January 2013
Josephine’s Modern American Bistro has been serving delicious food to devoted guests since 2002. The big appeal is as tried and true as the historic home on the hill and the classic fare on the menu. The restaurant is chef-owned, so the food is forefront. “We also have a unique atmosphere in town,” said Chef Tony Cosentino. “Others have to create it, but our house with its garden patio and porch, two fireplaces, coffered ceiling, diamond sash windows and wainscot paneling are built in. And our warm, homey ingredients served with a twist invite people to relax and have a good time. That’s the big appeal.” Continue reading “Wintertime Warm-Ups”
As Tinderbox Kitchen unlocks their door at 5 p.m., its Annex bar next door is already hopping. On a chilly night in the fading light, the friendly clamor is inviting. So are the fresh sausages on offer amongst a short list of dishes scrawled across the chalkboard menu. This glorified waiting room for diners began in 2010, and has grown into a bar in its own right. 
There is no mirror or air conditioning, and big fans create warehouse utility that leads members to call their gym “the box.” Truck tires lean against a slump block wall, kettle bells line up behind free weights, jump ropes wait for another sweaty skip, and pull-up bars resemble scaffolding. This is no-frills, functional fitness. This is CrossFit.
The Cy-Fair High School graduate was deployed to Iraq three times, suffering a bullet to the head on one occasion. His Kevlar helmet saved him, but his wife Crystal can’t forget his phone call regarding the mission to clear roadside bombs. “He told me ‘Don’t freak out, but I got shot in the head, and I’m okay,’” she says. 
If Peggy Wills had to be described with one word, it would be determined. With her children grown and recently widowed, Wills decided to pursue her college degree.
Story & Photography by Gail G. Collins
Whenever I am in Florence – once to kick-start my son’s culinary career – I eat at Ciro and Sons. It is the heart and soul of everything Italian, from a family affair amongst the kitchen and wait staff to the always al dente penne arrabiata. Order a carafe of the local red wine and sigh. This is all well and good when you are in Tuscany, but we are lucky enough to spend our days in our own pleasure town of Flagstaff. 
When Chef Amanda Stine and Mary Garland, owner of Garland’s Oak Creek Lodge, met at a wedding, neither guessed their relationship would the one to last for over three decades and include publishing a feast-filled cookbook called Sharing the Table at Garland’s Lodge. Yet the lodge’s dining room has forged many a friendship, creating a family atmosphere that says, “Stay and sup with us.” 
If you’re looking for Tommy Hohl, you won’t find him vegging in front of the TV like a typical kid his age. You might see the Hamilton Middle School seventh-grader shooting YouTube videos somewhere in his neighborhood, hitting the slopes with his snowboard, or even rubbing elbows with Hollywood stars. The down-to-earth, fun-loving teen recently starred in the short film Hellion, directed by Kat Candler and featured at the Sundance Film Festival. 
When he graduated from Cy-Fair High School in 2006, Chris Wallace only dreamed of someday having his name on a Houston Astros baseball card. This year, that dream will become a reality when the catcher joins the team he grew up idolizing.