One of the many joys of a freelancing career is contributing to many media: national, books, magazines, websites, ezines and newspapers. Stories such as this one are uniquely pleasing for many reasons, including furthering the success of local newspapers in large and small communities. When the internet first blossomed, the death of print media was widely foretold and extolled, even in print! But local papers, which celebrate the achievements of young people such as Christopher and Mikayala in this story on an annual Greek food and cultural event, are thriving. By focusing on neighbors, they reassert the importance of community events and the people who live just next door or just a block away.

Scottsdale restaurateurs Linda Nash and Steve Rosenfield opened their first Barrio Queen in 2011 in Old Town Scottsdale, bringing authentic southern Mexican cuisine and culture to the Valley. They now have three locations and are planning Tempe Marketplace and Queen Creek restaurants. “We have always enjoyed going to Mexico but for years we couldn’t find good Mexican food here at home. You’d find an American version instead,” Linda says. Signature dishes available at all three for lunch and dinner are the Chiles En Nogada, the Azteca Burrito and the Enchiladas Suizas. One guest recently said, “We haven’t had food this good since my grandmother’s.” So bring grandmom, and gramps, too!

Sima and Marcellino Verzino met at his Roma bar/bistro on New Year's Eve 1992, and their new lives began. After moving back to the states from his native Italy, the couple and partners opened Amarone in New York City, her birthplace. In Phoenix, they opened their first Valley restaurant on Northern Avenue in 2003. Today, their place in Old Town at Southbridge is thriving, serving favorites such as Porcini Fettuccine, Gnocchi al Pignatelli, Zuppa di Pesce Royale and chef’s handcrafted Tiramisu. “If I had to identify the characteristics that set chef apart,” says Sima, who also sings there every week. "They are respect: for centuries-old recipes, their authenticity; love: never wavering from what he feels in his heart is right; tenacity: his leadership skills in teaching to impart his culinary wisdom; and his steadfast belief in who he is and what he represents.”

Ten days into his job as president and CEO of now 50-year-old St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance in Phoenix, Tom Kertis received an e-mail from a man living near Tuba City on the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona. His brother had lost sight in his right eye and had had his right foot amputated; the loss of the other eye and foot was imminent. They were living week to week; they were hungry. “I am writing to ask if there is any way you can assist us with a little food; I am not talking about much,” the man continued. “I’ve never asked for help before.” St. Mary’s contacted the Sisters of St. Jude, an agency partner in the area, and arranged for that help. “If we’re not here, what happens to that man?” Kertis asks. “Does this man and his brother fall through the cracks? It hit me like a ton of bricks. We’re changing people’s lives –– maybe even saving people’s lives.”

Five distinguished Arizona wineries are dining together superlatively. They’re each bringing a proprietary wine, perhaps a few bottles, and they’ve selected a favorite restaurant and a signature dish. The distinguished vintner diners are Rod Keeling, Keeling Schaefer Vineyards, Pearce (Short Ribs, Cafe Roka, Bisbee); Kent Callaghan, Callaghan Vineyards, Elgin (Pan Roasted Duck Breast, Overland Trout, Sonoita); Eric Glomski, Page Springs Cellars, Cornville (Harry’s Hideaway Restaurant, Cornville); MJ Keenan, Caduceus Cellars, Jerome (Watermelon Gazpacho, Seed Restaurant, Cottonwood); and Sam Pillsbury, Pillsbury Wine Company, Cottonwood (Rosemary Scented Smoked Venison Tenderloin, Different Pointe of View, Phoenix).Mangia! Salut! Let the wining/dining begin, Grand Canyon State style.

The Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa on the Gila River Indian Community outside Phoenix, Kai (“seed”) remains, six years on, Arizona’s only AAA Five-Diamond/Forbes Five-Star restaurant. Featuring “Native American with Global Influences” cuisine prepared by Chef de Cuisine Joshua Johnson and staff, Kai celebrates local and regional cuisine in an atmosphere that is exceptional, sophisticated, sacred. In Zagat 2013 America’s Top Restaurants Survey, Kai earned the highest rating as the best food-rated restaurant for Phoenix/Scottsdale, and Kai has also received recognition from OpenTableDiners’ Choice Awards as the #1 Best Restaurant in the United States for service. Kai hosts themed wine dinners; its lead sommelier, Thomas Klafke, and Chef Johnson  offer pairings with wines from, in this instance, fine Italian vineyards.

Cafés, eateries and beer gardens have become go-to places for the big day. In Scottsdale, you and your nuptials crew can elope to Brat Haus in Old Town Scottsdale, which features artisan sausage, burgers, salads, Belgian fries, homemade pretzels, European-influenced Haus specialties and more than 25 craft beers on tap. “All brats are made in house using only Niman Ranch pork for an all-natural, gluten-free dining experience you won’t find anywhere else,” says Ben Schwirck, Certified Cicerone® for the restaurant. “You and your friends and family can enjoy German, Belgian and North American craft beer in the expansive outdoor beer garden, with games like ping pong, tether ball, life-size Jenga and darts to keep everyone in the group happy.” Matrimagnificent!

Abeer Besharieh (“blessing”), the Tequila Goddess at the Fairmont Princess in Scottsdale, knows an Anejo from a Super Anejo. Because of this, she oversees her domain at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess with meticulous care, wisdom and joy for the increasingly popular drink from Mexico. Also at the festive destination resort, Forest Hamrick, chef de cuisine at La Hacienda, its exceptional Mexican restaurant, has paired five premium sips and dishes, starters to dessert. “The more I sip, the more I learn about tequila, and the more I visit the motherland of tequila, the more I fall in love with this elegant spirit,” Besharieh says. “I love tequila because it’s more than just another spirit; it has its own culture, art and traditions.”

Zappone’s Italian Bistro to Gilbert is a neighborhood restaurant incorporating culinary influences from family Calabrian and Sicilian recipes. Dina Zappone’s parents are from Sicily, and Sal’s from Calabria. She grew up helping out at the family pizzerias in Las Vegas and has worked at The Mirage Hotel as well as in Portland, learning about the Oregon wine trade. He lived in the Napa Valley and served with James Beard master chef, Alex Stratta, in Las Vegas and Chef Michael D’Maria in Phoenix. Every other month, Zappone’s schedules deliciously paired wine dinners benefitting a different charity. Here the couple suggests a few fine Italian wines matched with some of their outstanding entrées.

For Valentine’s Day, we’re riding the spectacular Verde Canyon Railroad and enjoying fine wine, and chocolates, on the way.From the depot in Clarkdale, about an hour and a half north of the Valley, the scenic train runs year-round through the sublime Verde Canyon, offering riders eons of geology, red rock cliffs like those of nearby world-destination Sedona, Native American ruins, classic railroad trestles, a 680-foot man-made tunnel and a riparian habitat, where eagles make their nests. Since 1990, more than one million passengers have enjoyed the four hour roundtrip journey on the standard-gauge railroad. This is definitely the ticket for a day’s adventure. Cabs and cabooses: All aboard!

AAA Five Diamond Scottsdale getaway, the Fairmont Princess, celebrating 26 years of luxury this year, with 649 guest rooms, including 69 Fairmont Gold rooms and suites, five pools, Well & Being at Willow Stream Spa, tennis, golf and award-winning cuisine, including Michael Mina’s superlative Bourbon Steak. Frank Schneider, general manager, Chris Curtiss, executive chef, and Master of Libations Chad Elsner, the Bourbon Steak team, recently paired a quintet of their cocktails with small bites from the restaurant and bar menus. Join us for a rare, well-done event!

Offering an extensive selection of tequilas and Southwestern, Mexican and Southern cuisine, TQLA recently opened a second location in Mesa, Ariz., southeast of Phoenix. The original site is in Houston. Four premium tequilas are served on tap, cooled to 5 degrees, and dishes include crawfish and spinach enchiladas, tableside guacamole, pumpkin-seed-crusted salmon and the signature Cuatro Leches for dessert. TQLA Partner Scott Lindsey, a certified Tequilier, recently discussed what has been the national beverage of Mexico for more than 200 years, selecting five of his favorite 100% tequilas from among the various aging classifications. ¡Salud!

“Michael [De Loach] and I met about five years ago,” recalls Lori Eccles, whose family owns Sun Devil Liquors in Mesa. “He was in Arizona kicking off his new winery, Hook & Ladder, and my sales rep from the beverage company called me to make an appointment to try some ‘new wines from the De Loach family.’ Why not?” They met, they quaffed, they flirted — and, this June, they will be they married amidst the vines of Hook & Ladder in viticulturally famed Sonoma County. Michael, whose dad founded DeLoach Vineyards, missed the first wine tasting they had discussed. But, “Michael made it to the tasting the next month, and we went to dinner and just had this awesome connection,” Eccles says, “and we have been together ever since.” The oenophilic honeymooners joyously suggest some wine blends to celebrate the nuptials. Please uncork responsibly.

Supporting the research and educational goals of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, wine managers from the four Valley Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bars each suggest a pink wine: a French sparkler; a fruit-forward variety from Washington; a crisp, dry California Rosé; and an Arizona White Merlot. Bruce Duffy, wine manager at Fleming’s Chandler enjoys Etude, Pinot Noir Rosé Carneros, 2011. Marc Bescak, operating partner at Fleming’s North Scottsdale at DC Ranch, likes the Charles & Charles Rosé, Washington, 2011. A Langlois Cremant de Loire Brut Rosé, France NV, is the choice of Frank Shulman, the wine manager at Fleming’s Scottsdale. And, a Kokopelli White Merlot is a favorite pink of Chase Harland, wine manager, Fleming’s Peoria.

Here are some Hole-in-One Choices for matching wines and vittles.The Scottsdale Plaza Resort, on 40 acres beneath Camelback Mountain, features 404 guest rooms — including 180 premiere suites — and a variety of amenities. For more than 35 years, the hospitality campus has welcomed many guests to Scottsdale and the Valley of the Sun, many of them golfers, who enjoy the Valley’s 200-plus golf courses and the Scottsdale Plaza’s own 9-hole putting green.Ken Kochenash, executive sous chef at its Remington’s restaurant, teams with the resort’s executive chef, Armour Black, and Jim Sullivan, CSW, the wine and spirits manager, to pair wines to lunch and dinner entrées to enjoy before or after you enjoy some other rewarding courses. Tee up, taste, tipple.

Since opening in 1985, The Boulders, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, has been one of Arizona’s, and the world’s, premiere destinations — and a destination itself for superlative cuisine and spirits. Etched into 12-million-year-old granite boulders on 1,300 acres in the Sonoran Desert foothills of Carefree, just north of Scottsdale, the resort offers a variety of dining experiences, including the Palo Verde Restaurant, adjacent to the sixth fairway and the serene duck pond. The Southwestern-style bistro is open daily for hotel guests and visitors and features an outstanding menu and wine list. Bernard Philippe, the resort’s director of Food & Beverage, suggests some fine wines to taste while enjoying the boulders, the links, the ducks and the food. The Boulders rocks!

Good wines rub you the right way. And superb spas. Two sister Valley of the Sun resorts, the historic Hotel Valley Ho in downtown Scottsdale and Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa overlooking Paradise Valley, feature stand-out spas and award-winning chefs who here suggest some wines that pair well with both relaxing treatments and their gustatory joys. Following an $80 million renovation and addition to its mid-century-modern 1956 structure, the landmark Hotel Valley Ho re-opened in 2005, with ZuZu, an American restaurant under Chef Charles Wiley, and the 8,000-square-foot VH Spa for Vitality + Health. A few minutes away, Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain features the Asian-inspired Sanctuary Spa and elements restaurant, overseen by ebullient Chef Beau MacMillan, a Red Soxs fan who nevertheless also serves Yankees fans.

Two Scottsdale restaurants, SASSI and Cask 63 American Eatery & Wine Bar, suggest some special-occasion wines — but worth the expense. In North Scottsdale, SASSI, guests enjoy the food inspired by trattorias from Napoli and Bari to Catania as well as the area’s landmark granite formations. Under General Manager Stephen Plunkett and Executive Chef Christopher Nicosia, the award winning culinary team prepares handmade pasta, local and organic vegetables and fine meats and seafood. Just south, Cask 63, which celebrates its first year January 2013, is led by Executive Chef Brian Feirstein. Amidst a modern, casual atmosphere, chef prepares eclectic American cuisine for a clientele of local businesspeople, shoppers, daters and rendezvous-ers. Sassy!

This outstanding restaurant has recently opened in the booming Scottsdale Quarter center, adding luxury, an expanded menu and poolside rooftop dining to the traditional steakhouse experience. However you like your steaks, this place is rare and well done.

KAI is the Pima word for seed — and the name of the signature restaurant at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa on the Gila Indian community south of Phoenix. Arizona’s only AAA Five-Diamond/Forbes Five-Star dining experience, KAI celebrates the culture and history of Native American cuisine, offering celebrated dishes whose ingredients derive from Native American communities throughout the United States. Sandy Garcia, a former chef de cuisine at KAI, talks about his background, his inspired culinary art and how “the seed” represents the community's connection with the land and its capacity to supply nourishment and life.

Inimtable oenophile Greg Tresner, MS, at The Phoenician, the Forbes Four Star resort in Phoenix, chooses six wines that have a home in his stellar wine cellar and, are, in addition, healthfully good for you. He calls them “Wines with Vitamins.” He joined The Phoenician staff in 1998, having worked at award-winning restaurants Café Terra Cotta in Tucson and the Flagstaff House in Boulder, Colo. Soon after coming to The Phoenician, he became the state’s first Master Sommelier. Awarded by the American Chapter of the Court of Master Sommeliers, this designation remains the highest recognition of wine, liquor and beverage service and professionalism. Here are wines purportedly full of nature’s “vitamins.” Not hard pills to swallow, for sure.

Part restaurant, part ultra-lounge, the before- and after-hours Scottsdale centerpiece features artfully presented small plates by Chef Johnny Chu, and handcrafted cocktails.The focal point of the interior is the vault door of the former bank building, while other design details evoke a Hollywood Regency influence. The 4,500-square-foot patio, for dining and drinking and fitted with resort-style cabanas, is the largest al fresco space in Old Town Scottsdale. Chef Johnny and staff prepare pan-Asian tapas such as Loganberry Shrimp with a spicy peanut dipping sauce and Wasabi Sliders, charcoal grilled beef marinated in onions, peppers, curry seasoning topped with pickled wasabi. Three cheers for The Mint's three bars, including a specialty champagne bar in the co-ed bathroom.