Leah LeMoine

Phoenix, Scottsdale

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Articles

Great Escapes: Sea Envy

1 month ago | phoenixmag.com | Leah LeMoine

A trip to Seattle leaves our writer dreaming of life in the Pacific Northwest. Ilove living in Phoenix. Really, I do. I’ve become an ambassador of sorts for our desert metropolis thanks to this job, which I also love. But when I travel, I often find myself experiencing pangs of what I call “city envy.”It’s invariably stoked by something we don’t have here – or that I don’t have in my little corner of North Phoenix. Pizza places open past midnight. Dumpling spots on every corner.
Just Back From Greece with Eugenia Theodosopoulos

1 month ago | phoenixmag.com | Leah LeMoine

For bakery owners, the beginning of the year brings a lull. “Everybody goes on a diet for the first few weeks of January, so we always take that time off,” says Essence Bakery owner Eugenia Theodosopoulos. During that time, she and her husband, Gilles Combes, returned to one of their favorite destinations, her family’s homeland. “All four of my grandparents immigrated here from Greece,” she says.
A New Idea from Mesa's idea Museum

1 month ago | phoenixmag.com | Leah LeMoine

In desperate need of screen-free programming for the kids over spring break? Mesa’s idea Museum can help. In December, the museum reopened after a three-month renovation and brand refresh – punctuation nerds will note the jettisoning of the periods in the old i.d.e.a. Museum name. “Our previous logo was created about a decade ago,” director Jarrad Bittner says.
Read It: A Girl Named Monique the Unique

1 month ago | phoenixmag.com | Leah LeMoine

Phoenix elementary school counselor Detty Rodriguez was inspired to write her debut children’s book, A Girl Named Monique the Unique (self-published, $14.14), after befriending a young woman named Monique, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. (Full disclosure: Monique is the sister of PHOENIX managing art director Angelina Aragon.) The book chronicles a challenging day in Monique’s life, one of those days where everything that can go wrong does go wrong.
Guides for Letting Go

1 month ago | phoenixmag.com | Leah LeMoine

When Jennifer O’Connell helps families plan home funerals, they’re usually for older folks. But last summer, her “client” was a 12-year-old girl. “She had cancer, and it had come back,” she says. “I got to meet her and really talk to her about what things she would like. We picked out this beautiful wicker casket, and she had these fuzzy little pink flannel sheets, and [decided] what she wanted to wear.” Her siblings each picked a stuffed animal to lay in the casket with her.
Happy Hour Spotlight: Classics Revisited

1 month ago | phoenixmag.com | Leah LeMoine

The best deals for happy hour at Roaring Fork, The Vig and Citizen Public House. Roaring ForkWhen: 4-6 p.m. Tu-Sa; 4-9 p.m. Su-MHead to the saloon or patios at this local legend for discounts on delectable wood-fired dishes like green chile pork with warm flour tortillas ($9), queso con puerco ($8) and smoked chicken wings ($14). HH cocktails start at $6, wines by the glass are $7 and select beers run $5. 4800 N.
Happy Hour Spotlight: Resort Restaurants

Jan 6, 2025 | phoenixmag.com | Leah LeMoine

3 of our favorite happy hours at resort-based restaurants in the Valley. Rita’s CantinaWhen: 3-5 p.m. dailyPull up a seat on JW Marriott Camelback Inn’s patio for deals at its Southwestern restaurant. “Sharables” including papas fritas ($10), beef sliders ($18) and the black truffle quesadilla are $4 off. Select drinks are $10, wines by the glass are $12 and local draft beers run $8. 5402 E.
What's In Your Home Kitchen? Joey Maggiore

Jan 3, 2025 | phoenixmag.com | Leah LeMoine

by Leah Lemoine | Photography by Angelina AragonThere’s no such thing as a quiet meal at home for chef Joey Maggiore. “We’re a big family,” says the restaurateur behind The Maggiore Group’s 16 restaurants. “There’s always eight, nine, 10 people with us. It’s never just me and my wife.” Do he and Cristina, his partner in life and business, split cooking duties at home? “Yeah, we split where she doesn’t cook, and I do. That’s the only split we have,” he laughs.
Just Back From Japan with Liz Renninger

Jan 3, 2025 | phoenixmag.com | Leah LeMoine

Liz Renninger and Tony Aguilar have explored the globe together – Mexico, Morocco, Spain, a Caribbean cruise. “He’s like my travel husband,” Renninger, vice president of Evolve Public Relations and Marketing, says of her childhood best friend. When she started scheming a “bucket-list trip” to Japan for fall 2024, she knew Aguilar would be down. “We’re comfortable to travel together.” Renninger shares highlights from their bestie-moon to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima.
Explore: Casa de Historia

Jan 3, 2025 | phoenixmag.com | Leah LeMoine

Sleek, modern resorts have their allure, but sometimes you want lodging with a little more character, a little more history. Casa de Sierra Nevada has both in spades. The hotel stretches across six historical mansions dating from the 16th-18th centuries in the world-renowned art city – and UNESCO World Heritage site – San Miguel de Allende, in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato. “The hotel embodies the town’s historical and cultural legacy,” general manager Michael Näther says.