North Valley Magazine October/November 2019 by Times Media Group

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 · $3.99

IT’S IN HIS BLOOD

FALL EVENTS ISSUE

GRANT GANZI FINDS HIS PEACE ON THE POLO GROUNDS

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Located in the private neighborhood of Vista Monterey, this fantastic home is ready for its next host! Spaciously positioned on a lot backing the wash, this 3900+ sqft home is one you don’t want to miss. Freshly updated with new paint, dishwasher, and ovens, BOTH AC units have been replaced in addition to the pool pump and heater. The backyard oasis is truly spectacular. Whether you’re enjoying the evening in your heated pool or spa, grilling at the detached Ramada or enjoying the sunset views over the city from the viewing deck, this home has it all! Step back inside and catch a game in your own private theatre or sit back and kick your feet up at either of the fireplaces and enjoy a good read. With separate formal dining space, it is perfect for those Taco Tuesdays or holiday meals!

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FEATURES

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 · $3.99

IT’S IN HIS BLOOD

FALL EVENTS ISSUE

GRANT GANZI FINDS HIS PEACE ON THE POLO GROUNDS

SCOTTSDALE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

ON THE COVER: Grant Ganzi Photo by Irina Kazaridi irinakazaridi.com

Fall Events Preview Head outside and check out these happenings

The Joy Bus Gala D-backs CEO Derrick Hall set to be honored

Blazing a Path Elizabeth Murphy Burns makes her mark in music and ASU

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DEPARTMENTS BUZZ

50 A Fresh Start Stephanie Kotula gives back to organization that aided her

12 Outtakes Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards

52 Mother Knows Best

14 Events

Phoenix woman creates business as life coach to other moms

What’s happening in the North Valley in October and November

53 Lending a Hand

20 Philanthropy

Cardinals’ running back opens David’s Locker in Phoenix

Folds of Honor

22 Fun Scottsdale International Film Festival

24 Fun

55 Making Dreams Happen

FRESH

AXA Advisors goes beyond rainy day funds

26 Events

HOME

Experience the Andes

57 Wheels

28 Arts

Lexus LS 500 is a brilliant flagship

Vanessa Williams kicks off Arizona Musicfest

58 Trimble’s Tales

30 Arts

Massacre Cave at Canyon Diablo

Jon McLaughlin headed to the MIM

37 An Intimate Experience

54 Sweet Treats Crumbl Cookies spreads love to the North Valley

In Good Spirits

FEATURES

BUSINESS

TASTE 60 What’s Cooking Angel Food French Toast

Stagecoach Village Fine Art & Wine Festival kicks off the season

61 Breakfast, Lunch, Mimosas

38 That’s Italian!

Eggstasy brings morning magic to Scottsdale

Festival highlights the country’s culture in an immersive way

62 Chefspiration

39 Enchanted Pumpkin Garden

64 Cocktail Talk

What inspired the North Valley’s top cooks to cook? Trips to the bar don’t have to be a perfect storm of calories

Things are getting creepy on Easy Street

39 World ‘Travelers’

BETTER

NVSO takes fans on a musical trip this season

40 The Party Continues

Autumnfest celebrates Anthem’s 20th anniversary Cave Creek sets its first expo focusing on wellness

71 Marketplace The North Valley Marketplace

44 The Taste of Cave Creek Festival brings good food to the tight-knit community

46 Good Times and Good Wine Carefree Fine Art and Wine Festival is breathtaking

47 Hidden in the Hills

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

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70 Puzzles

43 Get Healthy!

Arizona’s largest artist studio tour is in the North Valley

68 Understanding Epilepsy

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Property Management, Leasing and Sales

VOLUME 13 / ISSUE 10 PUBLISHER STEVE T. STRICKBINE Steve@TimesPublications.com

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WRITERS Alison Bailin Batz, Kristine Cannon, Mckayla Hull, Brianna Iannone, Sherry Jackson, Elizabeth Laughlin, Eric Newman, Bridgette Redman, Greg Rubenstein, Katie Sawyer, Octavio Serrano, Amaal Starling, Marshall Trimble, Dani Van Camp, Madeleine Williamson STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Kimberly Carrillo, Pablo Robles CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Explore St. Louis, Jim Louvau, Jason Wise/Getty ADVERTISING Sales@NorthValleyMagazine.com 602.828.0313

KINDERGARTEN

Round Up

PRODUCTION MANAGER Courtney Oldham

Black Mountain Elementary School PERFORMING ARTS PRESCHOOL SPANISH PRE-K-6

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CIRCULATION

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NORTH VALLEY MAGAZINE sets high standards to ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable manner. Printed by American Web on recycled fibers containing 10% post consumer waste, with inks containing a blend of soy base. Our printer is a certified member of the Forestry Stewardship Council, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and additionally meets or exceeds all federal Resource Conservation Recovery Act standards. When you are finished with this issue, please pass it on to a friend or recycle it. We can have a better world if we choose it together. NORTH VALLEY MAGAZINE is published six times a year for distribution targeting high-income households in such communities as Carefree, Cave Creek, Desert Mountain, The Boulders, Terravita, Silverleaf, DC Ranch, Grayhawk, Desert Ridge, Tatum Ranch, Paradise Valley, Legend Trail, Whisper Rock, Troon, Estancia and Arrowhead Ranch. You can also pick up North Valley Magazine at Scottsdale Whole Foods and AJ’s locations among many businesses, including high-end retail shops, salons, spas, auto dealerships, libraries, children’s and women’s specialty shops, boutiques, restaurants, coffee shops, health clubs, luxury resorts, medical offices and many rack locations. POSTMASTER: Please return all undeliverable copies to North Valley Magazine, 1620 W. Fountainhead Parkway, Suite 219, Tempe, AZ 85282. Yearly subscriptions available; six issues mailed directly to your mailbox for $19.95 per year (within the U.S.). All rights reserved. ®2018 Affluent Publishing LLC. Printed in the USA.

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Submit press releases or event descriptions to events@NorthValleyMagazine.com. Be sure to include the event title, date, time, place, details, cost (if any), and contact number or website. The deadline consideration for Dec./Jan. 2018/2019 is October 15.

PRESS RELEASES:

Submit press releases via e-mail to editor@NorthValleyMagazine.com.

STORY QUERIES:

Submit one-page queries to us by mail, attention Editorial Department. Accompany any queries with clips and a 50-word biography.

STORY SUGGESTIONS:

We welcome editorial suggestions from our readers. Please e-mail story ideas to editor@NorthValleyMagazine.com, or mail or fax them to the attention of the editorial department.

ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCT OR BUSINESS: Contact the sales department at (602) 828-0313, ext. 1, or e-mail at sales@NorthValleyMagazine.com.

SUBSCRIBE OR OBTAIN BACK ISSUES: SUBSCRIPTIONS:

To subscribe to North Valley Magazine, or to make changes to an existing subscription, call (602) 828-0313 ext. 2, or visit our website.

BACK ISSUES:

Back issues from up to two years are currently available for $8.95 each, including postage. You may order past issues on our website. Please allow five to seven days to process. It is North Valley Magazine ’s policy not to mail, e-mail, or fax copies of articles that have appeared in the magazine.

WHERE TO FIND US:

North Valley Magazine has racks in prime locations across our distribution area. For the rack location nearest you, e-mail info@NorthValleyMagazine.com. We also mail magazines to various neighborhoods. If you would like to ensure that your place of business receives several copies or would like to submit your place of business for a future rack location, please send a request to info@ NorthValleyMagazine.com. Follow us on Twitter at Twitter.com/NorthValley and join our fan page on Facebook!

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BUZZ • OUTTAKES

The 2019 Rocky Mountain Emmy Board of Governors got dolled up for the event.

AZ Family’s Kris Pickle.

Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards Photos by Paul Ramirez

12 News’ Caribe Devine and Mark Curtis.

ore than 600 members of the media and supporters of creative arts gathered at the Omni Montelucia Resort & Spa on September 14 for the 42nd annual Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards, hosted by Gary Valentine. Photographer Paul Ramirez captured some of the winners.

Rocky Mountain Emmy winner Heidi Renpenning.

OH Partners’ Adam Garcia, Sam Lowy, Ronda Parker, Ken Phox and Matt Moore.

ABC 15’s Colby Root, Nick Ciletti and Alex Ramirez. 12

Rocky Mountain Emmy board members and past Silver Circle Inductees Mark Reda and Bob Adlhoch.

Univision’s Liliana Salgado.

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

AZ Family’s Max Gordon.

ABC15’s Luke Garrison.

2019 Rocky Mountain Emmy Silver Circle Inductee Jay Crandall.

BUZZ • EVENTS By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Oktoberfest PTO Charity Event at Harold’s Corral

THURSDAYS in OCTOBER Keeler’s Neighborhood Steakhouse Patio Thursday nights at Keeler’s Neighborhood Steakhouse are getting lively with performers hitting the stage at 6 p.m. The lineup is: Josh Roy (October 3, October 17 and October 24) and Mercer Lane (October 10 and October 31). Keeler’s Neighborhood Steakhouse, 7212 E. Ho Hum Road, Carefree, 602374-4784, keelerssteakhouse.com, 6 to 9 p.m., free admission.

OCTOBER 3 and SELECT DAYS in OCTOBER Jay Allan Jay Allan plays what is known to his fans as funky-folk, blues rock. Channeling honest passion and raw emotion through his own life and observations, he continues to gain fans and notoriety locally and nationally. CB Live, 21001 N. Tatum Boulevard, Desert Ridge Marketplace, Phoenix, 602-910-5161, cblive.com, 5 p.m., free admission.

OCTOBER 5 Furry Friends Fine Arts Festival Finally, a festival you can take your furry friend Fido to. The Furry Friends Fine Arts Festival is inviting any and all dog lovers of Phoenix to take their pooches for a day of fun. There will be all kinds of dog-related vendors from groomers to dog biscuit bakers, and dogs will be available for adoption through the Arizona Humane Society. To top it off, fluffy friends are free! Shemer Art Center, 5005 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix, 602-262-4727, shemerartcenter.org, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., $5 per person or $10 for a family, free for dogs. 14

OCTOBER 5 Oktoberfest PTO Charity Event at Harold’s Corral Parents, teachers and supporters of eight Cave Creek-area schools are invited to the Oktoberfest PTO Charity Event. Sponsored by Sanderson Ford and Sanderson Lincoln, the traditional Oktoberfest celebration features an authentic German buffet, a Bavarian beer garden and wine tastings and plenty of fun. The band Die Echten Waldbuam, on tour from Germany, will perform. Net proceeds will benefit the local parent teacher organizations. Tickets include German buffet and four tickets for wine and beer samples. Harold’s Cave Creek Corral, 6895 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek, 480.488.1906, haroldscorral.com, ccusd93. org, 6 to 11 p.m., $25.

OCTOBER 5 North North covers a massive range of music. From Bruno Mars to Violent Femmes, to Usher and Aerosmith. CB Live, 21001 N.Tatum Boulevard, Desert Ridge Marketplace, Phoenix, 602-910-5161, cblive.com, 8:30 p.m., free admission.

OCTOBER 12 to OCTOBER 13 Arizona Taco Festival What are the chances of finding 50 food

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

trucks serving delicioso tacos in one place? Apparently pretty high, that is if you stop by WestWorld of Scottsdale October 12 and October 13. It’s the 10-year anniversary of the Arizona Taco Festival, and it’s serving tacos for just $3 each. And nothing goes better with a taco than another Mexican secret, tequila. Over 100 different kinds of tequila will be available for sampling at the tequila expo, but if alcohol isn’t your thing, have no fear, there’s also chihuahua beauty contests, chili pepper-eating contests, lucha libre wrestling and live music to enjoy. WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, aztacofestival.com, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., $0-$220, all ages.

OCTOBER 13 “Arts at the Rocks” Juilliard graduate/pianist Sam Rotman will perform an all-Beethoven concert commemorating the 250th anniversary of the musician’s birth. Rotman will give his Christian testimony. Desert Hills Presbyterian Church, 34605 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480-4883384, deserthills.org, 4 p.m., call for ticket information.

OCTOBER 16 and OCTOBER 17 The Taste of Cave Creek More than 6,000 foodies are expected to descend upon Cave Creek for this annual event that benefits DFSP, a law Continues on page 16

20 years of authentic Italian food and service at our Scottsdale location!

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BUZZ • EVENTS enforcement support charity. Thirty restaurants will serve food, including Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue, Buffalo Chip Saloon & Steakhouse, Cartwright’s Modern Cuisine, Indigo Crow, El Encanto, Harold’s Corral, Grilled Addiction, Wandering Donkey, It’s a Divine Bakery, Le Sans Soucie, The Horny Toad and The City Creamery. Music will be provided by the Crown Kings, Fosterson and Lindsey Vogt. Stagecoach Village, 7100 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek, tasteofcavecreek.com, 5 to 9 p.m., $10 admission, free for children 12 and younger, drink tickets are $3 to $5.

OCTOBER 18 to OCTOBER 27 Enchanted Pumpkin Garden Enjoy 4 acres of pumpkin carvings by Ray Villafane of Villafane Studios and his team throughout the Carefree Desert Gardens in downtown Carefree. Weekend activities include photos with the colossal pumpkins, shopping for novelties and fall items at the Harvest Market, “adopt a pumpkin” from the patch, costume contests, a pumpkin pie-eating contest, haunted happenings for kids of all ages, gourmet food trucks, a beer garden and live music. Carefree Desert Gardens, 101 Easy Street, Carefree, enchantedpumpkingarden.com, various times, $15 Friday to Sunday, $10 Monday to Thursday, free for children 2 and younger.

OCTOBER 18 to OCTOBER 20 The Big Home and Garden Show Holy Martha Stewart! The crafting queen will be here for this year’s show to talk about Snoop Dogg, their unlikely friendship and all things home and garden. Plus, you even get to meet her! In addition to a nearly endless line of vendors, this year’s show features DIY terrariums, bath bomb making, demos, and wine tasting. WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, 602-485-1691, maricopacountyhomeshows.com, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, $10 and kids $2. 16

OCTOBER 18 Foothills Empty Bowls Lunch & Art Auction The Foothills Empty Bowls Lunch & Art Auction honors World Hunger Day and is sponsored by the Sonoran Arts League of Cave Creek. Visit the website below to bid on 100 fine art and craft items donated by members and friends of the league. Lunch will be served in handmade ceramic or glass bowls chosen by the guests. Harold’s Corral, 6895 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek, foothillsfoodbank.com, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. $15 donation.

OCTOBER 19 Black Bears Delight Black Beards Delight is an acoustic trio that covers hits from 90’s rock to modern R&B with a lot of flavor between & the sexy is always turned up to 11! CB Live, 21001 N.Tatum Boulevard, Desert Ridge Marketplace, Phoenix, 602-910-5161, cblive.com, 8:30 p.m., free admission.

OCTOBER 25 to OCTOBER 26 Spooktacular Hot Air Balloon Festival Ready for spooky season? Trick-or-treat with a twist at this hot air balloon fest this month. Ride high in the sky or relax on the lawn, there are lots of ways to enjoy the freaky and the fun at this Halloween-themed event. Enjoy sweet treats, food and live music while basking in the warm glow of 20 hot air balloons or don the creepiest of costumes and enter for a chance to win big in the costume contest — but beware, the competition is hair-raising. Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, 7555 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, 480-270-5000, azspooktacular.com, 5 to 9:30 p.m., $12 for adults, $10 kids 3-12.

NOVEMBER 1 and NOVEMBER 2 Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival More than 150 award-winning fine

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

artists from throughout the United States and abroad display paintings in all media and subjects. In addition to a wide variety of paintings, drawings, charcoals and pastels, patrons will find impressive small, medium and life-sized sculptures, bronzes, sparkling hand-blown glass, wood, clay, metal, stone, gourds, handcrafted jewelry and photography. Mixed-media gourd sculptor Jane Boggs is the featured artist. Domestic and imported wines will be available for tasting for $10, which includes an engraved souvenir wine glass and six wine tasting tickets. Additional tickets may be purchased for $1. Downtown Carefree, 101 Easy Street, 480837-5637, thunderbirdartists.com, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., $3 for adults 18 and older.

NOVEMBER 9 Stacks of Fun The Kiwanis Club hosts its twice-yearly all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast.The events raise about $8,000 per year to support the club’s various causes. Carefree Desert Gardens, 101 Easy Street, Carefree, kiwaniscarefree.org, 7 to 11 a.m., $8 adults, $4 children 14 and younger.

NOVEMBER 8 34 North Featuring some of the best talent in the state, 34 North provides world-class entertainment in virtually any style or genre of music. From a relaxed jazz duo, a country rock band or a fullblown party band with horn section - 34 North can deliver! CB Live, 21001 N.Tatum Boulevard, Desert Ridge Marketplace, Phoenix, 602-910-5161, cblive.com, 9 p.m., free admission.

NOVEMBER 9 Cave Creek Health and Wellness Expo The Town of Cave Creek and the Center for Integrative Healing and Wellness are hosting the Cave Creek Health and Wellness Expo to connect residents with professionals like dentists, pediatric dentists, chiropractors, massage therapists, fitness instructors, oncologists, integrative health Continues on page 18

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BUZZ • EVENTS care professionals, nutritional counselors, acupuncturists and physical therapists. The expo will feature live music, healthy cooking demonstrations and food sales. Stagecoach Village, 7100 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek, 480-488-6636, cavecreekhealthandwellness.com, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., call for ticket information.

NOVEMBER 9 Canines + Cocktails Forever Loved Pet Sanctuary will celebrate another year saving senior animals who are often overlooked during its seventh annual Canines + Cocktails fundraiser. The evening features casual comfort food catered by Pork on a Fork, cocktails by Tito’s, Dreaming Tree Wines and more, silent auction items such as round-trip airline tickets on Southwest Airlines, pet packages and performance by Blaine Long of “The Voice.” Signature Flight Support Hangar at Scottsdale Airport SDL, 15290 N. 78th Way, Scottsdale, foreverlovedpets.org, 6 to 9 p.m., $50 in advance, $55 the day of the event.

NOVEMBER 10 Live and Local Live & Local, presented by GoDaddy, returns to the Valley to raise funds for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale. The event includes tasting booths featuring local restaurants, local brewery, craft cocktail, wine and spirit samplings. Entertainment by Nate Nathan and the MacDaddy-O’s and DJ Miss Mixx will keep the crowd moving as they sip and sample the night away. Proceeds benefit BGCS youth development programming at the organization’s nine sites located throughout the Greater Scottsdale area including the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Hualapai Nation. Desert Ridge Marketplace, 21001 N. Tatum Boulevard, Phoenix, bgcs.org, 6 p.m., $150.

NOVEMBER 23 Arizona Barrels, Bottles & Brews The second Arizona Barrels, Bottles & Brews brings craft beer, spirits and wine

from around Arizona to Salt River Fields. Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, 7555 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, 480-270-5000, azbottlesandcrews.com, 2 to 5 p.m., $50 general admission, $65 VIP, $19 designated driver.

NOVEMBER 22 to NOVEMBER 24 NOVEMBER 29 to DECEMBER 1 Hidden in the Hills Artist Studio Tour and Sale The nonprofit Sonoran Arts League’s signature event, Hidden in the Hills, features 199 artists at 47 studio locations throughout the scenic Desert Foothills communities of Cave Creek, Carefree and North Scottsdale. The free, self-guided studio tour offers art enthusiasts the chance to observe artists at work in their private studios. Various locations, 480.575.6624, hiddeninthehills.org, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free.

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BUZZ • PHILANTHROPY The children of our military heroes can turn to Folds of Honor for help in funding their educations. (Photo

courtesy Folds of Honor)

Honor Their Sacrifice. Educate Their Legacy. Folds of Honor Arizona supports veterans’ families By Alison Bailin Batz

O The families served by Folds of Honor are those of our American heroes. (Photo courtesy Folds of Honor)

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

n November 11, the nation will observe Veterans Day, honoring the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. But for Folds of Honor Arizona, Veterans Day is every day. “Folds of Honor Arizona was technically founded in 2015, but our history goes back far longer than that,” says co-founder Rod Martin. In 2007, Maj. Dan Rooney, an F-16 Fighter Pilot in the Oklahoma National Guard, was on a flight home after serving his second tour of duty in Iraq. “When the plane was preparing for landing, the pilot came on over the speaker and asked all passengers to peacefully remain seated even after landing,” Martin says. “The remains of a military service member—Cpl. Brock Bucklin—were on board, and they wished to carry his casket off respectfully first.”

Rooney watched as the Bucklin’s remains were carried off the plane, escorted by Bucklin’s twin brother to their waiting and grieving family members. Half of the plane had grossly disregarded the pilot’s request, bustling and moving about the cabin to de-board rather than pay tribute to an American hero who gave his life for them. “The entire scene was devastating enough, but when he saw Cpl. Bucklin’s young son, Jacob, approach the casket, he was moved to tears,” Martin says. He would soon learn something similarly devastating: of the 1 millionplus dependents adversely affected by deployments, nine out of 10 do not qualify for federal scholarship assistance. Rooney was motivated to action. So, in 2010, he would form a nonprofit and name it Folds of Honor, with his mission clear: to raise funds so educational scholarships could be provided to families

of heroes like Bucklin’s. Word of the organization spread, and in 2010 Martin was invited by his son-in-law—an F-16 pilot who served with Rooney—to play in a Folds of Honor Golf Tournament through the Michigan chapter. “It was a profoundly moving moment in my life, and motivated me to action,” Martin says. He and friend Denny Yates already had a charity golf tournament in Arizona that donated funds each year to worthy causes. “In 2010, Folds of Honor nationally became our cause.”Their first Folds of Honor tournament raised $30,000. “The final piece of the puzzle came when Arizona business leader Kevin Cummings was invited by his sister to play in the Folds of Honor Minnesota golf tournament,” Martin says. “As soon as he got home, he connected with us about going beyond a golf tournament and launching a full-pledged chapter in Arizona.” The trio recruited a board of volunteers as well as some staff, and got immediately to work, partnering with local businesses, putting on events and—of course—still hosting their golf tournament. “We are now raising, on average, $400,000 a year, and have even loftier goals,” Martin says. Two of their biggest fundraisers are coming up this fall.The Weekend Jetaway Music Festival featuring Lee Brice is 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, November 8, on the WET Deck at the W Scottsdale. “The event, for which we are the sole beneficiary, will feature a combination of performers throughout the evening including local and touring country acts and DJs as well as headlining performers of national note and some other surprises,” Martin says. Limited tickets are on sale, with general admission starting at $45. VIP tickets start at $150. Festival bundles with tickets and a stay that night at the W Hotel are also available. And then, the first Folds of Honor Arizona Gala will place the next night on Saturday, November 9, at the Grayhawk Golf Club.The event will feature a cocktail hour and presentation by the Basha High School Honor Guard followed by dinner and two special guests. “Major Ed Pulido, who is the senior vice president of Folds of Honor and co-founder of Warriors for Freedom, will speak,” Martin says. “In 2004, he was hit by a road side bomb in Iraq, and it changed his life forever.” Joining Pulido will be Capt. Suzanna Ausborn, who is retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserve. She served for 23 years as an enlisted airman and an oﬃcer serving as an air operations sergeant, aircraft maintenance, explosive safety and antiterrorism oﬃcer. Single tickets to this event start at $300 and sponsorships start at $2,500. For more information, visit arizona. foldsofhonor.org.

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BUZZ • FUN Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” will open this year’s Scottsdale International Film Festival. The Adam Driver- and Scarlett Johansson-starring divorce drama will screen at 8 p.m. Friday, November 1, at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, after a catered dessert reception with entertainment from the Scottsdale Philharmonic. (Photo courtesy

Netflix/Wilson Webb)

‘Peeling Back the Layers’

my Ettinger sees a problem with film audiences today: Indie gems aren’t as popular as they perhaps should be. “I wish I could say that the smaller, undiscovered films were as attractive to new audiences as they should be, but people are a little bit myopic or tunnel vision,” explains Ettinger, the executive director of the Scottsdale International Film Festival. “It’s not meant to be a slam, but there are whole demos out there who are perfectly willing to sit in a movie theater and text and write emails while they’re watching a film, which drives us crazy, but then say they can’t read subtitles on a film.” Perhaps the SIFF is the answer—at least in the Valley. For this year’s festival, set from November 1 to November 10, its programming team has tapped a diverse selection of more than 55 films from around the world, ranging from comedies to dramas, documentaries and thrillers. When considering films, Ettinger says the 19-year festival keeps an eye on notable films and sends scouts to various festivals, like Venice, Sundance,Telluride and Toronto. And all the films selected must have a purpose.

Scottsdale International Film Festival merits discussion with 19th lineup By Connor Dziawura

“There’s a lot of great film out there, but it has to be great film that will make an impact on the Scottsdale landscape,” Ettinger says. Though she calls this year’s line-up a more accessible bunch, with more humorous fare added due to audience feedback, serious audiences will get their share, too.The SIFF will kick off with Noah Baumbach’s highly anticipated divorce drama “Marriage Story,” starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, at 8 p.m. Friday, November 1, at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. Prior to the screening the SIFF will host a catered dessert reception with entertainment from the Scottsdale Philharmonic at 7 p.m. Opening-night tickets are $25 online in advance, and $28 at the door. “A lot of what we do is try to meld our interest in satisfying a very large and loyal base of patrons who have been following us for years—thousands and thousands of people—as well as luring new people to the festival,” Ettinger says. “‘Marriage Story’ was the top of our list for what we thought would be straddling the fence perfectly with satisfying our built-in audience and bringing new people to the festival.”

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

After “Marriage Story” at the arts center, the SIFF will move to Harkins Shea 14 on November 2 and November 3, then Harkins Camelview at Fashion Square from November 4 to November 7.The festival finishes at Harkins Shea 14 from November 8 to November 10. During that time, centerpiece films will include “Honey Boy,” a semi-autobiographical film starring Shia LaBeouf and Lucas Hedges as fictionalized versions of LaBeouf ’s father and LaBeouf, respectively; Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out,” a whodunit with an ensemble cast; “The Report,” a post-9/11 drama starring Driver and Annette Bening; Cannes Award winner “Portrait of a Lady on Fire;” Sundance Award winner “Waves;”“Clemency,” starring Alfre Woodard; “The Song of Names,” starring Tim Roth and Clive Owen; “The Two Popes,” starring Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce; and “The Truth,” starring Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche. The festival will close with “Ford v Ferrari,” starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale. Unlike other film festivals, awards will be presented on the SIFF’s opening night, to allow audiences to customize their watch lists. Winners—of categories like Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Documentary, Best Actor and Actress in a Leading Role, and Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Leading Role—are determined by the Phoenix Film Critics Society. And she adds that moviegoers will determine an Audience Award via ballots. “It’s funny, they oftentimes are pretty close to prognosticating the Oscars, because we usually have some of the films that are up for various categories in the February award season,” Ettinger says. Because some films warrant discussion, she says directors will visit from around the world to comment on their works.This is in part because of films like “Human Nature,” a documentary about CRISPR gene editing. ASU professors will discuss the science and possible impacts of that technology, she says. “The festival’s job is not only to entertain or to educate, but to reveal. And, many of our films are just as staggering in their narrative fiction way that this is in its documentary way. We are absolutely committed to peeling back the layers and finding just the most stimulating content for our program as available,” Ettinger says. For more information about the festival, featured screenings and tickets, visit scottsdalefilmfestival.com

5,000 YEARS OF CIVILIZATION REBORN

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BUZZ • FUN

In Good Bottles worth serving—and gifting—this fall By Alison Bailin Batz

hile not quite time to start trimming trees and singing carols just yet, Halloween, Thanksgiving and fall-themed get-togethers likely abound. Are you prepared to celebrate the season? Here are some surefire homerun hostess gifts and striking bottles—both wines and spirits—to have around the house if hosting.

Old Camp Peach Pecan Whiskey

This new-to-market option was developed by the members of the country duo Florida Georgia Line, making it an immediate conversation piece. They took inspiration from their innovative fusion of country, rock, hip-hop and pop to develop something wholly different. The result: a harmony—of course— of peach, pecans and smooth whiskey in every sip. $19.99. oldcampwhiskey.com

Moet Imperial Brut 150 Anniversary

To mark the 150th anniversary of Moet Imperial, Moet recently unveiled this limited-edition bottle as a crowning tribute to the precious 150-year history of this remarkable

champagne. The bright fruitiness, seductive palate and elegant maturity here are dizzyingly luscious. $45. moet.com

SanTan Distilling Sacred Stave American Single Malt Whiskey

This locally distilled whiskey, a double gold medalist at the 2019 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition, is made with 100% American Barley, distilled in an Artisan Pot Still and aged in hand-selected French and American oak barrels. Expect floral, honey, candied fruit, vanilla, cedar, pinion nut, leather and nutmeg here. $47. santanspirits.com

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

Inniskillin 2017 Vidal Icewine

Made from the premier Icewine grape in Ontario, this wine is known for its rich flavors and fruit filled aromas, notably ripe peach and lively citrus. Crafted with precise technique during the laborious Icewine winemaking process, this bottle displays a perfectly balanced acidity. $49.95. on.inniskillin.com

2014 Numanthia Bodega Numanthia

This award-winning blend of grapes offers unique balance, elegance and power. The 2014 Numanthia is a powerful, intense wine, fresh yet silky, offering an explosion of ripe raspberry, blackberry and cherry. $50. numanthia.com

BUZZ • FUN 2013 Cyrus

This wine is a tribute to Alexander Valley favorite son Cyrus Alexander, and in homage to what has become an iconic growing region in the world. Intensely aromatic, this silky wine has rich flavors of cassis, dark chocolate, dusty cherry and a hint of cedar. $65. avvwine.com

Double Diamond Cabernet Sauvignon

This character-driven cabernet is crafted by Thomas Rivers Brown, the winemaker behind cult-status winery Schrader Cellars. This wine’s truly captivating fruit flavors and aromas of black currants, dark cherries, cherry compote, and toast pair perfectly with hearty holiday dishes. $69.99

Bozal Tobasiche Mezcal

This smoky libation comes from wild agave in Oaxaca, Mexico. The agave hearts are cooked in the traditional method in earthen oven pits and then crushed and mashed by a horsedrawn, stone Tehona wheel. It enchants with a sweet nose and enticing herbaceous and cedar aromatics, then an earthy finish. $80. bozalmezcal.com

Johnnie Walker Song of Ice & Johnnie Walker Song of Fire

To celebrate the end of Game of Thrones, Johnnie Walker released two new variants inspired by ice and fire.

Johnnie Walker A Song of Ice and exudes a crisp, clean taste. Johnnie Walker A Song of Fire is rich and spicy, boasting flavors of subtle smoke. $90 for set. johnniewalker.com

2010 J. Schram

Representing only 3% of the winery’s annual production, the Chardonnay-focused blend is assembled from the very best base wine lots of the approximately 300 produced each year. The bottle is dedicated to Jacob Schram, who founded the estate in 1862. $120. schramsberg.com

Don Julio 1942

Always stocked on the luxury yachts seen on Bravo’s Below Deck, this iconic bottle is the choice of connoisseurs worldwide. Produced in small batches and aged for a minimum of two and a half years, Don Julio 1942 Tequila is handcrafted in tribute to the year Don Julio González began his tequila-making journey. $150. donjulio.com

2015 Chateau Ste. Michelle Artist Series Red Wine This collection celebrates the inspired collaboration between artisan winemaking and fine art. The 2015 vintage showcases Canadian painter Sheri Bakes. Her work graces the

bottles, exploring the delicate movement of light and shadows cast along a field of poppies and wildflowers. $150. ste-michelle.com

Dom Perignon x Lenny Kravitz

The world’s most iconic luxury champagne has teamed up with Lenny Kravitz to launch limited edition bottles of the Dom Perignon Brut and Rose. Kravitz designed these exclusive bottles for Blanc 2008 and Rosé 2006. Bonus: they taste even better than they look. $200. domperignon.com

2012 Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon

Personally cultivated by the storied winemaker herself (who also happens to be a U.S. ambassador to Austria), this stunner features cola, crushed lavender, coriander, plum, black pepper and earth on the nose. The intense flavor is dense with graphite, blackberries and blueberries. $225. hallwines.com

Alpha Omega Cabernet Sauvignon Thomas Vineyard Napa Valley 2017 This limited single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is full-bodied and greatly structured. Aromas of strawberries, mangoes, apricots and white pepper dance on the nose before giving way to flavors cherry chocolates, blueberry muﬃns and fresh rosemary on the palate. $240. aowinery.com

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

Experience the

Andes

Roughly 100 instruments will be on display during the “Experience the Andes” at the MIM. (Photo Courtesy MIM)

Take a trip to South America, thanks to the MIM By Brandie Bosworth

his October, The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) invites guests to “Experience the Andes” through performances, tours and an authentic menu from Cafe Allegro. At MIM, about 100 instruments are on display from the region surrounding the Andes—Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina—but the archives boast triple that number, according to Daniel Piper, PhD. Curator for Latin America and the Caribbean. “The strongest display representing Andean instruments is Peru,” Piper says. The Peru exhibit includes a performer’s costume from a traditional Scissors Dance, during which a wellknown performance group’s lead singer 26

Guests will have the chance to experience Andean music played by local groups. (Photo Courtesy MIM)

rhythmically dances with scissors. “Andean textiles are rich in details and costume fabric, making it an impactful piece,” Piper says. Showcased instruments include a bombo, which rests over the player’s shoulder. It’s comparable to a double-headed bass drum with a deep sound. Also in the collection is a charango, a sort of five-string guitar. Piper says the Andean collection is exciting because it brings together the area’s history.

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

The exhibits’ items trace 3,000 years with samples from archeological sites and 20th century instruments. For example, there is an archaic stone ﬂute on display as well as a modern 5-foot copper trumpet. Around the 1940s, Peruvians started inventing new sounds that are now associated with traditional Andean music. However, that is a popular misunderstanding, Piper says. “These instruments that are combined in urban folk music are not combined in

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Instruments like the bombo and the charango will be showcased during the exhibit. (Photo Courtesy MIM)

indigenous communities,” Piper says. These music makers were attempting to create music that would work well with Western sounds, while forging an identity that represents the Andes. They wanted to mesh the sounds with Western music and scales. During “Experience the Andes” on Saturday, October 26, and Sunday, October 27, local groups will give visitors a taste of Andean music, says the MIM’s Public Programs Manager Ryan Borden. Among the special events is a performance by Gaiteros del Valle, a Venezuelan group who plays gaitero. Junior museum guides—students in grades six to 12—will offer tours of the Andes and Latin American exhibits.They will lead workshops and activities about the Andes for guests, too, Borden says. Cafe Allegro, located inside the MIM, will add a culinary flair to the event, featuring Andean entrees—a Colombian ajiaco chicken and potato stew with corn; a Peruvian aji amarillo pepper and summer squash soup with cilantro; an Ecuadorian shrimp ceviche and a Venezuelan shredded beef dish with beans, rice and plantains referred to as pabellon criollo. Sweet fruit empanadas are the dessert. “We want to be as authentic as we can,” says Executive Chef Chris Lenza, “We also want to represent familiarity with our guests by being fun but approachable.” The chefs are drawing inspiration from the region’s culture and use native ingredients, Lenza says, sticking with its usual practices. The chicken is from Two Wash Ranch, the beef from The Meat Shop and the flour for the empanadas comes from Hayden Flour Mills. Lenza says Cafe Allegro prides itself on making everything from scratch with the freshest and ripest ingredients, as they offer the most nutrition and flavor. Activities, tours and culinary adventures await those at the Musical Instrument Museum. “It’s a colorful, active, family-friendly event,” Borden says. “We hope people learn about a region they aren’t familiar with from a musical standpoint.” “EXPERIENCETHE ANDES” 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, October 26, and Sunday, October 27 Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix $20 general admission, $15 teens (13 to 19), $10 children (4 to 12) 480-478-6000, mim.org

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NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

FRESH • MUSIC

The

Vanessa Williams’ four children— Melanie, Jillian, Devin and Sasha— have moved out, allowing her to finish her children’s book and other projects.

Sweetest Days

Vanessa Williams is finding creative freedom as an empty nester By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

anessa Williams is tired but ready to jump on another airplane to get to her next performance. Having just returned from a symphony show in Atlanta, Williams recalls a common conversation she has with fans. “The No. 1 comment is I sound just like my record,” Williams says. “Of course I would. I’m singing on my records. There are no tricks. But that’s the biggest positive comment I get.” Williams, 56, says audience members forget the number of hits she’s had—“Save the Best for Last,”“The Sweetest Days,”“Dreamin’,” “The Comfort Zone,”“Colors of the Wind” and “The Right Stuff,” among them. “My shows take people back to memory lane,” she says. “I start from my first album, ‘The Right Stuff,’ from 1988 and then of course I do Broadway things.” Williams is bringing all of that when she kicks off Arizona Musicfest on Friday, November 8, at Highlands Church, 9050 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, Scottsdale. She was last here for a Broadway-themed performance with Seth Rudetsky. “I hiked that big mountain, Camelback Mountain,” she says with a laugh. “Seth and I did it with his husband, James. We did it. 28

It was great. When I’m in the desert I feel comfortable. It eases my bones.” Williams has had Top 10 hits on various Billboard albums and singles charts in the genres of pop, dance, R&B, adult contemporary, holiday, Latin, gospel and jazz. She’s also a critically acclaimed actor who has earned four Emmy, 11 Grammy, one Tony and three SAG award nominations. Williams has won seven NAACP Image awards and three Satellite awards. Her platinum single “Colors of the Wind” from the Disney’s “Pocahontas” won the Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. Her recent Broadway credits include costarring with Cicely Tyson in “The Trip to Bountiful” in 2013; “After Midnight” in 2014, and a limited engagement in “Hey, Look Me Over” at New York City Center in 2018. Things are changing now for Williams. Her children—Melanie, Jillian, Devin and Sasha— have moved out of the house. “I used to schedule everything around my kids’ schedules,” Williams says. “Now I have no kids at home. I do what I want.”

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

One of the things she’s going to do is finish her children’s book, “Bubble Kisses” for Sterling Publishing. “It’s really something I wanted to do forever, particularly when I had all my kids at home,” she says. “I’m finally glad it worked out to do it. Now I can hopefully share it with my grandkids—whenever I get some.” Besides “Bubble Kisses,” the “Ugly Betty” star gigs on the weekends, sells clothing on HSN, and works on new music and the Disney Jr. animated show “T.O.T.S.” She couldn’t reveal much about the new music, other than she had a 3 p.m. meeting with her executive producer. “I certainly never get bored in my life and with my schedule, that’s for sure,” she says. VANESSA WILLIAMS 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 8 Highlands Church, 9050 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, Scottsdale $39-$86 azmusicfest.org

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NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

FRESH • ARTS Jon McLaughlin plays the MIM on Wednesday, October 9. (Photo courtesy Jon McLaughlin)

In the

‘Mood’ Jon McLaughlin turns to classical music for a break from pop By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

inger-songwriter Jon McLaughlin is in a mood. Starting his career as a pop singer-songwriter, McLaughlin has turned toward classical music for his instrumental piano album, “Mood.” He’ll visit Phoenix to support “Mood” with a show at the Musical Instrument Museum on Wednesday, October 9. “I’m really pumped about it,” McLaughlin says. “It’s the first time I’ve put out a classical piano record. “This tour should have an asterisk. It’s all-original songs. I’m not playing Rachmaninoff. This isn’t the entire set. I had no idea what the response would be to a classical piano rock, but it’s been great. At the MIM, these songs will be played on a proper piano in a proper hall. 30

I feel they’ll sound better at the MIM than anywhere else on tour.” The project was inspired by his Dueling Pianos video series. Each video features a new guest artist from out of town and they debut new arrangements. He penned the first “Mood” song a year ago at an ideal time, he says. “I needed a break from my pop stuff,” he says. “I think I was a little tapped out, in terms of writing. Writing is always tough. You have to take a break. “The ‘Mood’ stuff had a one-two punch. It gave me a break and kept me inspired. I went through a good six-month phase where I couldn’t stop writing these classical songs. I bought a piano a year ago—the first piano I had ever owned. It was challenging but in a good way.”

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

McLaughlin, who sees “Mood” as a continuing series, is working on a pop record and 10 songs are written. “Five of them are good,” he says with a laugh. “I’ll keep writing for that. I’m also putting together a remake of 10 of my top fan favorites. I’m going to retool them, rerecord them. Some will be with a band and others will be a little more chill.”

JON MCLAUGHLIN W/SAWYER 7 p.m. Wednesday, October 9 Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix $33.50 to $43.50 480-478-6000, mim.org

Fashion & Fame with Nacho Figueras Arizona’s Most Beautiful Event

GUIDE

TO THE WORLD’S GREATEST POLO PARTY

DJ Party Tents & VIP Ones Too!

2020 Preview The Canine Couture

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND WESTWORLD OF SCOTTSDALE

SO, WHAT’S NEW FOR 2019? How about the “hip-hopera” performed by hip hop artist Ali Tomineek and the Phoenix Opera, an acoustic guitar showcase in the Sanderson Lincoln Black Label Lounge and new songs from Americano!, America’s most anticipated musical in 2020? New teams including The Marines, Air Force, and The Royal Berkshire Polo Club from England whose first member was Prince Charles? DJ-infused party tents courtesy of the Scottsdale-based Riot Hospitality Group including Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row and Riot House as well as a new tent by Wasted Grain. Collector cars courtesy of Barrett-Jackson, Ferrari Club of Arizona, Porsche Club, Scottsdale Corvette Club, Arizona Classic Thunderbird Club, AZ Lamborghini Club, Corvette Club of America, and many others. There’s nothing like your first time at the USA’s most attended polo event. Or experiencing it all over again.

TICKETS, TABLES & TENTS. 480.423.1414 THEPOLOPARTY.COM

IT’S IN HIS

BLOOD Grant Ganzi ﬁnds his peace on the polo grounds By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

rant Ganzi is busy. Ganzi balances studying international business at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, and sharpening his polo skills for events like the 2019 Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships at WestWorld on Saturday, November 2. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it,” Ganzi says. “It’s not easy. It’s easier in the fall semester than the spring. In the fall, I only play two games a week and have one practice. In the season, it’s two to three games a week plus practice. “The easy thing is, with the fall, my schedule is set—Friday and Sunday games and ride during the week. The polo schedule is always set in the season. You don’t know until the draw of the tournament or until the tournament starts. You have to play on those dates and figure out the rest. If I have a test that day, I have to work it out.” Ganzi, his mother, Melissa, and polo star Nacho Figueras will join the Aspen Valley Polo Team in the event’s featured matchup when the reigning champs take on The Royal County Berkshire Polo Club, which is making its first appearance in Arizona. “Fans can expect to have a good time,” Ganzi says. “That’s for sure. They can see some pretty good upand-coming players, and some familiar faces they recognize. “I don’t mean the best in the world. I mean the most recognizable faces. You can see them at the event, like Nacho. Many, many people know who ...Continues on page 34

Grant Ganzi will participate in the upcoming championship at WestWorld. (Photos

courtesy Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships)

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

“Since I was 13, I’ve been playing pretty seriously. I’ve been competing at a good level and trying to improve my game every season.”

The event will host polo matches and activities like a half-time rugby match, the Longest Catwalk Fashion Show, the Canine Couture Dog Fashion Show and performances by the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show.

he is. It’ll be a good time. There is also a bunch of fun tents and things to do. They make sure the schedule is packed for the whole day. There are many polo matches and activities. I hope people come out for at least a couple days. I know fall is a busy time of the year, but it’ll be a fun time.”

Coming to Scottsdale

The annual event is more than just polo. Now entering its ninth year, polo week

begins Thursday, October 31, with a player’s reception for all ticket purchasers at Legacy Gallery during the Thursday night Scottsdale Art Walk. Then the evening before polo, high-end ticket purchasers and sponsors are invited to Molina Fine Jewelers for a VIP players and sponsors reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, November 1. The matches are Saturday, November 2, and from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, November

3, guests can enjoy a polo clinic by the Arizona Polo Club on the polo fields at WestWorld of Scottsdale. The diverse entertainment includes a half-time rugby match, the World’s Longest Catwalk Fashion Show presented by Phoenix Fashion Week, performances by the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, the Canine Couture Dog Fashion Show, a preview of the 2020 Barrett-Jackson’s World’s Greatest Car Collector Auction, as well as field-side experiences and DJinfused party tents. The Fried & Fizzy food truck returns with its signature fried chicken and champagne, a combination that exemplifies the casual yet classy vibe of The Polo Party. Those going for the luxury experience can indulge in one of three VIP tents, including the BarrettJackson Champagne & Jazz Lounge, which is serving up French fries and mimosas. The Polo Party is known for upping the ante with new events each year. This year introduces one-of-a-kind musical performances, including oboe, acoustic guitar, a “hip-hopera” fusion, and songs from an intriguing new musical “Americano” coming to the Phoenix Theatre in January. The highlight of the weekend is the four matchups on the field: U.S. Air Force versus U.S. Marines; Centtrip Wales Polo Team versus the Arizona Polo Club; The Arizona Equine Rescue versus Southwest Wildlife, a charity match for a $10,000 prize; and the Aspen Valley versus Berkshire match. “I went for the first time last year and it was an interesting event,” he says. “It blew me away, honestly—the whole spectacle of it. It’s a well-run event.”

Family affair Barrett-Jackson’s Aspen Valley Polo Team served to be victorious over Bentley’s Scottsdale’s Clogau Wales Polo Team at The Polo Party in 2018.

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

For Ganzi, polo is in his blood, starting with his grandfather. The first time he remembers playing polo was before the age of 4. “Before I knew it, I kept playing and playing,” he says. “Eventually, by 12 or 13, I put more work in and learned to love the

Grant Ganzi has been playing since he was a kid, but began taking polo seriously at 13. His competitive nature keeps him engaged in polo.

game a little more than I did when I was younger. “Since I was 13, I’ve been playing pretty seriously. I’ve been competing at a good level and trying to improve my game every season.” Ganzi and polo weren’t immediately smitten. “When I was a little kid, I played the kids’ tournaments and all that,” he says. “I didn’t really love it. All of a sudden, the kids in my age bracket were a lot better than I was. It bothered me. I didn’t like it and I wanted to get better. So, I started riding every day one summer and improved that summer. My improvement literally happened in a matter of two or three months.” When he was contemplating life after high school, Ganzi wasn’t quite sure if he

was going to pursue polo. “My mom wanted me to continue playing. My dad wanted me to do what made me happy,” says Ganzi, who took a month off polo this summer to travel Europe with his family. “I thought about going to go to school in Dallas and not playing polo that much. But I like where I am and being able to play. “I think it’s a good thing for me to do at the moment. I thought a lot about it. I didn’t want to not play and then look back and say, ‘I wish I would have played in the peak of my athletic age bracket. At the end of the day, I’ll still study and, once I get out of school, get a job and work.” Ganzi says the game’s competitive nature has kept him—and his family— invested in the game.

“It’s a good way to compete and it’s a very unique sport,” he adds. “I love riding my horses and getting out there and clearing my head. If I don’t have the best day maybe in school or in general, I play polo. It’s been for me—for a long time— an escape from reality.” BENTLEY SCOTTSDALE POLO CHAMPIONSHIPS WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, 480.360.5845, thepoloparty.com, 10 a.m. Saturday, November 2, general admission tickets start at $30; free for children 17 and younger as well as veterans. For a complete list of events, visit thepoloparty.com. NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

TIME of the SEASON THE FALL MEANS EVENTS ARE APLENTY EACH WEEKEND

uring the fall season, the best features of desert living come to life as the rest of the nation gets bitterly cold and constantly dark. The brisk air that’s not too chilly when paired with the backdrop of the glowing sun makes the temperature just right. The starry, quiet nights that paint a desert picture paired with the song of whistling desert winds kick off one of the area’s best seasons. Yet atop all of the features that make fall feel like 36

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

a fresh desert bloom, what brings the season home is everything there is to do. The arts and fall events come to life uniformly with the desert starting in October. Just as the weather cools down, the arts and outdoor events scenes find themselves heating up. Every year there are exciting new performances, and food and beer festivals to look forward to, and this year brings about some of the best to date and— better yet—in abundance. So, bundle up, it’s going to be the best events season in the desert yet.

An Intimate Experience Stagecoach Village Fine Art & Wine Festival kicks off the season By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

ith its panoramic view of the foothills and small-town ambiance, the Stagecoach Village Fine Art & Wine Festival has become one of the most anticipated fall events. Once again, it’s serving as Arizona’s fall festival kickoff, this time from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, October 25, to Sunday, October 27, at Stagecoach Village in Cave Creek. “The ambiance it creates makes it stand a part, as it’s nestled in the foothills there,” says Cindy Vermillion, the promoter. “There are very good restaurants with outside sidewalk seating, so they can serve wine, cocktails and food near the plaza. It’s not your typical street fair where you have artists lined up and down the street.” The open-air plaza is surrounded by cactus-studded mountain views and western style architecture, offering an intimate festival experience. Throughout the center, guests can peruse the finest works of art, including original oils paintings, acrylics, watercolors, stone and bronze sculptures, mixed media, blown glass, handmade furniture, handcrafted leather accessories, turned wood, colorful ceramics and jewelry. Kim Obrzut is among those presenting their artwork at Stagecoach Village. Vermillion calls her “one of the first Native American artists to work in bronze.” “She makes these beautiful, contemporary Hopi maidens,” Vermillion says. “She’s become a cornerstone artist there.” Vermillion has been bringing fine art to Stagecoach Village for more than a decade. It started as a way of saving a new shopping center from ruin during the financial downturn. “There were empty storefronts in there,” she says. “The builder, at the time, asked me to come in and do an event to draw people. I say we played a big part in putting Stagecoach Village on the map. “We already had a big following with our other festivals in Litchfield Park and Carefree. One annual event quickly grew to six.” As for Vermillion, she’s been in the art festival business for 25 years. Her full-time job is at APS’ Palo Verde Generating Station, but she constantly feels the pull to support the arts. “I love it,” says Vermillion, who was once an artist herself. “I love the excitement of seeing patrons enjoy themselves and connect the artist and patrons and expose them. I love providing a platform for the artists to interact and sell their work. “It’s also exciting to see first-time collectors get excited and enthused about the arts. Kim has met new collectors at Stagecoach Village. We like to bring in new entertainment, too, and give those artists a platform for connecting with the public. I feel I have two full-time jobs.” Vermillion runs art shows throughout Arizona and in Loveland, Colorado, through Vermillion Promotions. Her art and wine festivals feature dozens of wineries from throughout Europe and the United States, local brewhouses, food concessionaires and festival entertainment. Her company has produced more than 400 art events, which has led to longstanding partnerships with local businesses and the communities where she works. Stagecoach Village Fine Art & Wine Festival 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, October 25, to Sunday, October 27 Stagecoach Village, 7100 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek Admission and parking are free vermillionpromotions.com NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

That’s Italian! Festival highlights the country’s culture in an immersive way By Laura Latzko

he Phoenix area is home to a large population of Italian-American folks. In Cave Creek and Carefree, those of Italian descent can celebrate their heritage during the Carefree and Cave Creek Italian Festival. In its second year, the cultural festival is set for Saturday, October 19, at Harold’s Cave Creek Corral, an Italian-owned restaurant and bar. It’s organized by the Carefree and Cave Creek Italian American Club, which was founded nearly three years ago by seven individuals. They were originally known as the Carefree Rat Pack. “We were all sitting around at Corrado’s restaurant and said, ‘You know that drive is too far. We should start our own club up here.’ So, we did, and it took off,” says Mike Farrar, the club’s president and the one of the original members.

During the Carefree and Cave Creek Italian Festival, kids can take part in a spaghetti-eating competition. (Photo by Wes Grunden )

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

The Carefree and Cave Creek Italian Festival will offer interactive activities such as a grape stomp competition. (Photo by Wes Grunden )

Farrar says the annual event brings together the Valley’s Italian-American folks to celebrate and share their traditions with others. It also helps to raise money for local charities. “We use the festival as a fundraiser to donate to other nonprofits and to celebrate being Italian and Italian culture,” Farrar says. “We welcome people to experience in a microcosm way all things being Italian.” The festival has helped to garner more interest in the club. “Just putting this festival on, we are getting more and more people wanting to join the club,” Farrar says. Guests will have the chance to get their fill of Italian foods such as pizza, meatball and sausage sandwiches or spaghetti and meatball dinners. Food vendors will also have cappuccino and Italian ice. Other exhibitors will sell items such as jewelry and imported sauces, spices and pastas. Activities include a grape stomp, spaghetti-eating contests, bocce ball and Trevi Fountain, and gondola photo booths. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Foothills Food Bank. Attendees will have a chance to take part in traditional Italian costume and Lucille Ball look-alike contests. Families can enjoy a bounce house, fire truck visits and cornhole. Club members and professional singers David and Betsy Campione will perform Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and operatic music, as will Our Lady of Joy Roman Catholic Church’s music director Gabriel Martinez. An Italian car show will feature vintage and modern Ferraris and Maseratis. The Italian

Honorary Consulate in Arizona will make a special appearance at the festival. During the event, attendees can learn more about the club as well as other local organizations, including the Italian Association of Arizona and the Arizona American Italian Club. Farrar says the Phoenix-area clubs help to promote and attend each other’s events. “All of our clubs support each other, and it’s really designed to where people live, what club is more convenient to where they are located,” Farrar says. A committee from the Cave Creek and Carefree club helps to organize and run the event, with the help of other club members. In the last few years, the club’s membership has grown to about 70 people. They host monthly dinner meetings at local restaurants and go to events like the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Italian Heritage Night that was held in September. Farrar says the longtime club members have become a tight-knit group of friends. “We’re all Italians, so we argue but then we hug each other afterward,” Farrar says. “We all sing, dance and cry together.” Carefree and Cave Creek Italian Festival 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, October 19 Harold’s Cave Creek Corral, 6895 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek $5 donation encouraged for adults, free for children and teens facebook.com/CCCIAC

World ‘Travelers’ NVSO takes fans on a musical trip this season By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

Enchanted Pumpkin Garden Things are getting creepy on Easy Street By Kayla Rutledge

o you know about the 12 days of Christmas, but have you ever heard of the 10 days of Halloween? From Friday, October 18, to Sunday, October 27, Easy Street in Carefree transforms into a spooktacular attraction for those of all ages. The Enchanted Pumpkin Garden has no shortage of things to do, see and, of course, eat. An entire craft beer garden will keep guests warm as they meander through an eatery maze of kettle corn, barbecue and Chicago hot dogs just to mention a few. Once you’re stuffed and as round as a pumpkin, sit back and relax with live music, with featured performances from The Walkens Band, “American Idol’s” Wade Cota, Rock Lobster and Pompatus of Love, feat. Greg Douglass. After letting yourself digest, it’s time to rev your stomach up again for a pie-eating contest, in costume, of course, so you have a chance at winning the costume contest. Then burn off the pie and beer with a series of inflatables that are so fun it’s scary. Snag a quick spook at the haunted house, and bring your heart rate back down at the petting zoo, getting your face painted, or listening to some Halloween stories that are appropriate for all ages. Before making your second trip back to the beer garden (or third, no judgment), show off your costume a bit more while $5 wandering through the 3-D pumpkin carvings and hilarious pumpkin vignettes. Stop to watch a live pumpkin carving by the famous Ray Villafane and his team and ask them questions about their ghostly creations. After getting inspired, adopt a pumpkin, which benefits the Desert Foothills YMCA, and carve your own eerie characters into it at the family carving night. On your way to bring your pumpkin to their forever home, checkout the giant pumpkin weigh-off where growers compete for more than $5,000 in prizes, and take one more trip to the beer garden and food palooza before having someone drive you home. Enchanted Pumpkin Garden Friday, October 18, to Sunday, October 27 Town of Carefree, 101 Easy Street, Carefree 480.488.3686, enchantedpumpkingarden. com

orth Valley Symphony Orchestra will send its audiences to the misty fjords, rugged mountains and deep forests of Scandinavia—all without having to leave the Valley. The nonprofit kicks off its 2019-20 concert season at 7 p.m. Saturday, October 19, at North Canyon High School with a collection of masterpieces that include Svendsen’s “Two Swedish Folksongs” (Sweden), Nielsen’s “Helios Overture” (Denmark), Sibelius’ “Karelia Suite, Op. 11” (Finland), and Grieg’s “Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 and No. 2” (Norway). The next stop on this tour itinerary is the North Pole. The North Valley Symphony Orchestra is hosting a classic carol sing-along at 7 p.m. Saturday, December 14, and 3 p.m. Sunday, December 15, at Shadow Mountain High School. Families can visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus, with free photo opportunities before the concert

The North Valley Symphony Orchestra performs during its “Summer Salute” concert. The nonproﬁt organization is gearing up for fall and holiday performances. (Photo by Pete Schulte

Photography)

and during intermission. To further celebrate the season, the orchestra is presenting a collage of popular holiday programs and music, including suites from “Elf” and “Charlie Brown,” Anderson’s popular “Sleigh Ride,” an orchestral setting and narration of “The Night Before Christmas.” Tickets for the performances can be purchased at northvalleysymphony.org/ticket-sales.

North Valley

Symphony North Valley

Orchestra Symphony Orchestra p resen ts p r e se n t s

Tickets available atatwww.northvalleysymphony.org $5 Tickets available www.northvalleysymphony.org Scandinavian Tour" "A "A Scandinavian Tour" October 19, 2019, 7 p.m.

October 19, 2019, p.m. North Canyon High School7Auditorium 1700 E. Union Dr., Phoenix North Canyon HighHills School Auditorium 1700 E. Union Hills Dr., Phoenix

"Christmas Pops"

December 14, 2019, 7 p.m. & December 15, 2019, 3 p.m. Shadow Mountain High School 2902 Shea&Blvd., Phoenix 15, 2019, 3 December 14, 2019, 7 E.p.m. December

"Christmas Pops"

Shadow Mountain High School 2902 E. Shea Blvd., Phoenix

p.m.

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

H E M N T

Anthem’s annual Autumnfest celebration offers traditional activities such as picking pumpkins out of a pumpkin patch. (Photo courtesy Anthem Community Council)

Autumnfest October 19-20

Saturday: 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Sunday: 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Carnival opens Thursday evening.

Anthem Community Park 41703 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway Anthem, Arizona • Exit 229 off I-17

Event Features Arts & Crafts Fair Food Court & Beer Garden Decorated Pumpkin Contest (prizes) Pumpkin Patch Live Music Strolling Magician Balloon Artists Kids’ Zone (fees apply) Train Rides (fees apply) Hayrides Carnival (opens Oct. 17)

OnlineAtAnthem.com/Autumnfest 40

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

The Party Continues Autumnfest celebrates Anthem’s 20th anniversary By Laura Latzko

n Anthem, the fall is celebrated each year with traditional autumn activities, food and craft vendors, a carnival and live entertainment. This year, the family-friendly celebration has even more significance because Anthem is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Anthem will close out its 20th anniversary celebration with Autumnfest in October at Community Park. Each year, the city hosts four major events, including Anthem Days, the Independence Day Celebration and Music in May. Kristi Northcutt, director of communications and public affairs for the Anthem Community Council, says the council incorporated its 20th anniversary celebration into all of its signature events. “We have been sprinkling the 20th anniversary through all of our events this year. So,” Northcutt says. “For us, it’s the last event with the 20th anniversary stamp on it. For us, it feels a little more special, like it’s capping off the year.” Each year, Autumnfest draws thousands of attendees and that number is increasing. She says Autumnfest is a multigenerational tradition among area families. “People look forward to these events each year, and it really just brings everyone together in that one place. It just showcases the best of the community, and it’s always just a fun weekend,” Northcutt says, “I think everybody looks forward to it in terms of family tradition. People also come into Anthem from outside and really get to experience what the community is all about.” During the event, parents and grandparents can share with younger generations traditions that make fall special—picking pumpkins and going on hayrides included. For the second year, community members are entered in a pumpkin decorating contest. The main pavilion walkway will be filled with entrants’ offerings. “The reason we wanted to do the decorated pumpkin contest is we wanted to give families something to do together or give the opportunity to showcase businesses or nonprofits,” Northcutt says. “We wanted to add that layer to Autumnfest. We saw last year businesses would

AUTUMNFEST

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, October 19; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, October 20. Community Park, 41703 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway, Anthem Free admission and parking; $5 for pumpkins. 623-742-6050, onlineatanthem

CARNIVAL

5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, October 17; 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, October 18; 1 to 10 p.m. Saturday, October 18, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, October 19. $17-$20 for unlimited ride wristbands. Additional costs for food, crafts and train rides.

COMMUNITY PARK

41703 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway, Anthem Free admission and parking, $5 for pumpkins, $17-$20 for all-you-can-ride wristbands, additional costs for food, crafts and train rides. 623-742-6050 OnlineAtAnthem.com/Autumnfest put together teams of their employees. It was almost a team-building experience to put together their pumpkins.” Last year, the contest had 26 pumpkin entries. During Autumnfest, attendees will have a chance to

vote on their favorites. The top three vote getters will receive ribbons, and the grand-prize winner in each category will take away $50 gift cards and a basket with 20th anniversary items. Entrants will also receive commemorative 20th anniversary T-shirts. The family-friendly event will also boast inflatables and carnival rides for people of different ages and thrill levels, including a Ferris wheel, a fun house, a carousel, swings and high-intensity rides such as the Vertigo. In addition to weekend hours, the carnival will be open on Thursday and Friday. Each year, Autumnfest spotlights local musicians and bands. This year, classic rock/funk group Outside the Line will perform on Saturday, and country’s Matt Farris will take the stage on Sunday evening. Train rides around the park will surely thrill children, as will a strolling magicians and balloon artists. A food court and beer garden with wine options will appeal to adults. Those who want to start their holiday shopping early can peruse artwork, artisan items and household products, including photography, paintings, quilts, metal art, clothing, jewelry, candles, sauces and oils, lotions and hand-carved furniture. Anyone who purchases items from at least three arts and craft vendors will be eligible to take part in a raffle with a prize of a $200 Visa gift card and a basket

During Autumnfest, community members can get creative with pumpkins as part of a pumpkin-decorating contest. (Photo courtesy Anthem Community Council)

with 20th anniversary items. On the same weekend at the park, the Daisy Mountain Fire Department will offer visits with Smokey Bear and opportunities to see a fire truck up close as part of its annual Firewise Days event.

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NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

A Somber

TRIBUTE Derrick Hall to be honored during The Joy Bus Gala By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

rizona Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall has an unfortunate relationship with cancer. His father passed away from pancreatic cancer. His wife, Amy, battled triple negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease. Hall himself was diagnosed with prostate cancer around 2010. “For me, unfortunately, cancer has been a big part of our lives,” Hall says. “But I feel the more we can get involved and help others and share our stories and be very transparent, that’s another way of us helping the community.” For his efforts, Hall will be presented with the lifetime achievement award at The Joy Bus Gala on Sunday, November 10, at the Hotel Valley Ho. The Joy Bus is a nonprofit organization that provides homebound cancer patients in Phoenix with a healthy, chef-inspired meal and a friendly face.

The Motown-themed evening features cocktail hour with DJ Kate Scratch Fever; a four-course dinner by chef Russell LaCasce, silent and live auctions, and music by the Roscoe Taylor Band. The Joy Bus was founded in 2011 and named in honor of a woman named Joy who struggled with the painstaking side effects of cancer, ultimately losing her life to this disease. The Joy Bus Diner, located at 3375 E. Shea Boulevard, Phoenix, serves breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Sunday. Proceeds from the diner fund The Joy Bus’ meal delivery program. “I’ve certainly heard of The Joy Bus and its gala,” Hall says. “It’s great. I care so much about cancer and cancer patients and all that my family has gone through. “Having the opportunity to get involved in this organization is very rewarding.” Hall says the Arizona Diamondbacks support as many causes as possible to reach a variety of folks. “We have our D-backs Race Against Cancer each year,” he says. “We’ve been able to raise some significant dollars. But The Joy Bus is different. It delivers meals and smiles to the patients who can’t get out of their homes. That’s really meaningful.” The Joy Bus is hosting a fundraiser ahead of the gala. The fourth annual Rock the Bus concert with AJJ, Sewer Gap and DJ n0tg0th is 8 p.m. Saturday, October 19, at The Pressroom, 441 W. Madison Street, Phoenix.

Proceeds will benefit The Joy Bus and Cowtown S.K.A.T.E., which is dedicated to the support, enhancement and preservation of skateboarding and the community. Tickets are $15 in advance or $17 at the door. Tickets are available at all Cowtown locations, The Pressroom, The Joy Bus Diner and Stinkweeds located at 12 W. Camelback in Phoenix. The Joy Bus Gala 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, November 10 Hotel Valley Ho, 6850 E. Main Street, Scottsdale $150 https://aesaz.co/ELP/JOYBUS2019/ EventInfo

The Arizona Diamondbacks present the

6th Annual Joy Bus Gala Fundraising Event Sunday, November 10, 2019, 6pm • Hotel Valley Ho 6850 E. Main Street in Scottsdale Proceeds will benefit The Joy Bus, which delivers healthy, chef-inspired meals and a friendly face to homebound cancer patients in Phoenix.

The gala theme is Motown Night, and the event will feature a four-course meal by acclaimed chef Russell LaCasce, live music by the Roscoe Taylor Band, and a silent and live auction. Life Achievement Award Presentation to Derrick Hall, President and CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Tickets are $150 and are available online at www.thejoybusdiner.com/events About The Joy Bus The Joy Bus is a nonprofit organization which provides homebound cancer patients in Phoenix with a healthy, chef-inspired meal and a friendly face. The Joy Bus was founded in 2011 and named in honor of our dear friend Joy who struggled with the painstaking side effects of cancer, ultimately losing her life to this horrific disease. The Joy Bus Diner, located at 3375 E. Shea Blvd. in Phoenix, serves breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Sunday. Proceeds from the diner fund The Joy Bus’ meal delivery program.

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

Get Healthy! Cave Creek sets its first expo focusing on wellness By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

he town of Cave Creek and the Center for Integrative Healing and Wellness will show off the area’s providers by hosting the first Cave Creek Health and Wellness Expo on Saturday, November 9, at Stagecoach Village. The event’s goal is to connect guests with professionals in the community, all with a focus on one or all of the three health and wellness cores. They can find life-changing health care treatments and specialists who can positively help their future. These professionals include dentists, pediatric dentists, chiropractors, massage therapists, fitness instructors, oncologists, integrative health care professionals, nutritional counselors, acupuncturists and physical therapists. This wholistic event will also embrace the senses with live music, healthy cooking demonstrations and food sales from area chefs. One of the Cave Creek Health and Wellness Expo’s curators is Dr. Fabio Almeida, founder and medical director of The Center for Integrative Healing and Wellness at Civana Carefree Resort. Almeida, who worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after September 11, also served as director of nuclear medicine for the University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson. He founded Civana’s Center for Integrative Healing and Wellness to provide integrative and holistic care in 2018. With his patients, he offers comprehensive, personalized and technology-enabled health care using conventional, lifestyle and alternative medical practices. “I’m a research scientist and internist at heart,” he says. “I have been fortunate to have the extensive training and access to some of the most sophisticated technology available to help cancer patients. “Over the years in my practice, I have met so many patients who have inspired me to expand my knowledge, looking into advanced conventional therapies as well as the influence of nutrition, supplements, and variously alternative therapies to achieve a whole person approach to medicine and preventative health care.” The Cave Creek Health and Wellness Expo is sponsored by The Center for Integrative Healing and Wellness, Civana Carefree Resort, The UPS Store: Carefree and Cave Crek, the town of Cave Creek, Stagecoach Village and Tech 4 Life. They want to show those in Carefree, Cave Creek and North Scottsdale that there isn’t a need to drive miles for care. The expo will help residents discover all their options.

Cave Creek Health and Wellness Expo 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, November 8 Stagecoach Village, 7100 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek Free admission cavecreekhealthandwellness.com

Saturday, Nov. 9 | 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. STAGECOACH VILLAGE 7100 E. Cave Creek Rd. Cave Creek

Join us for live music, food for sale from some amazing chefs in the community, live food demos and free screenings!

This community event is for everyone of every age! Attendees of the Cave Creek Health and Wellness Expo can meet and connect with businesses in the health and wellness ﬁeld. You will walk away with a better understanding and knowledge of what resources are available within our local Cave Creek, Carefree, North Phoenix and North Scottsdale area, and will gain an enhanced knowledge of health and wellness options.

Patinum Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

Broze Sponsor

Media Sponsor

Print Sponsor

Website Sponsor

Interested in becoming a vendor or sponsor? Visit our website to submit a participant interest form. cavecreekhealthandwellness.com | 480-488-6636

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

The Taste of Cave Creek Festival brings good food to the tight-knit community By Katie Sawyer

ith a population of just around 5,600 people, the small town of Cave Creek is tight-knit. And for the last 27 years, The Taste of Cave Creek has worked to bring the community closer together through good food and cold drinks. This year it’s Wednesday, October 16, and Thursday, October 17, at Stagecoach Village. “What gets me excited about the event is that the neighbors come out,” says Adam Stein, Cave Creek’s police marshal. “Everyone that comes to Cave Creek is like a neighbor. We get people who come from Glendale, people who come from Queen Creek, and when they come, the first thing they say is, ‘My God, I feel like I belong here. I feel like I live in this town. Everyone’s so friendly and everyone’s treating me really well.’ That’s what we pride

ourselves on in Cave Creek and it just makes the town shine.” According to Stein, The Taste of Cave Creek is held on weekdays in October so it doesn’t interfere with business’ prime weekend sales. Stein has been The Taste of Cave Creek chairman for 16 years, and he has seen it grow from a small gathering into the two-day party. “We have about 22 different beers,” Stein says. “We have mead. We have cider. We have kombucha.

We have a bunch of wines. We have vodka. We have bourbon. It’s morphed and people seem to love it.” In addition to the beer garden, the event boasts more than 30 restaurants. Entry is $10 for adults, and free for children 12 and younger. Food tickets are $1, and once inside each station charges three to five tickets for a food or drink sample. Although food is sample size, 44

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

Stein says most restaurants are pretty generous with their portions. “The average person who comes can get two to three samples in, unless they’re super big eaters,” he says with a laugh. “You get to try samples from so many different restaurants,” Stein says. “Even myself, I mean I’ve tried some of the restaurants there that I just haven’t been to yet and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s just amazing.’ So you get to come and find your new favorite restaurant.” Stein says the event is family-oriented, but many children aren’t in attendance because it’s on a weeknight. Stein’s daughter, Ella, has been making an appearance since she was born 11 years ago. “There’s one of our chefs, who always makes something amazing,” he says of Chef Carlos Marquez of Indigo Crow who co-owns it with his wife, Jessica. “My daughter always loves whatever the guy makes. I think last year he made some fresh lamb (medallions) that she just loved.” Marquez says the entrée allowed the two families to start a “long, great friendship.” “We’ll call him up when we have fresh-baked bread. His daughter loves the bread.” Indigo Crow is best known for its American cuisine, such as steaks, but Marquez likes to add his special twist. “We specialize in a bunch of different steaks and chops and flavors from all around the world, but we’re not just a typical steak house — salt, pepper, you know, very basic,” Marquez explains. “We’ll take different world trends and infuse those flavors into different foods. Like right now, hot flavors are your South African flavors, your Lebanese flavors, Mediterranean flavors. So we’ll take a bunch of those spices and incorporate those in very familiar foods that people know.”

In the past, Marquez has created tasty concoctions including filet mignon samples with hatch green chiles and bleu cheese. Last year they had a whole animal roast competition, and Marquez slow-roasted and braised a Berkshire pig. Now, Indigo Crow is moving on to its next challenge: revamping its menu in preparation for this year’s tastes. “(The Taste event is) going to be a preview of new items to be found in the restaurant...I don’t want to give away too much,” he says with a laugh. “This year we’re focused on lots of local and lots of fresh ingredients. We’re trying to source as locally as possible, when possible.”

More than a sneak preview Back to Taste, Stein said friends and neighbors are surprised to find places in their community they’ve never heard of, and Stein admits to stumbling upon a new favorite restaurant or two as well. “You get to try samples from so many different restaurants,” he says. “Even myself, I mean I’ve tried some of the restaurants there that I just haven’t been to yet and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s just amazing.’ So, you get to come and find your new favorite restaurant.” Stein recalled one story from previous years that proves The Taste of Cave Creek’s success. Stein invited his two neighbors, retired naval officers, to attend the event with him. The two men stopped at the Hideaway Grill booth to sample its chicken Philly cheese steak, and were immediately hooked. The friends previously looked over the “biker bar” but now have made it a Thursday routine. That was 10 years ago, and they still eat there every week. “You know what, that’s the purpose of The Taste of Cave Creek, right?” Stein says. “These restaurants that normally you drive past and you don’t have a chance to go to because you have your favorites—now you get to try it.” There are restaurants that Stein says are a must try, and his personal recommendation is The City Creamery. “I’m a huge ice cream fan and we have this creamery in Cave Creek that is just phenomenal. They do small-batch, hand-spun ice cream that is to die for,” he explains. “I mean I’ve traveled the world and — it’s weird to say — but the best darn ice cream we’ve ever had is right here in Cave Creek.” Like any great festival, music comes along with The Taste of Cave Creek. Fosterson will play in the gazebo on Wednesday with Crown Kings following on Thursday. Lindsey Vogt entertains in the beer garden both nights. TheTaste of Cave Creek 5 to 9 p.m.Wednesday, October 16, andThursday, October 17 StagecoachVillage, 7100 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek $10 at the gate; food and drink tickets are $1 tasteofcavecreek.com NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

Good Times and Good Wine

Carefree Fine Art and Wine Festival is breathtaking By Kayla Rutledge

F CAREFREE FINE ART & WINE FESTIVAL NOV 1-3 101 Easy St, Carefree

Meet renowned artists, stroll throughout juried fine arts, enjoy sipping fine wines and listening to live music. $3 Admission• 10am-5pm • Held Outdoors

ThunderbirdArtists.com 480-837-5637

or 25 years the Carefree Fine Art and Wine Festival has served as a place where all the senses intersect in a day filled to the brim with good wine and breathtaking art. In its 26th year, the event is letting the good times roll with their most robust festival yet. Set against the backdrop of beautiful Downtown Carefree, the festival serves as Arizona’s largest wine tasting event. For $10, visitors will receive an engraved wine glass and six tasting tickets. Souvenirs aside, the event goes far beyond a wine lover’s wildest dreams. Samples of first-class domestic and imported wines pair perfectly with tastings of rich chocolates, live entertainment and the festival’s outdoor fine art exhibitions. The streets in the downtown area are blocked off during the event to make room for the 165 artists and their combined 5,000 original works. Ranging from sculptures made from metal, wood and glass, pottery, hand-crafted jewelry, and paintings created with oil, watercolors, pastel charcoal and more, the festival showcases works using all media. Appeasing the taste of craft enthusiasts, the subject matter of the presented art varies from abstract, floral, Southwest, wildlife, European, traditional and contemporary. The wine and art event has grown the reach of its vines to the various boutiques, outdoor cafes, restaurants and other businesses in the surrounding area. The festival is highlighted as a destination where fun is served as a long pour. 26th Annual Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival 10 a.m. Friday, November 1, to Sunday, November 3 101 Easy Street, Carefree 480-837-5637, thunderbirdartists.com

Arizona Musicfest The Stars Shine Brighter in North Scottsdale! VANESSA WILLIAMS 11/8

PEDRO GIRAUDO TANGO QUARTET 11/14

NEW YORK VOICES: THE 5 BROWNS: LET IT SNOW 12/ 5

A FAMILY CHRISTMAS 12/14

SARA EVANS 11/ 16

NEIL BERG’S 50 YEARS OF ROCK & ROLL 11/ 22

WINTER FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS: Chris Botti • Michael Bolton • Tony Danza Michael Feinstein • The Festival Orchestra PLUS tributes to Burt Bacharach, Woodstock, Nat King Cole, Linda Ronstadt & MORE! 20 concerts from January 18 – March 13

Visit our website for the full Festival line-up! AZMUSICFEST.ORG 46

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

• 480.422.8449

Hidden in the Hills Arizona’s largest artist studio tour is in the North Valley By Sue Kern-Fleischer

idden in the Hills—Arizona’s longest-running artist studio tour—has introduced the Valley to the diverse group of talented artists who live and work in the scenic Desert Foothills community. Still, after 23 years, some haven’t heard of this signature event of the nonprofit Sonoran Arts League. Featuring 199 artists at 47 studio locations, this free, selfguided tour throughout Cave Creek, Carefree and North Scottsdale is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, November 22, to Sunday, November 24, and Friday, November 29, to Sunday, December 1. Each studio has one or more guest artists who will determine how they create their art while displaying and selling their work. Hidden in the Hills co-chairwoman and Cave Creek gourd artist Jane Boggs says family and friends are encouraged to take the tour together. “It’s so much fun discovering a diverse mix of talented artists. Some studios are off the beaten path. Others can be found near familiar roads,” says Boggs, the host of studio No. 28. “Whether you’re a seasoned collector or you’re looking to find the perfect holiday gift of fine art, this is an event you don’t want to miss.”

Hope and healing through art

Acclaimed painter Judy Paxton Bruce and her husband of 51 years, sculptor Jim Bruce, are longtime members of the Sonoran Arts League and well-known Cave Creek arts advocates. In March 2018, Judy was diagnosed with stage-four ovarian cancer, shocking her and Jim into a chaotic cloud of emotions. Life as they knew it suddenly changed as they sought treatment options and researched everything they could about the insidious disease. Judy underwent aggressive chemotherapy for the next year. More than 18 months later, her oncologists are cautiously optimistic. “I passionately believe that art heals, both as an arts educator for 35 years and as an artist,” Judy says. “Since I have been sick, my artwork has provided a serene and peaceful place and a time for joy. I recovered from the chemo remarkably well and I am sure it is because I had my artwork to focus on when I was able.” Hidden in the Hills guests can find Judy and Jim Bruce at their Studio No. 4 in Cave Creek along with guest artist Linda Korstad, a mixed-media sculptor whose whimsical work graced the cover of the tour’s artist directory in 2016. Despite Judy’s illness, she’s been able to work eight to 10-hour days. “I work on several ongoing series with both mixed-media monoprints and mixed media oils, which can become labor-intensive,” she says. “Many of my pieces have eight to 10 layers.” The mixes can include inks, pastels, colored pencils, charcoals, crayons, and other art supplies, even on the painting, which often include a preliminary layer of acrylic soft paste with desert rocks, sands, laces, cheesecloth, dryer lint, and strings embedded in the undercoats. “Acrylics are painted over that and then I apply layers of oil paint. I use top quality paper, paints and brushes. You can view and even try these supplies in my studio during Hidden in the Hills,” she says. Her work is highly influenced by Francis Bacon, Max Ernst, The Chicago Hairy Who’s and the Chicago Imagists, and Schiele. “My work has always been about vulnerability and suffering with beautiful colors and patterns, textures, and lines to show resilience, hope, love and joy,” she says. “My first series, when we moved to Arizona from Chicago, was called ‘Ravaged

Faces’ and the first painting I did was my mother who had died just years before from a devastating two-year battle with lung cancer. Until the end, mom was beautiful, hopeful and totally at peace. I am still working on that series and utilizing the Ovarian cancer teal color for some pieces.” Her multilayered artwork is spontaneous and more process than product. It’s not formulaic, either. “I almost always deal with the human condition,” she says. “Vulnerability fascinates me as does strength and power in my women, children, and creatures.” Lately, she has been reworking her pieces and seeing very upbeat, happy, bright “people” popping out. “Ravaged Faces” are reappearing, but she’s excited about her new series “Couples” and/or “Who Loves Who More.” “I have always been fascinated with the dynamics of long-term couples, something that often changes over time and circumstances,” she says. “Though my work often portrays heavy, solemn subjects, I hope that my color, pattern, texture, line and funky shapes help to lighten and brighten the pieces, bringing about hopeful, love-filled feelings.”

Finding calmness

While Judy paints in a large, light-filled second floor studio, Jim is inspired in the garage with his welding materials and potter’s wheel. “Judy got me a hobby so I wouldn’t keep interrupting her painting,” Jim jokes, adding that he sometimes works outside. Without art training, Jim began making cement animal figures 11 years ago. Working with cement was “fun and strange,” but lugging around 80-pound bags soon took its toll on his back. When he learned an artist wanted to sell her ceramic studio’s contents, he seized the opportunity to expand his skills. “With cement, you can be as rough as you want and force the shape, so it took me some time to get used to throwing and lifting the pot up,” he says. “Once you get it to a perfect round pot, you can make it into any shape—the clay will follow your direction.” During Hidden in the Hills, Jim will exhibit cement abstract animals and bird fences along with new ceramic animals. “I want my animals to make people smile,” he says. Jim said he is grateful to have his art, especially as Judy continues ovarian cancer treatment. “Working in cement, steel and clay is as calming to me as the yoga that Judy and I both do at least twice a week,” he says. “It is very meditative.” Judy agrees, saying the couple has always appreciated art, art history and art education. “We love sharing our passion for art with others, and that will never change,” she says. Hidden in the Hills Throughout North Scottsdale, Carefree, Cave Creek 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, November 22, to Sunday, November 24 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, November 29, to Sunday, December 1 480-575-6624, hiddeninthehills.org NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

Blazing a Path

Elizabeth Murphy Burns makes her mark in music and ASU By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

lizabeth Murphy Burns’ family has been in the media business since 1890, when her grandfather, John T. Murphy, acquired a newspaper in Superior, Wisconsin. Still, she contends, most students don’t know the namesake behind the Morgan Murphy Media/Elizabeth Murphy Burns and Richard Burns Theater at the ASU Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “We wanted that name on it so the kids would say, ‘What the hell is Morgan Murphy Media?’” she says with a laugh. “There are smaller venues in the United States that are good and reputable, and you can learn from, and a star is not born only by going from Phoenix to New York to Los Angeles. I like the fact that they will have to ask, ‘Who is this small company?’” The technologically advanced classroom holds 141 students and was dubbed the Morgan Murphy Media/Elizabeth Murphy Burns and Richard Burns Theater in 2017. Her father, Morgan Murphy, who took the company into the broadcast age by helping to build the first FM radio station in northern Minnesota. The couple contributed a seven-figure gift in support of the school. With three high-definition broadcast cameras, full audio and visual integration and a control room, the Elizabeth Murphy Burns and Richard Burns Theater is one of the most technologically advanced learning spaces. All first-year Cronkite students take their first class, the Principles and History of Journalism, in the theater. “The Cronkite School is the best journalism school in the country, without a doubt,” says Murphy Burns, who goes by “Liz.” “The school 48

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

does such wonderful work. It’s just so amazing what the students do here. It’s a remarkable place. “We’re here to celebrate the family,” she said. “This is a family company. It’s always been a family company, and it will continue to be a family company.”

Family affair

Morgan Murphy Media has been family owned and operated since 1890, when her grandfather, John T. Murphy, started the Evening Telegram Co. in Superior, Wisconsin. Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, Morgan Murphy Media it boasted TV and radio stations, a print magazine, websites, apps and a digital marketing agency across its seven locations— Spokane, Washington/Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (television and radio); Madison, Wisconsin; Yakima-Pasco-RichlandKennewick, Washington; La Crosse-Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Joplin, Missouri/ Pittsburg, Kansas; Victoria, Texas; and Platteville, Wisconsin/Dubuque, Iowa. “We’re looking at a station as we speak,” she says. “I’m a great believer in smallmarket television. It’s going to be around for a long time, mainly because I think like small-town newspapers. Some of the larger newspapers have kind of disappeared into the woodwork. The small market weekly newspapers are doing just fine thank you very much.” The torch was eventually based down to Murphy Burns and her brother, John B. Murphy in 1982. John B. and Liz joined the family business at young ages, just as their father and grandfather had done before them. John B. focused on the print side of the business, which was eventually sold in 2003. Liz focused her attention on the broadcast side and became the first woman to serve on the CBS aﬃliates board in 1981. Murphy Burns considers herself lucky to be in the business for this long. “I’ve been blessed to be around a whole lot of very smart, capable men who decided I wasn’t a threat to them,” she says. “At a time in the mid ’70s and ’80s when there weren’t too many women around, they embraced the whole situation and the whole idea. We all had a good time together. I learned a lot. They learned a lot. I was very blessed.” The secret to her success was she “didn’t

“Liz has made it possible for me to follow my dreams unimpeded. She did that without me asking for it out of the goodness of her heart. She’s famous for philanthropy. She’s put more people through college than most scholarship funds. Those people don’t even know it was her who did it.” try to be a guy.” “I didn’t stay up and play poker and smoke cigars,” she says. “I was just me. There were the occasional passes and rebuffed, but nothing like it is today. We were all so bloody innocent. I never felt threatened, overpowered or powerless. They were my cohorts and my friends, and we got along just fine. “I think we’re in a real strange time right now. I wonder what on Earth are girls in their 20s thinking about going into a man’s bedroom in a hotel room. Hello? Didn’t your mothers never teach you anything?”

Musical ambitions

Murphy Burns’ longtime dream was to be a “great Broadway star,” but “Barbra Streisand beat me to it,” she says with a laugh. She studied theater at the University of Arizona’s fine arts school. “I realized what I liked was the business of show business,” she says. Her first job was at KGUN in Tucson as a production secretary, land then traveled

to San Diego for the same job for a station there. She married and divorced twice and drifted. “I called my mother the day my dad died and said, ‘What would you think if I came to work for the company?’” she recalls. “She said, ‘It’s about time.’ That was 1977.” Her stepson, Brian Burns, runs the dayto-day operations, while Murphy Burns keeps her finger on the pulse. “He’s doing very well,” she says. “He’s the one bullish on getting new stations, but he’s also 40. He knows all about the digital things and the social media. I’m too old to completely grasp it. He’s doing very, very well and is loving it. That’s exciting to have that stage of it going so well.” Murphy Burns is using her show business knowledge to promote the career of Cave Creek country artist Ryan Sims. The two “met” when she hired his former band, EastonAshe, for a party at Tavern Americana on Hayden and Thompson Peak Parkway. In reality, the two knew each other for years. “I’d seen EastonAshe at Harold’s over the years. I was standing in the foyer and the lead singer (Sims) was sort of nodding at me. I turned around to see what cute little chick was behind me. There wasn’t one. “After that, he said, ‘You don’t remember me, do you? I used to bus your tables at Harold’s. Then we became lunch pals. We just thoroughly enjoyed each other.” After Sims broke up with his girlfriend, she encouraged him to record an album in Nashville. After finding moderate success with his album “My Side of the Story,” he’s wrapping up his third full-length effort with new management. “There isn’t a bigger entrepreneur in the North Valley than Liz Burns,” Sims says. “Liz has made it possible for me to follow my dreams unimpeded. She did that without me asking for it out of the goodness of her heart. She’s famous for philanthropy. She’s put more people through college than most scholarship funds. Those people don’t even know it was her who did it. “Liz is the kindest human being I’ve ever met. I can say this with 100% certainty, you will never meet someone kinder. She’s an angel. Not only that, she’s my best friend.” NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

Stephanie Kotula with her husband, Kelly Van Voorhees, and four sons Zachary, Peyton, Aidan and Cameron. (Photo

courtesy Van Voorhees family)

Fresh START

Stephanie Kotula gives back to organization that aided her By Annelise Krafft

tephanie Kotula was used to making fresh starts. “As a child, my father’s job moved us around,” says Kotula, who formerly lived in snowy cities across Michigan and Ohio. “In high school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to do it somewhere warm.” But, getting out of the cold took some time. While still in high school, Kotula entered the workforce, taking an event planning position at a country club in Lake Orion, Michigan. “That was a turning point. I oﬃcially caught the bug and fell in love with event planning and logistics,” Kotula says. “This field also offered me a chance to get out of the snow!” In 1999, Kotula and moved to San Antonio, where she worked in event planning before transitioning into strategic sports operations and events. Kotula would excel, moving higher up the ladder with venues nationwide, including Fenway Park, NRG Stadium, Gila River Arena, Ford Field and AT&T Center, where she devised strategic plans for capital improvements to grow revenue and per capita spending. She also planned and executed major

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

events including NCAA tournaments, Super Bowl XL, NASCAR races, NFL playoff games, NHL All-Star Games, MLB World Series games, NBA All-Star Games, NBA Finals, The Kentucky Derby, The U.S. Open, as well as major festival concerts. During this time, Kotula stopped in Arizona from 2004 to 2006, before returning to the Midwest after she had her first son, Stephanie Kotula, left, volunteering at Wilde for Arizona’s 2019 Feed Aidan, in 2006. my Starving Children event with her son, Aidan, and her mom, Joann. (Submitted photo) “When I moved back, I rekindled a romance with a high school boyfriend, whom I later married. Cameron, in 2008. After I took a far-less demanding job to “I had a 2-year-old at home, was about mirror his banker’s hours, we were on to to see my position at work be eliminated, the next order of business—moving back and was weeks away from another baby. I to Arizona,” Kotula says. “We were able to didn’t know where to turn,” Kotula says. “My do so in early 2008, just before the recession OB-GYN gave me a ﬂier for the Fresh Start hit.” Women’s Foundation.” Their relationship was challenged during Since 1992, according to Kotula, Fresh the recession, and the marriage ended when Start has been on a mission to provide Kotula was pregnant with her second son, education, resources and support for women

Stephanie Kotula and her family enjoy being active, pictured at an annual family 5K called Cookies and Milk, which beneﬁtted St. Jude’s (Submitted photo)

situation—especially coming in to Fresh Start’s Phoenix center at Stephanie Kotula, right, and Wilde Wealth team member eight months pregnant,” Kotula Angela Brown at the 2019 Fresh says. “What I got out of it was the Start Gala. (Submitted photo) opposite experience, and their low- or no-cost services were just what I needed as a newly single mother to two boys.” gala, which will take place on March 21 at Fresh Start helped Kotula file her own The Phoenician. “Through volunteering divorce papers, join targeted support with Fresh Start, I feel I am able to help groups and assigned her a social worker to other women in transitional stages of their further assist. With this help, she was able lives find their own positive path.” to get back on her feet and moved into the Beyond that, Kotula—who is happily financial services field in 2010. married to husband, Kelly, with four sons “I can’t believe that was almost 10 years ranging in age from 10 to 17—also supports ago,” says Kotula, who is now chief operating Fresh Start via its Wine, Women and Shoes oﬃcer for Wilde Wealth event, which was September 21 at Chateau Management Group Luxe and raised thousands of dollars. The Fresh Start Gala is in the North Valley. It “I am also honored to head up our firm’s celebrated annually at The provides comprehensive charitable arm—Wilde for Arizona—where Phoenician in Scottsdale. retirement, investment, we support causes near and dear to our (Submitted photo) real estate, insurance, hearts. Beyond Fresh Start, we are involved legal and tax-planning with Child Crisis Arizona, the East Valley services all under one Boys & Girls Club, UMOM, Cell Phones roof. for Soldiers, Junior Achievement, Toys All these years for Tots and Feed My Starving Children, later, she is paying it among others,” Kotula says. forward by volunteering For her work on the job and in the for Fresh Start and community, she was honored in recent years assisting in their critical by AZ Business Magazine as among the fundraising efforts. “30 in their 30s” winners, an award given “Fresh Start helped to those under 40 working tirelessly to me, and I’m so grateful help drive Arizona forward socially and to be in a position economically. where I can have “Thanks to Fresh Start, I am writing that same effect on some amazing new chapters in my life. others,” says Kotula, I can’t wait to see what the future holds who volunteers for the for me, my family, and the Valley we call organization’s annual home,” Kotula says.

in transitional stages of their lives—divorce or widowed, change in career or loss of job, housing or economic instability, dealing with trauma—to positively transform their future. It is focused on helping support women so they can work toward overall empowerment and financial independence. In fact, its motto is, “Helping women help themselves.” “I never knew how to talk to people about my feelings. I was worried others would judge my

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

Mother Knows Best Phoenix woman creates business as life coach to other moms By Lila Baltman

ost women understand just how helpful and comforting talking to a good friend can be. Every day—in Starbucks cafes all over the world—millions of women can be found helping other women by simply being together. Here in the Valley, Jennifer Jakobsen of North Phoenix has become that friend as a licensed, integrative life coach with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in social work, and years of professional experience as a psychotherapist. She founded Jennifer Jakobsen Life Coaching as a married mother of three young daughters. “When I discovered life coaching, I was hooked,” Jakobsen says. “I love the future-focused perspective of life coaching and really enjoy helping people get from where they are in life to where they would much prefer to be. If a woman is feeling ‘stuck’ in her life, I’m the one

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

who can help her feel ‘unstuck.’” A Chicago native who moved to North Phoenix in 2004, Jakobsen, 46, can work with anyone, but her specialty is women, whom she believes has “the hardest job out there.” “We are often going 100 miles per hour and are so focused on our kids and everyone else that we forget to take care of ourselves,” Jakobsen says. “I help moms discover what is truly important in their lives, as well as find balance, so they can feel joyful in motherhood.” Jakobsen says as a life coach, she listens very intently and asks powerful questions to get the clients to think about where they want to be in life. She also might assign homework, if the client is open to it, and she holds her clients accountable for their personal goals. “I am a very supportive and nurturing person who personally understands the pressures of motherhood,” Jakobsen explains. “After working with me, my clients report feeling more empowered, more positive, clearer and connected to themselves and others. They feel less anxious and have more insight into what truly matters which opens the door for success in all areas of life.”

Most of Jakobsen’s clients enjoy the phone life coaching sessions. However, some mothers do prefer to meet in person. Jakobsen is happy to arrange that. Jamie Bauschka of Phoenix, for example, schedules monthly, in-person sessions. She’s the mother of a 7-year-old son. “It’s so nice to sit down with Jennifer, one-on-one, and just talk about my life and have her help me prioritize and focus on the things that really matter,” Bauschka says. “Not only does she have such a nice, positive way about her, she’s also extremely knowledgeable and I always leave my sessions with a great, doable action plan that is helping me get to where I want to be in life.” Jakobsen offers a complimentary 30-minute session to see if coaching is right for the client. “Coaching with me is definitely like having an amazing conversation with a good friend, but the topic of conversation will always be focused on you,” she explains. Jennifer Jakobsen Life Coaching Jennifer Jakobsen 623-209-4779, jenniferjakobsenlifecoaching.com

Cardinals running back David Johnson and wife Meghan opened David’s Locker at Ryan House in Phoenix. (Photo by Eric Newman)

Lending

a Hand

Cardinals’ running back opens David’s Locker in Phoenix By Eric Newman

ozens of kids and their families— even the Arizona Cardinals mascot Big Red—cheered as Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson and wife, Meghan, opened David’s Locker at Ryan House in Phoenix. Filled with electronic games, learning technology and signed Cardinals decorations, David’s Locker entertains kids who are receiving care due to life-limiting illness or injury. Since the North Valley resident arrived in the Valley, he has strived to help sick children and make an impact on the community. Creating David’s Locker was easy. “All we want is to help as many kids as possible,” David Johnson says. Ryan House executive director Tracy Leonard-Warner adds the technology entertains kids and their families.

“For our families who are here, especially some of our hospice families who may not have family here in town, to be able to communicate with them is going to be really special,” Leonard-Warner says. The Johnsons have always cared about children. Meghan Johnson says she and David became more invested once they had children. “Before it was extremely meaningful, now if something happens to our kids, in the community everyone is there for you,” she says. “The fact that we’re able to do this for other people, and we’re able to provide amazing resources that they can use, their kids can use, their siblings can use, it means a lot.”

Cardinal mascot Big Red celebrates the opening of David’s Locker with a young boy at Ryan House in Phoenix (Photo by Eric Newman)

The Ryan House David’s Locker is the fourth in the Valley, with the others at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Cardon Children’s Medical Center. The third was unveiled at Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School’s Special Needs Program in Phoenix. It provides students with a safe space to use technology to enhance their overall education experience. The Johnsons’ success will surely lead to others around the country. “We want to branch out to different states, get back home to Iowa, really just impact as many children and as many families as we can,” David Johnson says. NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

BUSINESS • SPOTLIGHT

Sweet

Treats Crumbl Cookies spreads love to the North Valley By Eric Newman

or Katelyn and Jonny Rundell, Crumbl Cookies runs in the family. The couple own the Phoenix location at 4747 E. Bell Road, Suite 9, along with both of their parents. Before moving to Arizona, the Rundells were managers at Crumbl locations in Utah, where they met the founders of the gourmet cookie shop. “Even when we were working at the Utah stores, we always wanted to open our own,” Katelyn Rundell says. “But, the availability wasn’t the same in Utah, so we came here where there was an opening.”

Katelyn and Jonny Rundell co-own Crumbl Cookies on Bell Road. Previously, they managed locations in Utah.

(Photo by Pablo Robles)

The signature cookie is a warm chocolate chip or chilled sugar cookie. On Mondays, four specialty cookies are introduced via social media as weekly specials. A recent week boasted coconut lime with fresh lime zest; hazelnut churro filled with Nutella; dark dream, a warm dark chocolate cookie with semisweet chocolate chips; and circus animal, which hearkens to the childhood treats. Delivery options are available for those near the store. A box of four oversized cookies starts at around $10. However, Rundell wants to make sure customers walk away satisfied with more than just the taste of the baked goods. The decorations of the store change, and the staff aims to give great customer service. “We want them to leave feeling like the experience they had was more than just the cookie itself,” Nutella mudslide is a sweet treat. (Photo by Pablo Robles) she says. “The look of the place is appetizing and friendly, and that

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

they’re happy when they walk out the door.” Though they are still relatively new owners, the Rundells are scheduled to open a store at Peoria Avenue and I-17 on October 10, with additions to the business model. Rundell says new technology will speed up the baking and serving processes, ice cream flavors will rotate like the cookie menu, and boxes will boast new designs. She said the summer months were a little lighter than expected, but with seasonal residents returning to the Valley, coupled with the loyal customer base, Crumbl Cookies is in a good spot to flourish. “We’d heard good things about coming to Phoenix and they’ve all been true. So, we’re excited to see what we can do at the second location,” Rundell says. “It is going to be a lot of work, but it should be fun.” Crumbl Cookies 4747 E. Bell Road, Phoenix 602-607-0937, phoenix_tatum@ crumbl.com, crumblcookies.com

BUSINESS • SPOTLIGHT Members of the AXA team frequently win business awards. (Submitted photo)

Making Dreams Happen AXA Advisors goes beyond rainy day funds By Alison Bailin Batz

he team at the North Valley’s AXA Advisors Southwest works under one simple principle: we make dreams happen. “As a financial planning firm, that seems a pretty obvious mission statement,” says executive vice president of AXA Advisors Southwest Dillan Micus, who took the role in 2005 at 29. At the time, it made him the youngest executive vice president in the region and among the youngest for the brand worldwide. But, according to Micus, their rallying cry means more to their dedicated local team of 100-plus than helping folks save for rainy days and retirement—although they certainly do that. “Our team isn’t interested in pumping out quotas for internal products or steering

clients to one or two investment tools that makes the firm the most profit,” Micus says. “We listen. We want to hear what people actually want from their lives both now and in the future, and what kind of legacy they want to leave for other generations.” Then, according to Micus, AXA team members collectively work to help make all those hopes and dreams come true through its innovative “The Firm of Firms” approach. “The Firm of Firm model allows AXA to partner with specialty firms that focus in one particular area of wealth management—be it retirement benefits, business success planning, wealth management, asset management and the list goes on,” Micus says. “This allows us to deliver the most up to date strategies to people as well as approach someone’s goals as a team.” This has been an ingredient of the secret sauce for the firm and helped them to earn the coveted AXA’s President’s Trophy Award six times. The award is given annually to select branches nationwide based on the firm’s rank and management performance. “But that isn’t the only way we put our

AXA Advisors Southwest’s Executive Vice President Dillan Micus addresses the crowd at a recent charity event. (Submitted photo)

people-centered vision into action,” says Micus, a past executive council member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale and active Thunderbird. “We also mean to

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

BUSINESS • SPOTLIGHT GROWTH ACTION STRENGTH

Creating Opportunities

JOIN ENGAGE THRIVE

The AXA team works hard and plays hard in Scottsdale. (Submitted photo)

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help people in need so that they can have a better tomorrow.” They do this in several ways. “First, we have our AXA Achievements Community Scholarship Program, which helps make college possible for young adults in need,” Micus says. The program is the largest provider of college scholarships in the United States granting more than $28 million in scholarships to over 6,500 students. “Then, we have AXA Hearts in Action, wherein our employees offer a helping hand, on their own time or during work hours, to organizations.” Recently Micus and his team have taken this ideal to the next level, creating their own large-scale charity event to benefit various nonprofits in the community, including the Boys & Girls Clubs, Elevate Phoenix and Folds of Honor, to name a few. They have donated over $700,000 with the goal to reach $1 million in the next few years. “When not planning the event, our team sits on boards of directors with the local Rotary, Thunderbirds, Boys & Girls Clubs, Arizona Military Assistance Mission, Friends of the Phoenix Library and more,” Micus says. AXA has an online program that enables its portfolio managers to integrate environmental, social and governance

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

(ESG) criteria into its decision-making processes. “We also provide a matching gifts program through our AXA Foundation, giving our people the ability to direct contributions to the issues and commitments they feel are important,” Micus says. “In 2018, the AXA Foundation matched over $1 million in contributions to 1,000-plus charitable organizations nationwide. “ The Southwest branch members also takes part in AXA’s day of service, an annual event when its staff is able to volunteer as one unit for a cause they care about in the neighborhood. The combined work of the entire team has led AXA to be honored by the Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and Service with its annual small business impact award. They’ve also taken home Most Admired Company Awards from BestCompaniesAZ with its Most Admired Companies for its combination of excellence in customer opinion, leadership, social responsibility and workplace culture. “We win. We bring the fun. We care about others success. We have an entrepreneurial vision. We cross the finish line and help others do the same. That is what we are all about,” Micus says. For more, visit axaadvisorssouthwest.com.

WHEELS • HOME

Lexus LS 500 is a brilliant flagship By Greg Rubenstein

ntroduced 30 years ago, the Lexus LS hasn’t always been stylish, or especially fun to drive. While early iterations through the 1990s and even into the ’00s were well appointed, they were as utterly unremarkable to look at as they were dull to drive, without panache and barely a hint of verve. Five generations later, the current LS—in either rear or all-wheel-drive, and equipped with twin-turbo or hybrid-enhanced V6 engine—is now everything its progenitors were not. The LS is a fitting flagship for Lexus: big, luxurious, gloriously-powerful, room for five adults, and the dynamics to offer its driver exhilaration behind-the-wheel while passengers are snuggled in limo-like isolation from harshness of the world outside. In twin-turbo trim, the LS 500’s 3.5-liter V6 engine is good for 416 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, while the hybrid LS 500h gets a normally-aspirated 3.5-liter V6 combined with two electric motors producing a collective 354 horsepower. From a standing start, the LS 500 can reach 60 mph in 4.6 seconds (the hybrid takes a half-second longer), foretelling a performance potential which is delivered in full. Tipping the scale at 4,750 pounds, the LS 500 is no featherweight, but the heft is

a byproduct of some serious hardware and high-tech wizardry, with a definite eagerness in its driving dynamics. Evident on the open freeway or two-lane backroads, the LS 500’s exceptional capabilities are bested only by high-end sports or GT cars, and even then, only if the other driver knows how to put that potential to use. As the top model for a luxury brand, the LS 500 comes standard with a 10-speed transmission (continuously variable transmission in the hybrid) and all the features typical of a high-end ride—plus a few notable touches helping set it apart in a category filled with the best offerings from the world’s top manufacturers. Foremost among those elements is Lexus’ next-generation safety system, or LSS+ 2.0, with lane change assist (LCA) functionality exclusive to the LS. Among its many capabilities, the LSS+ system provides road sign data on the head’sup display, while the integrated pre-collision detection system is capable of identifying a preceding vehicle, pedestrian, or even bicyclist, and will, if necessary, deploy active and autonomous braking or steering to avoid a collision. Most remarkable, however, is the LCA system’s ability to actively and autonomously perform lane changes around a slower vehicle. Like any foray into autonomous driving, the

LCA takes some getting used to, but over the course of a 1,200-mile test drive—including round trip from Phoenix to San Diego—the system performed without flaw, earning trust over every mile, which (eventually) grew into worry-free use of the dynamic radar-based cruise control (DRCC). With the DRCC and LCA engaged—as simple as turning on the basic cruise control system—the color head’s-up system becomes more video game-like, adding real-time dynamic road data to the standard audio, speed, gear, and RPM info projected onto the 24-inch windshield display. As the system recognizes a curve, active steering keeps the LS centered in the lane; if the road turns sharp enough to require driver input, the corresponding side’s lane display line blinks, as does the corresponding side of the steering wheel (plus an audible alert). When a slower vehicle is encountered, a lane-change indicator appears on the HUD. Flick the turn signal, and the LCA system takes over completely, autonomously changing lane, overtaking, and then returning to the original lane, completely without driver intervention. The LS 500 is equipped with a 21.7-gallon gas tank and in RWD trim, EPA rated at 19 mpg city, 29 mpg highway, and 23 mpg in combined driving (18/27/21 mpg in AWD configuration), good for a comfortable 500mile cruising range. Add in enough trunk space for a family of four’s week-long vacation, and the LS 500 is perhaps the ultimate road trip carriage. The sampled LS 500 came equipped with the LSS+ safety system, a $3,000 add-on to the $81,200 base price. Additional options included adaptive air suspension, head’s-up display, adaptive headlights, Mark Levinson premium audio, panoramic glass roof, and the comprehensive F Sport package, which brings exterior and interior upgrades like 28-way power front seats, unique front bumper and grille treatments, rear diffuser, variable gear-ratio steering, aluminum pedals, Ultrasuede headliner, and perforated leather trim throughout. At $101,685 the LS 500 isn’t for everyone, but that is the point. It’s an exclusive vehicle intended for the discriminating buyer who enjoys driving and wants an ability to reach a destination quickly, and in grand style. If those abilities are your thing, this sedan ought to be, too. NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

HOME • TRIMBLE’S TALES

MASSACRE CAVE AT CANYON DIABLO By Marshall Trimble

hen a group of Apaches raided a Navajo encampment near the Little Colorado River in 1878 and killed all but three people, the Navajo leaders sought vengeance. Twenty-five Navajo warriors were sent to find the attackers and take revenge. They eventually found them in a cave near Canyon Diablo. The Apache sought shelter for themselves and their horses but the

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

Navajo scouts felt the hot air from their campfire emanating from the cave. The Navajo gathered dry wood and brush and started a fire at the entrance of the cave. The Apaches killed their horses and used their blood to put out the flames. Then used their corpses to block the cave’s entrance. One Apache escaped, begging for mercy at the Navajos’ feet. After learning the three survivors of the Little Colorado River attack died, the Navajos showed no mercy, shooting their guns into the cave, reigniting the fire and ultimately suffocating 42 Apaches inside. After the massacre, the Apaches didn’t raid the Navajo people again. Much like the avoidance of a “death Hogan,” none of the tribes in the area will use the cave for any purpose as they believe it to be cursed. Two Guns is located on old Route 66 where the highway and today’s I-40 cross Canyon Diablo. It’s said that during the winter of 1879-1880, Billy the Kid and his cronies hid out in a cave on the west side of the canyon across from the massacre cave. Following the Canyon Diablo train robbery in 1889 the four Hashknife cowboys were captured by Yavapai Sheriff Buckey O’Neill and his posse and sent to prison. After their release, one of them said they stashed some of the loot, including some rifles in the canyon rim where the massacre took place. It’s one of

the many lost treasures in Arizona. During the early part of the 20th century, settlers briefly occupied the town of Two Guns near the cave. After a series of strange events, though, many left, saying the area is cursed. Residents reported strange groans and ghostly footsteps, and mysterious disasters and disappearances. The story of Two Guns took on a new life when, in 1922, Earle and Louise Cundiff acquired the property where the Old Trails Highway and future Route 66 crossed Canyon Diablo and built a trading post. Later, they added a restaurant, gas station and rental cottages. The Cundiffs leased the property to a conman named Henry Two Gun Miller. He

falsely claimed to be an Apache chief named Crazy Thunder. He also called himself Indian Miller and dubbed the site of the 1878 massacre, “Mystery Cave.” Miller hired a Hopi Indian to build stone structures that resemble a prehistoric village

which he named Fort Two Guns. It housed a living quarters, gift shop, and a zoo where he kept wildlife embracing everything from coral snakes to cougars including rattlesnakes, Gila monsters, mountain lions and bobcats. They say at one time or another every one of his critters either bit or took a bite out of him. A mountain lion almost had him for breakfast and a bite from a Gila monster had him laid up for months. He might as well have been named “Scoundrel” Miller as he sold the skulls and bones of the Apache found in the cave in his gift shop. In 1926, during an argument over the lease, he murdered Earle Cundiff, and somehow managed to beat the rap. He also had domestic problems. One story has it that his wife, seeking a more glamorous lifestyle, cleaned out their bank account one night and took the train for New York City. In 1930 the eccentric

I grew up in the small railroad town of Ash Fork in the 1940s until the mid1950s. I remember those tourist traps and curiosity shops along the Mother Road between Kingman and Holbrook but none ever came close possessing the mysterious aura as the cursed site that resembled an old abandoned prehistoric Hopi village nestled on the edge of Canyon Diablo.

Miller seems to have left Arizona one step ahead of the law. He opened another similar business in New Mexico where he remained until his death in 1952. Louise Cundiff and her new husband returned and rebuilt the business but a fire wiped out the big trading post in 1934. That same year a resident named Ray Thomas was committed to an insane asylum. The last rerouting of Route 66 occurred in 1938. Noted Indian trader S.I. Richardson acquired the property in 1950 and kept it for a decade. Then Ben Dreher acquired the property in 1960, fixed it up and the old curse seemed to be lifted but then in 1971 a fire destroyed Two Guns again. During the 1990s another entrepreneur, Howard Armstrong, bought the property with plans to restore it. He died, however, of a stroke. His caretaker, Jimmy Solinger, worked diligently to keep people from vandalizing the old structures but eventually committed suicide. It seems the curse of the cave at Canyon Diablo lives on. NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

TASTE • RECIPE

What’s Cooking

With JAN D’ATRI Angel Food French Toast

orget being over the moon. This dish is downright heavenly! I guarantee it’s going to be one of your new favorites for breakfast or a fun dessert. Angel food cake has a lot of fans— from folks who love that it’s fat-free and sometimes gluten-free, to people who enjoy its light, fluffy texture and taste. I made a fantastic discovery when I decided to do a taste comparison of storebought angel food cake to a boxed angel Angel Food FrenchToast Ingredients: 1 angel food cake, store bought or boxed cake 6 eggs, slightly beaten 1 1/2 cups milk 2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 tablespoon butter Whipped cream or Cool Whip

food cake. It wasn’t even close. The boxed cake is so far superior in taste and it doesn’t get any easier than simply adding water to the mix. That’s right, nothing but water, you mix it for only a minute and a half and you don’t even grease the pan. Now that I had my perfect angel food cake, I was ready to beat a few eggs, milk and vanilla and turn the cake into French toast. Why did I think this would be a good idea? I wasn’t sure, but the picture was so inviting.

When I made the first test run, I knew it was going to be one of my go-to favorites forever. Served with a little powdered sugar and syrup, it makes a fabulous breakfast. Or, you can arrange the angel food french toast pieces on a platter with some fresh fruit and whipped cream or Cool Whip as a tasty dessert. I hope you get to make this for mom or for your family soon and when they ask you where you got the idea for angel food French toast, just tell them it was heaven sent!

Maple syrup, optional Fresh strawberries, raspberries or boysenberries

melt butter over medium heat. Cook four wedges at a time and cook on all sides until golden brown. Repeat the process. Serve in slices with berries. Top with whipped cream or Cool Whip. Drizzle with maple syrup if desired. Serve immediately. Watch my how-to video for angel food french toast here: https://jandatri.com/jans-recipe/oneminute-kitchen

Directions: Slice the angel food cake into 10 to 12 1-inch thick wedges. In a shallow dish combine eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. Soak wedges in egg mixture for 1 minute per side. In a nonstick skillet or on a nonstick griddle,

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

TASTE • DINE

Peter Verros has more than 25 years of restaurant experience, and now owns and operates Eggstasy in Scottsdale Airpark.

Breakfast, Lunch, Mimosas Eggstasy brings morning magic to Scottsdale By Kevin Reagan

eter Verros says he’s a simple, baconand-eggs-type of guy. But the menu at his brunch spot in Scottsdale begs to differ. It has jelly-donut-flavored pancakes, bacon covered in chocolate and crepes served with bananas and chili peppers. Verros says his staff at the three Scottsdale Eggstasy restaurants is always experimenting and testing the limits of the standard breakfast menu. “We’re always looking to keep going forward, keep being innovative,”Verros says. They serve waffles, pancakes, sandwiches, burgers, and eggs – lots of eggs. Verros estimates they crack about 2 million

eggs from Hickman Farms each year.They serve eggs with apple cider-flavored bacon, eggs with ciabatta bread, and nine styles of eggs Benedict. And there are specialty items not on the regular menu, like crepes covered in a cookie butter sauce. The three Scottsdale restaurants are at 6990 E. Shea Boulevard, 10155 E. Via Linda and Market Street at DC Ranch. Verros says he planned to open the first location in Chandler, but fate sent him farther north. He finally opened the Chandler restaurant last month. The Chicago native moved to Arizona a few years ago after a trip exposed him to the state’s alluring sunshine and business-friendly atmosphere. “I came out here and fell in love with it,” Verros says. He has more than 25 years of restaurant experience, opening and running his first breakfast spot when he was still a teenager. People made fun of his menus at first, he says, but then they started catching on and getting trendy. Eclectic, hip brunch spots that serve avocado toast can now be found everywhere throughout the Valley. But Verros says this has been his style for years. Crepes remain one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes. From Nutella crepes to spinach crepes, Eggstasy offers a wide spectrum of both

savory and sweet options. And there are plenty of healthier options for customers looking to watch their calories.The menu offers items like protein-filled pancakes and whole wheat French toast. Among the restaurants’ numerous menu items, Verros says his personal favorite is the gluten-free lemon ricotta pancakes. The restaurants will soon test a Japanesestyle soufflé pancake. Verros wants Eggstasy to feel like a momand-pop store that’s welcoming and inviting. It should almost feel like a party, he said, which is why the restaurant has Maroon 5 and Ricky Martin playing regularly in the background. “We don’t want that corporate feel,” Verros says. Eggstasy For a complete list of locations, visit eggstasyaz.com.

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

TASTE • DINE

Chefspiration What inspired the North Valley’s top cooks to cook? By Alison Bailin Batz

Over the past 10 years, the Arizona culinary scene and restaurant industry have started gaining national momentum. We recently sat down with several top chefs in the North Valley to see how they got here—and what inspired them in the first place.

JEREMY PACHECO OF LON’S AT THE HERMOSA INN I started washing dishes at the Sheraton El Conquistador in Tucson so I could earn enough money to buy my first car. Before long, I was cooking at the steak house there and it got in my blood. I didn’t even know there was a school for cooking at the time, so I did a little research and found the Scottsdale Culinary Institute.

GRANT BAKER OF GREAT WOLF LODGE ARIZONA Growing up around food and family drove my passion. While most families gathered around the living room, ours was assembled around the kitchen counter or table enjoying a meal. Family and food are still at the core of what I do at Great Wolf Lodge for our team and guests. 62

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JEFFREY PILDITCH OF JW MARRIOTT CAMELBACK INN RESORT & SPA I always enjoyed cooking with my mom and grandma, and as a kid used to watch Graham Kerr, Emeril, Julia Child and Justin Wilson. After researching what these “rock star” Michelin chefs were doing, I knew what my true destiny was and ended up going to culinary school.

CHRISTOPHER COLLINS OF COMMON GROUND CULINARY My entire life the only career path that ever interested me was running restaurants like my father. When I was younger, I would always be in his restaurants spending time in the kitchens, trying to steal a slice of bacon or learn a new trick.

DEEJAY FERGUSON OF CLUBHOUSE AT MAYA

RON DIMAS OF ORANGE SKY

I’ve always loved food. The inspiration to be an actual chef came from holiday meals with family as a child. Seeing the happiness that could come from just sharing a great meal inspired me to be the one making it for others.

My dad was a history professor at Arizona State University, so I grew up wanting to travel the world and soak all of his rich history firsthand. Given my dad worked at ASU, I could attend tuition free, save for the cost of books and parking. So, in 1986 I got a job in the kitchen at the Tempe Buttes. I fell in love with it.

RUSSELL LACASCE OF ZUZU AT VALLEY HO

CHEF MATT CARTER OF THE MISSION, ZINC BISTRO AND FAT OX

VINCENT GUERITHAULT OF VINCENT ON CAMELBACK

The defining moment came when I walked into La Chaumiere, then Scottsdale’s premier French restaurant. I could smell the flavors and knew that’s what I wanted to pursue, so I moved to France to immerse myself in the culture and artistry of French cooking that still influences my approach to food.

My love for cooking started when I was seven, helping my mom in our kitchen. At 15, I dropped out of school to pursue a culinary career and at 24 was given an opportunity to work in the United States for six months. I never went back home, instead I moved to Phoenix to open my own restaurant.

When I was 13, I got my start washing dishes at a tiny seafood restaurant on the beach in Charleston before heading to Utah to start my career in earnest. Ready to get serious, I moved to the Valley in 2006 to attend the Arizona Culinary Institute.

CHUCK KAZMER OF THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT SCOTTSDALE TROON NORTH I always had a knack for cooking. My dad actually supported me, telling me “at least you’ll never go hungry, Chuck.” My first real kitchen job was for the Four Seasons in Austin, while I was in culinary school, where I worked as an apprentice for more than three years.

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019

TASTE • DINE Elise Sparks says dieters don’t have to sacriﬁce taste for calories. (Photo

Cocktail

by Pablo Robles)

Talk Trips to the bar don’t have to be a perfect storm of calories By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

he summer is coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop drinking fruity cocktails. However, those on special diets can suffer because traditional mixes are often laden with sugars and carbs that can quickly derail fitness goals. According to BevMo’s Elise Sparks, dieters don’t have to forgo the occasional trip to the bar or sacrifice taste for calories. She and her company recommend a variety of seasonal sips, cocktails and veg/fruitforward mocktails that will satisfy any sweet tooth.

Paleo diet

Those who adhere to the paleo diet only eat food that humans consumed when we first roamed the planet. Permissible beverages include: Hard liquor with zero carbs (potato vodka, gin, whiskey, scotch, tequila, mezcal) Wine (dry wines such as brut champagne, cabernet sauvignon, pinot grigio, vermouth) Low-carb beer (Michelob Ultra, Budweiser Select 55, Miller 64) Low-carb mixers (soda water, 64

unsweetened iced tea, diet soda) Low-carb cocktails (martini, Manhattan, bloody mary) New research has shown that following a paleo diet can help patients lose weight and lower A1C levels. “The whole point is to get as close to

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

possible to the hunting-andgathering days,” Sparks says. “You can especially have red wine, with a focus on organic red wine. By sticking to organic wine, it’s preferable for heart health. Dry white or red wine have better sugar content. It’s easier to find dry reds. We do have quite a few dry white wines, though.”

Ketogenic diet

The keto diet is a low-carb diet with an emphasis on fat and protein. Because beverage guidelines dictate that drinks should be low-carb, keto advocates can refer to paleo drink suggestions.

TASTE • DINE Gluten-free diet

People who suffer from celiac disease or gluten sensitivity should abstain from foods and beverages that contain protein gluten, including wheat, rye and barley. Drink suggestions include: Wine (most red and whites are permissible, including several types of fortified wines) Gluten-free distilled spirits (must be specifically labeled glutenfree like Hudson Baby Bourbon, Cold River Gin, Queen Jennie Whiskey) Gluten-free beer (like New Grist, Harvester Gluten-Free Pale Ale) Gluten-free mixers (orange-based liqueurs) “There are so many options,” Sparks says. “Even the single most popular brand of vodka, Tito’s, is gluten free. It’s made entirely from corn in Texas. “One of the things that people don’t know—especially with vodka—is with most spirits, in the proper distillation process, it breaks down most of your gluten. Technically, a clean, freshly distilled spirit is going to be gluten free. It’s the flavoring and preservatives that have gluten.”

Low-calorie/low-ABV goals

Dieters looking to simply trim their waistlines, can approach the task in a number of ways, and the industry has responded with a myriad of options, some of which have nutritional benefits:

A TABLE FOR TWO? Phind it

Wines (red, whites, fortified wines) Light/extra-light beers Spiked seltzer Low-calorie cocktails (kombucha margarita, cinnamon apple champagne martini, etc.) Seasonal mocktails (blueberry lavender fauxito, rose lemon spritzer, blueberry ginger Bellini) “Skinny Girl is another fit wine taking the world by force,” she says. “You have all the spiked seltzers. White Claw is hands down the single most popular for many, many reasons. “Some craft beers are coming out with low-calorie, ultralow-calorie beers. You can have a more traditional beer with more flavor and still be counting calories. You can have the big, bold flavor you’re used to and something that doesn’t tug at the waistline that much.” BevMo 7129 E. Shea Boulevard, Scottsdale 480-607-5523, bevmo.com

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BETTER • HEALTH Dr. Joseph Sirven is a neurologist for the Mayo Clinic. (Photo courtesy Mayo Clinic)

in children, and dementia can increase the risk of epilepsy for adults. While research has found a genetic link to some types of epilepsy, genetics likely are only part of the cause. Generally, at least two unprovoked seizures are required for an epilepsy diagnosis. Doctors often start with a neurological exam and blood tests. They may also recommend diﬀerent types of brain scans in hopes of gaining insight into brain abnormalities. Here’s the good news: about 80% of people with epilepsy can control their seizures with one of the dozens of medications now available.Treatment also may include surgery, implantable devices and special ketogenic diets. The eﬀects of epilepsy do not last forever for all patients. Some require lifelong treatment to control seizures, but for others, the seizures eventually go away. Children with epilepsy may even outgrow the condition with age.

Living with epilepsy

Understanding

EPILEPSY

The disorder has a variety of potential causes By Dr. Joseph Sirven, Neurologist, Mayo Clinic

pilepsy is a surprisingly common neurological disorder. It aﬀects 1 in 26 Americans, including men and women of all races, ethnic backgrounds and ages. Yet many people don’t understand epilepsy unless they have ﬁrst-hand experience with it. After spending my entire medical career focused on treating patients with epilepsy, I want more people to have a basic understanding of it. It’s also important to know that there are many reasons to have hope, including advancements in treatment.

Epilepsy and seizures

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that causes

an imbalance in the brain’s electrical activity, which in turn causes seizures for some patients. The seizures can last from a few seconds to a few minutes, with varying frequency. However, not everyone with epilepsy experiences strong seizures or muscle contractions. Some simply stare blankly for a few seconds during a seizure or experience temporary confusion, fear or anxiety. Seizures may be caused by multiple factors, including low blood pressure, heart problems or convulsions from fever. Only seizures that originate in the brain are considered epileptic seizures.

Causes, diagnosis and treatment

Epilepsy has a variety of potential causes, including brain injuries, tumors, stroke, infectious diseases, developmental disorders or even prenatal injuries. High fevers sometimes can be linked to seizures

OCTOBER 2019 | NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

Living with epilepsy can take an emotional and psychological toll. It can be frightening both to have or witness a seizure, especially if there are strong convulsions. A stigma still exists around epilepsy, not only because of the physical effects, but because people don’t always understand the difference between a brain or neurological disorder and a mental illness. Both types of condition can be misunderstood and feared. Things are changing, however, and I believe this is a time of great hope. Our society is becoming more accepting of people with medical conditions, and quality of life for people with epilepsy has never been better. Many patients treated by specially trained epilepsy teams are showing significant, encouraging improvements.

Reducing risk of seizures

If you think you may have experienced a seizure, make an appointment to see your doctor immediately for diagnosis and treatment. If diagnosed with epilepsy, be sure to wear your medical alert bracelet at all times—and follow these simple steps to help reduce your risk of seizures: Take all medications exactly as prescribed Get plenty of sleep Avoid smoking and limit alcohol intake Eat healthfully and drink plenty of water Get regular exercise to boost your strength—and spirits Try to manage stress as best you can Join an epilepsy support group

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BETTER • PUZZLES PUZZLE ANSWERS ON PAGE 73

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