Shelby Moore

Loaves just-baked for a farmers market.

Last August, a large wooden crate arrived at the sandwich shop Pane Bianco. In the crate -- bearing an Austrian return address -- was a 1600 pound stone mill and sifter: the sole piece of machinery that would revive Tempe's century and a half-old Hayden Flour Mills brand for which Mill Avenue was named.

Transparency is key for the owner of Hayden Flour Mills, Jeff Zimmerman, who is seeing the operation through from farm to flour by teaming up with local producers like Ramona Farms in the Gila River Community, planting heritage grain in existing farms, and milling the wheat pre-industrial era style alongside his daughter, Emma. Some flours they package themselves to sell at markets, but much is now the base for Chris Bianco's award-winning pizza doughs, breads and, most recently, the polenta and meatballs dish (for example) served at his new Italian Restaurant in Central Phoenix. The stone mill allows Zimmerman to grind their flour as fine as they please, and to fill specific orders for the chefs at Bianco who like the polenta so coarse it takes a couple extra hours to cook.

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Shelby Moore

The classic Maine whoopie pie: two chocolate cakes held together with marshmallow fluff, made right here in Arizona.

​No fair! Here we've spent weeks discussing options for an Arizona state food, and here comes the state of Maine with the coolest state food ever: the whoopie pie. Who knew?

These treats are kind of (at least in appearance) like oversized French macarons; two rounded chocolate cakes resembling buns, stuck together with a generous amount of marshmallow fluff filling.

"They're sort of a man's pastry," says Sharon Flaherty. "You eat them like a hamburger."

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Shelby Moore

Zach Funke holding a jar of what appears to be honey, but is actually an elixir based from chamomile tea given to the bees.

​Honey bees are one of nature's best examples of keeping it local. Most bees travel no more than two miles to pollenate, and are even more perfectly content if there's a lemon tree a few yards away. More >>