20 AUGUST 2022 PIE SNOB When Traci Wilbur opened Pie Snob in 2008, it was a small operation running out of her home kitchen. After a year, she realized she needed more space, so she enlisted the help of her husband – who works as a contractor – to convert their garage and his wood shop into a commercial kitchen. “People came to my house to pick up their pies until we opened our first retail location on Indian School Road in 2017,” Wilbur said. Wilbur’s mom was always the Thanksgiving pie maker in the family, and she would bake with her mother and grandmother when Wilbur was young. Their guidance – and help from their recipes – assisted Wilbur in achieving the success Pie Snob has today. Within the shop is a rotating and seasonal menu of 30+ pie flavors and 20+ cheesecake flavors in any given week. The number of pies they make can vary from 60 to 300 a day, depending on the season. O.H.S.O., Little O’s, Pie and Wine, Wally’s, Black Cat Coffee, The Stillery, Cock N’ Tails and Faraway Wine all carry Pie Snob treats. Insider tip: Try the savory chive cheesecake Pie Snob makes for Faraway – Wilbur says it’s delicious; she also mentioned the apple crumb pie has always been their best seller. “I think we are unique because we make a lot of flavors that are unusual and nostalgic to many people,” Wilbur said. “We started making rhubarb and strawberry rhubarb for our customers that were visiting from the Midwest, and it has become a seasonal favorite. We like to make the pies that your grandma used to make.” Pie Snob is moving their local shop to 40 th St. and Indian School, next to 40 th St. Pizza. “We have a tentative move-in date the beginning of August. It’s a much bigger space, and we are thrilled about that,” Wilbur said. Pie Snob has two other locations: 6522 N. 16th St. and 250 S. Arizona Ave. in Chandler. piesnob.com NOBLE BREAD Noble Bread opened in 2012, thanks to owner Jason Raducha’s desire to share the bread he grew up with, with the community. “Being from Chicago, there are a lot of ethnic influences on the food and culture. One item that I struggled to find was bread outside of the store,” Raducha said. This was the inspiration that started Noble Bread – that and the fact that Raducha was looking to change careers at the time. “The definition of noble is ‘of excellent or superior quality.’ That is what we try to do with each and every item we bake,” Raducha said. “We choose outstanding ingredients that we find are best in class and turn those simple items into the loaves and pastries we are proud of.” The first location to offer Noble Bread was the North Central Farmers Market – it no longer exists, but they can now be found at several farmers markets around the Valley. The number and variety of baked goods is always changing, according to Raducha. There are currently seven different hamburger buns, five types of signature country bread, a handful of pastry selections and various traditional items like ciabatta, baguettes and sliced bread. Noble Bread also houses a dine-in bakery at 4525 N. 24th St. in the Biltmore District. The eatery is best known for its sandwiches and salads. One of the most popular items is the house-made hummus, made with organic garbanzo beans and served with pide , their take on a Turkish pita. Raducha said that the country bread is the most popular and what he considers the signature item. “It’s what put us on the map in Phoenix. It’s an all-organic loaf, made with U.S. grown grains that takes us around three days to make,” he said. “We take our time with everything we do. From using slow fermentation, natural cultures, growing our own yeasts and using the most traditional old-school techniques. Most of our work is still all done by hand. One loaf at a time.” At this time, Noble is only available at the bakery and in some Valley eateries. Raducha said they are looking to expand their reach soon. noblebread.com THE SCOOP In July, Chef Christopher Collins and his restaurant group, Common Ground Culinary, opened their latest endeavor, Collins Bros. Chophouse . Guests will find a la carte cuts of meat, seafood and craft cocktails at the eatery on the northwest corner of Hayden Road and Via De Ventura inside The Village at Hayden Plaza. collinsbrosaz.com A few local restaurants unveiled their summer menu items: Tomaso’s (3225 E. Camelback Road) three- course summer dinner menu will be served Sunday through Thursday and includes dishes like prosciutto and melon and lobster cioppino (pasta). The dinner is $50 per person. tomasos.com Nook (4231 E. Indian School) has a summer menu with a plethora of apps, entrees and desserts. Guests can try the burrata, shrimp scampi, duroc pork chop, NOOKie and top it off with the new Hai Ball or People to Impress cocktails. nookkitchen.com Papi Gordo’s (3623 E. Indian School Road) new menu items include a tomahawk ribeye, molcajate surf and turf, chipotle shrimp, and more. papigordos.com CRUjiente Tacos’ (3961 E. Camelback Road) new items include golden gazpacho, a heirloom tomato-based soup, shareable grilled street corn and a vegetarian fried green tomato taco with baby arugula, sweet peppers, and a green chile vinaigrette. crutacos.com Pumpkin, pecan and cherry pies. Key lime cheesecake. House made Hummus. Heirloom tomato salad.

21 AUGUST 2022 By Mallory Gleich It started when 10-year-old Elliot and eight- year-old Weston Lovill were heading home from a trash pick-up excursion with their dad, Adam, last year. During the drive, the duo decided to brainstorm other ideas to do their part in helping the environment, and an idea took shape. This summer, that idea came to fruition in the form of the Manor Earth Compost Club. The Lovill family has been composting for around five years, so the kids already had some idea of what their business should focus on. To start the club, Elliot and Weston first had to answer some questions: Why should people care about composting? Why should someone pay to compost? How much to charge? How does the process work? Once they had a business plan, the family set to work on marketing. Elliot and Weston created flyers and went door-to-door in their neighborhood to inform folks about their new endeavor. “Many people don’t know where to start regarding sustainability. ‘It’s too complex and daunting, or someone else will take care of it.’ The kids wanted to show that everyone in every neighborhood can do something as small as composting to make an impact,” Adam said. “We knew people would want to know about composting and our pricing, so we made sure to include details about both of those things,” Elliot said. “We did a little research and used facts in our sales pitch. Our dad helped a little, too.” The mission of Manor Earth Compost Club is to offer sustainable solutions to Suncrest neighborhood’s immediate neighbors. Keeping the customers in close range decreases the club’s carbon footprint. “In today’s society, so much business is about maximum expansion and growth at any cost. Manor Earth is about offering solutions to our neighbors in Suncrest Manor. The hyperlocal focus allows us to serve our community meaningfully,” Adam said. There are two goals for this business: the first is to help Elliot and Weston build confidence and show them that they have the skills, knowledge and drive to maintain a business – on top of learning skills like marketing, company finances and payroll. The second is to continue to have an impact in their neighborhood by informing and inspiring others to think about sustainability and the environment. “Compost keeps items from going to landfills. Only about five percent of all compostable material gets composted. The other 95 percent (roughly 750 pounds per family per year) go to the landfill,” Adam said. “They’re notorious for producing harmful gasses. Composting takes many items that would otherwise end up in a landfill and puts them through a natural decomposition process that creates nutrient- rich soil.” Adam explained that Manor Earth produces zero emissions in its services and product. “Once the compost is ready, we walk it directly to customers with other goods from our garden. This type of business could go on for eternity with zero negative impact on the environment,” he said. Weston said that his favorite part is helping people reduce their carbon footprint. On the other hand, Elliot loves engaging with the neighborhood and sending out the “Welcome to the Compost Club” email, as well as going around and picking up compost bins each week. “It’s been exciting to try something new and engage with our neighbors. It’s a little scary to knock on doors and do our sales pitch, and we don’t want to mess up the composting,” Elliot said. “I’m so excited to see how the business works,” Weston added. Adam said that the trio’s services only cost a couple dollars a month and that the response from the neighborhood has been “unbelievable.” “The kids are inspiring others to show that anyone, regardless of age, can take action to help fight climate change,” he said. To learn more, follow @TheManorEarth on Instagram. Doing their part to help save the world through composting Weston and his sister Elliot decided to start a composting business to help their neighbors learn more about the environment and how they can help. PHOTO: ADAM LOVILL THE TRIO EXPLAINS THE PROCESS Compost needs four things: green items like fruit, veggies and coffee grounds high in nitrogen, and brown stuff like leaves, shredded newspaper or paper towels. There should be a ratio of four-parts brown to one-part green. The other two components are air and water. The compost should be as damp as a wrung-out sponge (give it some water a couple of times a week). Turn the pile occasionally to provide it with air. In a couple of months, you’ll have “the best soil out there!” Brown (Carbon) Cardboard Dead leaves Newpaper Egg cartons Untreated wood chips Toilet rolls Wood ash (not coal) Green (Nitrogen) Vegetable trimmings Fresh green leaves & shrub prunings Grass clippings Tea bags (biodegradable) Coffee filters Weeds (no seed heads) Dead flowers