Jaime's Local Love Podcast

In this episode, we meet Lisa Banish, Executive Director of Community Food Connections, dba Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market.  The market started 19 years ago to connect the community to clean, healthy, locally grown food. They have 100 + local vendors, around 80% food and 20% artisan. The Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market is part of the Farm...

If you're looking for something to do with the family, this is it. We meet Monica and Kirk Nicodemus of JoyridesAZ. They love Scottsdale so much, they created a luxury golf cart experience to show off their

We meet Wendell Crow of Crow's Dairy.  Wendell grew up in Buckeye in the dairy farming industry. He raises goats and makes cheese to sell to big name chefs and clients all over Arizona. He delivers the cheese himself. Wendell says the key to success is to keep his goats happy. The animals are his life. If you're a cheese lover, you must tr...

You’d think the name ATL Wings stood for Atlanta, but this time it means all the love and that’s what this family pours into their delicious chicken wing recipes. We meet the Valley couple behind the creative sauces at ATL Wings, sauces so good, they’ve garnered a cult following! Mike and Cianna Kirksey grew their one business into 18 franchised stores. They have 18 to 22 wing sauces. For first timers, they rec...

We meet Sharon Cunningham of CC's on Central. She already owns a Creole restaurant in California, but with her two grown children living here, she decided to move to Phoenix and open a Southern comfort restaurant here—offering all the favorites like jambalaya, wings, and po'boys—so she could be close to her kids

CC's on Central is a great space to host an event and they cater too, and can make anything from deli sandwiches to a las...

Kimberly Pak has a heart for the local maker. She throws some of the biggest markets in the Valley, bringing together hundreds of makers in one location for a celebration of everything local. She opened a storefront to provide a fulltime space for her makers to sell, then she opened another, and another. Now with two Scottsdale locations and one Phoenix location, Kimberly says she’s learning to trust her gut as a business owner. Sh...

Valley natives, Geri Hormel and Hunter Rodgers, are passionate about animals. At home, they have dogs, chickens, and goats. At work, Geri rescues pregnant mom dogs and puppies at Almost There Rescue. ATR has 19 kennels, offers a Puppy Preschool Program, ...

He's long been "The Festival Guy" around the Valley, throwing food fests focused on tacos and pizza. In this episode, we meet David Tyda of Taco Fest and Phoenix Pizza Festival, and now he owns a bar too. Barcoa Agaveria in downtown Phoenix celebrates the art of creating and tasting tequila but Tyda says he never set out to be a bar owner. Find out how he says the building the bar's in "found him" and how his degree in humanities i...

A former truck driver and a singer find romance online and go into business together. We talk to the owners of Old School Grub Cafe in Mesa. Frank and Carlotta Perla give you a taste of nostalgia with a restaurant filled with vintage toys and comic memorabilia, all with a huge menu of comfort food like meatloaf and homemade pie. When you visit Frank and Carlotta, they want you to feel like family. Old School Grub is kicking off a b...

The Chandler Chamber Ostrich Festival and Scottsdale Fashion Week are two really big events that bring big names to the Valley. In this episode, we meet the local couple doing the legwork behind the scenes. Steve and Jamie Levine own Steve Levine Entertainment and Public Relations. Steve, a former DJ, and Jamie, a master of PR, combined their passions to create events that enrich the lives of Arizona families. Hear how they make ma...

If you love coffee and country music, you're going to love this episode. We talk to Aaron Lopo, the owner of Dapper and Stout Coffee and Horse and Hyde Barroom. The coffee shops came first, some eight years ago. Then a little over a year ago, Aaron opened Horse and Hyde which quickly became popular because of daily live country music. His parents owned food trucks when he was growing up, and Aaron wanted no part of the food and bev...

Luke Irvin and Eric Walters of “A Taste of AZ” love telling stories about the Arizona restauranteur, chef, bar owner, and mixologist. They travel the state to tell their stories in print, in podcasts, and at festivals, where food lovers can connect in person. The work is something Eric felt was a long time coming as he'd searched for a career that just “felt good” and celebrated others. Luke, too, wanted to help others excel and ca...

We meet the designer behind Lucky Star Jewels. Dawn Baiden created her jewelry line to be light and easy to wear, yet made with love that could go from day to night. You’ll find her beautiful necklaces, rings, bracelets and more in spa boutiques around the valley and the nation. She tells us about where she finds inspiration for her designs, the serendipitous way her business began and the way she has to protect her brand. Hear mor...

Azfoodie is the OG when it comes to Arizona food content creators. She started before it was cool by taking beautiful pictures of beautiful food around the Valley. Her pages went viral and pretty soon, Diana Brandt found herself Instagram and TikTok famous. She tells us about handling a new form of fame while always keeping in focus, and why she started in the first place: her love and respect for chefs and restauranteurs. Diana le...

Shantelle and Kenny Girard want to create the next big name in hats. They say they eat, sleep and breathe Rancher Hat Bar. It's a company they started out of a vintage trailer they converted into a hat bar. On the very first day they opened, they had a line around the corner and knew they were onto something! While the Rancher Hat Bar brand is still rather new, it's already grown to three locations with more coming soon. Plus, lear...

That's the idea behind Jenny's Dresses in Scottsdale. Owner Jenny Weinstein has always loved fashion, and when she found a treasure trove of high-end couture, she knew she had to share the one-of-a-kind pieces. Her collection grew from there and is now expandin...

In this episode of Jaime's Local Love, Jaime Cerreta chats with Chef Ron Young, the mastermind behind Foodvision. Chef Ron shares his wild journey from working at Nike and Victoria's Secret to cooking for celebs like Kyler Murray, Derrick Rose, and Odell Beckham Jr.

Hear how a random encounter with a supportive customer led him to cook for a Hall of Fame linebacker and eventually build a booming busine...

Celebrity chef Beau MacMillan and managing partner and co-founder Mikis Troyan of Clive Collective tell us how they came together to create the very popular restaurant Cala Scottsdale and the new speakeasy Tell Your Friends. The two industry veterans talk about the ever-changing dining culture in Arizona and why they wanted to develop rest...

It is the question Valley Handbag designer, Jennifer Boonlorn, is always asking herself. It's one her mother asked of her years ago. To answer the question, the Valley native made a huge career pivot.