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.dvinegourmet.com/

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 and summer and list off Fisher's favorite local anime stores in the Valley. 

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 around the $30 mark so more people can enjoy them. She also dishes on a major shift in jewelry trends she predicts in 2026.

https://radandrae.com/

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 about the healing properties of honey and about a lecture series with author/alternative health advocate Barbara O'Neill February 24-28, 2026 and how you can attend.

https://azqueenbee.com/

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 tells us how he hopes to inspire up-and-coming mixologists through travel and exposure. Learn more about how the Valley native started his first company with a couple of friends and what he calls a pocket full of change that started a cocktail movement in the Valley! And the new project he's working on right now. 

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 make their mark on the menu.  

Chef Rochelle Daniel of Atria in Flagstaff named her restaurant Atria because she says food is at the heart of life. In 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 cellar and spills the tea on some major expansions and tells us what she loves to learn from her fellow chefs.

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 can personalize items using material you supply, like maybe a piece of wedding dress or old shirt, about Daniel's surprise driveway pop ups, plus how they keep going by letting each other "spin out" from time to time.

https://www.madalynnaultaccessories.com/
https://www.primitiveglass.com/

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 states.  We discuss the Maggiore's love of serving, Joey's gold chains, and what Joey wanted to do differently than his father. Plus, the Maggiores drop some hints on a new concept they're working on right now. 

https://www.maggioregroup.com/

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 clothing store. At Rooster Bus, Mark fills his shops with casual yet stylish clothing like jeans, flannels, and t-shirts to make looking good easy for his shoppers. Plus, learn how a certain hat rack they use seems to boost sales!!

https://shoptherooster.com/

https://topitonline.com/

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 Macintosh, The Neighborly, and Arcadia Catering Company. Collins shares how he gets it all done while raising two boys with his wife, Melissa—through laser focus on the present. He spills the tea on a new concept he's creating and on how to make a crowd favorite dish at your next family dinner. 
https://www.commongroundculinary.com/

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 phones, cameras, and drones to tell their stories. They give us the details on the equipment and techniques you can use to grow your business online, how they find the places and businesses to showcase, and they tell us what's still on their bucket lists in Arizona.

Learn more: https://www.welcometoarizona.co/about-welcome-to-arizona-2
Instagram: @welcometoarizona

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 top talent on the pit crew.  We'll also talk local restaurants and things to do in Avondale and the West Valley. 

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 bag whether it's Chanel, Louis Vuitton, or Hermes bag. Hear how she started with just $3,000 in savings from her childhood bedroom, why she wants to take intimidation out of luxury buying,  and her passion for treating her buyers and sellers fairly. https://luvluxe.com/

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 also own Aoli Burger, commercial kitchens, and handle food and beverage at Turf Paradise. Hear how the Valley natives found success and their quest to expand their zero sugar zero calorie line of sweet lemonade.  
https://azlemonadestand.com/

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 that you could pull out of your home freezer. But first, he had to convince his wife that his burritos were competitive with those already on the market. So, with a spreadsheet and more than a dozen grocery store burritos, they two taste-tested until they decided his was the winner. Hear about the challenges of expanding batch recipes, navigating social media demand, and the new growth and FLAVORS to come for Bad Hambres. 

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 the origin story of Undertow and how the EVP of Operations title can translate to melting shoes on a hot Arizona rooftop.

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, she took it and ran, now owning Salt + Lime and growing it to three Valley locations. Hear how she uses her old cheer coach experience to lead a team, her "must have" menu items, and how to get a table during that coveted Christmas season.
https://www.saltandlimeaz.com/

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 nonalcoholic options. Something you won't see on the shelves but will feel at the store is great emphasis on community and intention. They hold yoga, podcast recordings, and wine and snack tastings in their space. And with their coffee making prowess, they opened a coffee shop across the parking lot called Strip Mall.

https://monsoonmrkt.com/
https://stripmallphx.com/

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 promotion in the kitchen, so he focused on being prepared and learning a lot. Now enjoys mentoring others. Carter walks us through some of his personal favorites at his restaurants and tells us how he may have broken some rules to get his first job in the kitchen.
https://www.chefmattcarter.com/