Neighbors
www.SanTanSun.com
April 5 – 18, 2014
49
Neighbors Phoenix Bikefest delivers Hagar in April
When you believe in the promise of later
Neighbors PAGE 53
Spirituality PAGE 65
Chandler Mom Chao brings flavors of Far East of Year shares her story BY BETH LUCAS
Wendy Wise always wanted motherhood. Bright and ambitious, she also had earned a degree in chemical engineering at the young age of 19. A perfect life suddenly shattered when her first child, Brian, was stillborn. The young mother developed posttraumatic stress disorder as a result. Today, the Chandler mother of four additional children ages 5 to 12 shares her story to encourage and inspire other mothers who struggle with the traumatic experience. “You don’t know what you value, until it is taken away from you,” Wise says. “Suddenly after Brian’s death, there was nothing I wanted more than to be a mom. I left behind my career to become
Where to Eat PAGES 75-78
Jeep Girls’ winter adventures in the Rockies BY BRITTANY AND ASHLEY HILL
Going to Colorado? May we suggest Aspen and Denver? Our “only in the mountains” itinerary included a nature-oriented morning snowshoe tour where we donned our Jeremiah Johnson packs and “crampons” to search out bobcats and a rugged, adrenaline-addled and an exhilarating ski instruction in Snowmass piloted by an entertaining, wisecracking skiinstructor named Kermit. More about snow adventures later. SEE JEEP GIRLS PAGE 54
SEE MOM OF YEAR PAGE 52
CHAO URBAN ASIAN EATERY: Guests can expect to be impressed with quality and some whimsical surprises at Chandler’s newest culinary hotspot. Submitted photo BY LYNETTE CARRINGTON
TRANSFORMING FROM PAIN: Chandler mother Wendy Wise shares how she overcame the pain of stillbirth to become an inspiring Mother of the Year. Submitted photo
It’s a fact that Chandler has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade and so, too has the need for intriguing restaurants. Chandler just hit the culinary jackpot in December when restaurateur David Fliger, from Latitude Eight, brought his own brand of restaurant cool down south and opened up Chao Urban Asian Eatery. Back in October at Latitude Eight and prior to its closing, Fliger did a straw poll. “For the first time, we realized that
90 percent of our customer base lived nowhere near Latitude Eight,” he states. “They lived south of 202, in Gilbert, Ahwatukee and Tempe or Scottsdale. So we thought, if we opened up down here and we do anything even remotely similar, then who’s going to go up to Scottsdale?” Chandler wound up benefiting from that decision and Chao Urban Asian Eatery also boasts Fliger’s mother Nicha Jithchamnock and “Chef Joe” Noichaya serving as the main chefs in the kitchen. SEE CHAO PAGE 51
ON THE SLOPES: The Jeep Girls, Brittany and Ashley Hill, pose outside of The Sky Hotel on their recent travels. Submitted photo