63: Audrey Lasalle

By Chow Bella Fri., Jun. 29 2012 at 9:00 AM

Categories: Tastemakers 2012

Audrey Lasalle

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creatives on Jackalope Ranch.

Today: a woman with strong feelings about frozen yogurt

Tastemaker 63: Audrey Lasalle

Lux baker Audrey Hunsdon Lasalle is a "freelance dreamer" and Arizona native. She was raised, along with six siblings, on a 160-acre U-Pick produce farm in the rural farming town of Willcox. Working from a young age on her family farm, she quickly learned that the way to avoid hard manual labor was to cook delicious meals for the rest of her family. When she isn't baking tasty treats at Lux Central, she can be found spending time with her three children, growing things, and playing her piano.

I arrived in Phoenix with... a '79 purple Toyota Celica and a dream to make it as a musician.

If I was sitting down to dinner for six, my five dream dining companions would be... composer Max Richter, NPR host Diane Rehm, author Barbara Kingsolver, my dear friend Kate Bowdren, and screenwriter/director Wes Anderson.

One place everyone who comes to Phoenix must eat is... Cyclo. Justina and those green beans!

One menu item this city could do without is... frozen yogurt. There, i said it.

My last meal in Phoenix would be... of course it would be progressive. For starters, any cocktail made by Jeff Fischer (Lux), the fantastic mushroom risotto (Parlor), a beef barbacoa burrito (Crescent) and last but not least, a caramel macaron (Essence bakery)

The Tastemakers so far:
100: Tracy Dempsey
99: Craig DeMarco
98: Lara Mulchay
97: M.J. Coe
96: Betty Alatorre de Hong
95: Eric Schaefer
94: Hanna Gabrielsson
93: Shinji Kurita
92: Silvana Salcido Esparza
91: Mike Pitt
90: Christina Barrueta
89: Christopher Gross
88: Jan Wichayanuparp and Helen Yung
87: DJ Fernandes
86: Cullen Campbell
85: Chris Lee
84. Gwen Ashley Walters
83: Tony Morales
82: Lylah Ledner
81: Andrea White
80: Lori Hashimoto
79. Mrs. White
78: Eugenia Theodosopolous
77: Lou & Lovey Borenstein
76: Anthony Patafio
75: Carl Seacat
74: Sacha Levine
73: Sharon Salomon
72: Johnny Chu
71: Susie Timm
70: Jason Silberschlag
69: Gina Miller
68: Cindy Gentry
67: Amy Binkley
66: Dave Anderson
65: Mark Tarbell
64: Marianne Belardi