Business

New coffee-wine spot opens in Ocotillo

SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

Bottle & Bean, a new coffee house and wine bar, opened last week in downtown Ocotillo.

The restaurant, 2577 W. Queen Creek Road, was created by Spike Lawrence, a seasoned real estate developer with strong ties to the East Valley, as well Tom Kaufmann, a longtime restaurateur.

The establishment serves a complete line-up of morning and evening offerings, including full breakfast and lunch menus, as well as a coffee bar featuring espresso beverages made with beans by the local roastery Infusion Bottle & Bean also features a vast line-up of beer and wine, including retail wine to-go and wine-centric merchandise and gifts. Bottle & Bean has a private dining space, as well as patio dining and an outdoor lawn.

Lawrence of Spike Lawrence Ventures and Kaufmann are behind several successful restaurants in Ocotillo, including The Living Room, Rock Lobster, CHoP Chandler, and Sea & Smoke.

“Bottle & Bean rounds out these establishments, offering the community a versatile place for a business meeting, social gathering, or a quick grab-and-go option,” a spokeswoman said.

She added that “Kaufman’s love of wine and expertise as a certified sommelier was the impetus for adding a wine bar and retail shop component to Bottle & Bean, which includes a climate-controlled wine room.” “At Bottle & Bean, we showcase a variety of wines from around the world, including many of my favorites,” Kaufman said. “For our bottle-to-go offerings, we’re staying competitive with major retailers and passing along great value to wine enthusiasts.”

Bottle & Bean is open from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., serving scratch-made breakfast and lunch menus created by Corporate Chef, Chris George. For breakfast, guests can choose from a variety of sandwiches, burritos, avocado toasts, and cast-iron frittatas.

A sampling includes a quinoa breakfast burrito ($9) with fire roasted corn,

Bottle & Bean has opened for business in downtown Ocotillo. (Special to SanTan Sun News)

See WINE on page 31

1st of 3 eateries opens in downtown Chandler

Chris Field says he has a hard time saying no. That might explain why he’s on the verge of opening up three different restaurants in Downtown Chandler.

The first, Recreo, just opened at 28. S. San Marcos Square. They hope to get the other two, The Uncommon and the Tipsy Egg, open within a month or so.

Each has a different concept, one the owner says brings something new to the Downtown area.

“I was down here in 2007-2009, … and really fell in love,” Field said or his previous job managing Murphy’s Law. “When we think about Arizona, and we think heritage, like when I bought a new house, I wanted an old house. I wanted something that had history, that you could touch, … you could ask questions and stories.

“Finding truly unique things that have historical character, there’s only a handful of places in the state where you can do that,” Field said. “And Downtown Chandler is authentically, exactly that.”

Recreo is a restaurant first with a recreation theme, but it does include a bar. You can play ping pong, cornhole or even with a giant Connect Four game on the patio. The outside bar has swings patrons can sit on while sipping their drink. Recreo also offers live entertainment.

The Tipsy Egg is a brunch place for people who want to brunch on a day other than Saturday. And The Uncommon is a bar first that will also offer live entertainment as well as serve food.

Recreo is on the west side of the square. The Uncommon and Tipsy Egg are next to each other on the southeast corner of Boston and Arizona Avenue. The ownership group also owns another well-known Arizona restaurant, Tortilla Flats.

PJ Baron, the bar director, said they came up with the theme for Recreo based off the menu by chef Jason Bray.

He wanted to incorporate fresh herbs and fruits and vegetables, so the garden patio became a key element of the restaurant. They grow thyme and rosemary, as well as blood red oranges on the patio.

“The bartenders every day come out and cut their own herbs, and they look forward to that,” Baron said. “It’s not a chore, it’s like there little Zen moment.”

All four of their restaurants will be in buildings that are more than 100 years old.

The restaurants have been three years in the making. The sign for Tipsy Egg says it was estabilished in 2019, which it was even though it has yet to open.

The first issue the owners faced was the loss of one of their financial backers. When they finally got new backing, it was March 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic was shutting down the world.

Chris Field and PJ Baron of Recreo have opened Recreo, a new restaurant in downtown

Chandler. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

Couple eyeing infrared sauna studio in Chandler

SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

It’s no secret that the pandemic posed nearly crushing hardship on local businesses while creating an opportunity for others.

It did both for Gilbert residents Steve and Dodie Bell.

Homing in on their 36th wedding anniversary, the Bells’ brand management company, called TAG MEDIA & INK for 27 years, took a major hit during the pandemic and they saw business shrink to a trickle.

“Not only did we have no business for a week straight, once it was clear that COVID was here for a while, we started to have clients cancel orders that were already in production,” Steve recalled. “It was a scary time…we had weathered all of the other ups and downs of the economy but we knew this was diff erent. We waited a bit before cutting staff along with every expense we could think of to save money but we were drowning in red ink.”

The did more than survive the pandemic, however: they discovered a franchise opportunity they believe will appeal to people as the pandemic has made many become more health conscious.

Last week, the Bells will be opening Perspire Sauna Studio at 4865 Higley Road, Gilbert – an infrared sauna studio that boasts its red-light therapy and infrared technology “combine to detox the body, burn calories, improve sleep, ease pain and more.” With plans to open fi ve more saunas – including Chandler, Tempe and Ahwatukee – the Bells believe they’re on the ground fl oor of a promising business.

Considering they had never been in a sauna before, they’re speaking from experience.

When fi rst introduced to the franchise about a year ago, Steve said, “We didn’t understand it and had never ‘saunaed’ before. We had to try the infrared sauna fi rst to see if we liked it and felt we benefi ted from it. We tried it three more times and loved how we felt after each 40-minute session.

“Neither of us sleep well. We go to bed tired and wake up tired but after each sauna session we slept through the night and woke up refreshed and with energy for the day. Now our bodies crave the sauna. We feel like melting butter after each session yet refreshed.”

“Perspire Sauna Studio off ers various health benefi ts through infrared sauna therapy, but in addition to that, we are also all about giving guest’s the best experience possible,” said Steve. “For every person that walks through the door, we will make sure that they are known, cared for and able to relax in an upscale, non-intimidating environment.”

That means, Dodie added, not only are patrons getting a chance to “boost their energy and immunity,” they’re getting “a completely private oasis where one can ease muscle pain, detox, improve skin conditions, release toxins or relax while watching an episode on Netfl ix or Hulu.”

There are nine private sauna rooms at Perspire with fl at screen TVs and premium streaming channels. Sessions last 40 minutes and come with towels, including a eucalyptus towel to swipe down before redressing. And, Steve noted, “With Infrared heat, our bacteria cannot live in that heat so there is no stink or smell after your session with us.”

Steve is encouraged by some early signs even before opening the doors. He said he’s “surprised at how many people in our community are informed of the benefi ts of the infrared sauna” as well as the number of people asking him when he’s opening since “not everyone has the space for a dedicated sauna room in their home.”

And he’s buoyed by the fact that medical professionals throughout the East Valley “want to refer their patients to us since our saunas and red-light therapy are medical grade.” Perspire accepts health savings account and fl exible savings account cards.

The parents of two children, the Bells will still be running their brand management business while their son Andrew, also a Gilbert resident, will be managing the studio.

Perspire will be open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Currently, it is off ering reduced-priced memberships at $119 a month for unlimited sessions and $49 a month for four sessions per month.

Information: 480-596-4555 or southgilbert@perspiresaunastudio.com.

Gilbert residents Steve and Dodie Bell opened Perspire Sauna Studio in Gilbert but are eyeing a location in Chandler, convinced its infrared technology will appeal to

health-conscious people. (Special to Santan Sun News “Perspire Sauna Studio off ers various health benefi ts through infrared sauna therapy, but in addition to that, we are also all about giving guest’s the best experience possible, for every person that walks through the door, we will make sure that they are known, cared for and able to relax in an upscale, non-intimidating environment.”

– Steve Bell

WINE from page 30

black beans, tomato, and egg; beefsteak tomato toast ($14) topped with avocado smash, buff alo mozzarella and fried egg; or a southwest chicken sausage frittata ($14) with new potatoes, peppers, house bacon, and cheddar cheese.

The lunch menu features a selection of salads, bowls and sandwiches, such as the roasted asian chicken salad ($18) tossed with Napa cabbage, bean sprouts, crispy wontons, and sesame shoyu dressing; the Veggie Bowl ($13) is fi lled with heirloom carrots, quinoa, goat cheese, spinach, and marinated cherry tomatoes; and the Steak Sandwich ($19) is layered with peppercorn seared fl ank steak, arugula, caramelized onion and garlic aioli.

Evening hours can be extended to accommodate private parties up to 50 guests. Prix fi xe dinner menus for $50, $70, and $90 per person are available for private dining functions and can include such appetizers as mini crab cakes, Maine lobster agnolotti, Thai chicken satay, or a meat and cheese board. Entrées include grilled fi let mignon, Chilean sea bass, tiger prawn shrimp scampi, slow cooked half chicken, or forty-eight hour short ribs. All dinners include non-alcoholic beverages and a chef’s selection of desserts. Custom menus can also be created.

The space for Bottle & Bean underwent extensive renovations and “was designed to create a classically elegant space with modern features,” the spokeswoman said.

The 2,200 square foot space features indoor seating for 80, as well as outdoor dining for 50 people. An adjacent lawn off ers comfy lounge seating and is a perfect spot for a customized picnic created by Bottle & Bean, complete with wine or bubbly, charcuterie boards and more.

Information: bottle-bean.com or 480-265-9996.

Bird owners fl ocking to this East Valley store

BY MELODY BIRKETT

Contributor

Canaries, fi nches, parakeets, budgies, conures, cockatiels, amazons, cockatoos, ringnecks and quakers are among the many breeds people will fi nd the Arizona Bird Store.

“We hand-raise babies,” said AZ Bird Store owner Debbie Schweikardt, who owned the former Cage World in Mesa for 19 years before moving to the current location near Dobson and Broadway roads in 2013. “When we get babies in, we run them through a panel of four diff erent tests before we open them up to the public.”

She said birds don’t breed in Arizona during the summer because it’s too hot with few food sources so she doesn’t have as many birds at the moment.

“But this time of year, the birds know there are going to be fresh fl owers and grasses and other food sources to feed their babies,” said Schweikardt, adding that no breeding is done at the store.

For anyone who never has had a bird for a pet, Schweikardt said cockatiels are “super cuddly and super friendly.

“They’re bred that way,” she added. “If they lay three eggs and three babies hatch, they’re only going to raise one baby. They’re going to let these other two go. They’re going to put all of their focus and attention on this one baby. So, innately, this is an animal that’s going to be very co-dependent – like an only child.”

Scheikardt said she takes the babies out of their nest at four weeks and starts hand-feeding them, “getting them super-used to people.”

Hand-feeding the babies socializes the birds and makes them more comfortable with humans, enabling an easier adjustment to a new home.

For those who live in apartments, condos or townhouses, Schweikardt said canaries, fi nches, parakeets and budgies are suitable whole conures and amazons are very loud.

“We also wouldn’t recommend a macaw or cockatiel for an apartment, although people do have them,” she said. “Some of the smaller birds can be pretty loud, too. Many times, they call out to each other. Most of the time birds are very active a half-hour before the sun comes up, a half-hour afterward and a half-hour before the sun goes down.”

She advised that birds make great pets for kids.

“They’re very forgiving. They’re very docile and passive. I’m sure every once in a while you’re going to get one that likes to bite and are a little unruly but when we raise little babies, they’re super sweet and have been handled ever since they were four weeks old.”

Schweikardt recommends setting boundaries for handling the birds.

“We recommend you handle them one hour a day because they’re clingy,” said Schweikardt. “Let’s say you’re talking on the phone, they know you’re talking but it’s not to them and they don’t like that. So they start making a lot of noise, banging their toys around.

“The human will try to comfort them, rewarding the animal for acting out and throwing a tantrum. They’re smart. Do that one or two times, they realize they’re getting attention. We try to educate people. Don’t do it. Set some boundaries. You’re in control of this animal.”

Owning a bird is relatively inexpensive in comparison to a dog.

For little birds, a complete setup with a cage runs $100. Schweikardt said hand-fed parakeets start at $60 and hand-fed cockatiels at $200.

Grooming every other month costs $15 but the store has a special: buy four sessions and get two free.

“Food is much cheaper than dog food,” added Schweikardt. “The thing is to get good food. We sell it at the store. We don’t encourage people to buy their bird food at Walmart.

“These are exotic animals. Some of their diets are going to be a little precise but we always want to give them a good feed with plenty of vitamins, plenty of minerals and plenty of amino

AZ Bird Store owner Debbie Schweikardt poses Kaos, Indigo and Flower, all of whom are trained.

(Melody Birkett/Contributor)

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RECREO from page 30

So, once again they lost investors.

“Two days before [Gov. Doug] Ducey shut the state down, we had literally said, ‘Sign here, wire there,’” Field said. “We were like, ‘yeah, we did it!’ And then Ducey shuts the state down, and we call our business partners, and they were like, ‘No.’ Reasonable, very, very reasonable.”

So they operation was put on hold again. Three weeks after Field and his wife took ownership of Tortilla Flats, it was damaged in a 100-year-flood event. That led to a major remodel of the restaurant that first opened as a stagecoach stop in 1904.

“The place is falling apart, we had to do it,” Field said.

BIRDS from page 32

acids. We always suggest feeding them fresh fruits and vegetables. Sometimes if you don’t do that early enough they won’t take to it later on.”

She explained that manufacturers make pellets with grains, fruits, vegetables that have all of the necessary vitamins and minerals birds need.

“We recommend that to be 80-percent of their diet and then 20-percent fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Schweikardt, who said it’s OK to feed birds things like French fries and tuna fish – “things you wouldn’t think to feed them but they might totally love.”

Birds live a long time so getting one as a pet can sometimes be a life-long commitment. Macaws live 50-60 years, the lifespan for cockatiels is 20-25 years and finches/canaries generally last seven-nine years. A good diet contributes to a longer life.

Compared to dogs and cats, Sch-

Swings serve as seating for the outdoor bar on the back patio at Recreo.

(David Minton/Staff Photographer)

weikardt said birds are lower maintenance but it depends on the owner.

“The bigger the bird, the bigger the cage, the bigger the mess. But birds aren’t necessarily anything you have to take out as long as you have them in a cage and got everything they need and it’s big enough.”

Employees at the store work with owners who must give up their birds by putting them on consignment.

As far as grooming services, Schweikardt said, “We do the wings, trim the beak, microchipping, DNA testing because with a lot of birds, you can’t tell the difference between male and female.”

“We recommend grooming every other month such as the wings…We change the shape of the wing so they won’t be able to fly on top of somebody’s house or a tree a half-mile away.”

Clipping wings isn’t painful to the bird. “It’s not even like hair because hair is something that continually grows,” explained Schweikardt. “Feathers, when they grow, are basically dead after that. There’s no blood supply. There are no nerve endings. Twice a year they molt.”

She said some people want their birds to fly and not clip their wings but Schweikardt said it’s the equivalent of taking a dog that has never been trained to walk on a leash and letting them go.

“It’s out of control. They’re just doing instinctively what they’re going to do,” adding that letting birds fly has resulted in a lot of them getting outside which can be dangerous.

“Birds don’t like a lot of temperature changes,” Schweikardt said. “They don’t know how to fend for themselves. They can’t go from a warm temperature during the day to a cold temperature at night.

“We also run a lost and found. Ever since this way of thinking started to happen, our lost team is just going crazy. Accidents happen. We totally get it. We understand.”

Trimming nails is included in the grooming. “That’s usually what brings people in,” said Schweikardt. “It’s a necessary evil.”

“So I’m running four construction sites, and I’m a restaurant operator, … I pour beer for a living, these are very soft hands,” he said. That’s about $4 million in investments from his ownership group.

One thing Field says he likes about running a restaurant and entertainment business in Downtown Chandler is that all of the businesses around the square are independent, and not part of some national chain.

He said the owners meet and they genuinely work together so that all of them thrive, saying their businesses are different enough that they really aren’t in competition with one another.

“The last 10 years of my operating history, this has been a hole,” Field said. “I miss it.”

Information: recreoaz.com.

When owners go out of town for a weekend, Schweikardt said to put out an extra bowl of water and food. But a trip lasting longer than a weekend, it’s best to have someone look after your bird or board it.

“We offer boarding here,” said Schweikardt. “It’s minimal. $15 a day. Then bird owners feel confident if something were to happen, we’re going to know what to do. With birds, any exotic, if they’re sick, they don’t allow that to be known.

“A lot of it is due to survival. In the wild, if you have a flock of birds and one or two are not looking good or feeling good, they’re a liability. They’re going to draw predators to this flock and potentially they get the whole flock sick. So, they’re killed off. They spend an enormous amount of time pretending they’re fine by eating, etc. People who know exotic animals know how to look for warning signs.”

Information: azbirdstore.com, 480833-4001.

Popular cream puff bakery opens in Gilbert

SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

A popular cream puff bakery that has been a global hit has opened its second Arizona location in Gilbert.

Beard Papa opened Feb. 26 at 2196 E. Williams Field Road and if its Scottsdale location’s experience is any indication, customers can expect a lot of company looking for the tasty treats.

Beard Papa started in 1999 in the small town of Osaka, Japan, where bakery owner Yuji Hirota got that nickname because of his fluffy white beard.

But it was his fluffy cream puffs that became a hit and today, there are more than 400 Beard Papa locations in 15 countries. He perfected the art of his pastries by making a double layered puff–choux on the inside, and pie crust on the outside. Then, he proceeded to make the perfect filling, made with a mixture of whipped and vanilla custard cream. Beard Papa’s stores still use the recipe to this day, along with a ton of new recipes.

Yasmin Rahimi, who owns the pain management clinics BackFit Health + Spine, was looking for something to do in her “free time.” She is into nutrition and thought, maybe, a boutique yoga or fitness studio would work.

Different concepts and ideas were presented to Rahimi, but she decided on Beard Papa’s after she and business partner, Jeet Mukherjee, crunched the numbers.

The fresh and natural cream puffs chain, founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1999, has grown to 400 locations in 15 countries and territories, while gaining global recognition for their light and airy cream product.

“The cream puffs are far from your traditional frozen puff found in the freezer aisle. The recipe is simply addictive. I’ve never met anyone who has tried Beard Papa’s who doesn’t crave it again the days following,” said Tucker Kaufman, a marketing representative for the franchise.

The Japanese dessert chain specializes in creating customizable cream puffs in one of six shells like regular, chocolate, green tea, and then one of eight cream fillings, such as chocolate, mango and ice cream.

“We have six shells,” he said. “You pick the shells you like and inject them with the different fillings. The common one is the original shell with no frosting and fill it with vanilla custard. Over here, in Arizona, the chocolate and strawberry are popular.”

Rahimi added, “People can eat more than one cream puff. The dough is really light. It’s not a typical American dessert. Most people who are dessert connoisseurs, they know this is the best. They know the product isn’t going to be overly sweet.”

The menu does, however, extend beyond just puff pastries with offerings such as chocolate fondant and an exclusive blended drinks menu.

Rahimi and Mukherjee have seen up to one-and-a-half-hour lines at their shop. Guests were given chairs to sit outside of their Scottsdale bakery waiting to try the desserts. Lines aren’t that long anymore, they said, but “there is a steady flow during the nice weather months.”

As for why they picked Gilbert for their second locale, that’s a no-brainer, they said.

“We wanted a family friendly spot that serves the East Valley in a centrally located spot,” they said.

“Beard Papa’s has a cult following,” Mukherjee told a reporter after the opened in Scottsdale. “We’re the first Beard Papa’s in Arizona. We have California transplants who are here locally now. They’ve been waiting for this brand to come here.”

The cream puffs and custard are made in-house, said Mukherjee, who is a data analyst.

“The two ovens in the back are always going,” he said. “Whatever we bake today, we sell today. We bake fresh the next day. Nothing stays overnight.”

Information: beardpapas.com.

Yasmin Rahimi and Jeet Mukherjee own a Beard Papa’s bakery in Scottsdale and are now opening their second Arizona location in San Tan Village. (File photo)