2026 Summer Cocktail Camp Interview with a Mixologist! Gilles Kolakowski from Magdaleña The name on the restaurant reads Pa’La, but don’t be fooled: On Sunday, July 12, the latest iteration of the PHOENIX Magazine 2026 Summer Cocktail Camp will be hosted by Magdaleña. The newest concept from TPQ Foods (Pa’La, Tortas Paquime), Magdaleña will open in Goodyear’s new GSQ entertainment district later this month, bringing high-end, Latin-influenced fusion cooking to the West Valley. Since the...
Known for his CenPho hits, restaurateur Omar Alvarez is now pouring inspiration into the oft-neglected West Valley dining scene.
We recently sat down with the kitchen vet to see what’s in store this season.
Stigmatized as history’s least-popular pizza topping, the anchovy is enjoying a glorious renaissance in the hands of Mediterranean-minded Valley chefs.
PHOTO BY NIKKI BUCHANAN For a week or two there, it seemed as if every food-friend I spoke to had recently been to Source — Claudio Urciuoli’s new restaurant in Epicenter at Agritopia — and to a person, they raved about it. Many of the superlatives zeroed in on the bread, some declaring that Urciuoli’s bread-baking chops have reached an all-time high, others gushing more specifically, as in, “Oh my God! You’ve gotta try the...
In a move that surprises no one who knows him, chef Claudio Urciuoli has left Pa’La and Pa’La Downtown, the Italian-influenced, seafood-centric restaurants in which he partnered with Omar Alvarez of Tortas Paquime. As you may recall, the two opened the first Pa’La on 24th Street in late 2017, followed by a larger, full-service Pa’La Downtown — where the kitchen was (and is) helmed by Jason Alford – in 2021. He has amicably parted ways...
Looking to take a healthy hiatus from fast food? Find your picks for the Valley’s finest specimens of fiber-packed, heart-healthy grain bowls.
