Photo courtesy of tliciousaz.com.

As you know, food truck culture (aka gourmet mobile dining) is alive and well in Phoenix. What you may not realize is that a food truck lunch does not mean barbecue and hot dogs. In fact, when it comes to the wide range of food truck specialty offerings throughout the Valley it’s quite the opposite.

The next time you find yourself at a food-truck-worthy event, look out for our favorite local, vegetarian-friendly food trucks:

T-Licious Teazy Tacos – choose between the no meat in me taco and the Diablo Cheese Nachos

Sunshine and Spice - you’ll find a variety of options including a soy shrooms burrito, guacamole rangoons with sauce and a good old veggie burger.

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If Sundays are for lazing about, then Saturdays should be dedicated to taking the time to stop and smell the fresh produce. Thanks to Phoenix Public Market and many a’ local folk who band their businesses together on a bi-weekly basis, that is a possibility all year long. In case you haven’t ever checked out an Open Air Market in Downtown Phoenix, perhaps the summer is the best time to free up a morning (or evening) and wander about. You can stock up on fresh fruits and veggies from local farmers and chow down on great food from over a dozen vendors while also picking up a few lovely arts and crafts. The markets are held every Saturday from 8 am-12 pm through September and every Wednesday from 4-8 pm so you can get your groceries after work. Don’t forget about the famous “Food Truck Friday”, the Valley’s weekly mini fest of food trucks, as they are still happening every week from 11 am – 1:30 pm. All this goes down at Phoenix Public Market on 14 E. Pierce  in Downtown Phoenix. It’s a great way to get involved with the community and stimulate the local economy during these long, sweaty summer months.

image via Phoenix.org 

The Winter Chef Series is back by Devour Phoenix and Phoenix Public Market. Beginning January 10, guests will be served three courses, each paired with a locally produced drink, while your favorite local chefs demo their dishes and share techniques and stories face to face. The two-hour demos will take place on Tuesday evenings and Saturday afternoons with an impressive lineup of local chefs. The Winter Chef Series is sponsored by Maya’s Farm, Hickman’s Family Farms, Royal Coffee Bar and Double Check Ranch to help promote awareness of locally sourced food items and how to integrate them into our own kitchens. Check the lineup of chefs and dates below: »READ MORE

Looking for a last minute gift? Shop Phoestivus Market 2011 at Phoenix Public Market Wednesday, December 21 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The market features all local vendors, with locally made food, produce, gifts and more. The first 100 attendees receive a free goodie bag sponsored by Local First AZ. And leave the market with your goodies wrapped and ready with the Yelp sponsored gift wrapping station!

Vendor and food truck info after the jump: »READ MORE

The newest destination to Arizona’s list of staycation escapes isn’t another golf resort or a multi-acre Southwestern playground. The latest destination is downtown.

Vacationers and staycationers searching for an urban-style escape like us recently, can find themselves at the newly opened Westin Phoenix Downtown hotel. With dramatic floor to ceiling window views from each signature Westin Heavenly Bed, waking up urban in one of the 242 rooms is a breath of fresh white-tea scented air.

Any restaurant would benefit from winning $10,000. So we bet Chow Locally is feeling pretty good right now.

National Bank of Arizona will be awarding the Tempe-based company the grand prize of  the Arizona’s Next Great Business; a contest that required businesses in Arizona to make a 90-second video telling how they strive to make a difference in the Arizona local economy.

Chow Locally.com brings the farm from keyboard to cupboard, helping consumers find the best local produce in the Valley, supporting Arizona farmers and making sure you eat only the healthiest and freshest food available.

The award ceremony will be held at Phoenix Public Market Tuesday, November 22 at 1:30 p.pm. Along with being awarded the grand prize of $10,000 and an award statue, the founders of Chow Locally will be speaking about the importance of investing in local businesses.

So come out and support your community, and Chow Locally tomorrow!

Our latte a day has gone nuts. Moove over dairy, almond milk is our new milk of choice. It froths, it foams and it’s smooth to the taste with just a hint of almond, making for a dairy free and delicious morning jolt. We say thanks a latte to the following coffee spots for offering the nutty-alternative to milk:

Echo Coffee- Our favorite almond milk latte spot. Perfectly frothed and foamed almond milk, teamed with a shot of their smooth espresso roasted in house. And of course, that tasty little cookie that rides along side the mug makes for a yummy morning. 2902 N 68th St, #135, Scottsdale, AZ 85251

Carmel’s Coffee & Bakery - This cute little bungalow on Camelback froths up a creamy almond latte in its warm, inviting space. Not in the mood for a latte, try an Iced Toddy, steeped 24 hours making the taste naturally sweet and nutty, on the cozy back patio. 4233 East Camelback Road, Phoenix, AZ 85018

Royal at The Biltmore - This sleek coffee bar is steps away from our office, otherwise we would make the occasional trek to Royal at The Market, inside Phoenix Public Market. The lattes are creamy and smooth and the bar itself doesn’t fuss with a lot of food, other than a few bakery items including a rich dark chocolate brownie that you must try. 24th Street & Camelback Road

Dates, of the eating kind, may not be at the forefront of your mind. We haven’t really thought about the date since seeing the “Amazing Date Shakes” sign along Hwy 8 in Dateland, Arizona, half-way to San Diego late summer. But it’s time to make a dinner with a local date.

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There’s nothing better than a birthday celebration, and lucky for us the downtown Phoenix grocery store, Urban Grocery & Wine Bar at the Phoenix Public Market, will celebrate its second birthday today with a new mural, food specials, a beer tasting and live music from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

The festivities will coincide with the regular Wednesday Open Air Market, and will host food truck specials, ice cream by Sweet Republic, cupcakes provided by Tracy Dempsey Originals and “Wines & Weiners” pairing with Short Leash Hot Dogs. Dan Sell will be the live entertainment of the night, and of course, beer tasting by Sonoran Brewing. Because what’s a party without a little beer?

Local First goes on its final “Shift the Way You Shop” tour of the season, Thursday, October 20 with local business hero Craig DeMarco of our favorite Monday wine night spot, Postino Winecafe. A few of the businesses on DeMarco’s tour include the Crescent Ballroom, Civic Space Park, Cowtown Skateboards and more. Riders need to meet at Phoenix Public Market at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday for the event.

Local First Arizona Founder Kimber Lanning will ride along on the tour to offer additional insights and highlights. Prizes will be given away to some lucky riders who join tour to explore Phoenix and celebrate local businesses. RSVP to [email protected] or simply show up!

Whether you like wings, boats, beer or ballet, there is likely an event you’ll enjoy going down in the Valley this weekend.

It’s still September, but you can get the best part of October started early at Saturday’s Downtown Chandler Oktoberfest hosted by Santan Brewing Company. Be sure to try a pint of their Devil’s Ale while jamming out to bands like Lit.

Summer may be officially over, but it’s not the end of the music festival season. Head to Lake Powell for the Powellapalloza Beach Party. With sunny temps in the 80s, cold cocktails and live music from bands like Slightly Stoopid, it sounds like a road trip worth taking.

Fans of fermented grapes will want to strap on their walkin’ boots and head to Downtown Phoenix for the 4th Urban Wine Walk. Start things off at DLT-fave Phoenix Public Market and snag one of their free gift bags and a map of participating restaurants, such as Arrogant Butcher and Kincaid’s. Participating restaurants will be offering a minimum of three wine samples plus bites from the kitchen, all for $2-4.

Regardless of what you’re doing this weekend, when you’re ready to grub, check out this list of best wings in the Valley from our partners at Yelp. From JT’s to Teakwoods and Half Moon to Hungry Monk, Yelp has the skinny on the most popular wing spots in town. Once you pick a spot, the only question left is “BBQ or Buffalo?”

Though the record-breaking August heat is rolling into September, it’s time to head to Downtown Phoenix once again for the sights, sounds and tastes of First Friday.

You can start your night by parking at the Phoenix Art Museum and use the free Artlink Phoenix shuttles to get around to a number of art galleries throughout the evening. Admission to the museum is free on First Fridays and be sure to check out the stepping, stomping and hand-clap dancers that are performing there tonight.

We’re especially excited to check out the Shape Shifter: Paintings & Patterns by Jason Smith art exhibit debuting tonight at the After Hour Gallery from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. As seen here, Smith combines mid-century modern inspirations with a dose of psychedelia to create delightfully colorful pieces.

Roosevelt Row and Grand Avenue will be happening as always on First Friday and DLT-favorite Phoenix Public Market will be open until 11 p.m. with live music and their always-wonderful selection of fresh local food, beers and wine. Practical Art has live music from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. with snacks and refreshments being served.

Be sure to keep up on the action on Twitter by following and share what’s happening with hashtag #phxff.

Even the farmers have taken to the internet. Chow Locally, the new online marketplace for farm fresh goods, allows shoppers to shop online for meats, fruits, veggies, herbs and flowers from local farmers and pick up weekly at Phoenix Public Market. Farmers post their bounty Sundays, then orders placed Monday through Thursdays, are harvested and ready for pick up Saturday morning.

Hungry for fall? While we can’t bring you the cooler temperatures or fresh butternut squash just yet, we can offer a welcome distraction with the Summer Chef Series by Devour Phoenix going on at Phoenix Public Market. These two local businesses have partnered up to relieve you of the stress of planning yet another Saturday activity by giving you everything you’d need.  For $45 bucks a pop, amazing local chefs will teach a two-hour cooking class that includes tastings, two beverages *wink, wink* and take home recipes all centered around summer time cooking. The series begins Saturday, July 23  from 2-4 pm and will continue every Saturday through September 3. Check out the All-Star Chef line-up after the jump and be sure to buy your tickets online here. Looks like your Saturdays just got a whole lot more delicious.  »READ MORE

Since Hallmark doesn’t make a card to celebrate Earth Day (and let’s be real here, if they did, it would probably be the most counteractive way to celebrate a holiday concerned with eco-friendly practices and the natural environment like, ever) what better way to observe the world around you then having an outdoor picnic in a beautiful (0ver watered) park? Good thing the Civic Space Park in Downtown Phoenix will be hosting an Earth Day Picnic so you can do just that.

On Friday, April 22 (Earth Day) from 11-2  the downtown community will gather together to eat off the grass and celebrate this nifty little world we inhabit. Live music, Art and local groups like Slow Food Phoenix, Cultural Arts Coalition and Roosevelt Row will all be in attendance with the Phoenix Public Market’s Food Truck Friday just steps away so you can get your grub on.

Grab a blanket, pack your favorite goods (in non-disposable containers, of course) and enjoy planet Earth.

Shove in mouth, chew, swallow, repeat. Apparently as fatty fat fattys with terrible eating habits, we Arizonan’s should do a little more to actually enjoy our food rather than mindlessly eating what’s put in front of us and then washing it down with 60 gallons of soda. With that in mind; Here’s a (healthy) redux of this week’s happenings in our favorite food blogs. And by healthy, we clearly mean beer, cheese and cheese infused fried beer battered things … »READ MORE

Who doesn’t love cheese? Honestly, if we were stuck on an uncharted desert isle, we’d want booze, cheese, tiny cocktail umbrellas, an ebook machine and a boat. In that order. So imagine our surprise this weekend when we stumbled across this darling Tilamook ‘Loafster’ handing out samples at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market. Launched as part of this famed Oregon cheese-maker’s Love Loaf Tour, this custom VW Bus will be popping up all over the Valley, including a grocery stores across the East Valley later this week, before heading back to the Public Market this Saturday. Who’s bringing the wine and crackers?

Image via Short Leash Hot Dogs

How crazy-cool is this? You’ve heard of the gourmet food truck trend, right? (If not, get your tummy to the Downtown Phoenix Public Market, toots sweet!) Well now one ski resort in California is offering gourmet burritos served mountainside out of a snowcat. Yes, next time you’re carving up the slopes at Mammoth Mountain keep your eye out for these all-new Roving Mammoths.

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As chosen by you, here are the most popular stories OF ALL TIME (aka last week). Just in case you missed it.

Alright we admit it, our weekly food blog updates have been a little sporadic lately. But not to fret, we won’t let you miss a thing! Here’s a redux of this week’s happenings on our favorite food blogs. »READ MORE

Alright we admit it, our weekly food blog updates have been a little sporadic lately. But not to fret, we won’t let you miss a thing! Here’s a redux of this week’s happenings on our favorite food blogs.

»READ MORE

Our favorite urban grocery at Phoenix Public Market is turning one! To celebrate, the market is throwing the Urban Grocery and Wine Bar a birthday party today, October 27, fully loaded with everyone’s favorite part of any B-day party, cake and ice-cream. The market will be celebrating local food, local small-scale agriculture and local artists inside Downtown Phoenix’s first grocery store in 30 years.
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Farmer’s market-ed out yet? Good, us neither (obviously). The bi-weekly downtown Phoenix Public Market has, as you may know, expanded into an indoor Urban Grocery and Wine Bar. Don’t worry, the open air market still takes place Wednesdays and Saturdays, but the newer Grocery and Wine Bar offers a market experience five days a week. It gets better, as of August they are offering a CSM (Community Supported Market) card that shoppers are able to purchase online or in store to get an even bigger bang for their buck. Find out how after the jump.

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Top Chef: The Tour is bringing its pan-searing, serrated-knife-wielding, apron-clad foodie-ness to the Phoenix Public Market.

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