It’s almost time for the second annual Southwest Maker Fest, a free celebration of creativity and collaboration, hacking and tinkering. Once again, there will be lots of workshops, interactive maker booths, and music.
I’ll be presenting “Make Art Travel Journals Anywhere!” I’ve built on last year’s workshop to make it more hands-on.
Southwest Maker Fest will be held this Saturday, March 28 from noon to 8pm in downtown Mesa, Arizona. My workshop is at 12:30pm in the i.d.e.a. Museum HUB Classroom (150 W Pepper Place).
I’m also relaunching my newsletter with the next issue coming out this week! If you haven’t signed up previously, get on the list!
We’re not Seattle, obviously. But Phoenix does have its hardcore coffee devotees. We also have an increasing number of independent shops run by people who care about where their coffee comes from, the way it’s brewed, and who even roast the beans themselves to make sure they meet their standards.
1. The original Cartel Coffee Lab is what my friend Anne affectionately refers to as “the hipster epicenter of Tempe.” That may be true, but hipsters usually know where to find good coffee. Roaster Paul Haworth II has started the Coffee Bureau site to help people make better coffee and is currently in Central America visiting farms and sourcing beans. Cartel has expanded to also serve beer at its Tempe location, as well as opening several other locations in Arizona, including in Tucson and Sky Harbor Airport (Terminal 4, past security checkpoint C).
2. Echo Coffee came to be after founder Steve Belt heard a talk at Ignite Phoenix and decided to make a career change. These roots may have something to do with the strong community vibe of the place. There are different areas within the shop for conversation or work and large windows filling the space with natural light. Steve only hires people passionate about coffee, but they also tend to be really friendly and great about answering questions without the pretentiousness you get from a lot of baristas who take coffee (too) seriously.
3. Newly-opened Peixoto Coffee in downtown Chandler imports their coffee directly from a 100+ year old family farm in Brazil. They tell me the family name is pronounced “pay-sho-to”. Even though it’s been open under a month, it feels established, like it’s been there a long time. There’s a salvaged-wood counter, coffee bag cushions, and chalkboard-painted tables with coffee puns on them like “Espresso Your SELF” [sic]. I didnt see food on their online menu, so I was surprised to see they also offer empanadas and really good Brazilian cheese biscuits.
I have two words for you, friends: chocolate. tour.
Yep. That is now a thing that is happening here in the Phoenix area. So I did you a huge favor and checked that out for you.
I know. Sacrifices.
Stephanie Haworth also sacrificed and came along, tasting chocolate and taking the photos for this post (except the one of her below).
The Chocolate Tour of Scottsdale winds through Old Town to Fashion Square. You taste chocolate in various forms – hot, cold, cake pops, candies, cupcakes – from 8 different merchants. Some share a little about what they do and what sets them apart, and they all offer discounts to tour-goers.
The tours are lead by owner/operator Ofelia Montelongo, whose passion for chocolate lead her to start the company just this fall, and it’s off to a great start! In fact, she’s already quit her day job to devote more time to her business.
She meets tour-goers at the outdoor patio of Gloria’s Cafe with bottled water, maps, and bags for your extra chocolate. (Really. “Extra chocolate” does exist. I have a pretty serious sweet tooth, and I still couldn’t keep up with all the cocoa confections). She sets a friendly tone, keeping everyone oriented, and sharing points of interest along the way.
One prestigious Phoenix chocolatier, Julia Baker, has her own Cooking Channel show. Since her shop isn’t in walking distance, Ofelia brings Julia Baker chocolates to the tour. So you’re sampling even before the first step.
Then you head to the Paula Jacqueline bakery, which stays open late to greet the tour and hand out delicious fudgy cake pops.
Next, from behind a counter stocked with chocolate in all kinds of inventive shapes (squirrels, anyone? what about mushrooms? corn?) and flavors, a man in a Chocolade Van Brugge apron explained how their chocolate is imported from Belgium. He also claimed we were about to taste “the best hot chocolate [we’d] ever had.”
I was skeptical about that. But he may have been right.
The hot is followed by cold with a stop at Petersen’s Old-Fashioned Ice Cream, where you can sample your choice(s) of their wide variety of favors.
Our next stop was Classic Cakes and Confections, a bakery with such elaborate creations that some require signs explaining “this is a cake,” because otherwise you’d never guess. In addition to cakes, they had lots of amazing-looking desserts, teas in tins, and quirky coffee and tea accessories.
In Fashion Square, we stopped at Godiva for truffles and at the locally-owned Caketini for cannoli.
Across the street at Sprinkles, we snacked on mini cupcakes.
It was also the opening week of their cupcake ATM – one of only 8 in the world. It’s located outside, so, if you get a sudden after-hours craving, you just select the flavor you want and swipe your card. The machine gently delivers a boxed cupcake to a compartment with a small door that dramatically raises up to reveal your treat.
Our final stop of the day was actually an alternate, but it was one of my faves. If a merchant isn’t able to accommodate the tour on a certain day (due to an event, etc.), Ofelia has a whole list of pre-vetted backups.
The Chocolate Tour was a lot of fun, and I’d definitely recommend it to both local and visiting chocolate lovers.
– More info –
Chocolate tours run fall to spring. Ofelia will be offering other indoor events over the summer.
Book in advance, especially for weekend tours. As of now, Valentine’s Day is already full, but there are openings the day before.
Get $10 off with promo code CHOCOLATE!
Dress for the weather and wear comfy shoes.
You will probably end up with more chocolate than you can eat. You’ll have a goodie bag – don’t be afraid to use it! Take some chocolate home to enjoy later on.
What about the post office? Art isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when I think of post office buildings. However, the downtown Tempe post office has rotating installations just inside its large windows, so you can see works both from inside and from the street.
I didn’t realize this until artist (and fellow CraftHack-er) Crystal Daigle told me about the exhibition she was curating.
It’s called “Minimum Daily Requirements,” and will be on display in the Mill Avenue post office until December 10. Each of the windows displays mixed media work by a different Phoenix-area artist, exploring their own daily requirements.
Crystal’s piece was truly a community effort, funded by a Kickstarter campaign and partially pieced together by volunteers at maker spaces under her direction. It’s called “Push Down & Tango” and, in Crystal’s words, is “designed to celebrate the resiliency of survivors, thrivers and caretakers.” The centerpiece is a large circle of fabric roses. At the base are leaves formed from prescription bottles covered with images of people dancing tango, since learning tango was a turning point for Crystal. The 3 leaves are surrounded by hand-lettered names to pay tribute to resilient people.
Phillip and I stopped by the exhibition during its opening celebration in September, just as a dust storm was rolling in. We took shelter inside the post office during the worst of it and it blew over quickly, leaving a dramatic sky as a backdrop for the gathering.
There is no admission, but feel free to bring along any packages or cards you need to mail.
Just found the exhibition schedule for all Tempe Community Galleries! This includes the post office and Tempe Public Library’s Connections Cafe. (Remember when I was lamenting they didn’t list the Tempe Library exhibitions anywhere? Turns out they do. Just not anywhere obvious.)
When people talk about free events, they tend to miss what really makes them great. The fact that no money is required for entry is nice. But what’s even better is the laidback feel, ability to be spontaneous, and sense of community that is more likely when there’s no price of admission.
Sure, I like dressing up and watching a performance in a reserved symphony hall seat once in awhile. But I also like taking in a ballet while sitting cross-legged with a cooler full of my favorite snacks and beverages at my side.
Free usually means not having to bother with tickets. You can decide to go or not go at the last minute if you need/want to. Free can bring typically inside events (Shakespeare) outside (…in the park). You can enjoy good weather AND enjoy the arts, instead of it being an either/or scenario.
Ballet Under the Stars
I love Ballet Arizona’s annual event, Ballet Under the Stars. I try to make it to the performance at Tempe Center for the Arts every September. By then, the evenings have usually cooled off, and it’s lovely to be out next to the lake, under the sky, instead of stuck inside hugging the air conditioning vents (which is basically what you do all summer in Phoenix.) You can spread a blanket out on the grass or bring folding chairs.
You see lots of people with kids, little girls wearing tutus and dancing along. But it’s not just for people with kids. You also see seniors and ASU students, and everyone in between. There’s always a huge turnout, and it seems to grow every year.
The program is usually a mix of the traditional ballet that most of us associate with the art form and more contemporary pieces, showcasing excerpts from upcoming performances. There is also a performance from kids in the community who have participated in the company’s Class Act program.
Picnic
Last year, I took the neighborhood shuttle over with a picnic and a blanket. I got there about 6:30, got a decent spot (6:00 would probably get you a super spot!), and watched the dancers warm up. Phillip took the light rail after work and found me just before the performance began.
For the main course of our picnic, Wildflower Bread Company’s Roasted Sweet Potato sandwich gave me idea for a veggie grilled cheese with sliced leftover sweet potatoes, onions, bell peppers and gouda cheese between two slices of bread toasted on the outside. I wrapped each sandwich in foil to keep them (mostly) warm until Phillip got there. They were just a little messy and some of the melted cheese wanted to stick to the foil, but it worked pretty well overall.
We munched, took in the performance, laid back, and looked at the stars. And that’s a wonderful way to experience the ballet.
What to know about Ballet Under the Stars:
There are performances all over the Phoenix area, September 18-27 at 7pm.
No photography is permitted during the event. (Post photos were taken before it.)
Bring something to sit on (blanket, lawn chair, etc.).
You don’t have to be silent, just don’t be annoying. Expect there to be general kid noise and people-coming-and-going noise. Whisper a comment to your friend if you want – just don’t talk over the whole performance.
Transportation/Parking for the Tempe Center for the Arts Performance
DO NOT plan to park at Tempe Center for the Arts unless your car has a disability plate or decal! Because Ballet Under the Stars is such a huge event, that night the entire lot is used for ADA parking. There’s always a long line of cars waiting to get in the lot and most of them are turned away. It causes a big traffic snarl.
Park at the U.S. Airways Garage at 111 W. Rio Salado Parkway (enter off of Ash Avenue). It’s free after 6 p.m., and it’s about a 1/2 mile walk.[UPDATED parking info is on the TCA site.]
Or don’t park at all. TAC is about 3/4 mile from the Mill Avenue/Third Street light rail stop.
