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Don’t be surprised if the helpful staff at 24 Carrots ask, “Dessert first?” With lots of variety, you can pick from vegan, gluten free and raw treats. Owner and Chef Sasha Raj’s favorite (and a big customer favorite too) is the Antoine Cake, a vegan cake made with chocolate, almonds and coconut topped with a vegan caramel sauce that is excellent all on its own, or especially decadent topped with fresh berries. Also worth a try are the caramel pecan blondies and the raw carrot cake cheesecake.

A self-proclaimed reluctant baker, Raj said she was a “bad baker out of a box” but when a desperate vegan customer came in looking to order her daughter’s birthday cake, that all changed. Having never baked a vegan cake before and with the voice in her head screaming “No!” she said “Yes.”

A cake for 70? Yes. With green frosting? Yes. And flowers? Yes. What about flying butterflies? Sure. Forty hours later, saying “Never again,” Raj created her first vegan cake complete with the flying butterflies. And three years later she is still at it.

Her bakery case has expanded beyond cakes to a constant rotation of sweet options made with the Valley’s seasonal produce, and her values shine through each one.

“People assume if it says ‘vegan’ that it won’t taste good. So here we try our best to make the food look beautiful, appetizing and filling. We spend a lot of time not just on the appearance of the food, but also on the sheer quality of the ingredients that are going in. When someone has eaten, they should feel full. They should feel satiated and that is the real measure. Is it beautiful? Is it delicious? Is it nutritious? If you’ve done those three things then people will come back,” said Raj.

Pleasantly situated on the corner of Chandler Avenue in Tempe, 24 Carrots is open all week long offering juices, smoothies, baked goods, lunch, Sunday brunch and soon, dinner.

By Ashley Betz / Photo by Heather Gill

6th Street Market in Downtown Tempe offers a variety of goods, from produce, to art and jewelry to vintage goods. Live music adds to the ambiance at this gathering of local Tempe artisans and makers.

Open Sundays from late October–early April: 10am–3pm at 6th Street Park

Photo courtesy of Downtown Tempe Authority (DTA)

This weeknight market offers a variety of local goods including produce, juices, baked goods, coffee, tea, breads, hummus/sauces and more in the city center. Includes live music.

Photo courtesy of Arizona Center Farmers Market

Arrowhead Farmers Market has much to offer, including: produce, bakery items, cheese, meats, tamales, honey, pickles and much more! Food trucks are onsite; grab a coffee and snack while exploring the rotating vendors. The market is held year-round each Saturday. June-August hours: 8 – 11 am; September – May hours: 9 am – 2 pm.

Open on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm October to May, and 7am to 10:30am summer months of June to September.

Enjoy local, fresh produce and goods during this convenient weekday summer market.

Market open Thursdays, 3pm to 6pm, June to October.

Local handmade artisan goods, produce, tea, honey, bread and more are available at this weekly evening market. Dinner options are also available so you can grab a bite while exploring the offerings.

Thursdays from October–April; 4:30pm–7:30pm

Photo courtesy of Clark Park Farmers Market

Barbara and Bob Predmore, along with their son Brian, have managed the 87 acres of vineyard and winery since its establishment in 2002. Barbara found the land where the Verde River and Oak Creek join in Northern Arizona to be an ideal space for winemaking. Tours, tastings and a wine club are all a part of their offerings.

Photo by Jenelle Bonifield

This family-owned Arizona vineyard and winery is located on the Willcox Bench, and boasts delicious wines and knoweldgable staff. There are two tasting rooms; one is located on the vineyards in Willcox, and the other is in Clarkdale, Arizona. Wine club memberships are available, as well as appointments outside of the Thursday to Sunday hours.

Photo by Jenelle Bonifield

Caduceus Cellar and Merkins Vineyard owner Maynard James Keenan (who also happens to be the lead vocalist of the band Tool) captures local and Arizona flavors through the many interesting wines available. Stop in for a tasting flight, food and snacks, and espresso. Wine club memberships are also available.

Photo by Jenelle Bonifield

Photo courtesy of Callaghan Vineyards

Photo courtesy of Carlson Creek Vineyards

Photo courtesy of Charron Vineyards

Four friends started this winery after gaining over 30 years experience from other wineries in the region. The two couples created a friendly, personable wine tasting experience at their current building in Clarkdale, Arizona. The wine selection isi created with their local Arizona-grown grapes. Wine club membership is available.

Photo by Jenelle Bonifield

Owner Ignacio Mesa started family-run Clear Creek Vineyard & Winery in 1999 in the fertile valley of West Clear Creek. Sustainable, organic grape growing methods are used in his production, with no chemical fertilizers. Many different vintage wines are offered, including Port, Sirah, Rio Claro Wines and more. The vineyards boast the designatoin of 1st AZ Winery Silvery Innovator Sustainable Certification.

Photo courtesy of Jenelle Bonifield

This family farm produces seasonal vegetables such as tomatoes, squash, okra, sweet corn and cucumbers, as well as fruits. Their specialty is peaches; You can catch their Peach Truck in markets throughout the Valley. Other items offered include pickles, honey, jams and fruit pies. 

Amadio Ranch's self-serve farm stand is open seven days a week from 7am to 7pm.

Owner David Vose was a chef before he was a farmer so you know he appreciates quality ingredients. You can pick up the fresh produce from his organic farm right at the farm store––where you will also find hand-gathered eggs, honey, jams and artisan products like kale chips and popcorn snacks. The store is open Wednesday to Friday 12:00pm-5:00pm and Saturdays 9:00am-3:00pm during the summer season. See their Facebook page for more details. 

CSA Program: Offers a certified organic farm box subscription that includes a discount at their farm store in Litchfield Park and their stands at farmers markets.

Delivery/Pickup Options: Multiple pickup options across the Valley

Add-ons: Eggs, jams, nuts, honey, additional produce

Cost: $23 per week for the past summer’s CSA; prices are determined season to season

Learn more: blueskyorganicfarms.com/csa/

Photo by Eliot Wexler

Anne grows provides fresh cut flowers straght from her garden. Roses are a speciality - among other offerings. Ad hoc, subscription and special-occasion orders for pickup at the garden, Main Street Harvest or via delivery.

Image by Debby Wolvos

Bene Vivendo (meaning "The Good Life") grows flowers, vegetables, herbs and fruit using organic methods. Featured items include edible flowers, hibiscus and dried-flower everlasting wreaths. Bene Vivendo brings produce and flowers to Uptown Phoenix Farmers Market on Saturdays and is a supplier to local restaurants and professional bakers and chefs. 

Offerings are seasonal, from October through July.

Bene Vivendo Grower Emily Heller is also a gardening teacher and consultant. 

Contact the grower:
Emily Heller
emily.bene.vivendo.arizona@gmail.com
Instagram @bene.vivendo

Photo courtesy of Bene Vivendo

Accomodations at this orchard and inn include various cozy rooms/casitas. Dining at the farm is focused on the use of local products, including fruits from the on-site orchard, and vegetables/herbs. Breakfast includes a delivery of fresh baked goods and coffee each morning to the door. Birding and hiking in the Aravaipa Canyon are great ways to enjoy the natural backdrop, as well as star gazing in the evenings.

Photo courtesy of Aravaipa Farms

100% of proceeds from the CSA, which includes organic, seasonal produce, benefit adults with autism.

CSA Program: Offers organically grown produce planted, cared for and prepared by adults with autism involved with Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center. Profits from CSA subscriptions benefit adults with autism. There is currently a waiting list to join this CSA program. 

Delivery/Pickup Options: Pickup at Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center in Phoenix

Cost: $200 for a 10-week season

Learn more: shopbeneficialbeans.org/order-csa-produce.html

Photo courtesy of Beneficial Beans/SARRC

This butchery offers hand cut beef, pork, chicken, lamb and charcuterie and more; all beef and lamb is grass fed and pasture raised, chicken is free range, and pork is all natural and non-GMO. The market works with ranchers who maintain sustainability practices in their production. Over 30 cuts of beef are offered, as well as a variety of pther cuts of meat.

Photo courtesy of Arcadia Meat Market

Fresh meats, seafoods, handmade tortillas and other groceries are available for purchase. There are plenty of takeout options, including carne asada tacos, pollo asado, mole and fresh chicharrones. Finish off your meal with an authentic Mexican sweet like dulce de leche or mazapán. 

Photo by Brian Goddard

The carniceria offers pork ribs, carnitas, barbacoa and more. The takeout counter provides meat combinations that come with sides of rice beans, and salsa, in addition to burritos and tacos. Family orders are also available. The fresh tortillas are authentic, and there are plentiful hot sauce options along with produce and other groceries in the store.

Photo by Brian Goddard

If you are looking for quality meat, Carniceria Sonora is the place to find it. Cut on the spot, all beef is 100% angus. If you're looking for grab and go, menudo, carnitas are available and marinated meats can be grilled to order. For dessert, there's a raspado bar and pre-packaged Mexican goods, including sweets.

Photo by Brian Goddard

Offering an array of  craft beer and wine, this store is the perfect place to stop if you're planning a dinner party -- or if you're thirsty to try something new with a side of tasty snacks. Alongside its beverages, the store offers charcuterie options, cheeses and local goods. They also offer a delivery service. Check their website for store and delivery hours throughout the week.

Photo courtesy of Arcadia Premium

This winery, located on 40 acres in southeastern Arizona, uses grapes from in-state, New Mexico and California to produce high quality balanced and complex wines at their family-owned facility. Tastings are available at their Scottsdale Tasting Room, as well as their Willcox Tasting Room.

Photo courtesy of Aridus Wine Company

Established in 2015, the Arizona Vignerons Alliance provides parameters for grape growing and wine production in the state. It also acts as a source of information for producers on variety growth per region and more. It overall seeks to promote Arizona-produced wines on a larger scale. Events are frequently calendared, including tastings, and certifications of wine that is 100% vinifera and 100% grown and produced in Arizona.

Photo courtesy of Nick Wilson Photography

Brothers Dave and Joseph produce these organic greenhouse-grown microgreens that have a large presence throughout the Valley in restaurants and at local farmers markets. Microgreen offerings include mixes such as a wellness mix and a radish mix, as well as other microgreens such as pea shoots, kale, onion, mustard and more. All add a fresh and healthful punch to salads, smoothies, sandwiches, and other dishes.

Photo courtesy of Arizona Microgreens

Photo by Art Holeman

Learn about worm composting, or simply buy compost, mulch, or castings here. You can also take a tour of the farm to see the full operation, from breeding worms to creating and running a sustainable farm. Kids classes, as well as informational adult classes, are available.

Photo courtesy of Arizona Worm Farm

This Mangalitsa farm is a family affair; Perry and Brenda Hunsaker co-own AZ Fine Swine with Brenda's parents Billy and and Nora Maynard. The attention to detail in raising Mangalitsa pigs (and as Arizona's only Mangalitsa breeder), is the crux of the farm's vision. The pigs are raised on a special diet and are hormone and antibiotic free. This ensures the rich, tasty and high quality pork that is produced.

Photo by Debby Wolvos

Photo courtesy of AZ Bitters Lab

Photo by Carole Topalian

AZ Market to Door was created to more easily connect customers to local options in the food industry. Through AZ Market to Door you can directly order from farmers, bakers, ranchers, restaurants and speciality food makers. Orders are placed online by 9:00pm each Monday, and delivered on Friday. Refer to their delivery zone map to ensure availability.

Ordering from local food producers gives you access to fresh, high-quality foods while supporting local businesses that have been interrupted by Covid-19. The online marketplace and delivery process is 100% contact-free, so you are able to enjoy your goods safely.

Fresh local tortillas are the name of the game for Benny Blanco Tortillas. Christopher Hudson creates estilo sonora tortillas with local ingredients for the best tasting tortillas possible.

Tortillas available for purchase at Gilbert Farmer's Market, The Farm Store at Steadfast Farm, Hope's Artisan Bread and Main St Harvest.

Photo courtesy of Marilyn Noble

Photo by Christine Hyatt

Following the six-year run of Crudo, this restaurant refresh affects the menus, presenting a whole raw fish crudo section. Like its name implies, a focus on seafood, and, in particular Japanese influences, is also seen in the entrees. Italian foods are still available, but limited, on this small menu. A new cocktail program accompanies the changes, although much of the environment and atmosphere in the physical space remains the same.

Photo courtesy of Bar Pesce

Barrio Cafe, established in 2002, boasts rotating flavorful Mexican dishes such as Cochinita Pibil, Chiles en Nogada, and Chef's tableside Guacamole and Churro Rellenos. The atmosphere is welcoming and relaxed. The restaurant also offers over 200 different tequilas.

Photo courtesy of Barrio Cafe

Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza offers an intimate setting and tasting menu options in this former Bragg's Pie Factory location. The dishes are modern takes on Mexican classics using a varitety of flavors and spices, especially peppers. Libations include a cocktail menu and many wine options. A la carte food menu also available.

Chef Justin Beckett created this comfort food menu which includes modern takes on classics. Entrees include beef bourginion shepherd's pie and mustard-glazed pork chops, with sides like bacon biscuit stuffing and mashed potatoes. Small plates and appetizers include deviled eggs and mac 'n' cheese. The dessert menu includes dessert favorites like pie and cake.

Photo by Debby Wolvos

Chef Kevin Binkley's technique is impeccable and the sophisticated contemporary American menu, which features at least ten courses, changes daily depending on what he can get his hands on. Guests are served each course at the same time at different locations within the restaurant depending on the season. The meal is a fixed price, with add-ons for wine pairings, chef pairings, sommelier pairings, wagyu and caviar. Allow some time to enjoy this special meal; the restaurant recommends three and a half hours. See their website for reservations/purchasing tickets.

Photo by Campo Italian.

The asian-inspired dishes at Clever Koi are artfully crafted. With a choice of sharing plates, steamed buns, dumplings, sandwiches (including a kimchi cheeseburger!), fried rice and noodles, delicious options abound. The extensive cocktail menu includes both classic and creative contemporary libations, perfect for pairing with your meal.

Photo courtesy of Clever Koi

Located in a historical home (revamped for bar seating) next to Pizzeria Bianco's downtown location, this bar has a charming environment and inventive cocktails that are seasonal. There is also a generous list of wine and craft beer, and simple yet flavorful bar snacks. Bar Bianco sees a lot of the Pizzeria Bianco waitlist crowd and is a perfect stop before or after a meal or event, but it's also well worth its own trip. See their website for hours.

This award-winning cocktail parlour is located in the former Arizona Prohibition Headquarters in downtown Phoenix, and the history associated with the location finds its way in to the atmosphere and presentation of drink and food alike. That being said, along with the expertly mixed classic cocktails, there is also a fresh perspective to cocktail-making, and creative energy abounds. The food menu consists of snacks and small bites with a few more substantial options, and some are offered late-night, so that you can continue trying new creations into the evening.

Located in an old (revamped) barn, Barnone features restaurants, a brewery and winery, a florist, decorative wood carving studio, salon, and much more. Handmade goods abound, and Barnone itself refers to the space as a "makers community." There is much to do and see on your visit.

Photo courtesy of Barnone

Birdytell creates unique gift sets highlighting bakers, artisans and more in the region. Gift boxes can be tailored as individual gifts, corporate, and wedding/events.

Photo courtesy of Birdytell

Ranch not open to the public.

Offerings include: 

• Epic Fine Chocolates -- an off-grid confection company specializing in items such as:

• 3 flavors of goats milk fudge including: Belgian Dark Chocolate (no nuts); Belgian Chocolate with Walnuts; Fudge on Fire!(tm) with AZ-grown pecans and feisty local Concho chiles. Available in 1 lb, 1/2 lb, and 1/4 lb boxes or 12 lb bulk blocks.
• Spiced Pecans: Cinnamon Spiced; Orange Spiced
• Chocolate Truffles
• English and Butter Almond Toffees
• BMR Fudge Sauces: Dark Chocolate Fudge Sauce; Chiles and Chocolate Fudge Sauce

Ceramicist Christiane Barbato of Blue Door Ceramics creates dinnerware from her Phoenix studio with nature in mind. A transplant from Saõ Paulo, Brazil, Barbato's pottery is durable and made with non-toxic glazes. Featured in restaurants around the Valley (and the United States), her modern tableware is meant for both restaurant and home use and includes plates, bowls and more.

Photo by Debby Wolvos

Judith Amiel-Bendheim moved to Phoenix, Arizona after years of traveling abroad for her job. Originally from Jerusalem, Israel, her husband is a native Arizonan. She now focuses solely on creating dinnerware and jewels in her backyard studio. Her pieces often feature carvings and etches on the outside, and can be found at the Phoenix Art Museum as well as various art shows in the Valley.

Photo by Debby Wolvos

Photo courtesy of Boxed Greens

In Arizona, Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) is a statewide program that prepares 6,600 high school students in 40 schools for college and career opportunities in the restaurant and hospitality industry. C-CAP provides curriculum enrichment for high school culinary classrooms, career exploration and advising opportunities, scholarships through cooking competitions, college advising, teacher professional development, and product donations for classrooms.

For more information about C-CAP Arizona, Sponsorships and Partner Members: Contact Jill Smith, Executive Director 623-606-6213 jsmith@ccapinc.org.

Photo courtesy of Chocofin

This hyper fresh and sustainable fish market has fish to buy as well as an eat-in restaurant. The menu includes tacos, grilled oysters, chowders, poke and more. Beer and wine are also available for purchase.

Photo courtesy of Chula Seafood