meats. Visiting the hog farmer in Iowa and the cheese monger for a Point Reyes blue assures that food is responsibly traced. “We look into it. Meeting them—it matters,” Smedstad assured.

The chef grew up with corn, and the restaurant, like the cuisine, reflects that relationship. Elote or street corn, the café’s signature showstopper, is cut from the cob, fire-roasted corn and slathered with a compound, spicy mayo and scattered with cotija cheese for fresh, fiery flavor.

Elote Café moved to its present location in 2020 to create a dedicated space, where everything has meaning. The keepsake art represents beautiful food, shared in a beautiful setting, such as Diego Rivera’s thoughts about food, Eileen Roberts’ landscape painting Elote over the Red Rocks and more. Walls of rusty red, and seating in leather banquettes and booths surrounding copper tabletops provide the gallery backdrop. A long pub table of inlayed, hammered copper parallels the rough-hewn bar to welcome guests.

“We put on a show every night with an equally great experience for all,” Chef said. Consistency is always the battle, and dishes must be as true a decade ago as they are today, but there is joy and fun is in the specials, like a wild mushroom quesadilla.

Inspiration comes from across the board, such as the family corncake recipe to influences, like wild jicama and chilies, from an Arizona motorcycle trip.

Alongside the meal, a margarita is a must. Jeff’s margarita was born of efficiency and habit, made with Siete Leguas Reposado, Cointreau and fresh lime juice. Bala De Plata mixes Herradura Blanco, Cointreau, lime and a lively mix. Cocktail choices feature a smoked old fashioned or roasted pineapple mezcal. Or chill with local ales or Mexican beers.

“Everything behind the bar, we drink—it’s upscale taste,” Smedstad assured, noting all waitstaff are educated by their tequila “sommelier” with every factoid about agave. Bartending takes months of training where only fresh juices, purees, and mixes are blended in house.

Staff are long term at Elote, logging ten years easily, like general manager Juan Rojas. “110-percent is the people within these walls, who make the difference. They come in and execute every day—that’s the key to success.”

Awards and reporting on Elote has ranged locally from the Arizona Republic and Phoenix Magazine to national outlets, like Fox News, Boston Globe, Sunset Magazine and more.

Elote contributes to community via major fundraising efforts for Imagination Library and is active with local food banks.

But due to its longtime success, it’s hard to get a table. No, the app Open Table is not broken; Elote Café is simply booked two months out. Smedstad explained, “I don’t believe in Mexican restaurants, just great restaurants.” AZDSun