EV Teens Celebrate Greek Heritage

East Valley Tribune, September 20, 2018

One of the many joys of a freelancing career is contributing to many media: national, books, magazines, websites, ezines and newspapers. Stories such as this one are uniquely pleasing for many reasons, including furthering the success of local newspapers in large and small communities. When the internet first blossomed, the death of print media was widely foretold and extolled, even in print! But local papers, which celebrate the achievements of young people such as Christopher and Mikayala in this story on an annual Greek food and cultural event, are thriving. By focusing on neighbors, they reassert the importance of community events and the people who live just next door or just a block away.

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Barrio Queen

Highline Autos, April 2018

Scottsdale restaurateurs Linda Nash and Steve Rosenfield opened their first Barrio Queen in 2011 in Old Town Scottsdale, bringing authentic southern Mexican cuisine and culture to the Valley. They now have three locations and are planning Tempe Marketplace and Queen Creek restaurants. “We have always enjoyed going to Mexico but for years we couldn’t find good Mexican food here at home. You’d find an American version instead,” Linda says. Signature dishes available at all three for lunch and dinner are the Chiles En Nogada, the Azteca Burrito and the Enchiladas Suizas. One guest recently said, “We haven’t had food this good since my grandmother’s.” So bring grandmom, and gramps, too!

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St. Mary’s Food Bank Celebrates 50 Years

AFMA Journal, August 2017

Ten days into his job as president and CEO of now 50-year-old St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance in Phoenix, Tom Kertis received an e-mail from a man living near Tuba City on the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona. His brother had lost sight in his right eye and had had his right foot amputated; the loss of the other eye and foot was imminent. They were living week to week; they were hungry. “I am writing to ask if there is any way you can assist us with a little food; I am not talking about much,” the man continued. “I’ve never asked for help before.” St. Mary’s contacted the Sisters of St. Jude, an agency partner in the area, and arranged for that help. “If we’re not here, what happens to that man?” Kertis asks. “Does this man and his brother fall through the cracks? It hit me like a ton of bricks. We’re changing people’s lives –– maybe even saving people’s lives.”

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Marcellino Ristorante

Highline Autos, January 2017

Sima and Marcellino Verzino met at his Roma bar/bistro on New Year’s Eve 1992, and their new lives began. After moving back to the states from his native Italy, the couple and partners opened Amarone in New York City, her birthplace. In Phoenix, they opened their first Valley restaurant on Northern Avenue in 2003. Today, their place in Old Town at Southbridge is thriving, serving favorites such as Porcini Fettuccine, Gnocchi al Pignatelli, Zuppa di Pesce Royale and chef’s handcrafted Tiramisu. “If I had to identify the characteristics that set chef apart,” says Sima, who also sings there every week. “They are respect: for centuries-old recipes, their authenticity; love: never wavering from what he feels in his heart is right; tenacity: his leadership skills in teaching to impart his culinary wisdom; and his steadfast belief in who he is and what he represents.”

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The Tequila Goddess at Valentine’s Day

Arizona Foothills, February 2014

Abeer Besharieh (“blessing”), the Tequila Goddess at the Fairmont Princess in Scottsdale, knows an Anejo from a Super Anejo. Because of this, she oversees her domain at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess with meticulous care, wisdom and joy for the increasingly popular drink from Mexico. Also at the festive destination resort, Forest Hamrick, chef de cuisine at La Hacienda, its exceptional Mexican restaurant, has paired five premium sips and dishes, starters to dessert. “The more I sip, the more I learn about tequila, and the more I visit the motherland of tequila, the more I fall in love with this elegant spirit,” Besharieh says. “I love tequila because it’s more than just another spirit; it has its own culture, art and traditions.”

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