Shopping
Locals Only
Author: Gwen Ashley Walters
Issue:
January, 2012, Page 106
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| Fairytale Brownies
Childhood friends and Fairytale Brownies co-founders Eileen Spitalny and David Kravetz create pure magic by mixing rich Belgian chocolate, butter and eggs with just enough cake flour to hold the brownies together. Fairytale’s unadorned original flavor put them on the map, but their innovative specialty flavors – including caramel, peanut butter, and espresso nibs – propelled the brownies to worldwide fame. Available at AJ’s and Whole Foods ($3), or online. 4610 E. Cotton Center Blvd., Phoenix, 800-324-7982, brownies.com
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Gina’s Homemade Burrata
Chris and Gina Buskirk each hail from big Italian families that make everything from scratch, including mozzarella. So when the couple started Gina’s Homemade in 2010, they quickly added a line of Italian-style fresh cheeses: Mozzarella, burrata, ricotta, and mascarpone are now joined by a new cheese, spiced fromage blanc. We’re particularly smitten with the rich burrata (a softer, creamier version of mozzarella). Available at AJ’s, Whole Foods and area farmers’ markets. ($9-$14) ginashomemade.com
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| Seacat Gardens
Give Carl Seacat of Seacat Gardens props for growing some of the tastiest vegetables to sprout out of the Arizona dirt. The passionate grower has turned a scrap piece of land in the West Valley (and another patch near Cottonwood) into a bounty of wild arugula, speckled baby romaine and honey-sweet French
Charantais melons, to name a few. Seacat has a knack for finding unique varieties
well-suited to the unrelenting desert
soil and sun. Available at Old Town Scottsdale farmers’ market. 623-846-4624, seacatgardens.com
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| The Healthy Nut GranolaHealthy Nut isn’t just the name of Ashley Dewey’s crazy-good granola company – the aspiring physician is a real health nut herself. In 2009, Dewey started off with two flavors: oatmeal cookie and banana nut. She’s since added a spicy gingersnap and a sweet-tart cranberry orange. One thing she hasn’t added is refined sugar or trans-fats. Healthy Nut granolas get their goodness from whole oats, nuts, olive oil, unrefined sugars and spices. ($7 for a 12-ounce bag, or $9 for ribbon-wrapped gift jars) thehealthynutonline.com | |
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| The Meat Shop
Arguably the Valley’s top old-fashioned butcher, The Meat Shop gets pork from its affiliate pig farm in the West Valley and grass-fed beef from the Black Mountain Beef Company. Pick up ready-to-cook stuffed pork chops, beef pinwheels, meatballs or peppered steak. Choose from a dozen different sausages (French apple, anyone?) or get in line for the shop’s signature smoky bacon and guanciale (pork jowl). 202 E. Buckeye Rd., Phoenix, 602-258-5075, themeatshopaz.com
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Sand Reckoner Wines
Rob and Sarah Hammelman’s Sand Reckoner Vineyards is new to Arizona – having released its first vintage in 2010 – but neither vintner is new to winemaking. Rob worked as a winemaker in Colorado and France; Sarah managed harvests in Colorado and California. Local chefs such as Chris Bianco and Chrysa Robertson snatched up the first two releases, a bone-dry rosé and a racy malvasia bianca, and are eagerly awaiting the sangiovese and syrah next fall. Find a bottle at Urban Grocery, or join the winery’s mailing list and order direct. ($22-$29) 130 S. Haskell Ave., Willcox, 303-931-8472, sand-reckoner.com
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| Julia Baker TrufflesAward-winning confectioner Julia Baker pays as much attention to elegant packaging as she does to her couture chocolates and truffles. That’s no mean feat when you consider her gorgeous hazelnut truffle – a whole hazelnut wrapped in praline caramel and covered in dark chocolate. Dreamy toffee-kissed French caramel truffles might be our favorite, but we can’t resist the hand-cut chocolates either. Available at Julia Baker Confections Boutique at the Montelucia Resort & Spa, or online. (10-piece French Caramel Truffle Tower, $22) 4949 E. Lincoln Drive, Scottsdale, 480-627-3009, juliabakerconfections.com
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Goody Twos ToffeeUsing a family recipe, mother-daughter confectioners Donna Gabrilson (formerly of Market Street Toffee) and Stacey Barnes dish out scrumptious toffee with quirky names like doubled-crossed (milk and dark chocolate crisscrossed with white chocolate drizzles) and twozels (clusters of pretzels, kettle corn and roasted almonds drizzled with toffee and chocolate). Now that’s the kind of wholesome family activity that gets our pulse racing. ($15 for 1/2-pound) 6990 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, 480-575-0737, goodytwos.com
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| Sweet Republic Ice Cream
By featuring Sweet Republic’s toffee sundae on the Food Network’s Best Thing I Ever Ate in 2011, celebrity foodie Alton Brown joined a long line of Valley admirers. The shop’s iconic, orange ’59 Chevy truck is a familiar sight in the Valley, but make sure to visit the brick-and-mortar half of the operation, which features 24 daily flavors including the sublime honey and blue cheese. You can also pick up a pint at Urban Grocery or Whole Foods. ($7-$7.50 per pint, $2.95 for single scoop) 9160 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, 480-248-6979, sweetrepublic.com
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