🥯 Condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Chompies co-founder Renee “Lovey” Borenstein, who passed away Thursday. She would have turned 90 on April 22.
Lovey and her husband, Lou, launched Chompies Bagel Factory in 1979. Today, the expanded full-service restaurant, bakery, and deli has four Valley locations and its bread and bagels are sold in grocery stores Valleywide.
Lovey is survived by her husband of 71 years, three children, six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Celebration of life
A celebration of life will be held from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, April 21, at the Chompies on the northwest corner of Cactus and the Piestewa Freeway in Phoenix.
I’m sorry to be the bearer of sad news for the second morning in a row.
Romeo Taus, longtime East Valley chef and owner of Romeo’s Euro Cafe in downtown Gilbert, died Monday after a brief battle with brain cancer. He was 68.
Born and raised in Romania, Romeo immigrated to the U.S. in 1973 and found his passion for cooking while training under famed Valley chef Nick Ligidakis.
In 1991, he opened his namesake eatery near Fiesta Mall in Mesa and moved it to Gilbert in 2004, mentoring dozens of up-and-coming chefs (not to mention servers, hostesses, and many others) along the way.
On a personal note, Romeo was one of the first and most diehard supporters of Mouth by Southwest over the past 14 years.
I’m sad to report the Valley’s food and beverage community has lost another beloved member.
Jared Flowers, a restaurant consultant from Gilbert, unexpectedly died in his sleep Thursday night. He was just 45.
A former chef and general manager, Flowers helped open a long list of restaurants, ranging from local independents to national chains, over the past decade-plus.
I met Jared in 2018 when he was working on Cherish Farm Fresh Eatery in south Chandler. He was a great guy with a big heart, and we shared several passions. including restaurants and dogs.
In fact, Jared and his family adopted one of the dogs I have fostered. That’s Jared and Bodi pictured above.
Jared’s death comes less than a month after another well-known Valley restaurant consultant, Chris ‘‘Oz’’ Osborn, died Dec. 12 at age 46.
My deepest sympathies to Jared’s wife, Michelle; their children, Donovan, Addison, and Samantha; his extended family; and his many friends.
❤️ Friends, family, and colleagues will gather to celebrate the life of well-known food and beverage industry figure Chris ‘‘Oz’’ Osborn from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday at Arizona Wilderness Brewing in downtown Phoenix.
Osborn, a former Valley chef, manager, owner, and restaurant consultant, died Dec. 12 at age 46 (see story).
I’m sorry to be the bearer of sad news for the second morning in a row.
I’m sad to report the Valley’s food and beverage community has lost another beloved member.
❤️ Friends, family, and colleagues will gather to celebrate the life of well-known food and beverage industry figure Chris ‘‘Oz’’ Osborn from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday at 
