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City News
City of Phoenix Continues to Support Community During COVID-19
By Councilwoman Debra Stark, District 3
AS WE CONTINUE TO COPE WITH THE UNPRECEDENTED IMPACTS OF COVID-19, “BACK TO SCHOOL” LOOKED DIFFERENT THIS YEAR.
In coordination with Phoenix school districts, and ahead of the transition to in-class instruction, the City of Phoenix distributed more than one million pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to help Phoenix schools safely reopen.
The PPE was purchased as a result of the Phoenix City Council allocating $2.5 million in CARES Act funds toward these supplies. Phoenix school districts, including the Paradise Valley Unified School District, received their supply packages that included items such as face coverings, hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, protective gowns, and other PPE. The packages included masks with clear windows to avoid hindering communication between teachers and students with hearing impairments, students who are learning English as a second language, or students who are learning to read.
The PPE distributions support the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC recommends that schools implement mask wearing, physical distancing, hand hygiene, and frequent cleaning and disinfecting of high-touch surfaces as part of any school’s safe reopening plans.
In addition to PPE supplies, the Phoenix City Council also allocated $3.3 million of CARES Act funds toward distance learning and Wi-Fi access.
Outside of the classroom, the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department has expanded programming to keep kids active at home. The PHXPlays at Home Virtual Recreation series, launched earlier this summer, now includes fall programs. The virtual programming provides weekly, free, live-streamed activities.
In addition to free programming, fee-based specialinterest programming will be offered, including ballet, yoga, and karate. Registration is required for free and fee-based programs. Visit phoenix.gov/parks.
Access to nutritious food is also critical so that students are ready to learn. The Paradise Valley Emergency Food Bank (PVEFB) offers food assistance to families in need who live within the Paradise Valley Unified School District boundaries. The PVEFB is also in constant need of non-perishable food items. To make an appointment for food assistance or to donate food items, visit pvefb.org.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, contact my office at 602-262-7441 or council.district.3@phoenix.gov.
Aioli Gourmet Burgers Opens Third Location
A LOCAL FAVORITE, AIOLI GOURMET BURGERS RECENTLY OPENED ITS THIRD LOCATION AT 430 E BELL ROAD, #103, IN PHOENIX, TAKING OVER THE SPACE PREVIOUSLY OCCUPIED BY RECENTLY CLOSED CAVEMAN BURGERS.
“The last six months have been a crash course in creative entrepreneurship. Finding our way through this coronavirus pandemic has been a true test of our resilience and determination to succeed. We’ve reinvented ourselves several times during this crisis and it has proved to be an amazing experience and time of growth for everyone at Aioli Gourmet Burgers,” says Kyle Hollenbeck, co-owner. “We opened one store during the pandemic and now we’re excited to have the opportunity to expand again.”
The menu at Aioli Gourmet Burgers is packed with chef-driven, flavorful choices of burgers like the White Truffle Swiss – topped with roasted mushrooms, Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, and white truffle aioli, or the Italiano – topped with fresh mozzarella, tomato, balsamic reduction, crispy bacon, and basil garlic aioli. Other options include the wedge salad, mac-n-cheese bites, loaded fries, beer-battered onion rings, and over-the-top premium milkshakes and floats.
In addition, the third Aioli Gourmet Burgers location features an art gallery showcasing a collection of work by award winning Latinx cartoonist, John Carvajal. The collection includes Arizona, food truck and burger inspired pieces. All of the art on display will be available for purchase. The team at Aioli hope to be able to feature many local and nationally recognized artists. Open since 2013, Aioli Gourmet Burgers started as a single food truck, quickly growing with the addition of one more food truck each year since then. The original restaurant location was opened in 2016 at 32nd Street and Shea off the 51 Freeway. That location has served as the brand’s home base for the past three-anda-half years.
Year-over-year, the brand has more than doubled in size and sales with several other food truck concepts introduced, including Modern Tortilla and Oak Wood-Fire Pizza. Today, the restaurant group’s portfolio boasts seven food trucks, two taco carts, and a pizza cart, specializing in catering private events, birthdays, and weddings. The restaurant group is led under the culinary direction of Chef Tommy D’Ambrosio, who, from a young age, had a passion for cooking. Combining differing flavors to make one-of-a-kind culinary creations, Chef Tommy was inspired by his grandmother, and having a huge Italian family, cooking and eating was a big part of his life.
Chef Tommy went to the Culinary Institute of America and completed an apprenticeship at The Greenbrier in West Virginia before returning to his hometown in Phoenix to open Aioli Gourmet Burgers. Tommy opened Aioli with two of his childhood friends, Kyle Hollenbeck and Michael Cartolano.
Chef Tommy is a Chopped champion, he’s competed at the World Food Championships, and has won numerous awards including the Scottsdale Culinary Festival’s Burger Battle several years running. For more information about Aioli Gourmet Burgers, visit aioliburger.com.
City News
Chompie’s Returns to North 32nd Neighborhood
By Molly Cerreta Smith
FOR SHEABORHOOD RESIDENTS, CHOMPIE’S IS AN INSTITUTION.
While restaurant locations now abound all over the Valley, the very first location — dubbed Chompie’s Bagel Factory and opened by Lou and Lovey Borenstein in 1979 — was located at 32nd Street and Shea. And now, decades later, Chompie’s is returning to the 32nd Street and Cactus area (moving into the space formerly occupied by Big Lots) and is set to open its doors early next year.
“We’re excited to be back on our home turf and to be a part of the North 32nd Street revitalization,” says Chompie’s COO Oren Molovinsky. “Chompie’s Land, as we’re affectionately calling it, will be a huge sensory overload,” says Molovinsky. “In a good way, of course.”
The location that currently exists at Paradise Valley Mall is relocating to the area and expanding to create a massive Chompie’s hub featuring 27,000 square feet of space that will feature a restaurant with two private dining rooms offering full service dining, a large bar and outdoor patio seating; a fast-casual style ordering option; a dedicated curbside pick-up window with “car hop” style service; full barista area with espresso bar; and an expansive New York-style market with pastries, bakery items, grab-and-go items; and more. All the pastry, bakery, Kosher production and packaging for all Chompie’s fresh baked daily items will be produced there and guests will be able to watch the processes, such as cake decorating, happen before their eyes. This location will also serve as the hub for all catering services and orders for every location around the Valley.
Part of the reason for such a large dedicated baking area is due to the efforts of Neal Borenstein (one of the three Borenstein children including Mark and Wendy, that have helped shape the success of Chompie’s not only in the Valley but nationally as well). Inspired by his wife Shirli who has celiac disease, Neal, who runs Chompie’s bakery division, has been instrumental in developing more gluten-free friendly and ketofriendly baked goods to create more inclusion not only on the menu but throughout all of Chompie’s offerings. In fact, these items from cookies and breads to bagels and even cinnamon rolls have been so popular that Chompie’s online component has expanded to ship bakery items all over the country.
Molovinsky says guests can expect “a whole new Chompie’s” thanks to the design efforts of Scott King of Sixty First Place architects, who is giving the latest location a mid-century modern, 60s style vibe. However, the restaurant will still feature its signature murals that pay homage to New York through the stylistic creativity of local artist Randall Hedden; and diners can still get all their favorite menu items they’ve come to love and expect over the years. Local CBD SPECIALISTSLocal CBD
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City News
Creating a Vibrant North 32nd Community
By Allison Barnett
OUR NORTH 32ND COMMUNITY BEGAN TO TRANSFORM ABOUT SEVEN YEARS AGO.
As a new resident of Phoenix and North 32nd at the time, I attended a community meeting to discuss a proposed apartment building, now View 32, and learned about the greater plan to help this area come to life again.
A ULI tap study was conducted at the time to determine ways in which we could better utilize the various commercial areas along North 32nd. Some of these areas were determined to be better used as schools, senior living, more housing, etc. This plan was not meant to be an overnight plan, rather it was meant to give some guidelines over the long-term plan to create a better and more vibrant North 32nd.
While we undoubtedly recognize that there are still areas within our community that need our attention, we are grateful for the progress that has been made in a relatively short time. We delight when businesses choose to open here and even more when they choose to grow within our community.
This past August, we held the first community meeting, which you may view on our Facebook page. Annually we will host a meeting like this where key departments within the city give updates about what we will continue to see in our community.
In addition, we plan to host monthly community meetings starting this month focusing on a variety of topics to ensure that we continue to build a vibrant North 32nd community. The meeting will be held on the third Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m.; the first meeting will be October 15 at 6:30 p.m. We plan to keep it to approximately 30 minutes with one topic of focus each month. The meeting will be online as well as recorded to ensure that you may view it at your convenience. For updates on the meeting, please visit our Facebook events page.
If you have an idea for a meeting topic, please add it to the list in the Facebook community group or send an email to allison@north32nd.com.
CONNECT WITH US AT:
Facebook page: facebook.com/North32nd Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/north32nd Instagram: @north32ndstreet Website: North32nd.com E-mail: hello@north32nd.com
Allison Barnett is an ambassador for North 32nd, which is bringing revitalization of the community through strategic partnerships with the City of Phoenix as well as local businesses. She is also a licensed Associate Real Estate Broker.
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Is the Pandemic Teaching us a Lesson About Retirement?
It is no surprise that COVID-19 has touched nearly every aspect of our lives. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, many professionals are now working from home, while other companies have paused operations, placing their workers on a mini sabbatical until things change. This has become the norm, not the exception. Regardless of your situation, this can be a frightening time.
There is always a light, even on the most cloudy days. This time could be seen as a small trial run for retirement. Much like retirement, your schedule is not clearly defi ned. You may be spending much more time at home. Your work responsibilities may be limited or cut signifi cantly. There are lessons here that can be applied to your retirement; below are our top takeaways.
Create a schedule
During ‘normal times’, our schedule is often dominated by work obligations. You must be at the offi ce or your workplace at specifi c times. You have meetings and conference calls. You may have projects due by a specifi c time, typically leaving everything else in life to get scheduled around work.
Now, much like retirement, traditional work schedules have become blurred or even nonexistent. Working from home allows you to complete things during non-traditional working hours. Personal tasks start to creep into your workday, blurring what were once clearly defi ned lines.
It is important to create and maintain a schedule, even when you are not required to. Set the alarm and get up by a certain time. Keep a morning routine. Block off time for activities like fi tness or work or even a new hobby. A schedule will help you maintain some normalcy and reach your goals.
Have a greater purpose
Much like our schedules, very often our purpose in life is dominated by work. For many people, the pandemic has made them reevaluate the role work plays in their lives. It’s similar to the process many retirees go through right after they end their careers. Without the purpose that comes from work, you may feel lost and even depressed.
This is a good time to evaluate what is most meaningful to you. Work is important, but just as after retirement you may need to fi nd a new purpose. It could be family or friends. It may be a new hobby or a dedication to volunteer services. The choices are limitless, and fi nding that passion will help to keep your body, mind and soul strong.
Build your community
If you go into an offi ce or workplace every day, you may spend more time with your coworkers than anyone else in your life. This makes working from home a diffi cult transition, especially if you thrive on social interaction.
Retirement can be a similar transition. Consider who your social circle may be after retirement, and how you’ll connect with them. Video conferencing solutions, like Zoom, have become popular, but they’re not just for work. Use those platforms to connect with friends, family and coworkers.
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City News
THE CITY OF PHOENIX HAS PARTNERED WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY CENTRAL ARIZONA TO OFFER PHOENIX RESIDENTS AFFORDABLE HOME REPAIRS TO HELP FAMILIES SHELTER AT HOME SAFELY AND COMFORTABLY DURING THE ONGOING COVID-19 CRISIS.
EXAMPLES OF ELIGIBLE REPAIRS INCLUDE:
• Air conditioning and heating repair or replacement • Plumbing or electrical repairs • Roof repairs or replacement • Repairs that address the health and safety of the home • Appliances including range, oven and refrigerator
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
• The property must be located within Phoenix city limits • Applicants must own and live in their home • Total household income must not exceed specific income limits • Household members must provide proof of lawful residence • Repairs needed to make the home safer and healthier The program does not provide service for landscaping, fencing, painting, or pools.
PROPERTIES THAT DO NOT QUALIFY:
• Rental properties • Properties that are not the primary residence of the owner • Repairs not related to staying safely at home
Funding for this program is provided by the city of Phoenix CDBG-CV program through the CARES act to provide support for families through the current health crisis, according to Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona. The program is firstcome, first-serve until funds are depleted and is open citywide. To learn more about this program, call 602-268-9022, extension 224, or visit habitatcaz. org/repairs.
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City News
The Perfect Nearby Locations for Holiday Family Photos
By Jenna-Lee Neff Photo by Erin McDonald
FALL IS THE PERFECT TIME TO GET THE FAMILY TOGETHER TO CAPTURE THOSE
MEMORY MAKING SHOTS. With temperatures cooling off, families can trade the studio for lovely locations around the Valley.
“Local parks or greenbelt recreation areas make great spots for a portrait,” says local photographer Erin McDonald.
McDonald, a Phoenix native with a passion for portraiture and wedding photography, shares some of her favorite locations to capture the perfect family frame.
DREAMY DRAW RECREATION AREA
Located at 2421 East Northern Avenue, McDonald always recommends Dreamy Draw for clients looking for a desert-type background. The recreation area offers diverse desert landscapes while having plenty of parking, public restrooms and it is dog friendly, meaning you can include your furry family members.
HERITAGE SQUARE AT HERITAGE AND SCIENCE PARK
At 113 North Sixth Street, McDonald says this is the perfect location for urban photography. Playing on the textures, architectures and graffiti in the areas, she finds the area to be the perfect backdrop for a variety of personalities and poses.
OLD TOWN SCOTTSDALE
Old Town Scottsdale provides a variety of backdrops with different architectures, unique storefronts and plenty of public spaces. McDonald notes that the area, particularly around the Scottsdale Civic Center, sees a lot of traffic from photographers on the weekend. If you want to utilize this area, it might be best to plan your photo sessions for during the week.
TEMPE TOWN LAKE
Tempe Town Lake is described as a desert oasis in the middle of the Phoenix metropolitan area, but for McDonald, the location provides the perfect backdrop for dreamy sunset style photos looking out over the water.
YOUR OWN FRONT YARD
McDonald emphasizes one of the best locations to capture your family personality is the family home. In response to the pandemic, she did a portrait series called the Sheaborhood Portrait Project, where she used a long lens to socially distance while photographing families in their own front yard.
“I realized how much more comfortable and relaxed the subjects were because they were in their own environment,” she says. “The whole vibe of the sessions on their own porches or backyards was different than when we pack everyone up and drive out to a location.”
McDonald offers a few additional tips to consider when planning locations for your family picture: Plan ahead for the day. Communicate with your photographer to arrange shots and timing, keeping lighting in mind when making your plans. According to McDonald, lighting is key to making any location amazing. Early morning or early evening is best, as you don’t want the sun directly overhead.
“The hour before sunset, or magic hour as photographers call it, is a beautiful time of day to catch the amazing Arizona sunset colors in the sky,” she shares.
Mindfulness for safety might be the most important tip McDonald can offer to families planning the perfect portrait. Be aware of your location and any dangers to your party or laws you might break by posing there.
“When choosing a location, please remember to be safe and stay off of train tracks and light rail tracks,” she says. Not only do these locations put your family at risk, but often it is illegal to be there and you will receive a ticket.
To learn more about McDonald or see examples of her work, visit clickinduo.smugmug.com.
Jenna-Lee Neff is a freelance journalist and owner of the Solstice News blog at mysolsticenews.com.
City News
Basic Elements Reunite and Rock On
By Jonathan Goldman
IT’S FITTING THAT AN ‘80S BAND FROM PHOENIX WOULD RISE UP FROM THE ASHES AFTER 35 YEARS, BUT UNTIL LAST SUMMER, GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER WAS THE FURTHEST THING FROM THE MINDS OF THE GUYS IN BASIC ELEMENTS.
When the group formed in 1984, John Denis, Jonathan Goldman, William Bowling, David Youssefi, and Matt Barton were spread across three different high schools (Shadow Mountain, Horizon and Brophy) but a common thread brought them all together.
“We were always getting our butts kicked for being different,” says synth player Jonathan Goldman. “We listened to all the new wave music coming in from overseas and tried to emulate the bands we liked by shopping in the ‘Gear for Guys’ section at Judy’s in the mall, so starting the band was kind of a survival mechanism.”
A cross between Simple Minds and Tears for Fears, Basic Elements made a name playing gigs in iconic Valley bars The Mason Jar, Metro, Sun Club and Edsel’s Attic as well as the Arizona State Fair and the backyard of any teenager whose parents were out of town. During their six-year run, Basic Elements played alongside local legends Gin Blossoms, Gentlemen After Dark, BonTon/Caterwaul, Ditché, and Radio Architecture. They also opened for larger touring acts Bolshoi and Gene Loves Jezebel, while maintaining an average age of 17-years-old.
In 1990 the band broke up – well before any of them were old enough to legally enter a bar. In the 30 years since, members of the band have moved on to become a sculptor, TV producer, real-estate agent, graphic artist, and an attorney. After last year’s reunion show at the legendary Mint in Los Angeles, the band found themselves with an opportunity too good to pass up—the chance to record songs they wrote as teenagers with one of the artists who inspired them to write the songs in the first place.
Ed Buller is a Mercury Prize-winning producer who created albums for bands like Suede, Pulp, and White Lies. He was also the original synth player for the Psychedelic Furs, a band that influenced Basic Elements from day one.
“We never got to work with a producer who was into the post-punk scene,” says bassist William Bowling. “Back in the day all we got was some head-banger behind the mixing board, so finding Ed was like finding some new wave saint. He’s just a brilliant producer.”
Written in the ‘80s and recorded today, each song delivers a euphoric mix of nostalgia for original fans of post-punk/new wave, and an exciting sense of discovery for the next generation finding the band on streaming platforms.
The band dropped its first single “Hide,” on October 2. Written in 1984 against the backdrop of the Cold War and George Orwell, it’s an antiauthoritarian fight song with lyrics that feel more relevant than ever.
Over the next several months the band will drop each track recorded with Buller as singles, and cap it off with a full release on pressed, collectible vinyl that includes a B-side of the original, archived recordings. Keep up with the band at basicelementsmusic.com.
