Category: Willcox

Sips & Bites: News from the Phoenix restaurant community

Events & news about what’s going on around the Phoenix restaurant community, breweries, and wineries.

Ramen Days of Summer starts Monday at Ramen Hood

It’s hard to conceive slurping down a bowl of hot broth and noodles in the summer but for ramen lovers the heat doesn’t phase them. Starting Monday, July 28th and for the following 8 weeks, North Scottsdale’s Ramen Hood highlights a different bowl of ramen or appetizer with $2 off ramen or $1 off the appetizer. The weekly special is as follows…..

Monday, July 28-Sunday, Aug. 3

Bowl ($2 off) The Classic—Featuring Tonkotsu broth, sliced Chashu Pork, bean sprouts, green onion, cabbage, seasoned bamboo, Naruto (fish cake) and nori (seaweed)

Monday, Aug. 4-Sunday, Aug. 10

Bowl ($2 off) The Angry Chicken Bowl—Featuring spicy miso broth, teriyaki chicken, bean sprouts, carrots, corn, green onion and nori

Monday, Aug. 11-Sunday, Aug. 17

Bowl ($2 off) Hokkaido Tofu Bowl—Made with vegetarian broth, tofu, bean sprouts, cabbage, corn, fried onion chips and butter

Monday, Aug. 18-Sunday, Aug. 24

Bowl ($2 off) Shrimply Shoyu—Featuring Shoyu broth, tempura shrimp, bean sprouts, broccoli, green onion, seasoned bamboo and nori

Monday, Aug. 25-Sunday, Aug. 31

Appetizer ($1 off) Karaage Japanese Fried Chicken—Eight lip-smackin’ Japanese fried chicken pieces served with a side of zesty sriracha mayo sauce

Christmas in July at Aridus Wine Company

Friday, July 25th get 50% of all holiday blends at their Scottsdale and Willcox tasting rooms.

Free wings at ATL Wings on National Chicken Wing Day

Next Tuesday, July 29th enjoy 6 free wings with the purchase of a dozen wings at any of the 16 locations throughout the Phoenix, Flagstaff and Tucson area.

Signature Summer Menu available at Bourbon & Bones Chophouse

From now until October 2nd guests dining at the local favorite for meat and seafood can enjoy a 3-course menu for $79 per person. Choose from several starters, entrees and desserts with upgrades available for an additional cost. You can find the full menu here.

 

Strive Vineyards celebrates victory, resilience and wine

Desiree and Ryan Gerth started Strive Vineyards in 2014 in Kansas Settlement area of the Willcox Bench AVA of southern Arizona before the region received AVA (American Vitiulrural Area) status. Eleven years later the Scottsdale couple is still going strong producing higher elevation wines surrounded by the Chiricahua, Dos Cabezas and Dragon Mountains. The wineries motto “Embrace life’s challenges, Savor life’s victories,” is more of a story.

The couple met at the University of Wisconsin- Madison where Desiree was getting her degree in Psychology and Ryan a doctorate in Pharmacology. They them moved to Arizona, like many, for the weather and opportunity where Desiree would get her master’s in special education at ASU and would become a Special Ed teacher for eight years and Ryan would become and still is a pharmacist in Scottsdale.

After several wine tasting trips to Napa and around Arizona, they caught the wine-making bug and within weeks the couple was fermenting their first batch of wine in a spare bedroom with a wine-making kit from a local brew shop. Their hobby became their life when an experimental batch blew the doors of a closet door and spewed wine all over the room, it was at that moment they knew they were “all in” to make wine.

Buying land building Strive Vineyards

After they purchased the land for their dream vineyard and winery, they constructed everything themselves including solar panels, irrigation and trellis systems, fencing and more so they could run their winery off the grid and be sustainable. “We named it Strive because that’s exactly what we did,” says Desiree. “Just us, a few friends and family, and a lot of hard work. You need to do what you love, life’s too short not to.”

The winery is a labor of love built with grit and intention. Today Strive Vineyards is known as an award-winning grape grower with several accolades (2021 Cabernet Franc was a Best of Class finalist in 2025 AZ Republic Wine Competition) under their label. The tasting room they share with 2 other wineries offers a unique tasting experience in the newly renovated Willcox Commercial Building. Desiree runs the winery full time while Ryan continues his pharmacist job while overseeing vineyard operations.

Strive Vineyards is at 6217 Maranatha Way, Wilcox, Arizona 85643. 920-850-1075. For more information about their wines visit their website.