Organic Salt Blend
When Gina Ferrari’s young son was diagnosed with ADHD, she turned to a naturopath for guidance with his diet. “I looked at every bite of food as an opportunity to give him the power of the nutrients he needed to be in more control,” says the former Scottsdale event planner and yoga teacher, now a stay-at-home mom. Ferrari had been sprinkling a prepared seasoned salt mix on her family’s food until she read the label and discovered additives she didn’t like. So, she fashioned her own blend: Secret Garden Magic Salt ($14), named after a beloved book from her childhood. Ferrari’s hand-crafted seasoning starts with Himalayan salt that harbors 84 trace minerals, blended with organic garlic and onion for flavor, and fortified with a touch of black pepper. “We put it on everything from eggs and popcorn to grilled salmon and pasta,” she says. “Now, my son licks his plate.” Magic Salt has a quarter of the sodium found in table salt, and no MSG, sugar or harmful additives.
Secret Garden Magic Salt
secretgardenliving.com
On-the-Go Lemonade
Tommy D’Ambrosio and Kyle Hollenbeck have been serving Mason jars of lemonade at their food trucks and restaurants since founding Aioli Burgers nine years ago. They’ve since grown the company to 10 outlets across five concepts that include Modern Tortilla and Oakwood Fired Pizza food trucks. In 2021, they spun off AZ Lemonade Stand as a separate brand. Squeezed and bottled locally, the sublimely refreshing 32-ounce beverages ($4.99-$5.99) can be found in restaurants, hotels, baseball stadiums and grocery and convenience stores across the state. The owners stock five core flavors year-round – original lemon, strawberry, prickly pear, watermelon and mango – with rotating seasonal flavors like kiwi, huckleberry, blood orange and peach. In the works: a half-size plastic bottle that folks can enjoy by the pool, in the car or on the run. No matter the flavor, the tangy refreshments hit the spot on a hot summer day and taste mighty fine any time of year when mixed with vodka or tequila.
AZ Lemonade Stand
azlemonadestand.com
Artisanal Bagels
Charles Blonkenfeld ran a thriving catering business until the pandemic upended his world in early 2020. Scrambling for ideas to stay afloat, Blonkenfeld spent a month learning how to make bagels. “I opened a cookbook and followed the recipe,” says the Brooklyn-born chef. In 2022, he moved out of a shared kitchen space and opened a bakery in Phoenix, where he makes and sells bagel varieties both basic (plain, salt, everything, sesame and poppy seed, $2.50) and offbeat (asiago, blueberry and jalapeño-cheddar, $2.75). Blonkenfeld’s bagels have all the right stuff – a crusty exterior wrapped around a chewy but pillowy “crumb,” or interior. What’s the trick? He lets the dough rest for two days in the cooler to maximize flavor, boils the rolled dough in water sweetened with honey, and then bakes the bagels under a watchful eye. “The more time you put in, the more flavorful the dough,” he says.
Bagelfeld Bagels
2940 E. Thomas Rd., Phoenix
602-772-6229, bagelfeld.com
