Thanks again to Virginia Senior and her crew at Urban Beans.  There were over 60 people at our June event, all enjoying wines and nibbles in a refined wine pairing experience. Special thanks to Lisa Reinhardt of The Wei of Chocolate who provided her exquisite creations for the tasting. I’m still working my wei through an assortment of chocolates.

Get it, “wei!” You, know, like, wei. Oh, I crack me up! No? Alright, never mind.

Back to the business at hand: more epicurean luxuries in July!

I was so intrigued by the idea of our wine pairing last month, that I decided that it was in order to try something really special: a professional tour through the world of Greco/Italian cuisine, with Andy Pappas, of La Piccola Cucina as your personal guide.

If you’ve never met Andy, you know this guy’s the real deal. Andy is a former New Yorker (he owned another La Piccola Cucina in Manhattan). He and his wife, Debbie, have literally travelled the world picking up recipes for you to try and they deliver the real deal when it comes to southern European cuisine. The only thing that is missing is the haute cuisine snobbery.

I was at LPC a couple months ago with a client, celebrating a home purchase, when Andy and I got in to a conversation about how to eat and the logic behind courses. Why are there a certain number of courses? Why antipasta before the meal? Do you know? Don’t ask me!

Andy, of course, knows.

Enter “The Gallantry of the Table.” That was the name of a book written in the 15th century that laid out in great detail the logic behind eating.

Did you know, for instance, that if you eat meat before your first course, you run the risk of “festering” the meet in your stomach, resulting in certain unmentionable social fax pas? Not a pretty picture, I know. But epicureans 500 years ago laid out in clear detail what you need to do to get the most out of a refined dining experience.

Andy is our guide for one night. You will learn more about food at the next Get Your PHX than you’ve learned in the last 10 years combined.

Andy is going to present a mini, 5-course meal with wine; during which you will come to learn about the theories and practice behind greco/roman cuisine. He will help you experience the why’s and how’s of this ancient cooking tradition.

Now, La Piccola Cucina is not a big place and this is a very exclusive engagement. We are going to have to limit this event to the first 30 participants. (However, who knows, if we get enough interest, we might be able to do this in two engagements. Stay tuned.)

This event is going to cost $15 per person and will include the instructional 5-course meal and Andy’s choice of fine wine. In order to reserve your space, you need to call La Piccola Cucina directly at 602-358-7415 by July 20th. You can pay over the phone or at the door. Please also RSVP to me or on the fan page so I have an accurate count.

Keep an eye on our Facebook Fan Page for updates. As you know, there are always surprises.

July Get Your PHX
Thursday, July 21st from 5:30 to 8:30.
2241 N. 7th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85006 Map here

In case you’ve not heard by now, this week is Independent’s Week. That means you can get 20% off at over 189 locally owned businesses in Arizona. That’s June 27th through July 4th, ya’ll.

Just get your Golden Ticket at the LFA website, print it and take it in to your favorite local shops to save big.

Thank Local First Arizona for organizing this very necessary event.

For me, it all comes down to this important quote. “Studies have shown that for every $100 spent in a locally owned business, roughly $42 remains right here in Arizona, while for the same $100 spent in a national chain store, only $13 remains here.”

Now, that’s a money quote.

I’m proud that I am an agent with John Hall & Associates, a local Arizona broker. I’m also proud to give a contribution to the local charity of your choice if you refer a client to me and that client closes on a purchase or sale of a home.

We support our economy and the local Arizona real estate market when we buy local!

The goal of Get Your PHX is to show up, en masse, to support those who pioneer new restaurants, stores, bars and event spaces. We want to provide them a boost as they put their sweat, tears and wealth on the line to make life great downtown. Plus, we want to provide a chance for you to meet others like you, who want to get the most out of Phoenix.

Thanks again to everybody at the Indie ArtHouse. Joseph and the gang showed us a great time. Thanks also to The Bikini Lounge for offering drink specials and thanks to food truck Hey Joe for providing tasty comestibles. We raised a little money to benefit Free Arts of Arizona, and bought some great local original art.

I’m particularly excited about the June Get Your PHX because I’ve been wanting to do a wine pairing for a looooong time. Thanks to Virginia Senior over at Urban Beans, we will have special presentation from a professional wine sommelier who will guide us in how to pair wines with different types of food. Watch for an announcement soon about who our celebrity sommelier will be.

How better to start the summer than by refining your knowledge of which wine to pair with which meat, cheese, chocolate or desert?

With this knowledge you can impress your friends at the next 4th of July back yard barbeque: “No, really I think these Hebrew National Hot dogs would be best with an Albert Mann, cremant d’Alsace, brut.”

To round out my wine pairing dream team, Lisa Reinhardt of The Wei of Chocolate will provide the chocolate for the wine pairing. Have you ever had their citrus infused dark chocolate? I can’t wait to try this out! This is going to be a real treat.

Virginia at Urban Beans is completing a major expansion. She has a liquor license now, so she is serving all new meals: Sunday brunch with her famous French toast from 9am to 1pm are $15.95 and include an entree, scones, coffee and a cocktail. She is also doing special 5-course dinners, coming soon and she is expanding her desert menu.

Everything she is doing is based on a Eurocafe model of a seamless integration of coffee, food and wine.

Here’s the best part: the wine pairing is regularly a $15 deal and you are going to get it for FREE! So, join us, won’t you?

Keep an eye on our Facebook Fan Page for updates. As you know, there are always surprises.

June Get Your PHX
Thursday, June 23rd from 5:30 to 8:30.
3508 N. 7th StreetPhoenix, AZ 85014  Map here
Please RSVP to me via email or through Facebook so I can get an accurate count.

Thanks again to Leonardo Ramirez with Universal Furnishings & Offerings and Sherman Bush & Joseph Paul with BoomBoom LaRue.

I think everybody tried on a wig but me and the ladies from Carte Blanche Gourmet Tacos also dropped by with some tasty treats.

For the May Get Your PHX, we are diving deep in to new territory and lots of people are getting in the game to build a huge community event supporting Free Arts of Arizona and with a little help fromThe Bikini Lounge.

Indie ArtHouse is a brand new artist collective opening on Grand Avenue and 15th Ave. The idea behind Indie ArtHouse is to bring a new project to Grand Avenue that gives the broadest array of artists possible the opportunity to be seen, while also serving as a source of supplies and inspiration.  The creative co-op and space will be stocked with handmade art, clothing, up-cycle crafts, vintage works and supplies. There will be monthly community featured artists and an array of unique gifts.

“We all got together and decided we wanted to start a new project on Grand Ave,” says director Joseph Cuevas. “We believe in the arts community of Phoenix and we believe in the future of Grand Ave. So we’re excited to be a part of it. Most of all we’re looking forward to growing with this great community.”

Indie Arthouse members include Star DeLuna, Brian Harrison, Sticker Club Girl, Michelle Ponce, Ethan Brown, Tina McReynolds, Joseph Cuevas, Damian Jim, RunzwithScissors, Hristi Stoilcheva, Kristi Kuhl and Alyssa Shevlin.

Come meet the artists in person and buy something because Indie Arthouse is giving a 10% discount for anybody who buys at the May Get Your PHX.

The Bikini Lounge is offering specials for anybody who comes to this Get Your PHX and then drops by afterwards with our special token (because what would artists do if they couldn’t have easy access to drinks?) Special will run from 5:30 to 7:30 and only for those with a special Get Your PHX card.

We are also having a silent auction to benefit Free Arts of Arizona, the organization that we support every time we land in a gallery. So, please bring your auction paddle and be ready to deal!

Keep an eye on our Facebook Fan Page for updates. As you know, there are always surprises.

May Get Your PHX
Thursday, May 19th from 5:30 to 8:30.
1504 Grand AvePhoenix, AZ 85007  Map here

Please RSVP to me via email or through Facebook so I can get an accurate count.

Valley of the Sun Kiwanis ClubPress Release—Kiwanis Family Day at Chase Field The Valley of the Sun Kiwanis Club (established in 1947), one of the oldest and most well-respected service clubs in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, will be hosting its annual fundraiser at Chase Field on November 6, 2011.

“Kiwanis Family Day at Chase Field” will benefit Kiwanis charities focusing on children and will provide on-the-field baseball experiences, entertainment, and educational activities for the entire family, and a “Run Drugs Out of Town” run around the ballpark.  The event will also mark the 10th Anniversary of the 2001 World Series victory over the New York Yankees.

The details for the event are as follows:

DATE: NOVEMBER 6, 2011

TIME: NOON – 6:00 P.M.

LOCATION: CHASE FIELD (DOWNTOWN PHOENIX, ARIZONA)

ACTIVITIES: The activities planned for the event include:

• Live “major league” batting practice

• Baseball skills clinics for children ages 5-16 (batting, fielding, pitching, catching, and baserunning)

• Sponsor recognition, video displays, and live batting practice shown on giant stadium video screen

• Chase Field “behind the scenes” tours

• “Run Drugs Out of Town” Run

• Live music

• Kids Fun Zone

• Contests and games

• Tribute to 2001 World Series Champion Arizona Diamondbacks

• Vendor/sponsor displays and demonstrations

• Silent Auction

• “Special guest” appearances

For further information, please contact Michael Rubin:  602-285-5008 or michael.rubin@mwmf.com

On November 6th, 2011 the Valley of the Sun Kiwanis, one of the oldest and most well-respected service clubs in the Phoenix Metro area will be hosting its annual fundraiser at Chase Field.

The “Kiwanis Family Day at Chase Field” will benefit Kiwanis charities focussing on children and will provide on-the-field baseball experiences, entertainment and educational activities for the entire family. You will be able to take batting practice with your mug up on the big screen, there will be baseball clinics for children and behind the scenes tours.

I’m helping my mom with the Sierra Vista Relay for Life.

Not because mother’s day is coming up. Just because I’m a good son.

Or maybe its all about scoring points toward that next batch of clam spagetti that my mom makes so well. I dunno. You decide.

Here’s the pitch:

What:  Join the American Cancer Society’s 2011 Relay for Life event on Friday, May 6 in Sierra Vista at Veteran’s Memorial Park. Take this opportunity to get a vacation down in God’s country: the Huachuca Mountains, Bisbee and Historic Tombstone.

Why: My mom’s mother died in 1990 at the age of 66 -my mother’s age now- of lung cancer. So, naturally, a search for a cure is important to my mom and to me.

More: If you are not familiar with the American Cancer Society Relay For Life event, it is to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease.  At the relay, teams and individuals walk or run around a designated path.  Because cancer never sleeps, relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.

One of the most moving parts of the event is the Luminaria Ceremony.  As the sun sets and darkness falls, the night is brightened by the glow of luminaria bags, each bearing the name of someone who has battled cancer.

How: If you would like to join this event and walk registration is $10.00 starting at 6:00 PM.  If you can’t join us, please consider a donation at this link select “Donate” at the top of the “Relay for Life Sierra Vista Home Page,” on the next page select “Donate to Participant” enter my mother’s name, Donna Clark, select “find” when her record appears select “Donate Now” then follow directions.  Checks made out to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life can be sent to me at P.O. Box 1453, Hereford, AZ 85615

Would you like to honor or remember someone with a luminaria during the Relay For Life Luminaria Ceremony?  Luminarias can be purchased at the entry table or on line at this link please select  “Luminaria” on the “Relay for Life Sierra Vista Home Page” type in “Donna Clark” and select the find button, highlight “Donate Now” then follow directions.

Research is expensive as is everything these days, but without it a cure will not be found.  It is sad but we must face this disease can touch anyone of us or our families.  The smallest donation is so very appreciated.  Please consider joining the fight.

Of course, I’ve told her that she needs to sell her famous bread pudding again, which she has in the past sold for $100 per dish on behalf of the Cancer Society. Eat the pudding and then walk around the track all night to get the calories off!

Thanks for your consideration. For questions email Donna Clark, clarkwd at earthlink.net

Thanks again to Modified Director Kim Larkin and Associate Director Adam Murray for hosting our March Get Your PHX. Thanks also to David Lindsley from Valley Pizza Downtown for supplying the nosh. It was a pleasure to support this Downtown Anchor establishment as they transitioned to a new direction.

April is about furniture, frills and folic. We are extending our exploration of 16th St. and reaching out a little beyond the traditional downtown.
This month is about diversity, eclecticism and just being absolutely over the top with Universal Furnishings & Offerings and BoomBoom LaRue.
Why two hosts? Why not? They are next door neighbors and they are both an absolute hoot. Oh, and this month is UFO’s 2nd anniversary, or as owner Leonardo Ramirez likes to say, his “3rd Orbit Celebration.”

UFO is not a used furniture store. This is an interactive space, with an art gallery, a classroom and 4,000 square feet of showroom. We have lots of surprises coming (watch Facebook for announcements), but we can tell you that you will get a chance to learn from the artisans who do everything from make accessories to reupholster furniture.

UFO is a place where people and furniture can have a rebirth in purpose, style and attitude. Leonardo calls it “recycle-tude.”

Now, BoomBoom. What can we say? The partnership for this Get Your PHX means you can expect a huge blow-out of fun and surprises.
If you think “drag dresses” when you think of BoomBoom, you will be as keen to learn as I was that they do more than that. Sherman Bush and Joseph Paul of BoomBoom enlightened me as to why they have grown from a little booth in the old antique shop at McDowell and 7th to over 2,500 square feet of dresses, costumes, accessories and men’s clothes.

Sherman tells me that they provide unique items to the drag community, but also men, women, art students, actors and for a whole array of eclectic uses.

What made them more than a costume shop –and allowed them to grow in a recession– is how they guarantee uniqueness.

Case in point, Sherman pointed to a costume jewelry case in the store and told me, “If anybody buys a piece of jewelry from that case (and many clothing items, too), we guarantee not to sell an identical piece for at least 4 year.”

So, no more showing up to cocktail parties only to be embarrassed that I’m wearing the same choker as Sheriff Joe Arpaio!

Keep an eye on our Facebook Fan Page for updates. As you know, there are always surprises.

April Get Your PHX
Thursday, April 21st from 5:30 to 8:30.
3602 and 3606 N 16th St
Phoenix, 85006 Map here

Please RSVP to me via email or through Facebook so I can get an accurate count.

The goal of Get Your PHX is to show up, en masse, to support those who pioneer new restaurants, stores, bars and event spaces. We want to provide them a boost as they put their sweat, tears and wealth on the line to make life great downtown. Plus, we want to provide a chance for you to meet others like you, who want to get the most out of Phoenix.

Join Michael Messner of the Speedwell Foundation on April 8th at the Arrogant Butcher.

Learn how parks and open space can help solve the urban real estate crisis.

See more here:

Globally Acclaimed Event Makes its Phoenix Debut at Downtown’s Historic Icehouse

SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011

THE ICEHOUSE  |  429 W JACKSON ST,  PHOENIX AZ 85007

7pm Potluck  |  9pm Slideshow

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Phoenix, AZ (March 24, 2011) Slideluck Potshow’s singular mashup of art and food makes its Phoenix debut with a twist … a farmers market collaboration with the Phoenix Public Market. PHOENIX PUBLIC MARKET is a program of Community Food Connections (CFC), a non-profit that provides fresh, locally grown produce and foods at downtown’s Urban Grocery and Wine Bar and Wednesday/Saturday open air farmers’ market at Central Avenue and Pierce Street.

SLIDELUCK POTSHOW, a New York City-based non-profit arts organization, brings together arts-appreciators and foodies for an unforgettable evening. Phoenix co-producer Kristin Altman explained, “The event began in a Seattle backyard ten years ago and now spans the globe to cities including London, São Paolo, Milan, L.A., Barcelona, Chicago, Mexico City, Stockholm, Rome, Washington DC, New Orleans, San Francisco, Madrid, Berlin, New York, Paris, and more.  As a Phoenix native, I’m excited to make our mark.”

The night begins with mingling and dining on the home-cooked dishes of attendees. Then the lights go down, the crowd is hushed, and a stunning slideshow begins. Attendees are encouraged to use ingredients from the Phoenix Public Market … pick up some vegetables, fruits, meats, breads, cheeses, pastas, or other goods at the farmers’ market or Urban Grocery and Wine Bar the week of the event and use it in your potluck dish … doing so gets you $5 back at the door.

CFC’s executive director Cindy Gentry and her supporters have made it their mission to increase access to fresh, nutritious food in underserved areas, promote economic development opportunities for farmers and micro-businesses, and provide a community gathering space that celebrates Phoenix’s cultural diversity. Dispelling the notion that fresh food is a luxury, Gentry keeps prices low and has empowered customers to use food stamps. A champion of all things local, her work is a testament to the values of simplicity, value, and community. “We’re excited about tying food and art together at this event,” Gentry said. “People who appreciate the art of a good, hearty meal often find pleasure in the visual arts as well. This event is about exploring all those senses. It fits with the food movement. It’s a sign of our times.”

Davin Lavikka, owner of Method Art gallery in the Scottsdale Arts District, and Wayne Rainey, owner-partner of Bokeh Gallery downtown Phoenix, are curating the art submissions. Artists featured will be a captivating mix of the accomplished and the up-and-coming. Lavikka enthused, “I’m thrilled to be part of this. We’ll be bringing all types together – supporters of the arts, food enthusiasts, students, people eager for a different kind of night out. Sitting at the historic Icehouse surrounded by friends, in front of the glowing screen, taking it all in – this is what the arts are all about.”

CONTACT:  Kristin Altman 323 807 8430 & Richard Ross 773 343 5696  /  slpsphoenix@gmail.com