Arizona

Arizona Restaurant Week is back. These are the 16 best menus to try during the spring event

Published

2 years ago

May 14, 2024

Arizona Restaurant Week is back. These are the 16 best menus to try during the spring event

Georgann Yara
| Special for The Republic

The spring edition of the bi-annual Arizona Restaurant Week dining event returns from May 17-26. It’s a great time to get out and try restaurants that have been on your list, as the participants are offering $33, $44 or $55 menus with either three or four courses and some even include a drink.

Participants range from casual neighborhood hangouts to luxe resort establishments, longtime destinations to buzzy newcomers, and all categories in between. With more than 160 restaurants, figuring out where to eat can be overwhelming. We scoured the Arizona Restaurant Week website, where new menus are added daily for the most exciting offers. These 16 menus caught our attention thanks to the number of options for each course, creativity of dishes, the value — or all of the above. Reservations are recommended for them all.

Here’s a look at the most exciting menus to try during spring Arizona Restaurant Week 2024.

Kembara, JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa

$55 per person
3 courses
Dine-in only

Chef Angelo Sosa’s menu is inspired by some of his favorite Asian street foods. The experience commences with the popular Tuna Thai Jewel with lemongrass-ginger broth, kiwi, jicama and Thai basil. A sampling of three dishes comprise the second course: chicken satay with lemongrass, ginger and cashew sauce; crab fried rice with oyster sauce, sugar snap peas and curry leaf; and the green papaya served with salted egg, tomato and charred beans with fish. Vietnamese coffee doughnuts with Lens Coffee and condensed milk on the side is dessert.

Details: 5350 E. Marriott Drive Phoenix. 480-293-3936, kembaradesertridge.com.

Kaizen

$44 per person
4 courses
Dine-in only

Start with shishito peppers tossed in miso caramel with bonito flakes or the miso soup shimeji with mushrooms, tofu, green onion and wakame with small sunomono salad. A Kaizen nigiri sampler with seared tuna, yellowtail with orange and shiso aguachile, salmon with apple mint chutney and inari with spicy tuna is the second course. For the entree, decide between anise ginger marinated slow braised short ribs served with house pickles, jicama slaw and two bao buns or Nanban tempura fish with ceviche sauce. End the night on a sweet note with yuzu white chocolate pot de creme green tea macarons.

Details: 515 E. Grant Street Phoenix. 602-432-0752, kaizenphx.com.

Match Market & Bar, FOUND:RE Phoenix Hotel

$55 per person dinner, 4 courses
$20 per person lunch, 2 courses
Dine-in and takeout

Those who come in for dinner will choose two tapas from the following: patatas bravas; spicy crab salad; Iberico ham; blistered padron peppers; albondigas; and fried pearl onions with Calabrian chile oil. Next, go with the Russian potato salad with albacore and hard boiled egg or the pear and fennel salad with truffle pecorino and maple dressing. Four main course dishes vie for the spotlight: pan-seared cod; pollo asado; grilled hanger steak with patatas bravas; or orecchiette with Spanish chorizo, manchego and roasted tomato sauce. For the finale, decide between cajeta-filled churros with Mexican hot chocolate for dipping or orange cinnamon crema Catalana.

Swing by for lunch and start with the Russian potato salad, pear and fennel salad or Spanish style Caesar salad with Marcona almonds, crispy chickpeas and shaved manchego. Next, choose from four sandwiches that come with chips: grilled or fried chicken sandwich on ciabatta; grilled hanger steak on baguette; tuna on baguette; or grilled vegetables with romesco and goat cheese on ciabatta.

Details: 1100 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. 602-875-8080, matchphx.com.

The Market by Jennifer’s

$44 per person
3 courses
Dine-in and takeout

Kick off dinner with Chula Seafood jumbo shrimp with cauliflower puree and grilled corn, fried parmesan-crusted burrata with baby artichoke or cold asparagus soup with fried spinach chips. Next, choose among four entrees: pan seared Chula Aussie Ora King salmon in a shitaki mushroom broth with caramelized shallot compound butter on a bed of sticky rice; Sonoran Pasta Co. fusilli with spring peas, heirloom cherry tomatoes, squash and carrot ribbons and asparagus tips; chicken cacciatore on orzo or Meat by Lindz grilled hanger steak with chimichurri and Frites Street’s baton cut fries. Select one of two desserts from Tracy Dempsey Originals: a goat cheese panna cotta with rosemary infused strawberry compote or the chocolate-Italian sweet vermouth caramel tart with crushed pistachios and whipped crème.

Details: 3603 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. 602-626-5050, themarketbyjennifers.com.

The Rosticceria

$33 per person
4 courses
Dine-in only

Begin with a starter of zeppole and prosciutto or grilled baby artichokes. After a second course of an Italian wedge or Sicilian salad, entree choices are: a 10-layer lasagna with short rib ragu and béchamel; red wine-braised Italian short ribs served over creamy polenta; shrimp Parmigiano featuring herb and breadcrumb dusted jumbo prawns in a white wine and san marzano tomato herb sauce with mozzarella or porchetteria, featuring their signature pork rubbed with wild fennel pollen that’s cooked for six hours and served with baked Sicilian pasta and broccolini. Walk it all off with a trip to the build-your-own gelato milkshake bar for dessert.

Details: 12811 N. Tatum Blvd., Phoenix. 480-916-0116, therosticceria.com.

Arcadia Farms

$55 per person
3 courses
Dine-in only

A dizzying array of 26 items offered over three courses means there’s something for everyone. Of the 10 starter options, the artisanal cheese plate with five French cheeses, fig jam and dried fruits; pate with cornichons, French mustard and toasts; and a bacon gruyere and leek tartlet with baby greens and tarragon dressing are attention grabbers. Of the seven main course options, chicken, wild mushroom and leek crepes with baby spinach, goat cheese and bechamel; beef bourguignon and a warm, layered grilled vegetable napoleon are worth strong consideration. Of the nine desserts, the carrot cake tuxedo cake with chocolate mousse filling, white chocolate buttercream and chocolate ganache, and their twist on a strawberry shortcake with a fresh strawberry scone, vanilla bean whipped cream and fresh strawberries, had our mouths watering.

Details: 7025 E. First Ave., Scottsdale. 480-941-5665, arcadiafarmscafe.com.

Familglia

$55 per person
4 courses
Dine-in only

The restaurant helmed by sommelier Broc Chavez and executive chef Richard Rangel kicks things off with housemade focaccia with basil salt and Calabrian chile butter. For the second course, choose from grilled peach and housemade mozzarella, fritto misto with squid and shrimp or caesar salad. Main course options are: sausage and pepper gnocchi, pear and cheese-stuffed sacchetti, spaghetti primavera, chicken piccata or the acqua pazza’s market fish with fennel, baby tomatoes and crostini. The house cannolo is dessert.

Details: 17025 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-366-4021, famigliascottsdale.com.

Liz Modern Asian

Dine-in and takeout
$33 per person dinner
$44 per couple for dim sum lunch

For dinner, a smorgasbord of 10 courses await: Chinese chicken salad, dumplings, cheese puffs, pork bun, prime rib, Korean fried chicken, walnut shrimp, Hainan chicken and rice and brisket lo mein.

The dim sum experience includes dumplings, cheese puffs, spring roll, Chinese chicken salad and Korean fried chicken. Both menus end with cake.

Details: 15323 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-292-7689, lizmodernasianrestaurant.com

Taza Bistro & Bar

$55 per person
3 courses
Dine-in and takeout

Take an international culinary tour with globally-inspired plates. To start, choose the pear and brie salad with arugula and balsamic reduction, bacon-wrapped dates with spicy chutney or baked feta puttanesca and toasted sourdough. For the main course decide among: duck breast a l’orange with dauphinoise potatoes and grilled asparagus, zaatar herbed grilled lamb with tzatziki, herbed couscous and honey glazed carrots or wild caught pan seared sea bass in lemon caper butter and spaghetti cacio e pepe. For dessert, opt for New York-style cheesecake, mixed berry compote baklava or honey chocolate mousse.

Details: 9619 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale. 480-842-2275, tazabistro.com.

Bar Cena

$55 per person
3 courses
Dine-in only

Begin with marinated cucumber with whipped tofu, fresh herbs and chili crunch; frisee salad with endive, apple and Point Reyes bleu cheese in a roasted shallot vinaigrette; or mussels escabeche with pickled vegetables and grilled noble bread. Choose from three entree offerings: crispy skin chicken thigh with orzo, sundried tomato and feta; Sonoran Pasta Co. pappardelle with a wild mushroom bolognese; or seared ahi tuna in a green sauce with edamame and radish. For dessert, choose between the billionaire’s shortbread with caramel, ganache and a French sea salt finish or cheesecake with biscoff cookie crumb crust.

Details: 14202 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-597-6526, barcenascottsdale.com.

Liberty Market

$44/person
3 courses, beverage included
Dine-in and takeout

This beloved downtown Gilbert restaurant impresses with the food it’s known for right off the bat with starter choices of boneless fried chicken with a cheddar-jalapeno biscuit or sweet sesame fried shrimp. For the main course, decide between beef stroganoff with wild mushrooms and spaetzle or seared pork belly accompanied by creamy polenta, grilled asparagus and a cherry red wine sauce. Key lime cheesecake or raspberry eclair will be dessert. Sip on a fountain drink, drip coffee or glass of red or rose wine, any one of which are included with your meal.

Details: 230 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert. 480-892-1900, libertymarket.com.

Terra Tempe Kitchen & Spirits, The Westin Tempe

$55 per person
3 courses
Dine-in only

The signature ground-floor restaurant at the Westin in downtown Tempe offers three starter options: halibut Peruvian ceviche; roasted baby carrots, squash, mushroom and cauliflower salad with brown butter brioche; cilantro-jalapeno hummus and roasted garlic oil; and mixed green salad with drunken goat cheese, mango and pomegranate vinaigrette. There are four entree choices: ricotta gnocchi; pan seared halibut with zucchini puree and red quinoa in an aji-mango sauce; membrillo half chicken with Sonoran bacon-potato salad, quince glaze and salsa verde; and braised short rib with mesquite polenta fries, summer squash and pomegranate beef gravy. For the sweet ending, decide between Mexican Chocolate atole custard with dulce de leche caramel, chantilly and mini churro bites, or the orange creamsicle cheesecake made with Arizona citrus cremeux, blood orange gel and mandarin oranges.

Details: 11 E. Seventh St., Tempe. 480-968-8885, terratempe.com.

Feringhee Modern Indian Cuisine

$55 per person
3 courses
Dine-in and takeout

Khandari pork ribs, chicken tikka highway, samosa pinwheel chaat and a trio of puchka are among the eight starter choices. Saffron pulao rice, black dairy dal and garlic naan accompany each of the six main course options, which include: malai kofta; mushroom pepper fry; saag paneer; Old Delhi butter chicken; kashmiri mutton rogan josh and tandoori salmon. For dessert, decide among gulab jamun cheesecake, chocolate brownie with pistachio ice cream and saffron milk foam or Kulfi popsicle bar with candied rose petals.

Details: 3491 W. Frye Road, Chandler. 480-534-7178, feringhee.com.

Tempo Urban Bistro

$55 per person
3 courses
Dine-in and takeout

Choose from starters like lobster beignets, black bean duck spring roll or poached pear salad. Next, ponder four main selections: salmon wellington, pork osso buco, steak au poivre or Dungeness crab ravioli. For dessert, a tough decision awaits between banana xango, lemon meringue pie and bourbon pecan pie.

Details: 21067 W. Main St., Buckeye. 623-594-6788, tempourbanbistro.com.

Ajo Al’s Mexican Cafe

$55 per couple
3 courses, beverage included
Dine-in only

Share an order of chile con queso or guacamole to start, then each person gets their own entree of blanco enchiladas stuffed with mushrooms or spinach, shredded beef quesabirria tacos with consomme dipping sauce, a burrito bowl with chicken or steak or a crisp chicken burro topped with cream cheese and melted cheddar. For dessert, split the flan or key lime pie. Toast with a Mexican beer, house margarita or Mexican mule, any of which come with your meal.

Details: 5101 N. 16th St., Phoenix. 602-222-9902. Other locations at ajoals.com.

Fabio on Fire

$44 per person
3 courses
Dine-in and takeout

Begin with lightly breaded shrimp roasted in a wood-fired oven, wood-fired pork belly with rosemary focaccia and chickpea hummus or lightly fried short rib ravioli. Main course options are: white pizza adorned with imported bufala mozzarella, prosciutto di parma, arugula and shaved parmesan; lobster tortellini in a pink vodka cream sauce with crab; braised short rib ravioli in a buttercream sage sauce; or homemade tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce. One scoop of chef Fabio’s homemade gelato is dessert.

Details: 8275 W. Lake Pleasant Pkwy., Peoria. 623-680-5385, fabioonfire.com.

The best places to dine in 2024: 100 essential restaurants in metro Phoenix

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Arizona

New study reveals how victimized Arizona women end up behind bars

Published

1 hour ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

New study reveals how victimized Arizona women end up behind bars

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — It’s a first of its kind study to better understand an often overlooked group of people: women behind bars.

“No other jail system in the country is doing this,” said Dominique Roe-Sepowitz, director of Arizona State University’s Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research. “Many of them have offenses that are related to other people’s interference. So whether they were forced to commit that crime with someone else, they were under someone else’s control.”

Roe-Sepowitz spearheaded the effort that explores the pipeline between victimization and incarceration for Arizona women. What she uncovered was even worse than she expected.

“The scope of trauma, the sheer amount of violent experiences was a surprise to me,” she said.

Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Brandon Smith teamed up with Roe-Sepowitz for this project.

Since 2018, they’ve worked together to identify and support sex trafficking victims inside county jails.

“A lot of them could be they were more of a victim than a suspect in a crime,” said Smith.

In May 2025, the pair decided to dig deeper with a survey to learn more about the life history of all female inmates.

“We didn’t want to re-traumatize them. We were very careful about asking appropriate questions in the right way,” said Smith.

More than 400 women in the Estrella Jail completed the questionnaire which represents 49% of the female population.

The results show most are mothers, locked up for drug offenses.

77% reported a mental health diagnosis, more than 78% have been homeless, just over 50% have been sex trafficked, and 80% said they were victims of domestic violence.

With that knowledge, there is hope that jail programs can help break the cycle.

“We’re able to tailor programming to that in order to hopefully keep them out of jail, become more productive members of society, be with their children,” said Smith.

About 14% of participants were there for their first arrest.

New trauma-informed programs and training will soon be implemented.

“We’re looking at what can we do for that 14% that are here for the first time to hopefully make sure it’s their last time,” said Smith.

“How to build hope for the future, how to stabilize their life, how to continue the relationships they have in healthier ways,” said Roe-Sepowitz.

More research is on the way. ASU just wrapped up a similar survey in the Perryville prison and plans to conduct it again at Estrella Jail this year to collect additional data.

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Arizona

This prominent attorney collects art to celebrate his Mexican heritage

Published

13 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

This prominent attorney collects art to celebrate his Mexican heritage

Prominent Arizona attorney Jose Cardenas possesses a large private collection of Mexican and Mexican American art.
Cardenas, who rose from humble immigrant roots, amassed the collection with his late wife, Virginia, as an embrace of their shared Mexican heritage.
He frequently opens his home to visitors for tours and events, sharing stories about the artwork and his life.

Prominent Arizona attorney Jose Cardenas loves to show off his vast collection of Mexican and Mexican American art.

But he once made a fool of himself arguing with the legendary Mexican journalist Elena Poniatowska over a piece of artwork on display in his spacious 4,000-square-foot Chandler home.

Cardenas was giving Poniatowska a tour of his art collection during a reception he hosted for the writer. She was in town giving a lecture at Arizona State University.

“This is a self-portrait of Siqueiros,” Cardenas remembers telling Poniatwoska, referring to David Alfaro Siqueiros, one of Mexico’s three most famous muralists.

Poniatowska took a look at the sketch and shook her head, “No it’s not.”

The two got into a back and forth, with Cardenas continuing to insist the man depicted in the painting was Siqueiros.

“That’s what they told me when I bought it at the gallery in San Francisco,” Cardenas remembers telling the Mexican author.

Finally Cardenas backed down, thinking, “She’s getting up in years. I’m not going to embarrass her and argue with her.”

A few days later, Cardenas was flipping through TV channels. He came across a PBS documentary about the 1970 Chicano riots in East Los Angeles. The documentary highlighted a portrait Siqueiros had painted in homage to Ruben Salazar, the Los Angeles Times journalist killed by a tear gas canister fired by a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy during the protests.

Poniatowska was right. The figure in the painting was not Siqueiros, the Mexican muralist. It was indeed Ruben Salazar, the Los Angeles Times journalist, as painted by Siqueiros.

Cardenas tells this story when he gives tours of his art collection to visitors. They break out in laughter.

“You were mansplaining” one visitor told him. “No, I was being an idiot,” Cardenas said, “because why would you argue with her, of all people. She knew (Siqueiros). She wrote about him. She interviewed him. Not the person to say, ‘No, you are wrong.’”

Cardenas built prestigious career from humble roots

The personal art tours Cardenas hosts weekly at his home are peppered with similar stories that showcase his self-deprecating humor and highlight his enormous pride in his humble upbringing and Mexican heritage.

Cardenas comes from modest working-class Mexican immigrant roots. But he rose to become one of the most prominent and successful attorneys in Arizona. He has used his considerable wealth to amass what artists say is the largest collection of Mexican and Mexican-American artwork in the state, which he shares often with visitors during various events at his home, from personal tours to his annual post-Christmas bash.

Born in 1952, Cardenas is the son of an immigrant dad from the Mexican state of Sinaloa, and a Mexican-American mom. Cardenas grew up in Vegas Heights, a working-class Hispanic neighborhood west of Las Vegas that was still segregated. His father, Fortunato Cárdenas Sánchez, had a sixth-grade education. He worked as a foreman for construction company that laid pipelines. He was killed in a work accident when Cardenas was 15.

His mother, Gloria Frances Gómez Vigil, was born in a small town in northern Nevada to Mexican immigrant parents who eventually moved to Las Vegas. She only attended school through eighth grade.

After his father died, Cardenas, the second-oldest of four children, wanted to quit school and work to help his family with finances. But Cardenas was a good student, and his mother insisted he stay in school and encouraged him to attend college.

Cardenas became the first person in his family to graduate from high school and then college. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and then a law degree from Stanford.

After law school, Cardenas clerked for a federal judge in San Francisco and then moved to Arizona in 1978 to work for the powerhouse law firm Lewis and Roca. Cardenas mostly handled commercial litigation but also did pro bono work on death penalty cases. In 1999, he was named managing partner, becoming one of the few Hispanic managing partners of a major law firm in the nation.

In 2009, Cardenas left Lewis and Roca to serve as chief legal adviser and senior vice president at Arizona State University, a position he held until 2022.

For nearly 20 years, Cardenas also hosted Horizonte, a public affairs show focusing on Arizona issues through a Hispanic perspective on Arizona PBS (KAET-TV Channel 8). He stepped down in 2023. Now semi-retired, the 73-year-old Cardenas continues to serve as special senior university adviser at ASU.

Cardenas and his Mexican-born wife, Virginia, were childhood sweethearts. When Virginia turned 15, Cardenas was one of the escorts in her quinceañera coming-of-age celebration. The two then began dating in ninth grade. They married when Cardenas was 19 and Virginia was 20 by one month. She worked as a counselor at Chandler High School. She died in July 2012 of kidney cancer.

Cardenas and Virginia bought their first artwork when he was still a financially struggling law student at Stanford. The two prints Cardenas purchased from a fellow student are now among the thousands of pieces of artwork that adorn his home.

Couple made frequent trips to purchase art

Cardenas said he and Virginia were introduced to the world of Mexican and Mexican American art when they moved to Arizona and met artists Zarco and Carmen Guerrero at a party. They are the founders of Xicanindio, the original name of Xico, a nonprofit organization that promotes Latino and Indigenous art and culture.

The couple became deeply involved in the organization. Virginia became the program director for several years and Cardenas served on the board of directors, including a stint as president.

Over the years, Cardenas and Virginia traveled frequently to Mexico City, Sante Fe and San Francisco to purchase paintings, crosses, ceramics, prints and pottery that cover practically every inch of Cardenas’ ranch home in Chandler.

Cardenas said he considers the collection an embrace of the Mexican heritage he and Virginia shared.

“It’s pride,” Cardenas said during an interview at his home.

“Virginia was born in Mexico. She came here when she was eight,” Cardenas said. “And I never considered myself Mexican American because when I was growing up, those terms weren’t used. So we were Mexicans.”

After Virginia died in 2012, Cardenas commissioned East L.A.-born artist George Yepes to paint a portrait of her. Yepes is best known as the artist who painted the cover of the 1988 Grammy Award-winning album by Los Lobos, “La Pistola y El Corazón.”

At first, Yepes turned down the commission after Cardenas showed her photo of Virginia, who was known for her dazzling smile.

“I can’t do it,” Cardenas recalled Yepes saying. “She’s always smiling. I don’t do smiles.”

A few weeks later, Yepes emailed Cardenas. “I think I can do it.”

The 7-foot-tall portrait Yepes painted of Virginia now hangs in Cardenas’ living room, where it dominates one of the walls. Cardenas considers it his most treasured piece, along with a portrait by a different artist of his three grown sons when they were young.

“The funny thing about this is she was pretty short, she was barely five foot tall. This painting is seven feet. And she’s sitting down. So talk about bigger-than-life-size,” Cardenas told a group of visitors during one of his tours.

Home is an art gallery, with frequent visitors

Cardenas frequently opens his home to visitors, serving as docent as he escorts visitors from room to room, telling stories along the way about various pieces of artwork.

In addition to the personal tours, Cardenas hosts an annual open house to showcase the ofrendas he creates in honor of Dia de los Muertos. At his Day of the Dead open house in November 2025, during the Trump administration’s ongoing mass deportation effort, one of the ofrendas focused on immigration. The ofrenda included photos of Cardenas’ relatives from Mexico, along with numerous quotes by Pope Francis that Cardenas printed out and framed.

“Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity,” read one quote.

“It is necessary to respond to the globalization of migration with the globalization of charity and cooperation, in such a way as to make the conditions for migrants more humane,” read another.

Cardenas also hosts an annual Los Tres Reyes Magos party every January in honor of Three Kings Day, a Christian holiday that is popular in Mexico and Latino America and marks the biblical visit of the three kings to the baby Jesus. This year’s party, attended by some of the most influential people in Arizona, will be Jan. 10.

One of the most powerful pieces on display in his home is a painting Cardenas commissioned as a tribute to the victims of the 2022 mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The shooting killed 19 students and two teachers, and injured 21 others. The artwork, which Cardenas displays in his dining room, also was painted by Yepes, the artist who painted the portrait of Virginia.

The painting depicts a woman draped in an American flag, her arms and hands outstretched in the shape of a crucifix, with swords piercing her exposed heart, while doves flutter around her head, wrapped in a crown of thorns.

‘Everything they have in the collection was for them’

One of the most striking pieces is a massive Talavera ceramic jar created by artist and restauranteur Gennaro Garcia, a native of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, who now lives in Phoenix. Garcia created the piece in Puebla, Mexico, where he studied the hand-painted Mexican ceramic artform that blends Spanish and Indigenous influences.

Cardenas had the piece shipped to his home, where he had to remove the table from his kitchen to make room for the artwork, which towers over six feet in height.

Garcia said he strived for years to have his artwork included in the Cardenas’ collection.

“As an artist, you want you want to be in in collection that you admire,” Garcia said. “His collection was already so good, and I wanted to have my name associated with those other artists” and with Virginia and Jose Cardenas as collectors.

Garcia describes the collection as a love story between the couple.

“Everything they have in the collection was for them,” Garcia said. “I always remember them standing in front of the art, talking about it, and then deciding to buy it” as a couple.

Garcia said he was not aware of a larger personal collection of Mexican and Mexican American artwork in Arizona.

“It’s the biggest one. Easy,” Garcia said.

Cristina Cardenas, a Mexican-born artist based in Tucson, agreed.

“In Arizona, to tell you the truth, I haven’t met anybody else with a bigger or more rich collection” especially of Mexican-American and Arizona artists, said Cardenas, who is not related to Jose.

She has sold numerous paintings to Cardenas. The collector also has commissioned her to paint several murals at his home, including a mural of a smiling Virginia that adorns an outdoor wall in the home’s sizable patio, and a mural of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo that greets visitors to his home.

The artist said Cardenas and Virginia have supported many artists through their collecting. They have played a role in opening the door for Latino artists to sell their work to other collectors, Cardenas said, noting that she once sold a print to former Arizona governor and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano through an introduction by Cardenas.

“It’s a commitment to represent our people, our communities, and to represent Mexico and the really highest rich cultural history that it has,” the artist said.

She noted that visitors will notice that Cardenas and Virginia have had a strong interest in collecting female figurative art. They were influential in shifting Xico artists away from depictions of low-riders and other traditional Chicano symbols toward prints and paintings that celebrate female figurative art.

Cardenas the artist, and others, often wonder what will happen to the massive collection after Cardenas is gone.

“It has to be preserved and it has to stay together. That’s my recommendation,” Cardenas the artist said.

Collection is a priceless legacy

Jose Cardenas said he isn’t sure what will become of his collection. He knows that some of the pieces will be passed down to his children and family, including the portrait of Virginia. The rest may go the Hispanic Research Center at Arizona State University, he said.

In the meantime, his collection continues to expand. He recently mounted two new pieces by renowned contemporary American artist Ayana Jackson, who reconstructs the portraiture of the 19th and early 20th centuries to, according to her bio, “assess the impact of the colonial gaze on the history of photography.”

The two pieces Cardenas acquired depict the artist suspended in midair in a battle stance while in character as Adelita, the Mexican female revolutionary soldier.

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Arizona

Multiple freeways closed as snow moves into northern Arizona

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Multiple freeways closed as snow moves into northern Arizona

A winter storm sweeping across the state was dumping snow and whipping up gusty winds in northern Arizona, forcing multiple highway closures and travel advisories throughout the region.

Snow moved into the high country early Jan. 8 and was expected to continue through the afternoon and evening. Flagstaff had picked up 2 to 4 inches, with snow reaching lower elevations, including Prescott and Sedona, according to the National Weather Service in Flagstaff.

“In our area we expect it to come to an end here later this afternoon and early this evening, with only an inch or two more here in the Flagstaff area,” said Brian Klimowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Flagstaff. “It’s going to continue this evening and overnight to our east.”

Snow levels dropped as a cold front moved into the region, falling from about 6,000 feet at sunrise to as low as 4,000 feet by late evening. Forecasters say heavier snow was likely this afternoon and evening as the system moves through.

“Roads are bad right now,” Klimowski said. “The highways will be very slick, and we expect conditions will remain in a deteriorated state here this afternoon to this evening, especially along and east of the I-17 corridor.”

Which highways are closed in northern Arizona?

Several major highways across the high country were closed on Jan. 8 due to winter weather and related crashes, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

As of the afternoon, the following closures were in place:

Interstate 40 eastbound at US 93 (milepost 72)
Interstate 40 eastbound at State Route 89 in Ash Fork (milepost 146)
Northbound Interstate 17 at State Route 169 (milepost 278)
State Route 64 (both directions) between mileposts 244-264

ADOT said there is no estimated reopening time for any of these highways.

Drivers can check the latest road closures and travel conditions through ADOT’s AZ511 system, with an online interactive map and mobile app. Information is available at AZ511.gov or by calling 511 from within Arizona.

Snow, wind and cold persist

Flagstaff could see snow totals around 2 to 5 inches, with more at the higher elevations. Snow will continue across eastern Arizona into the evening Jan. 8 and early on Jan. 9, including parts of Black Mesa, the Chinle Valley and the Chuska Mountains.

Gusty winds could reduce visibility, especially in areas with blowing snow. Winds will shift northerly overnight, summoning colder air as the system departs.

“It’s going to dry out,” Klimowski said. “It’s going to be cold and blustery tomorrow and then a slow warming trend through much of next week.”

Lows on Jan. 9 will be 10 to 15 degrees below normal, with wind chills near zero in the High Country. While snow will cease by Jan. 9, slick roads and hazardous conditions could remain,

“Be careful if you’re traveling tonight,” Klimowski said. “It’s going to be slick out there.”

Why does it snow so much in Flagstaff? Here’s what to know

Flagstaff may be in a state known for its scorching summers and years-long droughts, but it is one of the snowiest cities in the United States.

Hayleigh Evans writes about extreme weather and related topics for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email her with story tips at hayleigh.evans@arizonarepublic.com.

(This story has been updated to add a new video).

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