25 Abundant sunshine, stunning sunsets, world-class golf courses, and luxurious resorts are among the many factors that have drawn visitors and new homeowners to Arizona. However, in the last decade, the Valley of the Sun has added another feather to its cap. Here you’ll find a culinary renaissance fueled by passionate, gifted chefs, the bounty of surrounding farms, ranches, and wineries, and an appreciative audience relishing this thriving food and beverage scene. Once synonymous with Southwestern fare, rustic steakhouses, and familiar concepts, the local dining landscape is now being shaped by chef-driven menus and an everevolving culinary scene. This vibrant momentum can be experienced in diverse destinations - from revamped restaurants in iconic resorts, to craft cocktail bars, to independent eateries tucked away in unassuming strip malls. The historic Hermosa Inn in Paradise Valley has long been lauded for its idyllic setting on the site of what was once famed cowboy artist Alonzo “Lon” Megargee’s Casa Hermosa and for Lon’s, its AAA Four Diamond Award-winning restaurant. While sourcing locally has been recognized as a recent trend, for Executive Chef Jeremy Pacheco this is something ingrained and instilled. A ninth generation Arizonan, growing up on the family farm, made fostering relationships with regional farmers a natural progression. On his sophisticated menu are dishes such as the signature Himalayan salt-seared ahi tuna draped in a bright ceviche sauce accented with local citrus, jalapenos, cilantro, and a fragrant lime olive oil pressed at Queen Creek Olive Mill, or his family’s durum wheat milled locally and transformed into silky fettuccine tossed with rich wild boar ragu and oyster mushrooms. Heritage grains grown by Hayden Flour Mills may find their way into a saffron farro risotto to accompany pristine seabass and Kauai shrimp. Produce harvested from Blue Sky Farms and Arizona Microgreens shine in dishes such as a mélange of smoked beets strewn with peppery mizuna and blue cheese and graced with a chocolate vinaigrette. This same pride in Arizona’s agricultural riches can be found in the carefully curated beverage menu at Lon’s Last Drop. Earlier this year, a multi-million dollar renovation added an expanded bar patio with five outdoor fireplaces – the perfect spot to relax under the stars to explore Arizona wine, beers, and cocktails using locally distilled spirits such as the Hermosa Inn’s exclusive barrel of Tucson’s Del Bac whiskey. On tap are Margaritas, Mules made with Arizona Distilling Company vodka, Arizona wines, and Phoenix-based Sonoran Brewing beers. Look for Seven Wives Saison, a special collaboration between Chef Pacheco and Sonoran Brewing with ingredients including wheat from the Pacheco family farm brewed with pink peppercorns and fennel. Lon’s Patio at the Hermosa Inn Beets at Lon’s Crujiente Cedar River New York Taco Jamie’s Wine Bar By Christina Barrueta
Danley Portfolio - Spring 2017
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