Chip
Thanks for putting this all together :thumbsup Count us in for the festivities. BTW, El Chorro has just been sold and will be closing next month for an extended period. Just a heads up.
John
Thanks for the tip, John. Here's the local rag's article:
El Chorro Lodge up for sale
by
Carey Sweet - May. 22, 2009 05:50 PM
Special for The Arizona Republic
El Chorro Lodge, the venerable Paradise Valley landmark restaurant and home of the nearly world-renowned sticky buns, is under contract for sale. According to owner Joe Miller, the paperwork should be finalized within a few days.
The purchasers are Kristy Riding Moore and Tim Moore, formerly of Phoenix's Continental Catering, and Jacquie and Bennett Dorrance. Bennett Dorrance is director of DMB Associates, a Scottsdale-based real estate development company specializing in resorts and master-planned communities.
El Chorro employees were notified of the sale this afternoon, Miller said, and that the property will soon close, perhaps for five months or longer. While he's not sure what the new owners plan for the prime, 22-acre parcel on Lincoln Drive and 56th Street, he said he hopes the restaurant's heritage will be preserved.
"It is what it is," he said. "It was time." Built in 1934 as a school for girls, the historic property was converted to a resort in 1937, playing host to celebrities like Clark Gable and Milton Berle. Through the decades, many of the original staffers stayed on, including Miller, who started there as a bartender in 1952, and met his wife Evie on the job. The Millers purchased the Lodge in 1973, and over the next 15 years, expanded the restaurant's capacity from 70 to 165, while still preserving the property's rustic desert charm.
It's long been a favorite gathering spot, known for classic Continental cuisine and signature basket of sticky buns included with each meal.
Details: El Chorro Lodge, 5550 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley, 480-948-5170,
elchorrolodge.com.
