14 minute read
Business
Granddad’s avocado legacy inspires restaurant
BY KEN SAIN
Arizonan Managing Editor
A new Chandler restaurant is taking advantage of some family history and America’s love affair with a certain fruit.
Patent 139 Brewing Company opened earlier this year and has adopted an avocado theme.
Tim Hass, great grandson of the man who was awarded Fruit Patent 139 for the Hass Avocado, opened the brew pub at Ray and Dobson roads. You will find avocado-inspired dishes on the menu. And next month, you’ll find an avocado-inspired beer at the bar.
Just don’t ask for any guacamole: they don’t make it.
“It was my great grandfather, Rudolph Hass, who patented the first blackskinned avocado,” Haas explained. “It turned out it was actually an accident. He bought some farmland in La Habra Heights, was growing Fuerte avocados but they weren’t really growing very well.”
Those, like most avocados in the 1920s, were green. And, like most avocados, they were difficult to grow. He purchased some seeds that he was told came from Central or South America.
One of them became a tree that produced a black-skin avocado. Back in the 1920s, that was rare and the reason why he sought a patent.
Now, most of the fruits sold, about 90%, are Hass Avocados.
“People loved it because of the fatty creaminess versus Fuertes (the traditional green avocados),” said Tim, who had opened up a few restaurants for others in California before deciding to open the Chandler eatery in January. “So he went on and saw it was a big success and submitted the patent back in 1935.
“The green ones are very large, almost look like a small mango. The whole fat content with the black skin is what really makes it the difference. It’s buttery, creamy where the others are a little bit more hard, and not much flavor into it. The Hass avocados, those are the ones that you get a lot of that flavor element.”
Avocados show up in different ways on the menu.
“Buffalo sauce (on wings) is usually your red-hot sauce, butter element,” said Jared Martinez, the restaurant’s chef. “We took avocados and replaced the butter on it. It actually created a vegan sauce. So we’re trying to utilize avocados in different ways.”
One of those ways is avocado honey. How did they pull that off? “It’s bees that have only been allowed to pollinate with avocado flowers,” Martinez said.
“I’m not trying to be the guy who just throws avocado on everything and says, you know, it’s versatile,” Martinez said. “It is very versatile in the sense that it’s a source of fat that can actually be used in placement of egg, as well ... we can grill it.”
One of their popular desserts is Avocado Crème Brûlée. Instead of using butter, they use avocados.
The anniversary of Rudolph Hass getting Patent 139 approved is coming up, Aug. 27. To celebrate, Tim Hass plans to debut an avocado-inspired beer.
“It’s only been done, that I know of, one other time,” Tim said. “It was at Angel City Brewery out of Los Angeles; they did an Avocado Ale on there. So this will be a little bit different. But yeah, we’re going to work with some of the local homebrew guys out here to kind of make this a new, special thing, celebrate the weekend. And, of course, it’ll be going right into Labor Day after that. So very excited to give something different here.”
What will an avocado beer taste like? He said it won’t be green.
“It’s actually going to add more of a creamy texture to the beer instead of, you know, some of the IPAs that are out there that are really heavy and hops and bitterness,” he said. “This will add more of a creamy texture with the malt, the German malt. You’ll get a little bit of the flavor, but not much.”
Tim Hass and chef Jared Martinez of Patent 139 Brewing are turning their love for avocado into tasty dishes – and even beer. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)
QC couple opening fitness studio in Chandler
BY KEN SAIN
Arizonan Managing Editor
Queen Creek resident Darin Day said he was a regular in his old gym, worked out often and thought he was in pretty good shape for his age.
Then he was invited to visit a Fit Body Boot Camp by a neighbor.
“I tried it, just blown away,” Day said. “I mean, the workouts are 30 minutes, so you’re in, you’re out, you’re sweaty, you’re worn out.”
He became hooked, so much so that he’s about to open his own Fit Body Boot Camp in South Chandler at the corner of Arizona Avenue and Riggs. Day and his wife, MJ, plan to have their first official workouts on Aug. 1.
Day said his previous workouts focused on weight training, building muscles. He said the Boot Camp workouts are more about all around fitness level.
“Getting into this, it’s about strength, it’s about building a different kind of muscle, it’s about building that lean muscle that burns the calories and keeps you trim,” Day explained.
“And so that’s what really appealed to me because since I joined two years ago, I’ve lost 20 pounds, but I’ve gained, you know, mass and muscle, but I’ve also dropped like 10% body fat.” and the idea of owning his own business was appealing. Since he enjoyed the Fit Body Boot Camp, he checked out their website and came across a chance to buy a franchise. The company gives discounts to veterans. MJ served in the Army, so they qualified. As someone who has gone through a real boot camp, MJ said their workouts are not that intense and no one should be scared off by the name. She said she wants their new business to be a place that feels like family. “I belonged to another [gym], I just dropped it,” MJ said. “And they wanted to charge you for just having someone stand by you while you do your exercises. “I wasn’t getting much out of it. It’s like you standing here now, and they weren’t helping or doing anything, they were just kind of making sure I was doing my reps.” The Sun Lakes Fit Body Boot Camp will start by offering classes at 5 a.m. Monday-Friday. Each class lasts 30 minutes and they vary the workouts so they don’t get repetitive. Darin said they will have you do something for say 40 seconds, then take 20 seconds to catch your breath. And then repeat the process.
The last morning class starts at 9:30. Darin said some parents requested that time because it allows them to drop their kids off at school before working out.
Each class will have two instructors. One keeps time while the other helps people doing the workouts.
“If the guy next to you can do, you know, 50 jumping jacks in a minute, and you can only do 20, if 20 is the best of your ability, that’s OK, our coaches are going to be they’re encouraging you.
“They’re going to be pushing you saying, ‘Come on, maybe do one more, or do one more than you did yesterday.’ But it’s not going to be in an atmosphere where you know, he’s doing 50, you do 50.”
Darin said like his wife, they want to make the workouts feel like a family gathering and not something that’s intimidating.
The cost is $39 per week, but Day said they are offering a special for some founding members, $10 off a week for life. That will be good for the first 100 people who become members.
If you are a member, you can come as many times a week as you like. In addition to their morning hours, they also have evening classes starting at 4 p.m. and a limited number of classes on Saturdays.
Happy Cans finds a little known household niche
BY PAUL MARYNIAK
Executive Editor
Ted Jennings provides one of those services you don’t necessarily think people want, but the Gilbert man says you’d be surprised.
Jennings cleans garbage cans.
And his business, Happy Cans, is thriving, according to the father of five.
“I have found that people care more than you would think,” he said. “Those who are reluctant to try us – but then eventually do try us out – can’t believe what a difference it makes. In our hot summers trash cans really smell awful, which makes throwing out the garbage or taking the cans to the street for trash pick-up a very unpleasant experience, to say the least.”
That’s where Happy Cans comes to the rescue.
“After we have cleaned them and sprayed the deodorizer in them, people don’t have to worry about the odor.”
Moreover, he noted, “Trash can cleaning also reduces pests such as flies, maggots, cockroaches, mice, and rats around the house. So, it’s part of total pest control management for a homeowner. Our cleaning process even kills bacteria and viruses.”
Happy Cans arose from the disruptions that the pandemic created in its early months for Jennings’ normal job – selling medical devices for 14 of the 19 years the Southern California native has lived in Gilbert.
He had been an Independent sales rep selling customized surgical instrument trays to help protect expensive and delicate surgical instruments from being damaged during the sterilization process.
When COVID first made the scene in March 2020, hospitals restricted access to visitors – including sales people who sold all but the most essential kinds of equipment.
“Since my product was not of an urgent nature,” Jennings said, “I was not able to go into hospitals to work with my contacts in the Sterile Processing Department to customize instrument trays for the instrument sets they wanted protected. As a result, my sales pipeline decreased quickly over a few months.”
Then the other longer lasting impact of the pandemic hit hospitals – and Jennings pocketbook.
Ted Jennings of Gilbert and his Happy Cans business deploy high-pressured hot water to clean garbage cans. (Special to STSN)
See CANS on page 27
Cornhole business grows into new venue
BY JOSH ORTEGA
Staff Writer
It started as a backyard game and is becoming a full-blown business this fall in Gilbert for Todd Kisicki and his wife, Erin.
The couple opened KB Kornhole Games seven years ago and since then their business has taken off around the Valley.
Earlier this month, they hosted their largest tournament of the year, the Arizona State Cornhole Championships at Bell Bank Park.
“It’s our largest event of the season,” he said. “It’s kind of our signature event.”
The tournament offered 15 different events with something for all skill levels and ages from 8-years-old to 80, and had an estimated 410 players over the weekend.
He said most of his monthly events have up to 300 players and this state-level event had drawn up to 400 in previous years.
It looks like a far cry from their time at Lemonade Days in Founders Park in Queen Creek in 2016 when they first started putting on events.
Kisicki eventually had to find larger venues every year since then to accommodate the number of people wanting to compete in their tournaments.
For those who play in their tournaments, it’s more than just the skill of throwing bean bags into a hole on a wooden board.
He said the competitors that have followed him over the past six years tell him they enjoy the bond they form and coming together as a community.
“They feel like they’re part of something when they compete in these events,” he said.
Kisicki also serves as the national director for the American Cornhole League and said the Valley represents one of their biggest markets in the country.
“The surrounding areas have probably one of the biggest competitive bases in the country,” he said.
He hosts approximately 30 events throughout the year including competitive tournaments and fundraisers, and corporate events. That’s a decline from pre-pandemic numbers of 80 events per year.
He said finding the venue space to host these large events was one of the most difficult aspects for the business until now.
This fall, that problem now has a solution.
The Kisickis will have a location right here in the East Valley that will provide enough space for all their future events.
The Hole 9 Yards will be located at 868 North Gilbert Road and will open this fall, he said.
The 20,000-square-foot facility will offer a variety of options including for private event bookings, leagues for all skill levels and open lane rentals.
It will also have a full kitchen and bar with signature food and drink menus, as well as a retail shop as well with cornhole equipment and accessories.
Like it says on their website: “You’ve never seen anything like it.”
Todd Kisicki owns KB Kornhole Games which operates one of the largest cornhole tournaments in the country, the Arizona State Cornhole Championships. (Courtesy of Todd Kisicki)
CANS from page 26
As hospitals lost more money from canceling elective surgeries, “they didn’t have the money in their budgets to invest in our products and therefore my sales opportunities diminished,” he said.
Meanwhile, in May 2020, Jennings began encouraging one of his sons to clean trash cans in the neighborhood during the summer to make a little money.
And while helping him get his little business off the ground, Jennings was trying to fi gure out a way to make some extra money since opportunities for pitching his medical devices to hospitals had become more limited.
As the pandemic-restrictions dragged on, Jennings decided he could clean garbage cans, too.
“I started cleaning trash cans separately from my son but with the small pressure washer I had bought for him to get him started. As I started talking to customers, I realized that this was a service that people wanted but didn’t know how to get.
“I started researching the trash can cleaning business and found that there were a few people providing this service in the U.S. but that it was in the growth phase,” he continued. “ So I found some inexpensive, used trash can cleaning equipment and with the help of my neighbor, modifi ed it so that it would clean better. I have since upgraded to the most modern equipment available for trash can cleaning.”
Jennings developed his business out of whole cloth; it is no franchise.
“My son had the idea for our logo and most things I have done with the business have been through a little research and a lot of trial and error,” he explained.
Jennings cleans cans “with very high pressure at a high temperature.”
“The water pressure is set to 2700 PSI and at a temperature of 230 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hot enough to kill these microorganisms,” he said. “Then we spray a deodorizer and disinfectant in the trash can to complete the process. We collect all the nasty water in our catch basin and then at the end of the day, we dump it in a permitted dump station so no dirty water is left on the street or goes down the gutter.”
Between word of mouth, social media and other marketing eff orts, Jennings said, “My trash can cleaning business continues to grow every month” – so much so he’s not thinking about going back to medical devices.
Jennings’ service casts a wide net, as he visits homes in Gilbert, Queen Creek, San Tan Valley, Chandler, Mesa, Tempe, and Ahwatukee. New customers also get $10 off their fi rst cleaning to boot.
For more information: HappyCansAZ.com
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