Gilbert Sun News, December 2015: Business

Healthy On-the-Run

Salad and Go plans Valley domination with healthy eating fast-food concept

BY JASMINE KEMPER

What if you could order healthy, fresh and delicious food at a drivethru? At Salad and Go, you can do just that. The Gilbert-based gourmet drive-thru offers a new take on fast food, serving up made-to-order salads, smoothies, wraps and more.

About three and half years ago, award-winning Chef Daniel Patino helped develop this new healthy fastfood concept. As a child, he would help his grandmother in the kitchen, and that’s when he realized he had a passion for food.

Two years before his enlistment with the Marine Corps ended, he held an apprenticeship at the historic U.S. Grant Hotel in San Diego.

“I really fell in love with the industry and how everything worked,” Patino said.

When he finished the Marine Corps, Patino attended the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and landed a job at Stars Bar & Dining. From there, he worked all around the East Coast before making his way back to San Francisco. That’s when he started working under Chef Michael Mina, a celebrity in the San Francisco area. Mina asked Patino to be his executive chef at Bourbon Steak in Scottsdale.

“He took me under his wing and taught me his philosophy on food, how to develop flavors and how to maximize ingredients,” Patino said.

The now owners of Salad and Go frequented Bourbon Steak and asked Patino if he’d be interested in the idea of healthy fast food. Three and a half years, and four East Valley locations later, this healthy drive-thru is going with strong plans to grow throughout the Valley.

“Salad and Go is flavorful, healthy food that people will come back and have because it’s really ingredient-driven. I think they have a misconception that healthy food isn’t tasty, and we’re making people realize that you can have healthy food and you can make it taste delicious and feel good about yourself when you’re eating,” Patino said.

Salad and Go focuses on balancing flavors and keeping everything as fresh as possible. Even in a drive-thru atmosphere, they make all of their dressings and cut the romaine, fruits and vegetables daily. They have 12 dressings on hand at all times and

change them out with the seasons.

“Yes, it’s a struggle, but that’s why we decided to do it. It’s not really out there. We treat ingredients the way they are supposed to be treated,” Patino said.

Another thing that Salad and Go strives to do is use seasonal ingredients. Patino recommends starting off with their pear and banana smoothie. To celebrate the winter season, they combine winter pears, bananas, apple juice, spinach and a little bit of ice.

“It’s literally three or four ingredients to keep it as healthy as possible. The banana really highlights the flavor in the pear,” Patino said.

To continue the winter theme, he suggests trying the pear, pecan and celery salad.

It blends together sliced pears, candied pecans, crisp celery, Craisins, bleu cheese, kale, romaine and balsamic honey mustard dressing. Wintertime is the perfect time to bring out celery and pears, and the Craisins balance out the strong bleu cheese.

“It’s very simple but [with] very healthy ingredients. With the balsamic, we use extra virgin olive oil because it’s healthier for you. I didn’t want to do a plain old honey mustard, so I played around a little bit and came up with a balsamic, whole grain honey mustard, which is a little bit different but with some of the same flavors that people are expecting,” Patino said.

The Brussels sprouts, bacon and almond salad takes its inspiration from a classic French dish, but Salad and Go added its healthy twist, Patino said.

It mixes Brussels sprouts, bacon, sliced almonds, fresh-cut apples and half local-mixed greens and half romaine with a bit of feta cheese sprinkled on the top.

Those three flavor profiles are the most present and then we balance that with a champagne vinaigrette, which has high acid levels to mellow out the strong flavors of the Brussels sprouts, and the bacon in there adds a little bit of fat into it,” Patino said.

In this chilly weather, Patino also cooked up a healthy Southwestern chowder. It has roasted poblano peppers, free-range chicken, roasted corn, creamy red potatoes, onions, celery and two percent low-fat milk. The soup is velvety and fills you up without the addition of butter.

Salad and Go’s attention to flavors and quality ingredients are what keeps it unique. Ultimately, Patino hopes people will be open-minded about trying new and healthy dishes.

“I want them to walk away saying, ‘I didn’t know healthy food could taste this good.’ To me, as a chef, the

challenge is to take food, make it taste really, really good and healthy at the same time,” Patino said.

For more information about the restaurant, visit www. saladandgo.com.

P.B. Bell acquires Bayside, renames it Alcove

P.B. Bell—a multifamily real estate development, management and acquisitions company—has acquired Bayside at The Islands, a 272-unit apartment community in Gilbert. Moving forward, the community will be known as Alcove at The Islands.

P.B. Bell purchased the lakeside apartment community, located at 1300 W. Warner Rd., from Duluth, Minnesotabased Mercury Investment Co. for $33.5 million. CBRE Phoenix sales professionals Tyler Anderson, Sean Cunningham, Asher Gunter and Matt Pesch brokered the transaction.

The purchase becomes the third acquisition this year for P.B. Bell, which continues to search for additional acquisition opportunities.

Alcove at The Islands is tucked inside the master-planned community The Islands. With waterfront homesites and lakeside picnic areas, the community offers a unique coastal feel in the heart of the desert. Alcove at The Islands includes two resort-style pools and a clubhouse, and units feature vaulted ceilings, woodburning fireplaces and in some cases, lake

views.

“Alcove at The Islands affords us the opportunity to add additional lakeside living to the P.B. Bell portfolio, a unique feature for desert dwellers,” said R. Chapin Bell, P.B. Bell president. “We look forward to being part of Gilbert’s respected Islands community, and leaving our signature mark on Alcove at The Islands.”

P.B. Bell has plans for a $2.5 million renovation of the property, which will include upgrades to the interiors of residences and common area amenities.

The Islands, a sprawling community with 80 acres of lakes, includes more than 2,600 single-family homes in addition to the 272-unit apartment community. The lakes in the community are stocked with fish, and catch-and-release fishing is allowed with a permit. The greater Islands community also includes a community dock and facility rental, a playground, shaded ramadas and a full-size exercise track.

P.B. Bell is actively seeking new acquisition opportunities in the Phoenix area. Call Phil Lake directly at 480-9512222 for more information.

Career Connectors can help

Rated one of the top networking associations in Phoenix, Career Connectors is offering help to adults in career transition.

The nonprofit organization connects professionals to high-quality resources and hiring companies.

Events are held three times per month, all available at no cost. The next meeting is 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8, at Central Christian

Church, Student Center, 965 E. Germann Rd., Gilbert.

Each meeting includes professional career speakers with presentations on relevant job search topics, three to four featured hiring companies, networking, resume help, career coaches, LinkedIn coaches and business portraits. For more information, visit www. careerconnectors.org at (480) 442-5806.

you receive your check!

Osso brings Scottsdale acclaim home with Nico

BY CHRISTINA CALDWELL

Coming from Scottsdale’s nationally lauded Virtù Honest Craft, chef Gio Osso decided to bring things home to Gilbert.

The chef commuted to Scottsdale since Virtù’s 2013 debut, but his latest culinary adventure, Nico, will reside downtown and celebrate his Italian heritage. He’ll focus on the traditional, homemade, made-with-love recipes from his family’s roots in Calabria, Italy.

Accolades like a James Beard Award nomination and being named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants came rather recently, but Osso’s passion for food came much earlier while sitting in a high chair in his family’s Italian kitchen.

“I’ve been around food for forever. Going to Italy and spending my summers as a child, it became a passion of mine,” Osso said. “Food was everything. Family was first, food is second and everything else will fall behind it.”

The “family first” rule will certainly permeate throughout Nico, which is named for Osso’s 21-month-old son, Nico, and expected to open in March. The chef will be expanding his family’s traditional recipes with an elevated flair, combining his years

of culinary experience in New York City and his love for handcrafted recipes passed down from generation to generation.

“I’m trying to bridge that gap, so I’ll use the classics from my hometown, aunts, uncles and grandparents, but I also try to make it today, with nicer presentation and things like that; try to modernize it a bit,” he said.

While these might be versions of recipes he’s known for decades, that doesn’t mean Osso intends to rest on his laurels. The pressure is high to deliver remarkable dishes worth buzzing about, even if Nico’s atmosphere will be more relaxed.

“Even though [Nico] is going to be a little bit more family-friendly in a sense and... Downtown Gilbert is very family-oriented, I still think that putting out the best possible product and people holding me to a higher standard because of Virtù, I have to deliver. And we will deliver. There’s no question about it.”

Located in the Heritage Marketplace near Lolo’s Chicken & Waffles and Barrio Queen, Nico will be among buzzworthy company. Noticing that many chefs were looking to expand to locations in the Central Phoenix corridor, Osso decided to go a bit quainter with the new location, fitting the restaurant’s

atmosphere. Though, at the rate that downtown Gilbert is growing and renowned chefs are descending upon the area, we can only expect more restaurateurs to take notice.

“Gilbert...is growing as far as community and houses and building and things like that, so it needed a little restaurant area,” Osso said. “With what LGE [Design Build] is doing in that area, I thought it was a great idea, and because I live in Gilbert, I really wanted to get in on the ground floor. I think it will be

perfect, and it’s home for me, so I love that idea. I love it.”

And Osso is intending Nico to stay in downtown Gilbert. While his son might not fully understand that the restaurant is named for him yet, he is getting the exact same high-chair-in-the-kitchen childhood as Osso did growing up. And he hopes Nico the restaurant will be enough interest to Nico, his son, to be passed down to the next generation one day.

MAP

MAP

Global Tea Mart offers ‘total tea experience’

BY ALISON STANTON

Although Diane Eddy has fond memories of playing with a little tin teapot set when she was young, she credits an English crime novelist with truly sparking her passion for tea.

“It was Agatha Christie who really got me interested in tea and got me wanting to take certification classes. All of her characters were always drinking tea,” she said.

After owning an online tea shop for three years, Diane and her husband, Dean, recently opened the brick-and-mortar Global Tea Mart in Chandler.

In addition to offering more than 100 teas and accessories, Diane said she enjoys teaching classes about tea.

“I like to say that we offer the total tea experience,” she said.

She started offering classes about tea five years ago in Sun Lakes. They go deeper than just sipping the hot drink.

“In my classes, we explore the origins, history and differences between teas and the countries that they are from,” she said.

“Tea has spawned religions, civilizations, wars and clipper ship racing. Tea has been and is currency for many countries.”

Diane said Global Tea Mart focuses on outstanding customer service.

“If they know what tea they want we will be happy to get it for them, but if they don’t know, we will let them sniff the teas and sample them,” she said. “We consider ourselves to be tea guides, facilitators and ambassadors.”

Customers who want to give loose leaf teas a try will find plenty to choose from, Diane said. Fancy tea bags shaped like pyramids are also a hit with customers.

“The pyramid shape allows the leaves to expand, and we also sell herbal teas as well as mugs, teapots and tea aprons.”

People who wish to take their favorite hot beverage with them wherever they go can purchase a tea wallet.

Global Tea Mart also sells teas that are ideal for serving over ice, as well as flavored teas like Almond Amaretto

Applause and teas that feature what Diane calls “fall aromas” like caramel, spice, chocolate and pumpkin.

Diane, who said oolong tea is one of her favorites, said that every person tastes tea differently.

“I always tell people that if your neighbor is making a face when drinking a tea, you may like it.”

Diane said she and her husband are looking forward to the holiday season and helping shoppers find the perfect tea-

related item for everyone on their list.

“Tea is a wonderful gift for anyone who likes it, and we have gift items and sample packs of tea,” she said.

“What I really enjoy is meeting people and talking tea with them, and we hope we will be their tea home.”

Global Tea Mart is located at 4991 S. Alma School Rd., Suite 5 in Chandler. For more information, call (480) 219-6211 or visit www.globalteamart.com.

Fulton Homes opens 2 ‘low-maintenance’ communities

Homebuyers looking for affordable, low maintenance homes have two new Gilbert communities from which to choose.

Fulton Homes has opened its Union Pacific and Seaboard communities in Cooley Station, located at Recker Road north of Williams Field Road. Pricing begins in the $240s.

“These particular communities are already a big hit with empty nesters looking to downsize their maintenance responsibilities,” said Doug Fulton, CEO of Fulton Homes.

Union Pacific features six floor plans with alleyloaded garages, with sizes ranging from 1,985 to 2,500 square feet. All two-story floor plans have up to six bedrooms and three bathrooms options available. Three-car garages are also an option. All plans include spacious interior courtyards with large atrium doors. The eight floor plans available at Seaboard range from 1,677 to nearly 3,000

square feet, with all lots on traditional single-family lots. Up to six bedrooms and four-and-a-half baths are available, plus lofts, front porches and walk-in pantries. Each floor plan offers front-loading garages. Other standard features include granite countertops, 36inch maple cabinets and ceiling fans.

“We’re finding buyers are surprised by all of the living space and openness of the homes at the Union Pacific and Seaboard Union Pacific communities,” Fulton added. “We’re seeing that more and more people like owning a low-maintenance home. Cooley Station provides that, along with the comfort of luxury living.”

Cooley Station offers an Aquatic Center, walking trails with a basketball court and barbecue grills for family outings. The communities are located just minutes from ASU Polytechnic, SanTan Village and Williams Gateway Airport.

Chamber hosts series of events through December

Throughout the year, the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce offers a variety of luncheons and meetings for its members and the community.

Events are held throughout the town.

The chamber office is at 119 N. Gilbert Rd., Suite 101. For more information about events or to register, call (480) 892-0056 or visit www.gilbertaz.com.

Chamber Chat: Morning

Presented by Aire Serve of East Valley Heating and Cooling

7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2 HG Roastery and Café

2556 S. Val Vista Dr., Suite 101, Gilbert

Meet up with other Chamber members for breakfast. This informal gathering is a fun way to share conversation with other professionals and learn more about businesses in the community. No agenda, no script—just good food, great company and friendly conversation.

Admission is $8 and includes a breakfast item, beverage and tax.

Economic

Development Red Carpet Tour and Mayor’s Annual Business Address

7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8

Banner Gateway Medical Center

1900 N. Higley Rd., Gilbert

Be a VIP on this progressive Red Carpet Tour as the group takes a behind-thescenes look at leading developments in and around the community. Hear from Mayor John Lewis and Town Manager Patrick Banger on demographic updates and plans for further growth of the town. The Red Carpet Tour will include a rolling pass and narrative of new developments and on-site tours. The program will conclude with a luncheon presentation as Lewis presents the State of Business in Gilbert. Lewis will take a look back, then a look forward to present goals with an emphasis on the efforts to assist businesses and economic development. General admission is $50; Member admission is $35. Includes breakfast and lunch provided by Banner Gateway Medical Center.

Connie’s expands selection in advance of holidays

Connie’s Jewelry Gallery and Clock Shop celebrates life’s special moments with its new jewelry lines—Gregario, Galatea, Persona—as well as a larger selection of Melody in Motion clocks.

Whether it’s holiday gift giving, an engagement, anniversary or other special moments, Connie’s strives to offer its customers special items that will live on. The owner, Connie Finkbeiner, continues to work hard to offer items that sets her jewelry gallery apart from others.

Gregario is one of the premier jewelry lines in Hollywood. Its decades-long trademark pays attention to the most exquisite of details. The styles are unique and inspired by modern trends. With a passion for design, Gregario offers contemporary and classic pieces. Connie’s infuses the best of both worlds and introduces customers to new keepsakes.

Galatea also makes Connie’s unique. With the Galatea line, customers can place a special message, image or video inside a piece of jewelry. This new technology is placed inside a diamond, pearl or gemstone and gift-givers can simply tap their phone to the jewelry and the special moment is transferred to the piece. Customers love to record messages and save images of weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and last moments of life. A person can live in the jewelry forever. From the words “I love you” to words of encouragement to wedding vows and

Chamber Chat: After Hours

Presented by Norwood Furniture 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9 Norwood Furniture, 216 N. Gilbert Rd., Gilbert

Join the group for the Holiday Chamber Chat at Norwood Furniture. Norwood Furniture—a community landmark— looks forward to bring back this holiday tradition as they host guests for a special evening of hors d’oeuvres and conversation. In true holiday spirit, the team at Norwood Furniture will pay it forward—money from admission will support the Adopt-A-Senior holiday program and will be used to host a holiday party and gift items for Gilbert’s lowincome seniors. Attendees are encouraged to provide additional support for Gilbert’s homebound and low-income senior citizens by requesting the wish list of a local senior or by making a donation of the following items: blanket, robe, slippers, jacket, purse or wallet, pots and pans, indoor grill or griddle, puzzle,

crossword search or puzzle book, candy, candle with candle warmer, magazines, jewelry, or gift cards for grocery or drug stores.

Admission is $10.

Biblical passages, the line offers emotional connections that can be truly endless.

The store, formerly located in Gilbert, also offers interesting gift ideas this season. The Persona charm line is interchangeable with Pandora, Carmela and a host of others. Finkbeiner brought the Persona line into her store because the charms are a higher quality and more colorful than others, and cost 10 percent to 30 percent less on average. With this line, Peanuts fans can recall their childhood with a line of jewelry centered on Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy and the rest of the gang decked out in holiday cheer.

Connie’s expanded its Melodies in Motion Clock selection this season with more than a dozen clocks to choose from and a full wall display. These clocks are very popular as the center opens and reveals decorative turning wheels. They’re adorned with Swarovski crystals playing one of six to 18 songs, depending on the clock style with dancing figures and colors. Each clock has popular classic songs and even plays holiday tunes. The uniqueness of these clocks makes a perfect conversation piece and a wonderful holiday gift.

Connie’s Jewelry Gallery and Clock Shop is located at 1900 W. Germann Rd., Chandler. For more information, call (480) 883-3320 or visit www. conniesjewelrygalleryandclockshop.com.

Local company plans to revive the U.S. watchmaking industry

BY MICHELLE TALSMA EVERSON

Local businessman Kunal Naik is passionate about an industry that few Americans know much about— watchmaking. He’s hoping to change that though by making it a viable industry both locally and nationally.

Naik, along with his father, Santosh, are the founders of Zee Watch Group (also known as Zee’s International Inc.), a Gilbert-based distributor for

Investing in the current economic climate

BY JIM GENTRUP, CFA, PORTFOLIO MANAGER

The one thing that is a constant in today’s economy is uncertainty. Overall GDP growth in the United States is a paltry 2 percent, and our aging population may create a drag for years to come. This underscores the need to search for those parts of the economy that have a tailwind versus areas that are muddling along with an uncertain future over the next year or two. After all, why invest in areas where the outlook is murky when you have the choice. Part of the issue with many investors is that they tend to focus and worry about the weak parts of the economy and it creates

watch brands in the United States and internationally for 20 years.

“In 1995 we started out as a distributor for a brand of watches called Swistar; we began the business in a room in our house and have always been in Gilbert,” Naik said. “Today we are doing more than $1.5 million in sales and have two brands of our own.”

Naik jokes that his two brands— Brillier and Swisstek—are his company’s “babies.” He explained that Swisstek watches are a high-end brand while Brillier watches are more moderately priced. Through his brands—Brillier in particular—Naik hopes to bring watchmaking back into the U.S. one step at a time.

“The watch business is primarily associated with Switzerland, Japan and China, but few know that America used to be big in watchmaking until the Great Depression,” he explained. “I would love to bring facets of the industry back to the U.S. and am hoping to lead the charge of seeing the watchmaking industry big in America again.”

Naik plans to revitalize the industry in a step-by-step process with the Brillier brand through its newly released Americana Collection.

He explained that the Americana Collection consists of timepieces that represent different chapters in U.S. history. Both of the first watches released in this collection pay homage to the Native American cultures.

More watches—i.e., chapters—are planned for the future, with each new

doubt in their minds. This doubt leads to indecision and lost opportunity. Instead, focus your efforts on finding those pockets of the economy that have momentum with a high probability of sustainability. It could be a secular growth story, which is the ultimate “find,” or a cyclical industry that is just beginning to recover. In addition, look to invest during the early to middle innings (baseball fans will know what that implies).

addition to the line having more and more of its parts made in the Unites States as opposed to abroad.

Essentially, Naik explained, if you compare the watch industry to a puzzle, he’s hoping to bring one piece at a time back to the United States. In the end— he estimated about five years down the road—he’d like to see a timepiece created solely in the United States.

“The end goal of this entire process is to have a watch completely made in the U.S.A.,” he confirmed.

According to the company, each timepiece in the Americana Collection will first be available over crowd funding sites like Indigogo and Kickstarter “where the money raised will go towards bringing back manufacturing and production to America.”

The company hopes to involve backers in the process of watchmaking from start to finish by encouraging those who are interested to follow their progress online and through their newsletter.

“I have long awaited my chance to get more involved with the design and artful practice of watchmaking and I am taking this passion project one chapter at a

Here are just a few examples: It’s no secret that the energy industry is in the doldrums. Oil prices have been in decline since mid2014 due to the stronger dollar and weaker demand abroad. Meanwhile, supply in the United States has increased substantially due to new extraction techniques.

In addition, OPEC and Russia are unlikely to cut production. Although prices may have bottomed, a significant rebound is unlikely until production declines. In other words, we are in the middle innings. While the outlook is uncertain in the energy patch, why not focus on industries that are likely to benefit from low oil and natural gas prices? Chemical companies that are set to benefit include those that manufacture products such as industrial coatings, adhesives, alcohols, fibers and solvents. In the technology sector, increasing demand for IPbased video, especially on mobile devices, has led to strong growth in high-end servers that can process and store the plethora of data produced and eventually watched by consumers. We also like business services companies that help make their customers

time with the Americana Collection by Brillier,” Naik said. “My goal is to bring back the watchmaking culture full-force by bringing assembly and component production back to the States because who said the best watch has to be Swiss made?”

In addition to his own business, Naik said that others have supported his lofty goals in the industry and he has even been approached to spearhead an American Watch Council.

With a bachelor’s degree and MBA from ASU, Naik said that he’s been in the watchmaking industry more than half his life and is excited to see the industry grow.

“I want to help curate products that are American and there is a lot of shared support for that from others in the industry,” he said. “And, I want to start the journey right here in Gilbert.”

To learn more about the Americana Collection from Brillier, visit www.brillier. com/Americana. For more information on Zee Watch Group, visit www. zeewatchgroup.com.

more competitive. For example, when a sales rep of a large technology-service provider bids on a project, he wants to know as much as possible about what his competitor is offering and at what price. I have taken this short summary piece nearly full circle, discussing huge megasize industries like energy and finishing by commenting on a niche industry that serves a select group of technology companies. The point is that investors need to focus less on what the macro trends are and more on finding which industries will grow despite macro-economic conditions (or as a result of certain conditions). These discoveries take time, research and good judgment. This is where we thrive, whereas most people don’t have the time, energy or inclination. We focus on acting on our findings to enhance our clients’ goals.

If you would like to learn more, call me at my office with Netzel Financial at (480) 219-0657.

Doing business

True REST Float Spa

Owner: Laura Witte, Ph.D., PA-C

How long in business: Just opened Specialty: To provide an oasis of healing. The most common benefits of floating include pain relief, stress relief and better sleep.

Address: True REST Float Spa, 1525 N. Gilbert Rd., Suite 109

Phone: (480) 219-7990

Website: www.TrueREST.com

The Gilbert Sun News would like to welcome new area businesses or existing ones that may be new to our readers.

Submit information about your business for a “Doing Business” mini-business profile in an upcoming issue of our publication, which is distributed to 25,000 homes, racks and boxes the fifth of each month.

Please include all of the following items: Name of business, name of owner(s), how long the business has existed, unique features, hours of operation, address, telephone number, website and email address. Also include an at least 300 dpi photo of the business owner or logo.

Email this information to info@gilbertsunnews.com or visit www. gilbertsunnews.com and click on the “Doing Business” form at the top of the page to submit.