North Valley Magazine - October / November 2020

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CONTENTS

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33 20

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Sunny Disposition The power of prayer lifted Sunny Parker to volunteerism with her Facebook page Arizona Foothills 911

FRESH 6 An 'American Idol' Songwriting is the heart and soul of Amelia Joyce

7 An Unbelievable Soul Stefan Pruett was someone everyone needed in their corner

10 Going Virtual Scottsdale's annual film festival to remotely celebrate 20 years

12 A Commitment to Service Raymond Damm settles in nicely with ACCEL

14 Badge(s) of Honor Girl Scouts offer at-home programming

FEATURES

23

35

23 Polo with a Purpose

TASTE

World-renowned event returns with social distancing and new charities

BUSINESS 25 Family Tradition

31 True Italian Couple brings their hometown flavors to Cave Creek with Pomodoro Italian Grill & Seafood

33 Saying Thank You

Cave Creek Distillery gets OK to make whiskey on-site

Carefree Restaurant Week celebrates its dedicated following with discounts

27 Stitched Together

BETTER

AZ Custom Hats & Apparel merges with Arizona Custom Embroidery

HOME 29 Trimble's Tales Tom Bullock's Zany Railroad

30 Sequoia Goes Pro Toyota's family vehicle gets better with age

16 Living the Dream Valley native Lindsey Reiser follows her calling to NYC 2 OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

35 Glo-ing Reviews Medspa's Charles Small wants to help clients look great

36 'Be You' at Lone Mountain Memory care community allows residents to thrive in Scottsdale

36

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FRESH • ARTS Amelia Joyce traveled to Hawaii to compete in “American Idol” in 2019. (Photo courtesy Amelia Joyce)

An ‘American Idol’ Songwriting is the heart and soul of Amelia Joyce

By Jacqueline Robledo

melia Joyce moved to the Valley five years ago in hopes of turning her musical passion into a career.

Twenty-four years ago, Joyce was born in Jackson, Michigan, with five siblings, all of whom would perform together.

She took piano lessons throughout middle school and high school.

“Growing up in a small town, there weren’t a lot of opportunities for me to stay and try and develop my career,” she says.

“I always wanted to live out west. I came out here when I was 19 and chose Arizona because my sister lived here. I was hoping it would be my steppingstone to LA.” Once she arrived in Arizona, the then19-year-old singer moved to Peoria and performed in coffee shops and at open mic nights. She did not expect the reactions or opportunities that were to come.

“My first open mic night was at this busy bar; and I started playing a song and everything just went quiet, and everyone was like, ‘Where the heck did you come from? You’re not from around here, are you?’” says Joyce, who now lives in Downtown Phoenix.

In 2017, she won Alice Cooper’s Proof in the Pudding, her first competition. She, in turn,

opened for Cooper,Tommy Thayer and Ace Frehley, Rob Halford and Slash.

“I have such good memories of that,” she says enthusiastically. “I’m not a competition kid at all, but I met a lot of great people through that competition. I met the founding fathers of rock ’n’ roll. I didn’t grow up listening to that kind of music. I was into ’70s folk singers and singer-songwriters. It was after I performed that I looked them up, and I couldn’t believe what I read.”

Her success only grew from there.Two years later, Joyce was awarded a golden ticket to Hollywood for season 18 of “American Idol.” Joyce credits her friend, fellow Phoenician Wade Cota, who was in the top six of “American Idol” the previous year, for recommending her to a producer of the show.

“I saw the opportunities that Wade got, and I was like, well, it won’t hurt to try,” she says.

Joyce traveled to Hawaii to compete in the Top 40 before being eliminated from the competition.

“It’s kind of like a really intense summer camp with a bunch of kids from all over,” she says. “So, it was a really good challenge for me with the TV element of it; and overall, I’m super glad that I did it.”

Prior to returning home from “American

6 OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

See Amelia Joyce For a complete list of gigs, visit facebook.com/xxameliajoyce 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, October

22, at Raven’s View, 42016 N. Idol,” Joyce released Old Mine Road, Cave Creek, a single that can be ravensviewwinebaraz.com found on Spotify, 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, October 23, called “What No at Royal Palms Resort and One Says.”

Spa, 5200 E. Camelback Road, Although Phoenix, royalpalmshotel.com COVID-19 has put 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, October many opportunities on hold for the young 24, at Thirsty Camel Lounge at The Phoenician Resort, 6000 artist, she says the E. Camelback Road, Scottsshow has helped dale, thephoenician.com her clarify the type 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Ocof artist she would tober 24, at The Living Room like to be moving Wine Bar, 2475 W. Queen Creek Road, Suite 1, Ocotillo, forward. thelivingroomwinebar.com “The heart and soul of what I do is Various times Thursday, October 29, Friday, October songwriting,” she 30, Saturday, October 31, and says. “To be able Sunday, November 1, at Weto have a career by Ko-Pa Casino & Resort, 10438 performing my N. Fort McDowell Road, Fort original music is what McDowell, wekoparesortandthe next level of what conferencecenter.com I’m working toward.”

At her gigs, she performs covers by the likes of Elton John, Billy Joel, Carly Simon and Carole King but sprinkles in original songs.

“That’s water to the fish,” she says with a laugh.

FRESH • ARTS

An Unbelievable Soul Stefan Pruett was someone we needed in our corner

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

F

or as long as Paula Pruett can remember, her son, Stefan Pruett, was obsessed with two things—basketball and music.

His heart condition pushed him out of basketball, so his mother persuaded him to pursue music. The Carefree musician was just about to turn music on its head as The Guidance when he was found unresponsive in his Downtown LA apartment at age 35 in June. He died of natural causes.

“When things like that happen, you really have to wonder what people know ahead of time,” says Tommie Sunshine, who had just signed The Guidance to a record deal.

“He was living on borrowed time his entire life. He knew that from the time he was very, very young. He didn’t think he was going to make it out of being a teenager. Every minute of every day was bonus points. He knew it, and he lived in such a way that he

never made you forget it.

“He made you feel how important life was and how important it was to do the things you want to do and not hesitate. Having somebody around who’s that much a cheerleader is such a positive thing. You really want someone like that in your corner.”

A loving brother

Paula lost her other son, Alex, to an accidental overdose in 2007, and a lot of Stefan’s music was about his brother, a race car driver.

“His work, music and songs were directed to Alex,” Paula says. “In 2008, he wrote ‘You Matter’ that he composed with David Jackman. It was about Alex mattering after he died. Stefan alone wrote ‘Carefree.’ He really missed Alex.”

Stefan was born with a congenital heart condition, transposition of the great arteries,

and survived three open-heart surgeries, starting at age 2 at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Stefan, who moved to Arizona as a child with his family, had a pacemaker.

According to the Mayo Clinic, transposition of the great arteries changes the way blood circulates through the body, leaving a shortage of oxygen in blood flowing from the heart to the rest of the body.

Without an adequate supply of oxygen-rich blood, the body can’t function properly, and a child faces serious complications or death without treatment.

It’s usually detected either prenatally or within the first hours to weeks of life.

Corrective surgery soon after birth is the usual treatment for transposition of the great arteries.

Stefan started having arrythmia when he

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 7

FRESH • ARTS was 9. He still played his beloved sport— basketball.

“He learned to perfect a three-pointer,” Paula says. “He really loved basketball and was really good at it. With the heart problem and the arrythmia, I sat him down. I said I really thought it was a better idea to pursue music.

“At 14, we put him in bass lessons, and he started a few bands as a bassist. He never could find a singer. So, I said, ‘You know, singing would be really good, considering the heart situation.’”

Stefan took voice lessons at home with Anita Bakey of Fountain Hills for 13 years.

He became the frontman because he didn’t have to worry about finding a singer any longer. Bakey trained him to sing so he could balance his breathing. Because of this, Paula says, Stefan became a physical performer.

“He was known for a lot of very colorful activity on stage and off stage,” she says.

At age 15, Stefan, using his music business interests, started a band promotion company called Caustic Summer Productions. He booked bands in local venues in the Phoenix area throughout high school.

Stefan graduated from Cactus Shadows High School in Cave Creek in 2003.

“He was about 17, and I asked him if he was going to go to prom,” Paula recalls. “He said, ‘I don’t think so, mom. I think I’m going to go to Coachella.’”

After high school, he attended Scottsdale Community College, where he studied the business of music.

In 2003, he founded Peachcake with longtime friend Johnny O’Keefe. The electronic pop band toured the United States and Canada and released a plethora of songs.

Headed west

Pruett moved to LA after playing in Peachcake. When he arrived, his medical condition was followed by Keck Medicine of USC, where he underwent a series of tests to see if he was eligible for a heart transplant.

His stress test showed his heart was strong, so he did not qualify for a transplant, Paula says.

The following year, in 2016, he created The Guidance and opened for She Wants Revenge and MXMS, a project from Jeremy Dawson of Shiny Toy Guns.

“That was early 2016, and we just sort of connected,” says Dawson, who found Stefan unresponsive. “We made an entire record, and I ended up managing him for the next three years or so.”

Dawson calls Stefan a “very unique artist”

8 OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

who was ensconced in music that reflected Shiny Toy Guns.

“I said, ‘That’s cool; however, it’s 2017,’” Dawson says with a laugh. “I thought, ‘How can we bring The Guidance to now?’ A lot of the music we made was collaborative. He would write something and translate that forward into something that’s more of a modern aesthetic that he still really liked a lot.

FRESH • ARTS “His sword was his lyric. He was brilliant, a poet, lyrically. He would come to the table with a completed song.

Once I connected to his vision, I could take risks. There’s a whole bunch of music coming out by him this year. He allowed me to really push the boundary and take risks. A lot of musicians, they want to stay in the lane and flow with the stream, not against. Stefan was trying to get out of the way of the herd.”

Tommie Sunshine of the dance label Brooklyn Fire/ Brooklyn Blue inked a deal with Stefan as The Guidance and released the retro-inspired “She Likes the Dance Music.”

“I saw his star power,” Sunshine says.

“This project is everything I’ve ever liked about dance music. It’s cheeky in all the best ways. It has a very, very firm sense of humor and is just really nailing the psyche of where we’re at.”

Sunshine was hooked since first note.

Even more so, they became fast friends.

“He would sign his notes with two black hearts,” Sunshine recalls. “He said to me, at one point, ‘I think I’m going to change these hearts to blue,’ because he was so enamored with Brooklyn Blue. He was so invested in this.

“He was an insomniac like me. He would text me late at night. I was always awake.

We would get into these exponentially long conversations about Scott Walker, Donovan, Talking Heads—all of the influences who made us who we are.

“He was my insomnia buddy. We’d send tracks back and forth. I would send an album and say, ‘Please go listen to this album cover and cover, and let’s talk about it tomorrow.

He was a sponge. As a record label and as an A&R person, it’s so rare to come across an artist who is so willing to learn.”

He quickly aligned himself with his fellow artists on Sunshine’s labels.

“He would reach out to all the artists and congratulate them on their releases,” Sunshine says. “He’d say, ‘Aren’t you excited?

It’s release day.’ That next release day after he passed was devastating for me. There was this deafening silence.

A new label

During the quarantine, Dawson proposed the idea of starting a label for electronic music that wasn’t for clubs. It was merely

listening music, background music. The genre didn’t fit into Sunshine’s Brooklyn Fire, so they dubbed it Brooklyn Blue.

“Suddenly, we had a destination, a home, for this stuff,” Sunshine says. “Stefan and Jeremy embarked on a seven-track EP for Brooklyn Blue, which was, basically, all ambient or wholly modular electronic music that Stefan sang on. It was very different than the other stuff he was working on. This was a new channel, and he was so excited about this. His level of excitement about this Brooklyn Blue sublabel was immense.”

Just before he passed away, Stefan signed with Handwritten Records.

Dawson says Brooklyn Blue is releasing three four-song EPs: “7 Grams,” “14 Grams” and “21 Grams.”

“He wanted to do it this way because 21 grams is the amount of weight that mysteriously leaves the heart when a human passes on,” Dawson says.

Handwritten Records will release a popforward collection by The Guidance later this year.

“He wanted to make a difference, and he did that through his music,” Paula says.

“A lot of his lyrics are quite profound. He was very, very versed in music. He was really inspired by what would occur in his life, by the loss of his brother. He loved passionately.

He gave all of himself not only to his music but his friends and girlfriend ( Jessica Biatte), too.”

Dawson says the shock of Stefan’s passing is “tremendous.”

“He didn’t fully elaborate about his condition, but he really danced with risk and just took it in stride,” Dawson says.

“Looking back on his lyrics, he would openly defy death and write about his heart—but never in a negative way. It was a playful way. He acknowledged the fact that there’s probably a clock ticking and it’s going to be a different clock than yours or mine— but not in an emo, sad way.”

Sunshine sums it up, saying Stefan’s music will live on.

“The music he made was incredible,” he says. “I was such a fan. But I was so much more interested in him as a friend and as a person.

“The music remains. That’s the beautiful part of being an artist. If you do it right—and he definitely did—you leave behind these things that go on forever.”

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 9

FRESH • ARTS Amy Ettinger is the executive director of the Scottsdale International Film Festival, which will return, this time online only, from November 6 to November 10.

(Submitted photo)

Going

Virtual Scottsdale’s annual film festival to celebrate 20 years remotely

By Connor Dziawura

W

ith the onset of the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year, the film industry was quick to adapt. Theaters found themselves shuttered, while some renowned events canceled this year’s festivities. Still, some festivals made the jump to a virtual format, allowing films to be seen from the comfort and safety of viewers’ own homes.

Now half a year later, the 20th Scottsdale International Film Festival will continue that trend, running from November 6 to November 10 online.

Amy Ettinger, the festival’s executive director, was one such person who took to the idea of an alternate plan early in the pandemic. In late February, a month before Gov. Doug Ducey issued a temporary stay-at-home order, Ettinger recalls a board meeting in which she felt there was an

“impending coronavirus invasion of our shores.” The board didn’t come to a consensus, so the idea was tabled. Weeks later, everything changed.

“It was shocking—the March board meeting—how much had unfolded in 30 short days,” Ettinger recalls, noting meetings had switched to a virtual format.

“There still were no clear options at that moment in the March meeting,” adds Ettinger, who admits to having been concerned about the festival’s future.

“Suddenly, we were offered an opportunity with the Film Festival Alliance

10 OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

(FFA), which is a peer group of film festivals who network throughout the United States, to do a streaming event—and it was called Film Festival Day,” she says.

“More than dipping our toes in the pond, we really got our feet wet (and) could see that, wow, our audience is really willing to do this. We didn’t think our patrons would ever go along with it. To the contrary: Out of all the film festivals that participated across the entire country, I think we were No. 3.

“I think word travels fast, because suddenly we had various distributors

FRESH • ARTS in response to the mood surrounding the pandemic.

“I’m not shying away from the super challenging this year,” Ettinger says, explaining that to mean anything from thrillers, suspense and murder mysteries to psychologically and emotionally challenging works—or even just those with a message.

“So, whatever it was I said last year, that was then and this is a whole new now,” Ettinger says. “I’m going full bore into those films that I feel are deserving of a platform and are very prestigious events.”

A win for cinephiles

knocking on our door, asking us would we consider ‘this’ or ‘that’ or the other streamer?” she continues. “They were all different price points and all different kinds of content, and as time has gone by, we’ve seen what works, what doesn’t work, what people will do, what people won’t do.”

Observing the FFA and other film festivals holding streaming events, Ettinger began researching the idea and having it tested, including the annual Scottsdale event hosting streamers on its website. It’s now a reality for the annual November event.

“We had garnered a considerable amount of momentum from last year as a film festival,” Ettinger says. “We finally hit our stride and had, gosh, 11 really high-profile premieres. It just would have been a real shame to not do something this season to, A. celebrate the 20th, but B. also acknowledge that we are a force now to be reckoned with.”

‘Build your own festival’

The festival’s streaming slate has been reduced and duration cut by half—to make scheduling more manageable for viewers, Ettinger says. Set for five days, this year’s festival is expected to feature 20 films from around the world.

Some filmmakers will particular in virtual Q&As. Phoenix Film Critics Society awards will also be presented on the first night, to allow festival attendees to plan their schedules accordingly. The audience can then vote on the films they see.

Some films will be available in what Ettinger calls a “24/5” format, allowing them to be watched at the viewers’ leisure over the five days, while select other films may only be available within specific windows.

“You can basically build your own festival to watch things in any timeframe that you want so long as they’re a 24/5 participant, but we will notate all those films that are not participating,” Ettinger explains.

Films will include anything from comedies, dramas and thrillers to documentaries. Check the event’s website for more details.

In 2019, Ettinger told The Entertainer!

Magazine the festival had added more light, humorous and accessible fare than previous years in response to audience feedback. This year, she contrasts, the festival isn’t holding back—despite Ettinger having considered going lighter

Even with the switch to a virtual format, Ettinger says it’s just a victory to be able to continue.

“We really just consider it a massive victory to still be on our feet. … We just think the 20th anniversary celebration is we live to see our 20th anniversary,” she says. “There are a lot of festivals this year that didn’t happen. ... One was South by Southwest. And so the celebration for us is we didn’t have to miss our 20th year.”

She feels the pandemic has even opened the door to new opportunities that can continue when the festival returns to an in-person format. That includes a new balloting system for the audience to vote, and the platform with which the organizers are partnering has an app the festival can continue to use. Ettinger says having an online component allows participation from those who otherwise would miss out.

“This year we understand that there are challenges that we could never have imagined prior to COVID-19 reaching our shores. That being said, we are still here,” she says.

“We are still taking probably one of the biggest risks we’ve ever taken in mounting this festival, and participating by way of buying a single ticket or a package of five or 10 films or even a VIP pass cannot be more appreciated on our part. And the more people to participate in the festival the better.

We really need everybody in the community on board with us this year so that we can do better than limp into to 2021.”

For more information, visit scottsdalefilmfestival.com.

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 11

FRESH • PHILANTHROPY Raymond Damm is CEO of ACCEL, a nonprofit that serves children and adults who have developmental disabilities. (Photo

courtesy Raymond Damm)

Founded in 1980, ACCEL is celebrating its 40th anniversary. (Photo courtesy Raymond Damm)

A Commitment to SERVICE

Raymond Damm settles in his way to Miami to pursue a career in the luxury magazine industry.

“That role gave me the opportunity to move nicely with ACCEL

By Annelise Krafft

N

orth Valley resident Raymond Damm comes from a selfless family, with service deep in his roots—especially military service.

“My grandfather served 37 years in the United States Marine Corps, my father served 30 years and both of my uncles served 20 years,” Damm says.

“Because of this, I moved a lot and lived in about a dozen states throughout my childhood, almost exclusively on military bases.”

After years of hopping from state to state, Damm settled in Virginia in 2004 and enrolled at The University of Virginia-Wise, earning a full academic and athletic scholarship to play football. After graduating with a degree in business administration in 2007, Damm made

not exist in this capacity on a military base, so this was really my first experience witnessing people in misfortune.The stories I heard from some of these people weighed heavily on my heart and called my whole life into question.”

Following in his family’s footsteps, Damm felt compelled to service—this time, serving those who are underserved and underrepresented.

In 2008, at just 22 years old, Damm quit his job in the publishing industry during the height of the Great Recession.

“I spent the next several months soul searching and living off of lentils, really looking for my true calling,” Damm says. “It may not have been the smartest decision financially, but taking that risk helped propel me into the mission-driven work I was craving.”

In 2009, Damm came across The Doe Fund, a nonprofit and social enterprise that offers transitional work and training programs for men coming out of the prison system and homeless shelters. He found his true calling.

“The nonprofit sector was exactly what I had

to New York City to manage a portfolio of business and attempt to grow market share,” Damm says. “I didn’t know at the time, but moving to New York was what helped me discover my passion.”

While living in New York City, Damm was exposed to the harsh realities of the real world— for the first time.

“I was seeing so many homeless people living on the street that I caught myself becoming desensitized to people sleeping on the corner just ACCEL is always expanding its mission, breaking ground on a trying to survive,” Damm construction project earlier this year to grow its Adult Services program. says.

(Photo courtesy Raymond Damm) “Homelessness does

12 OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

FRESH • PHILANTHROPY LONE MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARY

an A+ STEM School

Raymond Damm alongside the executive leadership team, including, from left, Mitchell Moore, Gordon Comfort and Jessie Bustamante. (Photo

courtesy Raymond Damm)

been looking for,” Damm says. “I started working on the business side and applying my experience to create opportunities and programs for these men who wanted a second chance at life.”

In 2012, after noticing he was the only executive without a master’s degree at the organization, Damm enrolled in New York University’s Stern School of Business. In 2015, with his MBA under his belt, Damm was open to new opportunities, and was asked to consider taking on a C-suite role with a struggling marketing firm and be a part of its turnaround efforts.

“Accepting this role was another big step for me. It was a new industry for me and a new environment, but it took me away from the nonprofit sector,” Damm says.

“While I’m grateful for the experience, stepping away from the mission-driven environment was exactly what I needed to understand that nonprofit organizations are where I need to be.”

With his commitment to the nonprofit sector back in focus, Damm set his sights on his next opportunity. In 2016, he packed up and moved across the country, this time to Phoenix to work with ACCEL, a nonprofit that serves children and adults who have developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, cognitive disabilities and behavioral disorders.

After two years of serving as the chief financial officer and chief development officer, Damm was chosen in 2018 to lead ACCEL as its chief executive officer, succeeding the previous CEO of 25 years, Connie Laird.

“ACCEL is an amazing organization that works with underserved, underrepresented and underfunded individuals who have so much potential but have had to fight for every resource,” Damm says.

“Being able to advocate for individuals with developmental disabilities and help them continue to progress in their lives is a tremendous responsibility, and one that I am grateful for every day.”

Founded in the Valley in 1980, ACCEL is celebrating 40 years of serving individuals who have developmental disabilities, providing programs that offer exceptional education, therapeutic, life skills and employment opportunities.

“My driving force in life is to continue finding ways to serve others and raise the standard of care for individuals who have developmental disabilities,” Damm says.

“All individuals—regardless of ability level—deserve a life of dignity and self-worth, and ACCEL does everything in our power to help them achieve it.”

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NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 13

FRESH • SCHOOLS Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council is offering videos leading girls through this new Girl Scout experience. (Photo

courtesy the Girl Scouts)

to offer videos leading girls through this new Girl Scout experience.

“These virtual Girl Scouting programs, events and activities also support parents as they continue to juggle new challenges during this current time,” Woodbury says.

“Girl Scouts at Home programs and guides are easy for parents, caregivers and troop leaders to lead at home, or for a girl to lead through her own activities.”

New badges

Beyond virtual programming, the Girl Scouts have also launched 24 new badges designed to help girls practice ambitious leadership in the crucial areas of automotive engineering, STEM career exploration, entrepreneurship and civics.

“In a year of unprecedented global change, our country’s need for strong, broad-minded and decisive leadership has never been greater,” Woodbury says.

“Through new and existing programming, Girl Scouts equips the next generation of female changemakers with the breadth of knowledge, skills and experiences they need to take charge and do good for the world, now and in the future.”

The new Girl Scout badges include: Entrepreneurship (grades K–12). Girls develop an entrepreneurial mindset as they engage in age-appropriate exercises that help them create and pitch a product or service that solves a problem. They build their own business plan and think about topics like production, cost, profit, marketing and competition. Three in four of today’s girls are interested in becoming an entrepreneur, but more than half also say they ow more than ever, it’s critical that we need more support in this area; these badges are have strong leaders who can make designed to fill the gap. informed decisions.

STEM Career Exploration (grades 2–8).

“Just as critical is providing Girls explore their career interests and connect resources to help support the tz Ba ilin Ba on Alis them to STEM fields—particularly computer leaders of tomorrow, despite the By current health crisis,” says Tamara Woodbury, science, nature/environmental science, engineering, Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council CEO. design, health and agriculture—that can help them “In an effort to engage and inspire the many local girls address the pressing issues of our time and change the world. and young women learning from home or doing a hybrid of at-home The If/Then Collection, a free, downloadable digital asset library of learning and getting used to a modified classroom setting, the Girl real-life women in STEM, is an integral component of the badges.

Scouts now offer both a Girl Scouts at Home program and recently The dearth of women in STEM fields is well documented, but data launched 24 new badges.” shows that girls are more interested in a STEM career when they learn how they can use it to help people, demonstrating the value of Girl Scouts at Home Girl Scouts’ unique approach.

Through Girl Scouts at Home, Girl Scouts offer all girls—whether Automotive Engineering (grades K–5). Girls learn about they are registered Girl Scouts or not—access to Girl Scout activities. designing, engineering and manufacturing vehicles, as well as the future Girls in kindergarten to 12th grade will find a wide variety of enriching of mobility. They design their own vehicles, test prototypes, learn about activities plus two full badge activity guides that allow them to earn design thinking, create their own assembly line manufacturing process, official Girl Scout badges. and more. Only 13% of engineers are women, underscoring the need for Additionally, the council partnered with the Girl Scout community these badges, which will introduce more girls to the field.

) s ( e g d Ba of

N

Honor

Girl Scouts offer at-home programming

14 OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

FRESH • SCHOOLS highlighting the need for these badges.

Girl Scout Suff rage Centennial Patch

During the pandemic, the Girl Scouts are offering at-home programming.

(Photo courtesy the Girl Scouts)

Civics (grades K–12). Girls gain an in-depth understanding of how local, state and federal government works, preparing them to be voters, activists and even political leaders. They research laws and how they’re created, voting and the electoral college, the representation of women in government, and more. They also research their own government officials and are encouraged to meet them. Just 24% of eighth-graders are proficient in civics, and only two in five American adults can name the three branches of U.S. government,

Beyond the virtual programming for all girls and new badges for the Girl Scouts, councils from across the country are also celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which removed the gender restriction to voting, throughout the end of the year as well.

“Before this groundbreaking amendment, women couldn’t vote in national elections. In some states, women were also banned from voting in local elections. However, even after the 19th Amendment, many states passed laws discriminating against women of color— laws that were not eliminated until the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” Woodbury says.

This patch program, available virtually as well, gives troops the chance to explore these moments in history through guides, activities and more. It also illustrates why and how work still needs to be done on this issue, even in 2020.

“Believe it or not, in some states voting laws and barriers remain in place that impede women—especially women of color—from participating in elections,” Woodbury says. “And yet women continue to demand their right to vote and are running for office in higher numbers than ever before.”

This program also aims to shine a light on this moment in history as it is happening.

Learn more about these programs and joining Girl Scouts at girlscoutsaz.org.

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NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 15

Living the Dream Valley native Lindsey Reiser follows her calling to NYC

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

M

SNBC anchor Lindsey Reiser says all journalists possess an inherent “curiosity.” Some call it being nosey—she contends it’s an insatiable thirst for knowledge.

“It’s nice to be able to turn that into a career,” says the Scottsdale native. “I have a distinct memory of the Twin Towers coming down and running to my parents and letting them know this is happening.To this day, I still have a desire to be on that front line, writing that front line of history.”

Since joining MSNBC on January 7, Reiser has anchored extensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic—reporting from field hospitals, sharing the story of a COVID-19 survivor following a 128-day hospital fight, and the early stages of reopening across America.

An Emmy-nominated reporter, Reiser has evolved from a weekend anchor on “Arizona’s Family” and reporting on border and immigration issues as well as public corruption and violence in Texas.

“I’m kind of covering the same stories in Arizona—people stories,” she says. “I see how the pandemic is affecting them.”

Always a Sun Devil

A New York City resident, Reiser still looks back fondly on her time in the Valley.

“I’m a product of the Scottsdale Unified School District and ASU,” Reiser says proudly.

“I grew up in 85260. My parents, though, have sold our childhood home and live in Cave Creek.They always love to tell me it’s 5 degrees cooler there.”

Reiser graduated from Desert Mountain High School. (“Go Wolves!” she interjects.)

She graduated from the international

baccalaureate program at Desert Mountain and then majored in journalism and Spanish at ASU. While living at home, watching the evening news was a family tradition.

Lindsey Reiser has “My parents always had covered the COVID-19 pandemic as an anchor 12 on—Lin Sue Cooney and at MSNBC. (Photo Mark Curtis,” she recalls. courtesy MSNBC) “There was just something that was really appealing to me. Math and science never lived in New York City. I always felt this spark were my strong suit. I guess I decided my when I was here. sophomore year of high school to go into “I have to pinch myself.The dream isn’t journalism and it stuck.” without sacrifice. We have each other and During her time at ASU, she interned we’re not sick of each other, but it’s somewhat at ABC 15 for three semesters, thanks to a isolating.” scholarship through the Scripps company.

Even at “Arizona’s Family,” she worked “It was a special internship,” she says. “An the weekends and loves it. She calls herself internship is really what you make of it. I was a “weekend warrior,” with her days off as kind of shy, but you have to get in there and say, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

‘I want to help.’ It was a really good experience.”

“But right now, in this craziness, a pandemic Her first market was El Paso,Texas, world, anything goes,” she says. “I can get a and worked there for a year and a half as call on Wednesday or Th ursday.Thursdays are a multimedia journalist—she shot, wrote when we pitch our stories.

Fridays are when we and edited her stories—covering border have our rundown meetings. and immigration issues. While there, she “Weekends are the days I go into 30 Rock investigated public corruption, uncovered poor (30 Rockefeller Plaza), early in the morning.” business practices and routinely reported on When she’s able to return to the Valley, she the violence across the border. enjoys hiking Piestewa Peak, having ice cream She returned to the Valley in 2011 and at Churn Ice Cream in Downtown Phoenix, became the weekend anchor of KPHO/ Mexican food at Ajo Al’s and walking through KTVK, also known as “Arizona’s Family.” the Biltmore.

Reiser took the job at MSNBC to live her “I’m really lucky,” she says. “We do a weekly dreams. She didn’t want to look back and house party with an app and play games. wonder what else was out there.

Th at’s made a world of difference in feeling “I wanted to scratch whatever itch I had,” connected.

I’m dorky and I like trivia. 2020 is says Reiser, who moved to NYC with her UA Wildcat wife, Kathy Clark. “I had an aunt who an interesting year, to say the least.”

16 OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

Frankly Speaking

pcgagents.com/2025Missouri

REAL ESTATE PANDEMIC CAUSE AND EFFECT

Market Dynamic For Q4 2020 David M. Brown Canadians may not be coming to the Valley for a while, but Californians are coming on strong.

The Maricopa County luxury market was red hot in a red-hot summer, despite COVID-19 and in some ways because of it.

Buyers are from out West and from back East and even in town.

They want bigger homes with new spaces inside and they want homes with more space outside: residential social distancing. They even want more pets. What’s more, they bought in the hottest summer ever recorded in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. Only Death Valley made the Valley of the Sun look cool.

“In a nutshell, everybody’s staying home, and everybody’s buying a home,” says Frank Aazami, Brand Ambassador, principal of the Private Client Group at Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty, Scottsdale.

“The first thing we’ve noticed is that no one has said, ‘Let’s take our home off the market. Instead, this summer we’ve thrown seasonality conversations out of the window –– despite how hot it was and the pandemic.”

Aazami and his 17-member Private Client Group have been telling their seller clients, “If you don’t list now, the next market may be a different cycle when the forbearance program is lifted.”

This has been a good market: Real estate licensees have increased worldwide. In Maricopa County, that total was 87,983 for fiscal year 2019; that increased to 88,616 in fiscal year 2020, based on Arizona Department of Real Estate numbers.

“People are selling their luxury homes here,” Aazami says.

“Demand is at a record high.”

A State of Movement, a Statement on Space

The top five states for in-migration to Maricopa County, and a recent monthly tally: California, 4,762; Washington, 1,722; Colorado, 1,292; Illinois, 1,167; and Minnesota, 774 (U.S. Census Bureau). “People still want to come here,” he says. “We have the combination of great weather, jobs and the lifestyle advantages.”

With the Canadian border closed at least until September 21 and the cost of the Canadian dollar low against the American, the regular inter-country trek to the Valley may be cancelled for a while, Aazami explains.

Not so California, which continues to send many buyers of luxury homes across the state border: “They’re tired of politics and policies, taxes and the price of real estate –– and now the pandemic,” says Aazami. “They want privacy and space and they find it here at prices unheard of there.”

pcgagents.com/2025Missouri

And Easterners, many of them snowbirds, are thinking: theaters, closed; restaurants, restricted or closed; sports, playing to cheerless empty seats. They ask: Is that a future, especially now that we have obtained some success in our lives? “And, the high cost of living relative to the Valley is difficult to justify and high-rise living is getting lower and lower on their enjoyment scale,” Aazami says. “They also want the elbow room that we offer abundantly here.”

Valley homeowners buying luxury properties have shifted their home-size goals as well. Pre-COVID-19, they wanted downsizers, less than 5,000 square feet; now they want 6,000 square feet and above, whether the children have fledged or not.

Give me space: I can empty nest with more branches around me. “People are saying they cannot spend time in smaller spaces; they feel locked in,” he says.

Because of this, Arizona communities that are particularly strong for luxury sales offer large parcels and open space: Fountain Hills, Cave Creek, Gold Canyon, Tucson and Flagstaff. “There’s a shortage of inventory, which is good for pcgagents.com/2025Missouri

sellers, and people are acquiring them to live in, not just for seasonal stays,” Aazami says, noting that his group is also seeing more demand for hillside and multi-acre parcels. “People want space and are buying space.”

Many people are working at home now. Cromford® Associates cites a recent MIT report, documenting that 34.1 percent of pandemic-affected U.S. workers had switched to telecommuting from home beginning in April. Another 14.6 percent told the researchers they were already doing this prior, making 48.7 percent of the workforce home based.

“Employers see how much they can save on high rents, especially in high-dollar spaces with high taxes and parking issues,” Aazami explains. He notes that this may also affect the commercial market, reducing office leases and the footprint size desired.

Add the costs of travel to work, personal safety and insurance.

“Business owners are finding that they can be more productive working from home, they’ve had less to none HR-related complaints and their people are liking the arrangement, too,” he says. Many have noticed the impact on traffic and air quality nationwide.

As a result, COVID-19 buyers are asking him for bigger spaces to accommodate two split offices, multiple zoom walls are most popular. They want an exercise room to stay fit in place. And outdoors, they’re listing fenced larger yards with multiple patios.

A guest or pool home is popular, as older parents will be staying with their children; many millennial and Z-gen children will also be remaining in nest longer before breaking away. Larger garages are also requested, including an RV garage so travel can also be socially distanced. Buyers have even asked for in-ground trampolines and sport courts.

pcgagents.com/2025Missouri

These changes relate to quality of life as much as to pandemic effects. Aazami says, “They can spend more time with their families, they can balance work/play and even adopt more dogs for companionship.”

Figuring Out the New Market

Aazami notes that Maricopa County broke the mark for average price sold this August, posting $358,279, according to Cromford Associates –– an all-time high. Compare this to the very strong $339,029 for August 2007, just at the verge of the Great Recession, and $157,140, as that bottomed out in October 2011.

Moreover, the number of homes under contract in Maricopa County is up 20 percent year over year for all categories: 13,471 for August 2020 against 10,700 for August 2019, again says Cromford Associates.

“All the factors are there supporting this,” Aazami explains.

“Demand for homes exceeds supply; interest rates are low; there’s a housing shortage with public reports up countywide for new housing developments from fiscal year 2019 to fiscal year 2020; we have that high relocation figure; and home priorities have shifted for locals.”

In June 2020, 1,200 homes exceeding $500,000 sold in Maricopa County; in July 2020, that rose to 1,800 sales of $500,000 plus. In August, the county’s total sales volume was $4 billion; compare that to the previous high in 2008, pre-recession, $3.2 billion for the month, according to Cromford Associates.

“Attribute this, too, to a rise in demand and a decline in inventory,” Aazami says. “The fed printed too much money, and this caused hard assets, like brick and mortar, gold and other precious metals to rise in value. It’s unprecedented.”

Another figure: The average year-over-year appreciation rate, August 2019 to August 2020, is 15.2 percent across all areas and types of homes in the county based on the August Cromford Report Daily Observation developed from Arizona Multiple Listing Service (ARMLS) figures, says Mike Balzotti, M.Ed., at RLSIR. Regarding appreciation, the Daily Observation adds, “Prices are now beginning the powerful surge upward that was predicted when the Cromford Market Index started to rocket skywards in June.”

Breaking down market dynamics further, the Daily Observation suggests: “The age of the home is crucially important because a home that is updated and modern is going to sell for a whole lot more than one that is tired and outdated. This is why fix and flip works, even when the size of the home is unchanged.”

And a final. For Scottsdale, the monthly average sales price (different from appreciation) is showing a 25-percent yearover-year increase. Balzotti: “That’s rather stunning.”

Contact Frank Aazami for a consultation, 480.266.0240, text “SIRFAAZAMI” to 87778 or email frank@PCGagents.com PCGagents.com.

Brown is a Valley-based writer (azwriter.com).

Frank Aazami, Global Advisor

480-266-0240 | frank@pcgAgents.com | PrivateClientGroupAgents.com | 844-PCG-8080

Sunny Disposition The power of prayer lifted Sunny Parker to volunteerism

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

S

unny Parker isn’t one to cancel appointments.

But when brush fires are approaching Cave Creek and the town’s mayor, Ernie Bunch, comes calling, there’s no time to waste.

Parker founded Arizona Foothills 911, a 9,000-member Facebook page dedicated to neighbors helping neighbors in emergency situations. The target audience is Cave Creek, Carefree, Desert Hills, Rio Verde and North Scottsdale. However, if there’s a natural disaster, fire or flooding anywhere in Arizona, Arizona Foothills 911 and Parker are ready to help.

Parker is modest about her motivation behind Arizona Foothills 911. It’s simply the result of prayer.

Celebration turned tragic

Three years ago, Parker’s daughter named Arizona was a student at UA, while her son, Brian, worked at the university. Parker headed down to Tucson to take the family to a resort for dinner to celebrate Arizona’s 21st birthday.

“I thought we’d do something classy and nice,” says Parker, who most recently ran a hospitalist company. “That’s what she wanted.”

The evening was muggy and rainy and all three were struggling to breathe. But Parker noticed a bruise on Brian.

“I said, ‘How did you get that?’ He said, ‘I have no idea,’” she recalls.

He went to a clinic, which diagnosed him with cellulitis and prescribed an antibiotic. Parker questioned that diagnosis, saying, “It looked like someone beat the tar out of 20 OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

you with a baseball bat.”

The same weekend, Brian planned to move to a new place but felt fatigued and asked his mother if she could round up movers. Brian laid down and the bruise bothered Parker.

At 5:30 a.m., Brian awoke his mother. He was sitting on his bed, slumped over.

“I called my husband (Dr. Steve Parker) and told him Brian doesn’t look right at all. I asked Siri for the nearest hospital because I wasn’t familiar with Tucson. It was 1.5 minutes away.The story went from bad to worse.”

At the hospital, Brian profusely apologized to his mother, who had his power of attorney.

“I looked at him and said, ‘Brian, why are you saying you’re sorry?’” she recalls with tears. “He said he wasn’t going to make it. A few seconds later, he crashed.There were tons of people in that room.

“They forgot I was there. I literally backed up to a wall and they worked on him forever.They brought him back.

One of the doctors said, ‘How is this kid alive? He doesn’t have enough blood in his body to be alive,’ not thinking I was behind him.”

She then heard segments of a troubling conversation: “Who’s going to tell the mother? I don’t want to do it.”

“They were discussing my son right in front of me,” she adds. “I said, ‘You don’t have to tell me anything. I’m right here.’They were shocked that I was there.They forgot about me.”

Parker says she told the doctor she wasn’t going to leave Brian’s side until he walked out of the hospital.

Sunny Parker founded Arizona Foothills 911, a 9,000-member Facebook page dedicated to neighbors helping neighbors in emergency situations. (Photo by Tim Sealy)

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 21

“With all due respect,” she recalls him telling her, “that’s not going to happen.”

Parker disagreed, took a deep breath and told God, “If you spare my son’s life, the rest of my life I’m going to do something good.”

“He spared his life,” she says.

Brian has acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which progresses rapidly, with myeloid cells interfering with the production of normal white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets.

Symptoms include fatigue, recurrent infections and bruising easily.

Yearning to help

“I stood true to my conviction,” she says. “He got out and we stayed in Tucson. I was gone for about three or four months, maybe longer.

Right after that, my daughter was the president of the equestrian team at UA. We would travel to California every month.Through all of this, the Paradise (California) Fire had started.”

Headed to California, Parker asked if there was anything she could do. She was asked to bring buckets. She doesn’t do things halfway.

She brought 500 buckets.

“I didn’t want to go until Brian was stable,” she says. “He wanted me to go. I got involved with the Paradise Fire in my own little way.

It was very tiny, compared to what other people were doing. I remember going to where we dropped the buckets off.There were thousands of buckets there, stacked up as high as the moon.The National Guard and other first responders got involved.They weren’t letting people go through with supplies. I was devastated.”

Residents told her their horses didn’t have food or water and they needed help. Help was there, but Parker and other volunteers couldn’t get to them.

“I was compelled to come up with a solution,” she says. “I came home to Rio Verde, where I used to live. I left Rio Verde because I felt trapped there.There was only one way in and out.”

She scouted new homes in Spur Cross, New River and Desert Hills for an entire day. Her heart sunk. She knew it was just a matter of time before fires would rage there, too.

“We have all these washes, all of this dead brush,” she says. “There was chamomile globe (also known as stinknet). I went to a couple people who are movers and shakers in our community. I told them we needed to get rid of this (fuel). I put out a video of this chamomile globe. I had three fire extinguishers. I wanted to show what happens when this stuff lights up. It was insane how that chamomile globe literally

exploded.The flames went 6 feet in the air. It just burned really hot and real fast.”

She thought if she started a Facebook page for the neighborhood that maybe 300 people would sign up in five years.Then, the Woodbury Fire near Superior erupted in June 2019.

“I didn’t get a lot of postings on it,” Parker says. “Instead, I was asked to do things like take prescriptions to people, grocery shop for them, check in on mom—those kinds of things. I didn’t know what Arizona Foothills 911 would evolve into.”

Things picked up with the COVID-19 pandemic. Arizona Foothills 911 teamed up with another Facebook page, Cave Creekers Infamous Bulletin Board, to reunite a disabled young man with his emotional support cat, who was out of state.

“People were really fearful of getting on an airplane,” Parker says. “I said, ‘I’ll get him.’The trick was finding a plane because everything was canceled.This poor cat needed to have his human back, and the young man needed the cat for his health. It was the weirdest, yet coolest, thing I’ve ever done in my life.There was nobody at the airport. I was calling my daughter, saying, ‘Look at this.This is insane.

There’s not a single soul anywhere.’

“I got to my gate. I looked around and I was the only person there and on the plane. On the way home, it was just two pilots, myself and a cat. I met them in the parking lot by Sprouts, and when I saw this kid’s face and the cat, I said, ‘This is cool.’”

East Desert Fire

When the East Desert Fire ignited last May, Parker kept her promise. She helped evacuate animals and their owners from the path of the fire. She looked to Marc Peagler, who owns Frontier Town.

“He said, ‘Oh, Sunny. I’m on board. Frontier Town is yours,’” she recalls.

“I gathered up 185 trailers and we were able to get so many horses out, which was fantastic.

It was the prelude to our second rodeo, which was the Ocotillo Fire.The Ocotillo Fire was the one where our membership got up to 6,000 members. We moved a lot of animals. We weren’t even really organized yet. We were just starting. I remember staying there with Mayor Bunch, and he said, ‘Young lady, what can I do for you?’ I had no idea. I said, ‘Just pray and hope this gets better.’

“Of course, later on in the day, he comes back and I said, ‘Sir, we have a problem. I’m standing here and this fire is taking off. We’ve evacuated

22 OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

that side of the road, but I don’t know what I’m going to do with all of these people. I’m responsible for their lives.’”

Bunch says it was then that the value of Parker’s project because “real apparent, real fast.”

“I am so impressed with what she’s done,” Bunch says. “I think it was the Ocotillo or Aguila fire, and I said, ‘Sunny, go home and go to sleep.’ She didn’t. We gave her the rodeo grounds because (with trailers at Frontier Town), trailers were getting to be a hassle in the middle of town.They were blocking the first responders from the fire.

“I looked at the town’s director of planning and we decided on the rodeo grounds.That’s been the staging place since then. She has a key to the rodeo grounds now.”

Parker was preparing to file for a 501(c)(3) when the Aguila Fire started burning just east of I-17.They opened the rodeo grounds again.

“By the time we got there, people were lined up,” she says.

Peagler says Parker’s organization is desperately needed in the foothills.

“I’ve been up in Cave Creek over 50 years now,” he says. “This is an organization like we’ve never had. It’s all because of Sunny.That’s what it really comes down to.

“She had this brilliant idea, and it’s taken off like crazy. I can’t begin to tell you the number of people who have rallied around her to help her get stuff done when the community needs it. When it comes to fires and having to rescue horses and other animals, it’s amazing to me.”

Having rescued 500 animals, Parker doesn’t look forward to another fire but knows she will be prepared. She hopes to have her 501(c) (3) nonprofit status by December.

“Brian is great now. He’s clear,” she adds.

“I do this because this is my promise to God, and this is why I’m doing good now.

“I just hope we will be able to grow into a larger organization. I just purchased the property we’ll live in. I could build out areas for emergency treatment and raise enough money to have two to three veterinary stalls.

We’ll have vets on staff who volunteer.

“We were very blessed this last fire that we didn’t lose any domesticated animals. We don’t know what the next one’s going to bring.”

Arizona Foothills 911 facebook.com/groups/AZFH911

POLO with a PURPOSE World-renowned event returns with social distancing and new charities

By Kamala Kirk

S

ince 2011, the Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships has been the United States’ premier polo event, attracting thousands of people from around the world, including top polo players, sponsors and

celebrities.

This year’s event will return on November 7 under a new name,The Stella Artois Polo Classic: Presented by Ketel One, accompanied by socially distanced safety measures and a focus on helping charities, schools and nonprofits.

“This year we wanted to send a different message to everyone,” says Jason Rose, the event’s co-founder and co-owner. “We still want people to come out and have a great time, but things are going to be a little different due to the current environment. We’ve had to balance everything in order to put together this year’s event. Next year, we expect to return to our original name and event.”

The Polo Classic will be held at WestWorld of Scottsdale at 10:30 a.m. with three polo matches. Arizona Polo Club and Andres Camacho Castilla will play Colombia in the featured match.

The signature charity match of the day—The EPR Polo introduces The Celebrity Cruises Match Up supporting Arizona Equine Rescue

Jason Rose of Rose Law Group and Rose + Moser + Allyn Public Relations founded The Stella Artois Polo Classic: Presented by Ketel One. (Photo by Whitney B. Photography)

and Southwest Wildlife—will be the day’s highest-goal polo match and will feature professional polo players John Gobin and Jared Sheldon.

“We have some professional polo players participating in our featured match that have never played at the event before, so we’re very excited that some of the best polo players in the world will be able to experience this unique event for the first time,” Rose says.

For the first time, Morehouse College Polo Club from the private, historically Black college in Atlanta, will play in the event against the Women’s All-Stars for a “Battle of the Sexes” match.

“Our event has always been progressive, and we partner with the African American community every year in innovative ways,” Rose says. “We’re happy to have Morehouse College, which Martin Luther King Jr. attended and was

the first historically Black college to have a polo team, joining us this year.”

Attendees can also look forward to the presence of local restaurants and food trucks; a selection of unique sculptures by acclaimed artist Pete Deise; the Molina Fine Jewelers VIP Lounge; Sanderson Lincoln Black Label Lounge; the Barrett-Jackson Outdoor Polo & Jazz Lounge; and a display of collector cars, including McLarens. Between matches, The World’s Longest Catwalk Fashion Show will be presented by Phoenix Fashion Week, as well as The Lugari Canine Couture Dog Fashion Show.

New sponsors for this year’s event include Celebrity Cruises, Mark-Taylor Residential, Bud Light Seltzer and McLaren Scottsdale.

Another sponsor is the Million Dollar Mingle, a high-profile luxury fundraising organization led by former NFL player AC Caswell,

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 23

The Stella Artois Polo Classic: Presented

by Ketel One provides top entertainment every fall. (Photo by Dave Seibert)

which brings together professional athletes, celebrities and others to raise money for nonprofits.

Due to COVID-19, limited tickets will be available for the 2020 event and must be purchased in advance as a result of new safety protocols. In lieu of its oversized tents, the Polo Classic will be entirely open air with umbrellas and feature an extensive social distancing plan that includes expanded sideline parking and lawn seating, an elevated South Road seating option, and reserved seating areas with more space between tables.

Other measures and protocols will include mandatory masks, temperature checks and sanitation stations.

In addition to rigorous reviews by the Scottsdale police, fire and tourism officials, the event was also certified by HealthyVerify, a medically based, scientific and professional, full-service certification company that has partnered with ASU and Barrow Neurological

Institute to help minimize the spread of infectious diseases. By going a step further with the additional verification, Rose wants to ensure guests’ comfort, safety and confidence during the event.

“This year we want to let the event breathe and we’ve expanded our sideline parking, which people love because you can drive your car right up to the field,” he says. “We’ve also done away with our Birds Nest area at the entrance, where people would dance and drink amidst all the action. We still have some spectacular VIP sections, and we’ve also created space for charities so they can raise money at the event.”

Charities and nonprofits are the other main focus of this year’s event, which is dedicated to helping schools and organizations whose fundraising and operations were devasted in the past months. The Polo Classic is offering the chance for local charities to raise money utilizing its unique platform and event, and all participating organizations will keep all of the revenue generated from ticket and table sales.

A post-event concert with local rock legend Roger Clyne will take place adjacent to the field and is being produced by Scottsdale Airpark-based R Entertainment. Tickets for the concert are available separately at scottsdaleconcertseries.com.

“We’re really excited about the concert and are planning to include that as part of our program in the upcoming years,” Rose says.

“When we first created this in 2011, our goal was to create the Phoenix Open of polo, and now people around the world know about our event. Some of the best and most famous polo players have played here, and we’ve been blessed to have wonderful partners and sponsors throughout the years.

Every year we’ve been audacious and creative, putting things out there that have created an atmosphere that is unlike anything else in the world of polo.”

The Stella Artois Polo Classic: Presented by Ketel One 10:30 a.m. Saturday, November 7 WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale Tickets start at $20 thepoloparty.com

24 OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS • SPOTLIGHT

Family Tradition Cave Creek Distillery gets OK to make whiskey on-site

By Sarah Donahue

rom the Appalachian to the Sonoran Desert, Chris Chapman is planting his 250-year-old moonshine recipe in the heart of Cave Creek.

A former post office will soon be a fully operational distillery—Hillis and McGee Cave Creek Distillery—with tastings

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as well as basic distilling and advanced distilling courses. Guests can enjoy live music played by a bluegrass band each weekend.

He plans to change the building as little as possible, preserving its classic old-school aesthetic, while still implementing the required proper safety measures.

“I grew up making whiskey,” Chapman says while sitting in the partially constructed distillery. “I grew up on a 250-acre tobacco farm out in the middle of Tennessee. Most of the counties in the south are dry, so you can’t buy liquor; so a lot of people still, to this day, make their own liquor.

“That’s what we’re doing here; we make 150-proof corn liquor.”

Chris Chapman stands in front of what will soon be a major whiskey distributor for Cave Creek’s bars and restaurants. Hillis and McGee Cave Creek Distillery is expected to open in January. (Photo by Sarah Donahue)

Chapman was given the go-ahead to make his family recipe on-site on September 21 after a unanimous vote from the town council. He expects the grand opening to be in January, as he still awaits federal approval, he says.

Those who want to join in on the fun of the grand opening can enjoy live bluegrass music as well as whiskey tastings, and root beer and sarsaparilla for those who don’t imbibe. There isn’t a kitchen, but snacks, like boiled peanuts, will be provided. It’s another Southern tradition Chapman is bringing to Cave Creek.

“I’m bringing a lot of my Appalachian culture here, because it fits perfectly,” Chapman says. The distillery’s monitor is

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 25

BUSINESS • SPOTLIGHT Reigning from the Appalachian region of the United States, Chris Chapman is paying tribute to his Tennessee traditions by bringing his family’s 250-year-old moonshine recipe to Cave Creek.

made up of two family names that go back generations in Tennessee.

The whole block, including Big Earl’s Greasy Eats, will be a part of the opening day action, Chapman says. “We’re going to make a big deal about it.”

The distillery will also be a major source of whiskey for Cave Creek’s local bars, Chapman says. Many Cave Creek bars and restaurants already want to carry his alcohol or sarsaparilla and root beer.

“I’m really trying to work alongside everybody in town that will let me,” he says.

“That’s our goal. We want to fit into the town completely. We want to be beneficial to everyone. We want to bring business to everyone else, not just us.”

Chapman has been in the building since last October. He submitted his applications for rezoning as well as a special use permit around March, but the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 presented him with unexpected delays.

“I’ve had to learn a lot of patience,” he says.

“I’m a go-getter. I love to work. I love to do things, to see things get finished. I’ve heard a lot of people tell me to go ahead and wait, and I’m just not used to that.”

Cave Creek’s town council wasn’t fully

operational, due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, after things started to pick back up recently, he was given the OK. Once he receives the rezoning and special use permit paperwork, that has to be submitted to the federal government to receive feedback or approval. Sometimes there are safety stipulations that have to be adjusted before approval, like assuring there are enough fire sprinklers and secure bars on all the building’s windows to protect the distillery and the building next door.

“I want the city to feel like I’m being safe, so I’m trying to go above and beyond with everything,” he says about the safety requirements.

Prices on Chapman’s whiskey range from $20 for a 4-ounce jar to $40 for a pint.

Chapman says he is still trying to figure out the largest size that he is allowed to sell.

Once Chapman gets approval and receives his distiller’s permit, he can finish construction in the building, he says. He expects to build his 50-gallon still in less than a week, with copper supplied from a local fabricator.

As of now, he’s running the space with a food handlers card and a cottage permit, occasionally selling sarsaparilla, boiled peanuts, and retail items like T-shirts and beer

26 OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

koozies. He hangs out in the front room of the partially constructed distillery and keeps his door open for any curious Cave Creekers to learn what’s coming in the future.

Chapman made his way from a small town in Tennessee to Arizona around 10 years ago to be closer to his mom and brother, who lived in Phoenix. He attended ASU to study cultural anthropology and found his way to Cave Creek after his friends took him to

Big Earl’s.

After getting to know the bar owners at Big Earl’s, he started to play music for them on a weekly basis, he says, establishing his presence in town with other business and landowners.

He plays several instruments, but his primary choice is piano and sometimes mandolin.

He lives in Anthem but yearns to live in Cave Creek, he says.

“I’ve been trying to move here for years, and every time I find a piece of property, someone swoops in and gets it before I can,” Chapman says. “One day.”

Chapman has been carrying his family’s legacy of making whiskey for a long time, he says. After some friends tried some, they suggested he make a business out of it.

“Moonshine is very unique to us as a country,” he says. “It’s very unique to where I’m from in the South, and I just thought that history made a really cool fit with this town.

I’ve just been running and gunning since day one. Never looked back.”

Hillis & McGee Cave Creek Distillery 6149 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek 623-340-8353, hillismcgee.com

BUSINESS • SPOTLIGHT

Together

AZ Custom Hats & Apparel merges with Arizona Custom Embroidery

Brett Ortiz and Erika Schmeissing merged their companies to become AZ Custom Hats & Apparel in the Scottsdale Airpark.

(Photo by Pablo Robles)

By Kamala Kirk

hen Brett Ortiz launched AZ Custom Hats & Apparel in 2016, his business grew quickly and built a reputation for making high-quality, custom products that include everything from hats and accessories to clothing items.

“We started out selling hats with different sayings on them,” Ortiz says. “That eventually grew into people wanting us to make them custom hats, which then snowballed to shirts and other items. At that point, we went from being an online Instagram business to creating full-fledged promotional products.”

As his company blossomed, Ortiz started to get larger orders that were difficult for him to handle on his own. He reached out

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to fellow business owner Erika Schmeissing for help.

“Brett would come to me for his embroidery orders, which I would help him with,” Schmeissing explains. “From there we formed a friendship, and ultimately a AZ Custom Hats & Apparel can handle most personalized partnership.” apparel requests at its location in the Scottsdale Airpark.

Schmeissing founded Arizona (Photo by Pablo Robles) Custom Embroidery in 1986 and together almost daily while helping each other has been in the Airpark area for out with various orders. Eventually they came more than 30 years. Her company specializes up with the idea to merge their businesses; in custom embroidery for a wide range of products and has an extensive client list that then, when Schmeissing’s office lease was up includes major resorts, country clubs and other in 2020, she moved into Ortiz’s space. But after a couple days working together, they businesses in the area.

Ortiz and Schmeissing began working realized they needed more room, so they found NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 27

BUSINESS • SPOTLIGHT

a new space across the street that was three times larger and could accommodate their need for expansion.

Ortiz and Schmeissing are excited for their partnership and the opportunities that lay ahead of them. They look forward to combining their shared knowledge and resources to further expand their client base and business model.

“We’re both applying our knowledge of the industry and our experiences,” Schmeissing points out. “We’ll take things that he does well and combine them with what I do well. We test out different things to figure out what works best for us in each situation. Brett also helps me with the computer and technology side of things.”

“Erika does a lot of contracts with country clubs and golf resorts, whereas I work with a lot of bars and nightclubs,” Ortiz says.

“Between the two of us, we’re pretty diverse and widespread. I’m bringing more technology and social media into the mix, which is changing things up. She has years of experience and is guiding me through different things, while also helping me be more organized and keep track of stuff.”

Despite COVID-19, the two have been busy. They’ve been making lots of custom masks in-house for clients, in addition to screen printing and fulfilling orders for promotional products. They are assembling a full showroom where clients can come by to check out their offerings and work with them on custom designs.

Arizona Custom Embroidery’s website features an entire catalog

Tuam Nguyen and Kim Nguyen work together, personalizing products at AZ Custom Hats & Apparel in the Scottsdale Airpark. (Photo by Pablo Robles)

of apparel choices that clients can browse, while AZ Custom Hats & Apparel’s website also offers the option to design online. Together, Ortiz and Schmeissing plan to continue to be a one-stop shop for all their clients’ needs.

“Putting our two businesses together has made us stronger and given us hope, especially during this pandemic,” Schmeissing says.

Adds Ortiz, “I’m pretty excited about this new opportunity for our combined growth and success. It’s wonderful to be able to learn from one another and teach each other new things.”

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28 OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

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HOME • TRIMBLE’S TALES

Tom Bullock’s Zany Railroad

By Marshall Trimble

om Bullock was a gregarious, smoothtalking promoter. He’d been a bartender on Prescott’s Whiskey Row before heading to New York, where he made a fortune building street railways.

Bullock proposed building a railroad from Seligman, on the 35th Parallel mainline, to Prescott. Meanwhile, Prescottonians raised $300,000 to bring the railroad to their city.The 72-mile branch would connect at temporarily called Prescott Junction, running south through Big Chino Wash to Prescott.The contract stipulated that Bullock’s railroad would reach Prescott by midnight on December 31, 1886, or face a stiff $1,000-a-mile penalty. In other words, meet the deadline of be fined $72,000.

Construction went smoothly until the shady ladies arrived and the tent saloons materialized in the construction camps. One newspaper reporter noted, “I saw an entire freight train of 30 cars laden with bottled beer ... bound for the nearest end of track.” Prescott’s society of gamblers laid the odds at 10 to 1 Bullock wouldn’t meet the deadline. Some of the rounders tried to hedge their bets by sabotaging the railroad line.

Cattlemen, angry over the railroad right-of-way across their grazing lands, had their cowboys stampede cattle through a construction site. Another group of cowboys tried blowing up a caboose, while a band of vandals tried to wreck a train by removing a rail. Their plot was foiled when the engine ran aground before hitting the damaged section. Another scheme was foiled when a cloudburst hit and extinguished the flames of a trestle that had been set afire.

The odds against meeting the deadline rose to 20 to 1. Still, the track layers and Gandy dancers trudged on toward Prescott.

On December 30, 1886, the line reached Granite Dells, then known as Point of Rocks, and by the evening of December 31 they were 2 miles from Prescott. Lanterns were lighted as the railroad workers kept tying ’em in and laying ’em down.The gandy dancers bounced on their shovel handles to lift the rails so ballast could be shoveled beneath.Then they tamped them down. Citizens who had bet against the odds shouted encouragement from the sidelines, while others joined in to help. With

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just 5 minutes to go, hundreds cheered as Gov. Conrad Zulick drove a gilded spike into a tie painted red, white and blue.

The little,16ton steam engine Hassayampa rolled ceremoniously into town. Territorial Arizona’s capital city was at last linked to the outside world by rail.

The operation of the Arizona Central Railroad was a textbook story of inefficiency.

The entire line consisted of two small locomotives, four box cars and one passenger car, all second hand.

For the first few months Prescott had no turntable, so the two little steam engines, Hassayampa and the F.A. Tritle, had to make the return trip to Prescott Junction in reverse.

Fare on the Central Arizona Railway was an affordable 10 cents a mile, so a ticket to the Santa Fe mainline at Prescott Junction cost $7.20, but one could make an even better deal by dealing with the conductor. The schedule was flexible, too.

At Banghart (Del Rio) the crew would often pause for a beer and a crap game with the section crew. The train also paused frequently in the woods along Big Chino Wash so the crew and passengers could go deer hunting.

Because the line was built in Big Chino Wash, there was frequent flooding, especially during the summer monsoon.

After one heavy rain, the tracks collapsed, tossing the little engines into a mud hole.

The tracks were often washed out. After one storm, the Hassayampa lay on its side in the mud for three weeks before a team of mules could get it upright. Locals began calling Bullock’s line the “Mudball Express.”

By 1891 the Central Arizona Railroad was in trouble. Ties were rotting, trestles needed repair and the tracks were often washed out. The big flood in 1892 was the final blow. Bullock’s railroad was broke.

That same year, Frank Murphy’s railroad

crews broke ground on higher ground 24 miles farther east at Ash Fork. The Santa Fe Prescott and Phoenix Railroad, better known for its switchbacks, lazy loops and curves as the Peavine, reached Phoenix in 1895, marking the closing of the frontier period in Arizona history.

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 29

WHEELS • HOME Inside, the Sequoia TRD Pro’s upscale cabin is equipped with soft-touch surfaces, leathertrimmed power front seats, and a full complement of tech and safety features, including Wi-Fi and a satellite-connected, touchscreencontrolled infotainment system with Android Auto, Amazon Alexa and Apple CarPlay compatibility.

(Photo courtesy Toyota)

Sequoia Goes Pro Toyota’s family vehicle gets better with age

By Greg Rubenstein

ike the colossal trees found in Northern California, Toyota’s Sequoia is nearly as ancient—at least in automotive years—rolling on a platform largely unchanged since its 2008 debut. Fortunately, this full-size sport utility vehicle has only become better with age, and a new-for-2020 TRD Pro trim adds rugged good looks and upgraded off-road capabilities to a body-on-frame SUV with big-time family and toy-hauling credentials.

Offered in a seven-seat configuration (other trims can seat up to eight), the Sequoia TRD Pro is fitted with deluxe mid-row captain’s chairs and a 60/40 split-back, power tilt-andfold third row with room for three adults.

Outside, the TRD Pro is available in four

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exclusive colors—Army Green, Midnight Black Metallic, Magnetic Gray Metallic and the as-tested Super White—accented with a TRD Pro grille, LED headlights and Rigid Industries LED fog light, and blacked-out 18-inch forged aluminum BBS wheels fitted with meaty 275/65 offroad-ready tires. A sturdy front skid plate helps protects the oil pan and Fox-sourced suspension components, and the multi-mode/driver-selectable fourwheel drive provides significant off-road abilities and sure-footed on-road traction during inclement weather.

Power is provided by a 5.7-liter, 381-horsepower V8 engine, and the sixspeed automatic transmission helps this three-ton (5,985-pound) SUV return an EPA-estimated 14 mpg in combined city/ highway driving (13 city/17 highway). A week’s worth of testing returned almost 20 mpg on the freeway, offset by an observed 11 mpg in city driving—turning in a spot-on combined 14 mpg over 600 miles of mixeduse motoring.

Inside, the Sequoia TRD Pro’s upscale cabin is equipped with soft-touch surfaces, leather-trimmed power front seats, and a full complement of tech and safety features, including Wi-Fi and a satellite-connected, touchscreen-controlled infotainment system with Android Auto, Amazon Alexa and Apple CarPlay compatibility. The nav

30 OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

system is voice controlled and includes dynamic point-of-interest search, while the 14-speaker premium JBL sound system comes with separate subwoofer and amplifier.

Safety systems include active pre-collision and pedestrian detection, “smart stop” brake override, lane departure alert with sway warning, auto high-beam headlights, dynamic semi-autonomous radar cruise control, along with blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert system.

With a massive silhouette and unfettered driver’s perch, the Sequoia TRD Pro has impressive road presence. Driving dynamics, however, are more sport than utility, with nimble handling and perky response to input from both the throttle and brakes.

The Sequoia TRD Pro’s base price is $65,430. The sampled model included cargo cover ($245), carpeted floor mats and door sill protector ($379), and TRD performance exhaust system with black chrome tips ($1,050), for an as-tested price of $67,104.

Among the crowded field of full-size SUVs, the Sequoia TRD Pro stands out thanks to its go-anywhere appearance and abilities, exemplary on-road driving dynamics, upscale interior and renowned Toyota reliability. It’s a solid value deserving consideration in anyone’s garage, especially for those who also need a towing-capable rig that’s off-road ready.

TASTE • DINE Philip Igneri, Federico Venturini and Viola Tagliaferri own Pomodoro Italian Grill & Seafood.

With them is Venturini and Tagliaferri’s son, Nicolò Venturini. (Photos by Tim Sealy)

True Italian Couple brings their hometown flavors to Cave Creek

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

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ederico Venturini and Viola Tagliaferri, the husband-and-wife duo behind Carefree’s Pizzicata, are expressing their love for their home country of Italy with Pomodoro Italian Grill & Seafood in Cave Creek.

The couple says, in Italy, the most important part of the dining experience is the company. They believe in those interactions, and they want to make a dining experience incredible with their new upscale Italian steakhouse.

The two partnered with Cave Creek resident Philip Igneri on the concept, which moved into the former location of Cartwright’s Modern Cuisine, which closed in December after 19 years.

“We met in a restaurant about three years

ago, became friends and then I went and visited him and his family in Italy,” Igneri says about Venturini.

“We went all over Italy. I met his family, aunts, uncles and grandma. I sponsored the family to come back here. He invested in my company, which is window coverings, and that’s how it started.”

Pomodoro opened September 28 with Tagliaferri at the helm as chef. The date is important to the couple and Igneri; it’s the year anniversary of Pizzicata’s opening.

“We did serve pastas and stuff there (Pizzicata), but we were looking to open up a nicer, full-service, full-scale Italian restaurant with meats and fish,” Igneri says. “We wanted to bring a taste of Italy here. Pizza

Pasta is well represented on the Pomodoro Italian Grill & Seafood menu, which offers tastes from the owners’ home country.

is one thing, but Italian food is much different than the food that you eat in most of the American-Italian restaurants now. The styles of cooking are different.

Things are Americanized here. Chicken

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 31

TASTE • DINE parmesan—there’s no such thing in Italy. The parmesan over there is eggplant.”

Tagliaferri will bring her traditional style of cooking to Pomodoro as well. She split the menu in six sections.

Antipasti terra, or appetizer of the land, features cannoli burrata e pesto, caprese bufala e prosciutto; carpaccio bresaola; fiori fritti, zucchini flowers stuffed with seasoned goat cheese, green pea cream sauce; antipasto Italiano; zuppa del giorno, or soup of the day for $15 to $25.

Antipasti mare, or appetizer of the sea, includes carpaccio di tonno, wildcaught tuna with capers, lemon olive oil vinaigrette; scallops al pesto; cozza tarantina, mussels in garlic tomato sauce with parsley, chiles, olive oil, white wine; frittura di mare, hand-battered calamari and shrimp; and gamberi e bacon, baconwrapped shrimp for $14 to $25.

The available salads are Caesar, bleu, Pomodoro, farro and crab ($9 to $25).

First-course pastas, or primi piatti, include spaghetti, gnocchi, tortellini and ravioli ($20 to $35).

Second-course chops and steaks ($29 to $129) are perfect for those who prefer meat over pasta. Veal is offered as marsala, piccata, Parmigiana and chops ($29 to $42). The 24-ounce pork shank is $29.

Grilled lamb is served with raspberry reduction for $39. The showpieces of the

Pomodoro Italian Grill & Seafood recently opened in the former location of Cartwright’s Modern Cuisine, which closed in December after 19 years.

menu are the 40-ounce tomahawk and Fiorentina ($119 and $129, respectively).

Both are served with seasoned vegetables.

The second-course seafood features a platter of grilled salmon, scallops, calamari, shrimp skewer and mussels au gratin (grigliata di pesce) for $59. Chilean sea bass, tuna steak and twin lobster are on the menu, too, for $39 to $69.

“We have a lot of good ingredients,”

Viola Tagliaferri, Nicolò Venturini and Federico Venturini came to the United States to open Pizzicata in Carefree.

Now, the couple has opened Pomodoro Italian Grill & Seafood.

32 OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

Tagliaferri says. “I’m just going to play.”

The wine and spirits will complement the entrées, says Jennifer DeWitte, who’s in charge of the wine program. The wine list will feature about 60% to 70% Italian wines. A sommelier will be on the floor on the weekends to help guests choose the correct wine.

“We will also have American, Napa, Sonoma, Oregon, Washington and Arizona wines in there,” DeWitte says.

“We’ll have some French bubbles and a couple of wines from France in there. The focus, though, is really to have wine that complements the food.”

Opening Pomodoro in the former Cartwright’s location came with benefits.

Venturini was introduced to DeWitte, who was a server and bartender in Cartwright’s.

She assists Venturini with front-of-house management and wines.

“We’re going to bring fine dining to a brand-new level in Cave Creek,” she says.

“I’m super excited. I haven’t seen anything like this since I worked on the East Coast.

I’m not just saying that. It’s very, very exciting. The food has blown me away.

“As an American, I had no idea how incorrect my perception was of Italian food.

It’s fresh, and I never have to use butter again, now that I’ve discovered Italian olive oil. This city is hungry for a restaurant of this caliber, and we’re ready for it.”

TASTE • DINE

Saying

‘Thank You’ Carefree Restaurant Week celebrates its dedicated following

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

Jo Gemmill opened English Rose Tea Room in Carefree to share her English heritage.

(Photo courtesy Jo Gemmill)

o Gemmill believes there’s power in numbers.

Collectively, Carefree’s restaurants and coffeehouses— including her English Rose Tea Room—will make their mark with the third annual Carefree Restaurant Week from October 1 to October 11.

“It’s a chance to say ‘thank you’ to all the folks who have supported us through the pandemic,” says Gemmill, who also serves as the Carefree Restaurant Association’s chairwoman.

Restaurant week offers participating restaurants the chance to showcase their menus at discounted prices. Some restaurants will offer a special lunch menu, others a three-course dinner for dine-in or takeout customers.

The prices—per person, excluding alcohol—are $18 for a two-course lunch; $35 or $45 for a three-course dinner menu.

Gemmill will serve a two-course lunch menu of cottage pie, pumpkin spice scones and a seasonal tea, as English Rose Tea Room at 201 Easy Street, Suite 103, isn’t open for dinner.

“It’s a little different than the cucumber sandwiches that people expect us to provide,” she says with a laugh. “We’re hoping a lot more gentleman callers will come by because of the meat-andpotatoes menu.

“Unlike many other towns, Carefree’s

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 33

TASTE • DINE

Baseball cut steak is among the Carefree Restaurant Week offerings at Keeler’s Neighborhood Steakhouse. (Photo courtesy

Keeler’s Neighborhood Steakhouse)

restaurant base is made up of independent, family-owned businesses. Therefore, no large corporate chains dictate menu, pricing or marketing campaign. Rather, the individual business owner can determine the look, feel, style, concept and brand their own restaurant based on their own individual culinary expertise.”

Gemmill says Carefree Restaurant Week follows Arizona Restaurant Week, which was in September.

“Arizona Restaurant Week is sometimes cost prohibitive for smaller independent restaurants to take part,” she adds.

“When we started Carefree Restaurant Association, we decided there would be free membership, no dues. We just work on the goodwill of our community and neighbors. Carefree Restaurant Week is a free event to take part in for the restaurants. We’re offering a discounted menu and a chance to say, ‘Hey, we’re still in business.’”

Adele Giordano owns one of those businesses—Giordano’s Trattoria Romana at 7275 E. Easy Street. The Italian eatery has been in her family since 2004.

“During this pandemic, I have to say, I’ve had the most supportive regulars and all of the customers were consistently taking out prior to May 12, when we were allowed to have indoor dining with all the CDC guidelines.

“I love restaurant week. It’s a way to give a special menu to the people and thank them for all the support throughout the years.”

Giordano’s Trattoria Romana’s menu will feature escargot, house or Caesar salad; pollo gorgonzola, linguine con vongole, lasagna Bolognese, cannelloni Florentine, pollo Parmigiana, eggplant Parmigiana or gluten-free penne pasta

($35); or salmon fra diavalo, vitello francese, vitello marsala, vitello piccata, pork chop voldostano or cioppini frutti de mare ($45); and tiramisu or New York cheesecake.

Paul Keeler, of Keeler’s Neighborhood Steakhouse at 7212 Ho Hum Drive, says the overriding theme of Carefree Restaurant Week is “great.”

“We feel that Carefree has just so many great community- and independentdriven restaurants that need awareness, especially in these times,” he says.

“It builds awareness. The awareness is good within the greater Carefree/Cave Creek/North Scottsdale area, but this reaches out a little bit farther and gives people a great cross section of offerings.”

Keeler’s offers high-quality steaks at a lower cost than most standard steakhouses, like Capital Grille or Morton’s The Steakhouse, he says. During restaurant week, it will offer three courses for $45 per person—tomato bisque, Keeler salad or French onion soup; 8-ounce prime rib, California sea bass, baseball cut steak or half chicken; and chocolate cake a la mode.

“In our area, they like the fact that they don’t have to go ‘down the hill,’ so

34 OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

to speak, to get a good steak,” Keeler says about Carefree residents. “It’s a very versatile menu. Our happy hour is robust.

We have several different venues—a courtyard, patio that’s adjacent to us, a rooftop deck that opens on October 1.”

During the event, participating restaurants will follow all CDC guidelines regarding safety measures and limited dine-in capacity. Keeler’s has taken COVID-19 so seriously that the Arizona and Carefree restaurant associations have used it as an example of how to operate during the pandemic.

“We adhere to 50% occupancy,” he says. “People have the option to dine in or dine out on the patio. More people are comfortable with open air. We have a good curbside to-go program as well.

“We’re thrilled to be a part of Carefree Restaurant Week. We feel we have a lot to offer with the independent restaurants.

Kudos to Jo, who’s the president, for organizing it.”

Carefree Restaurant Week Thursday, October 1, to Sunday, October 11 carefreerestaurants.com

BETTER • HEALTH Glo Medspa owner Charles Small, a former critical care nurse, is an active member of the Dermatology Nurse Association and the American Society of Plastic Surgical Nurses. (Photo

courtesy Charles Small)

Glo-ing Reviews Medspa’s Charles Small wants to help clients look great

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

C

harles Small says owning Glo Medspa is the “best job ever.”

Because of his work and that of his staff, Small’s clients leave the Scottsdale Medspa living their best life.

“The best part of my job is helping people look better and then they feel better about themselves,” Small says.

“It’s definitely rewarding.”

Small’s background is in helping people. For 15 years, he served as a critical care nurse.

“I needed a change and a friend introduced me to aesthetics,” he says. “I

became trained and certified. It’s such a competitive field. I decided to start my own business. I’m glad I did.”

Small has many certifications, including basic and advanced techniques of Botox and Juvederm injections. He’s an active member of the Dermatology Nurse Association as well as the American Society of Plastic Surgical Nurses.

“We also do mini facelifts with PDO Facial Threading,” he says. “We use those to give mini facelifts without the surgery.

We do aesthetics, body contouring and all the lasers.

“I’m doing such advanced injections

that people are coming to me to learn these injections, like injections under the eyes. I can do nonsurgical rhinoplasty with fillers. I believe I was the first person in Arizona to do PDO Facial Threading.”

When he started Glo Medspa, he was alone in a 10-foot by 10-foot room. Now, Small and his seven employees are housed in a 3,000-square-foot spa.

“This is really the best job ever,” he says.

Glo Medspa 10505 N. 69th Street, Suite 1000, Scottsdale 480-245-6881, glomedspas.com

NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 35

BETTER • HEALTH

This exterior shot of Lone Mountain Memory Care highlight the interior courtyard on which the community is built around. This allows direct access by residents from a variety of entrances, so they have the freedom of movement within their environment. (Photo courtesy Lone Mountain Memory Care)

Lone Mountain Memory Care is elegant without going overboard. (Photo courtesy Lone Mountain Memory Care)

‘Be You’ at Lone Mountain Memory care community allows residents to thrive

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

W

illiam Swearingen is passionate about senior living communities.

As senior vice president of sales and marketing for Spectrum Retirement Communities, Swearingen was part of the team that brought Lone Mountain Memory Care to life in February 2018.

“It’s one of the most beautiful memory care-specific communities that I’ve ever seen that doesn’t overdo that luxury component,” Swearingen says.

“It’s just warm and inviting. It’s elevated in a manner that residents in the community deserve at this point in their life.”

Lone Mountain was Spectrum Retirement Communities’ first free-standing memory care community.The Valley, Swearingen says, was the perfect location for a community of this caliber.

“As with anything, the Arizona demographic speaks to senior living,” he says. “In this particular market, there was a very, very well-defined need.There are other providers in the market that have some memory care components in their community, but few with a design as specific as Lone Mountain’s.”

Memory care communities, he says, need

to be designed in a way that makes sense for the residents.The community gives residents the opportunity to move freely, which is critical to anyone with cognitive deficits.

“It’s a secure environment that does not diminish their value as a human being,” he says. “It’s a challenge that continues to exist in senior living. We have hallways that do not end; the design encourages movement.

Everything connects in a large footprint.This helps residents be healthier organically.”

The Montessori method uses sensory experiences such as art and music therapies to create connections with misplaced memories.The residents maintain a sense of independence and dignity while enjoying the highest quality care in the industry.

The 56-unit Lone Mountain keeps its residents healthy through its variety of programs, which range from beer brewing to gardening clubs.

“We’re very, very passionate about our programming,” he says. “One of the problems that still exists is many believe those with cognitive deficits are incapable of doing things. It’s so not true.”

Other memory care centers have childish programs that are structured around a belief that their residents are ill-equipped to accomplish tasks.

36 OCTOBER 2020 | NOVEMBER 2020 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM

“It’s so not true,” he says. “We have beer brewing with everyone in the community.

Coloring with crayons is designed for a 5-year-old. It’s not what an adult does. We bake pies. We have wine tastings.Those activities should not be off the table for a memory care community.”

Swearingen understands the needs of memory care residents.

“I’m in senior living because three of my four grandparents lived with Alzheimer’s,” he says. “The options available today weren’t available when my grandparents were facing the challenges the disease presents.

“I’ve been in senior living for 32 years. I love being part of a company that’s willing to be disruptive intentionally. What can be possible should never be confused with curing. It doesn’t mean a quality of live cannot exist within the parameters of the disease. Let’s all get on board with who they are in this moment and find the joy, it is there if we let go of the sadness and look.

This is what changes the life of someone living with dementia.”

Lone Mountain Memory Care 7171 E. Lone Mountain Road, Scottsdale, 623-777-8002, spectrumretirement.com

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