Java.NOV.2016

In keeping with the local sourcing, the grill will use pecan, mesquite and other woods harvested from the
Cottonwood area for grilling. The entire kitchen is filled with a pleasant aroma of wood and light hints of smoke
from the grill. Szabo says that the key to preparing meat and other foods perfectly is finding the right heat from
the flame. Many people think that the best way to grill is to let the red, yellow and orange flames lick the food,
but really the best heat is from the white-hot coals at the heart of the flame, Szabo says.
One of the non-fired items on the menu is a vegan Thai-style green papaya salad. Szabo describes it as being
built with shaved green papaya, cilantro, mint and the pichu berry—a round, fat yellow berry that looks like
a cross between a tomato and a tomatillo, with a pleasant lightly sweet finish. “We are actually sourcing
cashews for the salad from a vendor called Nutsack,” Szabo laughs. Scooptacular, an ice cream maker in Laveen,
is developing custom flavors, such as bay leaf and molé ice cream.
Most of the job titles for the hotel and restaurant staff begin with “curator,” so it’s no surprise that Michael
Oleskow, the visionary behind programming the hotel’s many expansive art spaces, is called the Culture Curator.
Oleskow recently commissioned a custom red neon sign for the exterior of the hotel, keeping with one of Arizona’s old
Route 66 traditions. The sign reads “Find Yourself” and will help guide weary travelers day and night.
The walls of the galleries and rooms at FOUND:RE will showcase the paintings and photographic works of local
artists, including Diego Perez, Diane Silver and Niki Woehler. “The hotel itself is a gallery,” Sprague says. “We
want to be the gallery for art in this part of the world.”
A series of very large prints by local artist Linda Ingraham, featuring a young Latina woman’s face branded with
items from nature and patterned artifacts, greets visitors as they enter the lobby. A brightly colored outdoor
mural with tikis and cool water images by artist Lucretia Torva splashes across the Southwest end of the main
building. Another outdoor mural, designed by Diego Perez, haunts the exterior—Oleskow describes it as “a dark
circus meets ‘Twin Peaks’.”
A smaller, stand-alone art space located poolside is called The Studio. It can be reserved for private dinners
or meetings. The Studio will feature a solo show by one artist every month, and the public will be invited to
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MAGAZINE