Catching Fire with Nick Hogan of Pyro Restaurant

Our guest today is Nick Hogan, Co-Owner and CEO of Flagship Restaurant Group, the team behind the popular new, award-winning restaurant Pyro in Arcadia, next to the Global Ambassador. In addition to Pyro, they have 16 other restaurant concepts spanning across Arizona to Chicago to Nashville! This team has defied the odds of successfully creating and managing multiple restaurant concepts simultaneously and talks about all the risks and luck in this journey.

In this episode we’ll hear about how this restaurant group founded over 20 years ago in Omaha, NE got started with a team of four friends who are still the same group of owners. Since, they have grown to multiple cities and states and over 40 locations and become a success here in Arizona. Just like architecture, this career is a mix of creativity and mathematics and takes a great team and leadership.

Nick will tell us about how Pyro came about and the design and menu creation. Also here in town, be sure to check out the beautifully designed Palma, Cham Pang Lanes and Ghost Donkey in downtown Phoenix and later this year two Blue Sushi Sake Grill locations are coming to Surprise and Tempe and a couple more in the works for 2026!

To learn more about Flagship Restaurant Group visit:

 www.flagshiprestaurantgroup.com 

Dreaming of Italy with Best Selling Author Corrina Cooke

Our guest on this episode is Corinna Cooke, she is the founder of Glam Italia Tours and a best-selling author who is currently working on her 5th book! Originally from New Zealand, Corinna has lived in a variety of places around the world and currently resides in Phoenix AZ. We talk all about her early years as a makeup artist in London and Los Angeles and how everything fell together in that difficult industry.

We cover lots of topics as we chat about all the reasons we both love Italy so much and the best ways to tour/explore Italy on your own.  We cover some recent travel topics Corinna discussed in her monthly e-newsletter, how she gradually learned to speak Italian and how you can join one of her women-only Glam Italia Tours! We also talk about her guide book series, “Glam Italia!” which covers all sorts of helpful topics, tips, scenario situations & stress points, cultural points, and some of her top travel tips! She has so many wonderful stories, insights and lessons she shares, this is a must listen for anyone planning or considering a trip to Italy!

https://corinnacooke.com/

https://www.instagram.com/corinnatravels/

Iconic Hour: The Future of Housing with Mark Candelaria

“Renowned architect Mark Candelaria joins us to discuss a very special new project. Mark and his team are working with Habitat for Humanity to build a series of affordable homes using 3D printing technology from Peri 3D Construction. Follow along on social media to see the progress of the homes and learn how to get involved.”

Follow ICONIC LIFE luxury lifestyle magazine:

https://www.instagram.com/youriconicl...

https://www.facebook.com/youriconiclife/

https://www.twitter.com/youriconiclife/

https://www.pinterest.com/youriconicl...

Https://www.iconiclife.com/iconic-hou...

https://www.linkedin.com/company/your...

https://www.issuu.com/iconiclife

Helping the Homeless with Jason Barlow & Chris Owen of Habitat for Humanity

In today’s episode, Mark speaks with Jason Barlow, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona and Chris Owen, former Banking Executive turned Real Estate Agent and Chairman of the Board at Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona. Habitat is celebrating their 35th year in the Valley of the Sun and have now built more than 1,160 homes and renovated or repaired thousands more since 1985. “As long as God continues to bless us with amazing volunteers and generous sponsors like you, we will continue to grow our efforts,” says Barlow.

The need for housing has become more essential than ever given the pandemic and hot real estate market here in Phoenix, and Habitat for Humanity fills this need for many locals struggling to afford housing. Since the outbreak, 12 new homes have been completed and their five Habitat ReStores have reopened for business along with their offices. The Habitat Central AZ team is currently planning the construction of 46 new homes through next Spring, and hundreds of other homes will be repaired or renovated.

In a past podcast episode, we recorded on-site of a Habitat home build where we interviewed Jason Barlow, a few volunteers and even the man who was going to be inhabiting this new house! He was there helping out as well and his joy was so apparent and touching and he had a sense of pride as he got to help build the house as well. Definitely go back and give that episode page a view as there are some great photos and a great podcast interview: candelariadesign.com/podcast-content/habitat 

Last June, Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona hosted a virtual fundraiser. Stearns Bank, Cullum Homes and hundreds of others joined host Carey Peña, and special guests Larry Fitzgerald and Hall of Famer Kurt Warner for a virtual fundraising night that raised $270,000 for the organization. Guests enjoyed inspirational messages from Fitzgerald and Warner, while also hearing the stories of families impacted by the generosity of Habitat for Humanity supporters, to view a recap of the event, click here: e.givesmart.com/events/hoD/

There are so many ways to get involved with this organization and all of the wonderful ways they make an impact on so many lives by building homes, visit their website linked below for more info!

Connect with Chris Owen:

https://teamjanette.com/

https://www.instagram.com/ceowen69/

https://www.facebook.com/chris.owen.14

youtube.com/channel/UClVhjVmryXUPB-dROblIj9w

Connect with Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona:

https://habitatcaz.org/

https://www.instagram.com/habitatcaz/

https://www.facebook.com/HabitatCAZ/

https://twitter.com/HabitatC

youtube.com/user/HabitatCAZ/videos

Checking in with Elizabeth Wholey in Umbria, Italy

This episode of Inspiring Living features one of our dear friends from Umbria, Italy, Elizabeth Wholey. We met Elizabeth many years ago during our Candelaria Design Tour Italy adventures and she has been our on-site chef and host for over ten years now when we stay at her Farmhouses while in Umbria.

This is Elizabeth's third appearance on our podcast and she gives us an update on how things are going there in Italy with the whole Covid-19 Pandemic. It is very interesting to get her perspective on how Italy has been dealing with the pandemic, especially over the course of the recent holidays, and shares her thoughts on how this might play out over the course of 2021.

We have scheduled our 2021 Candelaria Design Tour Italy thinking and hoping we might be able to pull it off this year. This will be our 16th Tour Italy over the last 20 years, so you do not want to miss being a part of this experience and get to meet Elizabeth for yourself. Our dates are set for September 15th - 29th starting in Florence, a week in Umbria and Tuscany, and finishing with a stay at the Villa d'Este on Lake Como. Click on the link for more info on our tours: https://www.candelariadesign.com/sign-upitaly2020

Follow Elizabeth on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/elizabethwholey/
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.wholey
Elizabeth is also an amazing chef and has written a wonderful book about the cuisine and culture of Umbria: https://www.altabella.com/sustenance__an_italian_culinary_guidebook

A Look at the Career and Hot Real Estate Market with Sandra Wilken

Our guest today is Associate Broker and Real Estate Advisor, Sandra Wilken of Modern Portfolio Real Estate Services. Modern Portfolio provides clients with the highest level real estate buying and selling experience along with a wide variety of premier concierge services, the first and only concierge service program of its kind in Arizona.

Sandra Wilken’s love of Paradise Valley and Scottsdale, Arizona began more than 50 years ago when her family relocated to Arizona from Boston. That love, along with her natural winning way with people inspired her decision to jump head-long into the real estate industry. Sandra has devoted more than half of her 40+ year career to working with developers to create high-end luxury communities in the Valley of the Sun. Today, Sandra and her team are both humbled and extremely proud to have sold more than $1.4 billion in new development residential real estate since 1979.

Driven to be the best, Sandra quickly earned a reputation for providing her clients with high-quality professional services — all with a personal touch. During those early years, her portfolio of loyal clients continued to expand catching the attention of several Canadian real estate developers. Their vision to build premier developments in desirable locations throughout the Valley required an expert to ensure their success. Drawing on Sandra’s unique background in architecture, design, marketing and sales, a partnership was forged which ultimately led to the completion of seven world-class developments, such as The Phoenician and Gainey Ranch. Listen to Sandra describe the detailed on how the partnerships and these amazing travel and living destinations came to be.

Sandra continues to live her passion and is honored and inspired to work with the best advisors and clientele in the most distinguished neighborhoods of Paradise Valley and Scottsdale.

Connect with Sandra:

www.modernportfolio.com/sandra-wilken

www.facebook.com/sandra.wilken/

instagram.com/sandrawilkenluxuryproperties/

ICONIC HAUS Winter 2020 Launch!

This week's episode kicks off the virtual opening of Iconic Haus Winter 2020 with the woman who orchestrated it all, Renee Dee. Renee is the Founder and Publisher of Iconic Life Magazine, and Iconic Haus is a designer show house that was designed by Candelaria Design, built by Temac Development and decorated by 22 award-winning designers. This podcast will feature all three of these team leads, Renee, Mark Candelaria and Tim McCormac of Temac talking about the house and all the fabulous things in store! Iconic Haus is open VIRTUALLY to the public from November 27-December 14th and will be the site of a few small, special events to benefit The Heart Center at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. The virtual tour is free, so be sure and check it out at the link below!

I open the episode by briefly chatting with my wife and daughter about our wonderful Thanksgiving and share our gratitude for all the blessings in our lives. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend!

iconiclife.com/iconic-haus-2020/

ICONIC HAUS Launch with Renee Dee and Mark Candelaria

ICONIC HAUS is a luxury designer show house presented by Scottsdale-based, lifestyle magazine ICONIC LIFE that brings together 22 talented designers under one roof for an 18-day showcase. This Winter’s 2020/2021 ICONIC HAUS is a spec home located in Paradise Valley designed by Mark Candelaria and Vivian Ayala. The stunning “Mod-iterranean” style estate is 11,000 square feet and was built by Temac Development and is marketed for sale by The Joffe Group.

Renee Dee, Founder and Publisher of ICONIC LIFE, sits down with Mark Candelaria over Aperol Spritzes in his office’s new demonstration kitchen to talk all things ICONIC HAUS. They also discuss what it’s like to be the go-to guy for spectacular estates and remodels in the Valley and the changes in design he's seen since covid-19.

ICONIC HAUS will open VIRTUALLY to the public late November and will host several very small, private events, all to benefit The Heart Center at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Thank you to ICONIC HAUS Premier Sponsors: Viking Range/Central AZ Supply, Brizo, BMW, Circa Lighting, Crestron, Dunn Edwards, Hunter Douglas and Solstice Stone.

https://iconiclife.com/iconic-haus-2020/

Power Couple Elliot Barkan & Corinne Hale - They Launch Real Estate

Inspiring Living Podcast featuring dynamo couple Elliot Barkan and Corinne Hale now with Launch Real Estate and the Barkan Construction Group. They share their thoughts on the Phoenix real estate market and their personal story will Inspire you to follow your dreams.

Elliot found his passion in creating a deal; locating, strategizing and seeing the deal through to the finish line. Elliot enjoys nothing more than the freedom to work closely with his team and helping them find success in the real estate market.

After much success as an independent agent, Corinne joined forces with Elliot to launch an awarding winning team. Corinne is proud of Barkan Group and considers the team to be dynamic, full of passion, and pride themselves on being relationship based. 

barkangroups.com

Cooking In Umbria Italy

We will treat you to morning coffee from the porch of our Umbrian Farmhouses on our 16th Candelaria Design Tour Italy. Join us as we share stories from 20 years of our tours and what’s happening on this year’s tour.