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FOOD & DRINK
SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | MARCH 8, 2020
Food & Drink
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Wow Wow Lemonade making a splash BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer
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ince Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade moved its headquarters from Maui, Hawaii, to Scottsdale in March 2019, the farmer’s market stand-turnedtrailer lemonade purveyor has quickly captured the taste buds of Phoenicians with its handcrafted mason jar lemonades, refreshing açaí bowls, healthy avocado toasts, and overnight oats. One year later, Wow Wow has not only expanded its menu, adding new drinks, bowls and spritzers, but it’s also expanding throughout the state with 18 new locations scheduled to open over the next 18 months. Five will open by the end of this year, including Lake Pleasant, Surprise, Moon Valley, Gilbert and Peoria. “We have to honor our amazing customers �irst and foremost,” said Tim Weiderhoft, chief executive of�icer at Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonades. “We are very grateful for their patronage of our stands and the positive vibes we get on all of our social media channels.” On March 16, Wow Wow will release three new menu items for a limited time:
Tim Weiderhoft is the chief executive officer at Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonades. An existing Wow Wow franchisee and franchise industry veteran who most recently served as Vice President of Franchise Development at Arizona-based Massage Envy, Weiderhoft is charged with growing the brand throughout the state. (Chris Mortenson/Progress Staff Photographer)
the Passion Colada Smoothie, Passion Colada Lemonade and the Passion Colada Bowl. “We will be highlighting new recipes and seasonal offerings that are on trend with our core values of craft, raw, and delicious,” Weiderhoft said. Wow Wow will also release its own line of spritzers this month, including Tropi-
cal Fizz with strawberry, mango and mint �lavors; Kiwi Splash with kiwi, cucumber, strawberry and mint; and Blueberry Lemon Fizz with blueberry, lemon and basil. “We are committed to bringing additional new items and food categories in the coming months and have planned for quarterly releases in all of our stands,”
active displays; Classico Fine Wines & Spirits’ drinks and the Italian Auto d’Eleganza showcase of �ine Italian automobiles. The festival, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, March 14, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, March 15, is along East Jackson Street between 4th Street and 1st Street in downtown Phoenix, south of Talking Stick Resort Arena. Portion of proceeds bene�its the nonpro�it Italian Association of Arizona and its mission to build an Italian Cultural Center. “We moved to Phoenix for a lot of reasons, the biggest being the crowds were getting
bigger and we were running into space issues,” said Frank Guzzo, Italian Association of Arizona executive director. “We don’t want to move it every year. We want to be in one location and build it from there. We started talking to the City of Phoenix and Downtown Phoenix Inc. and we all made the decision to move the festival to Downtown Phoenix. “Downtown Phoenix is exploding. It’s become such a vibrant place, compared to 10 years ago. We do want to capture the same people who have been coming to our festi-
Weiderhoft said. “We are excited about our continual innovation with new beverage, bowl, and healthy bites options coming every few months.” Charged with growing the brand throughout the state, Weiderhoft is currently seeking quali�ied franchise partners to open restaurants in Old Town/southern Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Biltmore/ Arcadia, downtown Phoenix, Flagstaff and Tucson. According to a press release, the new franchise locations will create approximately 200 new jobs. “With its 350 days of sunshine a year, Arizona is the quintessential market for expansion for Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonades,” Weiderhoft said. “Plus, just last year lemonade was named the Of�icial Drink of Arizona. We are proud to grow in our home state and offer Arizonans the opportunity to grow a business with unlimited potential.” Outside the state, Wow Wow will open its Livermore, California, location by the end of April with its Albuquerque, New Mexico, location coming shortly after.
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Italian Fest: no regrets leaving Scottsdale
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Progress Staff Writer
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he Italian Festival of America is bringing its celebration of food, culture and entertainment to Downtown Phoenix next weekend after several years in Scottsdale. Italophiliacs can experience la dolce vita with two stages of entertainment, including cooking demonstrations; musical entertainment featuring Italian �lag wavers and dancing; Peroni Nastro Assuro’s inter-
val for the past six years, plus a whole new demographic.” The organization also partnered with the Scottsdale Airpark’s R Entertainment to help with the event’s production. “Everybody, though, comes here for the food,” Guzzo said. “I love the food, even though I’m running around like a chicken without a head. I don’t have time to eat, but that makes the festival. The food is quality Italian food. That’s what we pride ourselves on.” Information: italianfestivalaz.com
