by Marilyn Hawkes | Photography by Angelina Aragon
Bean and Cheese Burritos
In 2013, Phoenix native Hank Murphy was leading a kayaking trip in Alaska when he got a “ferocious craving” for a bean and cheese burrito, kicking off a decade-long obsession with cooking beans at home. Last year, he started selling burritos to friends and acquaintances. The demand increased every month, so he quit his job as director of energy transformation for Walmart and dove headfirst into the burrito business with his wife, Sam. Bad Hambres Burritos (six, $33; 12, $66) are chockful of whole pinto beans, Monterey Jack cheese and a zesty house-made salsa wrapped in a tortilla topped with more cheese. The burritos are sold frozen and delivered to your door (if you’re in their delivery area), or you can pick them up at their Arcadia commercial kitchen. “I grew up in Phoenix, and the first food I ate after breast milk were bean and cheese burritos. They’re my all-time favorite,” he says.
Bad Hambres Burritos
badhambres.com
Probiotic Tea
In 2015, Sedona artist Holly Skaggs scored a national sensation with Wild Tonic, producing beverages fermented from organic honey and green tea (jun). This healthy brew, bottled in nearby Cottonwood, comes in an array of colorful flavors, from Blackberry Mint and Mango Ginger to Tropical Turmeric and Lavender Love. “Wild Tonic is a ferment made from two superfoods and is also probiotic, which means there are 42 different strains of beneficial bacteria and yeast that benefits the microbiome,” Skaggs says. This “living probiotic tea” is a close cousin to kombucha, but with one main difference: Wild Tonic is sweetened with honey, while kombucha is made with cane sugar. “Kombucha is polarizing. You either love it or hate it,” Skaggs says. “We don’t have that problem with Wild Tonic. People fall in love after the first sip.” Wild Tonic also makes hard jun, with 5.6 percent alcohol, and alcohol-free mocktails.
Wild Tonic
wildtonic.com
All-Natural Aioli
While developing a new line of aioli, Queen Creek Olive Mill president John Rea went to the grocery store for a bit of R&D. Scrutinizing labels in the sauce section, he couldn’t find any aioli without seed oil, an ingredient that many people are eschewing for health reasons. As a result, Queen Creek developed a line of aioli ($9.50 each) made with 100-percent extra virgin olive oil, free of seed oils and preservatives. It comes in six flavors: Meyer Lemon, Calabrian, Zesty Herb, Truffle, Buffalo and Dust Devil (made with red jalapeños). Typically, aioli is made with garlic-perfumed olive oil, but Rea’s version is garlic-free, for now. “We’re planning on a garlic flavor when we expand the line,” he says. The aioli is packaged in 8 oz. squeeze bottles for convenience. “I think this is a great product that really showcases who we are.”
Queen Creek Olive Mill
queencreekolivemill.com
