Jaime's Local Love Podcast

In this episode, owner, Denise McCreery, talks about community, candy, and Arizona wine. She opens up about building D’Vine Gourmet in downtown Chandler, a shop that showcases more than 100 Arizona makers. From in-store candy-making to wine jellies and an upcoming Arizona Wine Tasting Experience, Denise shares how collaboration keeps local business thriving.  MORE INFO: https://stores.d...

Anime is huge in Arizona. On this episode, we talk to our Arizona's Family anime expert/3 p.m. producer Jonathan Fisher about the rise in popularity of Dungeons and Dragons, anime camps, and conventions in town. Fisher tells us a personal story about how a local shop called Gamers Guild created an instant community when he was new in town. We'll also tell you what events are coming up this spring...

In this episode, we talk to owner and jewelry designer Taylor Rae Archer. She was an early entrepreneur, selling lemonade at five years old, she owned a boutique while attending ASU, and then had her own digital marketing company for a decade before creating her jewelry line. Rad + Rae is now in 250 stores across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Archer studied metalsmithing at ASU and keeps her pieces...

The WMPO is here! At Arizona's Family, many of us regard it as one of our favorite weeks of the year. Meteorologist/"Mayor of the Open" Ian Schwartz and Arizona's Family Sports' Nick King give us some pro tips to the tournament. Nick break down which golfers to watch, where to watch and what is the best day if you really want to watch the golf. Ian tells us how to beat the crowds at the entrance t...

Audra Waddle went from designing pools to re-homing feral bees. Now her business, AZ Queen Bee, has a full line of food products and healing salves, all made from local Arizona honey. She says she loves the community bees create and how they take care of each other. Waddle tells us about the special scent the Queen Bee emits to promote peace and tranquility that's unique to her hive. We also learn...

Jason Asher is a big name in the Phoenix cocktail world. He's one of the masterminds of Counter Intuitive, which first put Arizona on the cocktail map, and a creator of Century Grand. Now he is doing something new. As the president of Juniper & Jigger Hospitality, he's developing cocktail programs for national brands and helping others to bring their ideas to fruition. On this episode, he tell...

The Hotel Valley Ho is a favorite for many Valley locals because of its mid-century modern design, food and wine events and pool parties. And you'll dine well too when you're there at the hotel restaurant Zuzu. In this episode, we meet Chef Russell LaCasce and his wife, and Valley native, Simona. Hear how the two met in culinary school, the history behind the name Zuzu, and how family milestones m...

Chef Rochelle Daniel of Atria in Flagstaff named her restaurant Atria because she says food is at the heart of life. I n this episode, we learn how the Valley native was lured up to the high country to open her restaurant, how the acclaimed chef found love with a top Arizona mixologist, and how eggs should be the foundation of every chef's repertoire. Chef Rochelle zooms with us from her wine cell...

A purse maker and glass blower find love! In Jaime's Local Love the podcast, we talk with Madalyn Nault of Madalyn Nault Accessories and her husband Daniel Shircliff of Primitive Glass. Both artists create functional art like wallets, bags, glasses and lamps. They tell us about the unique struggle and great understanding that comes with both of them being creative business owners. Hear how Madalyn...

Chef Joey Maggiore is known for his flashy restaurants, good food and great mood. When you dine at The Italiano, The Mexicano, The Sicilian Butcher, Hash Kitchen, or The Delicatessen, it is an immersive experience made to create memories. In this episode, we learn that Chef Joey handles the menu, and Cristina handles the design. The Maggiore Group has five concepts, with 24 locations across four s...

Good style should feel easy. That's the motto at Rooster Bus. It's a men's retail store with locations in Old Town Scottsdale and Flagstaff—and of course, they have their iconic bus too. In this episode, we talk to owner Mark Moffett about his decades in men's retail with Buckle, his expansion into hat stores with TopIt and how he built what he calls Scottsdale's smallest bar inside his clot...

With seven restaurants in the Valley, Chef Christopher Collins really knows how to multi-task! In this episode, we talk about how his love of food started as a little boy in the kitchen with his father, Wally, also a chef and restaurateur. Collins now owns Collins Brothers Public House, Grassroots Kitchen and Tap, Wally's American Gastropub, Sweet Provisions, The Collins Small Batch Kitchen, The M...

In this episode, we meet third generation Arizona entrepreneur Shannon Woodruff of The Green Kitchen. She's turning her nine-month-old meal prep company into a million-dollar business. Woodruff cooks and delivers single, double, and family sized meals to her customers to make eating healthy simple and joyful. Woodruff says she healed herself from Epstein-Barr virus and heavy metal toxicity by eati...

It all started with one picture from a cabin in Prescott ten years ago and blew up to a full-blown production house. We meet Welcome to Arizona founders Jesus Vicente and Luis Gonzalez. Their Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok pages highlight Arizona and all the beautiful things there are to see and do here. The team has grown from two brothers and their brother-in-law to a team of eight using...

For decades, you've seen Home Depot Debbie light up the screen on Good Morning Arizona showing off ways to upgrade your home. It turns out that creativity rubs off, or maybe it's hereditary! In this episode, we talk to Debbie Hernandez about her long career in home improvement and her daughter, Sabrina Hernandez, about her growing business as an events planner. Hear more about Sabrina's one-stop s...

This is a very big week in Arizona with the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race. We are getting some rules of the road from AZ Family sports producer and resident NASCAR fan, Matt Hippe. He tells us how to take great pictures while you're there, about his spin around the track with Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett, and the personal story of Valley athlete, Kellen Mills, who is now a...

Luv Luxe is bringing change to the resale space. In this episode, we meet Sydnie Cadenas, the founder of Luv Luxe in Scottsdale. In a world where many designer pre-loved bags are consigned, she diverted from that traditional model to offer an immediate upfront payment to  the sellers. Cadenas says when you buy from Luv Luxe, you get a lifetime guarantee that you bought an authentic designer b...

Quench your thirst with chef-crafted blends and real fruit when you crack open a mason jar of lemonade from AZ Lemonade Stand. In this episode, we learn how owner, Kyle Hollenbeck and his business partner and childhood friend Tom D'Ambrosio grew the business from a COVID hobby to a big business that's finding its way into grocery stores and convenience stores near you. Hollenbeck and D'Ambrosio al...

A frozen bean and cheese burrito is locally made and trending on social media. In this episode, we talk to Hank Murphy of Bad Hambres. The Phoenix native grew up eating with the family at Los Dos Molinos and although he followed a corporate career, he was obsessed with cooking beans! After a long kayaking trip, he just wanted a bean and cheese burrito, so he set out to create the best one tha...

Have you been to Undertow, Platform 18 or The Grey Hen Rx? They are experiential cocktail bars in Phoenix that transport you to the belly of a spice ship, a train ride, and an apothecary. In this episode, we talk to EVP of Operations of Barter and Shake (the company behind these three bars), Mat Snapp. He tells us how he used his Creative Writing degree from Arizona State University to help write...

Salt + Lime Modern Mexican Grill goes viral every year for their extravagant Christmas decor. When the holidays come, the team rallies as there is a line out the door to see what owner, Sandra Van Deraa has come up with next. In this episode, we learn Van Deraa was working in mortgages when she started picking up shifts in the restaurant industry to make ends meet. When she got an incredible offer...

In Jaime's Local Love: The Podcast, we meet the owners of Monsoon Market and Strip Mall. Michela Ricci and Koral Casillas met while working at Dutch Bros here in the Valley. They found their matched work ethic and mad love for Phoenix made them a great duo to open a really cool store packed with all their favorite things. We're talking fresh flowers, hard to find snacks, bags, sunglasses, and nona...

Do you know what's in the products you are putting on your skin? In this episode, we talk to the owner of Citrine Natural Beauty Bar, Melissa Lenburg. She says she cured herself from an auto-immune disease by taking a hard look at the ingredients in her make up. She says the ingredients you put on your face and body can impact your health more than you think. She tells us the one ingredient we sho...

It's long been the Boy Scout motto and it's a personal mantra for Chef Matt Carter. In this episode, we learn Carter grew up in Arizona. He now owns and operates highly regarded Valley restaurants: Fat Ox, The Mission and Zinc Bistro, each exploring their takes on Italian, Spanish, and French cuisine. Carter admits that while he needed some guidance in his youth, he always wanted the next pro...

In this episode, we talk to Danielle Anderson and Maureen Aldrich of Blue Zones Project Scottsdale. It is a community-driven well-being initiative inspired by the lifestyles of the world's longest living people. L earn about The Power 9 and why you may want to add more downshifting, walking, and connection to your life. Blue Zones Project Scottsdale will help you do so with planned events and acti...