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Computer-aided Chicano art comes to Phoenix

MESA — If art isn’t free, then what is it, asks local artist Ignacio Farías.

Farías, 61, is a self-taught Chicano artist who creates abstract works using digital composition with acrylics and paints. His sole intention for his work is only to be beautiful, and he makes no bones about being called a “wall decorator” or using a computer to help create his works.

Born and raised in Mexico City, Farías began drawing things as a child. He said he was always in trouble at school for drawing caricatures of teachers and doodling in class.

He moved to Arizona in 1983 with his first wife, a native Arizonan, and their children. His techniques and unique styles come from experimentation and his only standard is to rarely, if ever, use a paintbrush.

“(In the beginning), I felt reluctant to use brushes,” Farías says. “Everyone uses brushes so I had to find another way.”

Instead, he uses a variation of tools that ranges from kitchen and carving utensils to spatulas, ice picks, combs and syringes. The only consistent marking that can be found on his works that were made with a brush is his signature, which he said enabled him to sign his name in a unique, Asian-looking style.

But it was his other hobbies, such as photography and advertising, that led to the use of digital composition in his artwork.

These tools of the 21st Century are the reason that Farías refers to his work as the product of “extreme mix media.” He says he’s a PC guy who uses a Velocity and plenty of Adobe software to bring his artistic visions to life.

Although the use of a computer may help with artistic effects, it doesn’t necessarily make the process go faster, Farías says. Much of the process involves the subconscious mind.

“Inspiration is not related,” Farías says. “Art is like a blessed area where the most beautiful things can happen. Never mind what is outside.”

Farías’ works are often created as a series, such as “The Eyes of a Woman,” which has about 80 different versions.

“No two women have the same eyes,” Farías said. “(They are) like fingerprints.”

Each displays the different types of women in the world. However, a few of them have an animal name that identifies the type of woman it depicts according to the Mesoamerican culture of Mexico. For example, the painting called “Eagle Woman Eyes” is a depiction of the “executive woman.”

Some of his other works are depicted on multiple canvases, such as “A Fascinating City,” which was done as an ode to Paris. This work is a display of five separate canvases that are displayed inches apart from one another but are connected by the flow of the elongated picture that they depict.

Samples of Farías’ work are on display at the Chicano Museum near First and Adams streets in Downtown Phoenix through the end of October. Admission is $2.

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>>Email the editor at aklaw@zoniereport.com.

Tempe coffee startup gives caffeine crowd the jitters

TEMPE — It all started with a couple wanting to do something together as a family.

“We both love people,” Cartel Coffee Lab co-owner Amy Silberschlag says, referring to the shop’s other owner, husband Jason.

Jason Silberschlag started his quest to open a coffee shop when he decided to go to Guatemala to talk directly with coffee bean farmers.

His love for coffee has driven him to bring some of the best beans in the world to his shop at the southwest corner of University Drive and Ash Avenue in Tempe.

Jason Silberschlag trades directly with foreign farmers to ensure buying the best beans. Needless to say, the shop has attracted a loyal following in a caffeine-crazed college town.

“I think just the idea of having really good coffee makes the difference,” Jason Silberschlag said. “Any one who cares about quality I would say is our main customer.”

But the Silberschlags’ shop also has an eco-friendly approach to their business. The cups are made of a compostable cornstarch and are reusable due to the thickness of the material.

Cartel features a spacious and relaxing atmosphere, despite the slight hum from the big red coffee machine in the back of the shop.

“I love it,” said Jessica Clark, 19, a Cartel regular. “I appreciate the concept. (The shop) is less of selling your soul to the devil and more appreciating each other.”

Jason Silberschlag stated he wanted a place that created a community atmosphere and relationships based on a mutual meeting place. Matt Kenny says it works well.

“I’ve tried other coffee places and this one has won my heart,” said Kenny, 22, a transplant from Bellingham, Wash.  “I thought I would never find a place like this in Tempe.”

“(The) mixture of art makes a good atmosphere,” he added. “It has a real local feel.”

The quality of the Silberschlags’ product and welcoming spacious shop attracts a diverse customer base.

“I would say most people who come in have a respect for higher education,” Jason Silberschlag said. “(We attract) your average chase employee all the way to full-on sleeves of tattoos and piercings.”
The green direction and friendly environment of Cartel has also wooed potential employees.

“I was looking for a more eco-friendly business,” said Liana McNeil, a Cartel barista.  “It almost feels like a second home, I feel really comfortable here.”

The knowledge needed to be a successful barista at Cartel surpasses most major corporate coffee shops.

“It’s not just pushing a button here, it’s more of a skill and a knowledge of the machine,” said barista Melissa Marriott, who will be competing in a national barista contest in Austin.

Cartel staff welcome the competition. On Sept. 20, Jason Silberschlag went to Columbia with an organization called Cup of Excellence, which judges coffee from all over the world.

The winning coffee is sold to the highest bidder during an Internet auction. The winning roast can fetch up to $120 per pound, Jason Silberschlag said.

The Silberschlags actually sell a Cup of Excellence coffee in their shop, plus 3 other types of coffee. They are currently offering La Union Farm from Nicaragua, a top finisher from 2007.

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>>Email the editor at aklaw@zoniereport.com.

61 years on, Pete’s serves fast food with flair

TOLLESON — Despite the sweltering heat of the late afternoon, a fine, cool mist drifts down on the crowd of diners at Pete’s Fish and Chips.

Pete’s is hardly ever empty, no matter the time, or heat of the day. With cheery red benches and friendly smiles from the staff, the fast food restaurant – with eight valley locations, including the one here in Tolleson – is a local favorite.

Tolleson resident Miriam Gutierrez, 21, likes the “outside atmosphere,” she says. “It’s close too, I live right behind it.”

Pete’s has not suffered with the recent economic downturn, says Pat Foster, company vice-president and daughter of Pete’s founder Pete Grant.

“With economic times and people being short on money, [people] still want to eat out,” says Foster. “They can afford to eat at Pete’s versus more expensive restaurants.”

The low prices – all items on the menu are under $10 – and great food keeps customers coming back for more.

“I grew up eating Pete’s,” says Phoenix resident Maria Molina. “You just crave that same flavor you can’t find anywhere else.”

Albert Hernandez, the assistant manager of the Tolleson location, says customer loyalty is what keeps Pete’s going. “I’ve worked here on and off for the past 18 years,” he says. “People who used to work at Pete’s in the 1960s still eat here, they love Pete’s so much.”

Traveling a distance for Pete’s does not seem to post a problem with loyal fans either.

“People from California come here before they head back,” says Hernandez. “They say ‘We have to stop at Pete’s.’”

Perhaps Pete’s special sauce has something to do with it. A deep red color with a tangy, spicy kick, customers sometimes line up just for a few containers to go.

“People cook at home, but they come here to get the sauce,” says Albert Hernandez. “I can it eat with everything.”

Pete’s has definitely come a long way since founder Pete Grant opened the very first shop, a small wood shack on 30th and Van Buren streets, 61 years ago. His $900 investment – his life savings at the time – has turned into a cherished company, now headed by two of his four daughters, Foster and her sister, Kathy Adams.

“We’re an Arizona tradition,” says Foster. “We serve 4th generation Pete’s customers.”

The community holds the location in Tolleson in high regard.

“It’s a historic restaurant, a part of Tolleson’s culture,” says Tolleson Mayor Adolfo Gamez.

Despite the slew of restaurants and fast food chains in nearby Avondale, competition doesn’t seem to phase the Tolleson Pete’s location either.

“We blow them away,” says Hernandez. “The foods better, the service is faster and friendlier.”

And the low prices don’t hurt either. You won’t see any credit/debit machines at Pete’s. It’s strictly cash only. “It keep things simple and keeps our prices down,” says Foster.

Fast, cheap and tasty has been Pete’s recipe for success for over 60 years.

Phoenix resident Steven Zavala, 10, hopes it stays that way.

“I’m addicted to Pete’s!” he says.

He’s probably not the only one.

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>>Email the editor at aklaw@zoniereport.com.

Bank seeks $9.5M from Tucson condo project

TUCSON — A group of California investors intent on converting apartments into condominiums walked out on a $12.6 million loan and is keeping the rent from the units in the meantime, according to a recent complaint.

Texas-based Comerica Bank filed suit against Pantano Coastal LLC and its main principal, Ralph Giannella of La Jolla, Calif., who had received the loan to upgrade and convert 136 apartments near the corner of Broadway and Pantano roads.

It’s the latest sign of the Arizona real estate debacle, which has led to a record number of mechanic liens, loan defaults and foreclosures.

According to the 32-page complaint, Comerica agreed to loan Pantano Coastal money in March 2006. To secure repayment of the loan, Pantano pledged the entire property and its rents as colateral.

But as the real estate scene soured, so did the financial outlook for the condo-conversion project. The maturity date of the loan was extended 90 days until December 2007, and other parts of the deal were tweaked, according to the complaint.

But after the maturity date came and went, Pantano Coastal had yet to make a single payment on the loan, the complaint claims. Any missed payments were subject to a 5 percent charge.

Comerica claims the company also withheld rent monies at the time and did not pay almost $60,000 in property taxes that were due for the site. It is upset because this impairs the bank’s security for the loan.

By the Comerica’s math, Pantano Coastal now owes $9.5 million on the project. It is asking a federal judge in Tucson to rule against the company and foreclose on the property to bring it under bank control.

Phoenix lawyers Mark Nadeau and Allison Harvey are representing Comerica Bank.

What’s old is new again in fast-growing Gilbert

GILBERT — Gilbert is growing up, and it’s actually looking forward to growing old.

Officials for the town where growth has boomed since 2000 are now finalizing maps and information about its Heritage District redevelopment area.

Their goal is to lure more residents from the town’s new master-planned neighborhoods to its historic downtown.

“We want to give the community options other than just the mall and restaurants, for instance, you see at every mall or near every mall,” says Greg Tilque, Gilbert’s development services director. “Places like Hale Centre Theatre, that you can’t get anywhere else in the community.”

The Heritage District, which runs along Gilbert Road, is home to many small, independent shops and restaurants such as C & J’s Antiques & Gardens, Euro Café, Liberty Market and Joe’s BBQ, among others.

The project’s goal is to expand on these current shops and add more retail shops and restaurants as well as some office spaces, Tilque says.

“We’ve been focusing lately on restaurants,” he says. “We think that’s a big key: to have destination-type restaurants that either nobody else has, one-of-a-kind, like Farmhouse, Euro Café, Joe’s BBQ, or like Oregano’s, which has just a few stores but people know of them and it’s not something you’re going to have every place in the Valley.”

The idea is to draw a mix of demographics, with a focus on making it a family-oriented area.
No new taxes have been implemented in Gilbert to fund the project, Tilque says. The main sources of financing are the town’s general fund, impact fees from development, bonds, private donations, and grants.

The plan has been received fairly well by current business owners and residents alike.

“The whole idea of the project is to give an identity,” says NAME one of the owners of C & J’s Antiques & Gardens, a shop along the Heritage District. “I think long-term it will be really good.”

Those who live in the area also agree that the project will benefit the community overall.

“There’s great shops already in downtown Gilbert, but if you add more and make it a more vibrant and robust selection of stores you will end up with more people coming to shop and eat and be entertained down here, and we’ll all be better for it,” says Maria Hesse, of Gilbert.

Two new parks, one under the water tower where concerts and events can be held, will be finished by the end of the year, Tilque says. He also hopes the Heritage Marketplace will be open by next year.

To keep the Heritage District unique, developers are being careful about which businesses they bring into the area as tenants, NAME said one of the owners of C & J’s Antiques & Gardens. They want to recruit independent shops and avoid big chains, she says.

Developers also have architectural guidelines to unify the area. Adobe architecture will be emphasized, according to the official redevelopment plan.

Plans are also in place for a two- or three-story office project, Tilque says. This will hopefully draw more retail stores down to the area.

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>>Email the editor at aklaw@zoniereport.com.

Mexican food restaurant expands in the East Valley

MESA — Dennis Sirrine was fed up with the vagaries of the housing market. The homebuilder left California 16 years ago and returned to his hometown of Mesa, where the Sirrine family name is part of East Valley history.

Sirrine and his wife, Liz, wanted to open up their own restaurant. She wanted French cuisine; Dennis wanted Mexican. They decided on Mexican and traveled through Mexico, exploring for and experimenting with various recipes.

Today, the couple runs a highly successful operation in El Rancho de Tia Rosas, and East Valley expansion plans are on the way.

“Were branching out to let people have the luxury of having us close to their home,” says Dennis Sirrine’s son, Nick, who helps manage the restaurant. “We have been in the heart of Mesa, we are going to be in the heart of Gilbert and eventually we plan on expanding to Chandler/Tempe area.”

TACOS COME FIRST

It all began when Dennis Sirrine a construction worker building homes in California decided to leave the housing market because it was so “up” and “down.” It ended up leaving Dennis financially unstable; he returned to his hometown Mesa with Liz.

The Sirrines’ dream of a Mexican restaurant made its first mark as a taco shop on Mesa and University drives, where they sold tacos for 59 cents in 1991. They called it Rosas, after Dennis’s aunt.

“It wasn’t until they started serving their food on china and received a liquor license that their business took off,” says Clay Eagar, Tia Rosa’s manager.

The Sirrines eventually sold Rosas in 1999 in the hopes of building their own free-standing Mexican restaurant. They took a year off after selling Rosas and traveled through Mexico again, and purchasing decorations for their new restaurant along the way.

After taking a year off to plan the new venture, the Dennis and Liz Sirrine purchased 4.5 acres of land in Mesa. Dennis Sirrine used his construction background to form a crew and built The Taqueria adjacent take-out restaurant and El Rancho de Tia Rosas.

SIRRINES WANT THE WHOLE ENCHILADA

For the new restaurant, the Sirrines got more of their family members involved. Dennis’s father, Gal Sirrine, a landscape architect, developed and took care of the grounds while his mother, Nola Sirrine, an interior designer, laid out the inside of the restaurant.

Today, El Rancho de Tia Rosas offers an extensive menu – from cheese crisps to their chicken mole that contains 22 spices. Prices ranging from $5 to $14 per plate.

“I think our seafood tacos our one of our most popular items,” Eagar says. “We have four kinds: shrimp, salmon, halibut and crab. Our carne asada platter is also really popular, and our salmon enchiladas with avocado sauce set us apart from other places.”

El Rancho de Tia Rosas is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Sirrines plan on opening their Gilbert location early next year. It will be located on the northeast corner of Higley and Guadalupe roads.

“It will be an identical replica of the current restaurant, but it has more patio seating then our location and we will possibly be open on Mondays,” Eagar says.

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>>Email the editor at aklaw@zoniereport.com.

Businesses keep social networking tools at arm’s length

TEMPE — Even though she’s a young marketing rep for one of the nation’s largest and most cutting-edge universities, Alice Ho says she is still afraid to use social networking tools to spread her company’s message.

What is a “widget”? Are “applications” still something you fill out? And why would anyone want to “poke” or “karate chop” a friend through online networks such as Facebook?

“I’m 27, and sometimes I feel too old for that stuff myself,” Ho admits.

Websites that allow users to interact with each other are called social networking sites. Some business owners still feel these websites are out of their comfort zone, but others say they are the wave of the future for selling products or building an audience around them.

Amanda Vega, founder of Amanda Vega Consulting in Scottsdale, said that social media has been around for more than 10 years now, and includes a variety of different forms including blogs and social networks such as Facebook.

“There are over 250 different tools and technologies and behaviors that comprise social media as a practice,” Vega says. Business should use them as an additional marketing tool, not as the primary one. These sites should allow users to give honest feedback to products, among other things.

But many of Vega’s clients are also concerned about opening themselves up to negative feedback, and they think these comments will be placed on social networks and spread around the Internet, Vega said.

But, Vega states that marketing agencies are able to set up a type of social media that makes sense for the company they are working with. In fact, some tools have popped up recently that allow companies to manipulate search engine results so that the negative comments get driven further down into the queue, and thus, into obscurity.

The problem, Vega says, is that overly positive feedback can ruin a social networking site’s value. Indeed, ASU tends to shy away from using this tool because it can’t control the message.

“When we put a message out there [using social media], it can be interpreted differently,” Ho says.

She also fears social media is only targeting a younger demographic for businesses, and another marketing expert agrees. Jason Ferrara, CEO of Elixir Interactive in Scottsdale, says that some of his clients voice this same concern.

However, businesses need to look towards the future, and that marketing reality includes social networking.

“It’s not a fad. People are using it whether they like it or not,” Ferrara says.

Today’s children are growing up using social networks, and businesses need to react to this by focusing on their clients of tomorrow, Ferrara said.

Yet another challenge that social media faces today is corruption. In 2006, Coca-Cola created a blog for Coke Zero that was suppose to allow consumers to comment about the product. It was soon discovered that Coca-Cola employees were actually maintaining the blog.

In response to this, Ferrara said that this is not a phenomenon of social media, but rather something that we see every day in society.

The key to combating this problem is to be honest and transparent, Ferrara said.

“If you are not strongly represented, people are less likely to place business with you,” Ferrara said.

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>>Email the editor at aklaw@zoniereport.com.

Local gumshoes pen tell-all book about finding lost loved ones

TEMPE — Most people never experience what it is like not knowing who their real birth parents are.

The book, Back to the Beginning ($18.95, Perfect Paperback), gives readers an opportunity to do just that.  Co-written by Ava Friddle, Judy Andrews and Kristen Hamilton and Joe Bardin, the book is a snapshot of stories about adoption searches and reunions that the authors have experienced throughout their careers as private investigators.

Hamilton, along with her mother, Friddle, and sister, Andrews, formed a family-owned business called Research, Etc., Inc., in 1995 in Scottsdale. While the business specializes in adoption searches, they also conduct investigations involving all aspects of information research.

Hamilton states that it was after their first experiences in the business that the family realized that this was “something we really loved.”

Shortly after opening their agency, Hamilton and Andrews became certified as Confidential Intermediaries and were trained how to handle reunions between adoptees, birth parents and adoptive parents.

Hamilton’s goal in writing this book was to show people the ins and outs of adoption searches and reunions.

But “every case is different, and no two people are the same,” Hamilton says.

The first chapter discusses their background as well as a brief introduction on how they typically handle adoption searches.  The authors write:

“It is our opinion, an opinion that we’ve formed through the years of experience acting as intermediaries, that contact, regardless of who makes it, should be approached discreetly, respectfully and considerately.”

Hamilton explains how emotional these situations can be for people, and the need for it to be handled slowly and carefully so that both parties have plenty of time to feel safe.

The following chapters in the book are separated by the different stories about individual searches.

Hamilton and her co-authors will be showcasing their book this Friday at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe.  The event will begin at 7 p.m. for a book signing and excerpt reading.

Todd Denen, a past client of Research, Etc., Inc., will also be attending the event with his birth mother.  He and his mother are one of the stories that are written in the book.  Hamilton wanted Denen to attend the event so that readers would be able to attach a real face to the stories.

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>>Email the editor at aklaw@zoniereport.com.

For students, ASU dorm is caviar in an instant-noodle world

TEMPE — Some lucky Arizona State University students living in Tempe will get an experience unlike anyone before them.

Vista Del Sol, a new student housing development for freshmen, sophomores, and upperclassmen alike is set to open its doors for the fall semester of 2008. The new development, which is located at South Campus on Apache Boulevard, has been in construction for just over a year, and is set just across the street from campus in between Ocotillo Hall and Adelphi Commons.

It will set the new standard in student living with its own theater, tanning salon, and game rooms featuring flat-screen TVs, billiards, foosball and other amenities.

For students who plan on living on or near campus, the new student housing offer top-tier living arrangements just a few minutes walk from campus.

“I waited in line for over an hour just to get an application,” says Anthony Robinette, an ASU marketing major entering his fourth year. “It would be perfect for me because it’s so close to campus, and I don’t have a car.”

Robinette and his roommate hope to move into a two-bedroom apartment at Vista Del Sol this fall. The complex offers apartments ranging in size from one bedroom and one bath up to four-bedroom, four-bathroom units. The prices are roughly $50 more per room than those at the Gateway at Tempe, the current student housing in place on University Drive.

This makes Vista Del Sol pretty competitive. And many of the students like Robinette who applied for housing in the spring have been wait-listed while the complex checks the availability of apartments.

“I was going to try to move into the complex as an R.A., but they don’t have them”, says Dominique Gandy, an ASU senior who has worked in Residential Life since 2006.

While the new apartments are made specifically for students and they referred to as “student housing” on the website, it is not a dormitory in the typical sense. Many of the dorms on campus, such as Manzanita, Sonora, and Palo Verde residence halls, require that residents be first-time freshman and subject to live-in Residential Assistants.

Vista Del Sol, however, offers housing for students of all ages and grade levels, and does not have any live-in RAs.

“We will have Community Assistants living with the students,” says Nick Hulsey, a leasing assistant who works at Vista Del Sol. “They will be there to help the residents, rather than patrol and punish them.”

The complex will also have its own basketball court, volleyball court and outdoor amphitheater. Each unit will come complete with a full kitchen, a washer and dryer, and its own furnishings. Cable television, Internet access and full-size beds will be included.

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>>Email the editor at aklaw@zoniereport.com.

‘Lucha libre’ shows American wrestling the ropes

PHOENIX — As the lights dim, Queen’s “We Will Rock You” blares over the loudspeakers. A crowd of 1,500-plus roars as the luchadores are introduced. Fans of all ages have gathered for yet another Sunday afternoon lucha libre matchup at La Gran Mercado to cheer on their favorite masked wrestlers.

Spanish for “free fight,” lucha libre is filled with acrobatic maneuvers, choreographed kicks, slaps and tag team assaults. It’s a slight departure from American wrestling, which is heavily promoted using the chiseled athletes of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and its knockoffs via cable television and pay-per-view main events.

This brand of entertainment, however, is a bit more bare bones. It has been around for decades in Mexico and now found success inside and outside the city’s core of Latino wrestling fans.

“It’s something new,” says Taylor Santos, of South Phoenix. “This is my first time seeing lucha libre live and I must admit, the luchadores put on quite a show for the crowd. I like how rowdy the crowd gets here. It’s kind of funny watching moms, dads, teens and toddlers cheer on their favorite masked fighters.”

The luchadores – or “wrestlers” – vary in age from teens to late 30s. Each luchador performs “in character” to the event. Unlike most American wrestlers, they wear decorated masks and prefer not to reveal their true identity to the audience.

However, Sergio Vega is one of the few luchadores at La Gran Mercado who prefers to be unmasked when performing.

“He is my favorite,” says lucha libre fan Aaron McCauley. “I attend this event on a regular basis and I love how energetic Vega is with the crowd. He uses his charm and athletic ability to excite the audience. I feel he works really hard to be the best.”

The luchadores practice three times a week to perfect their stunts and routines for Sunday’s event. It is a physically demanding sport that can cause serious injuries to luchadores if they are not properly prepared.

But most wrestlers find the enthusiastic fans worth their pain and time.

“It’s a great place for the family. The atmosphere is fun and admission is affordable,” says Lauren Elaine of Central Phoenix , who brought her husband and 10-year-old son to the event. “I even find it entertaining when the wrestlers are introduced. It’s a show any age can enjoy.”

The events are held every Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at La Gran Mercado, a swap-mart venue near 35th Avenue and Buckeye Road. Admission is $1 but free for children 12 and under.

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>>Email the editor at aklaw@zoniereport.com.

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