Tracy Dempsey Originals

Tracy can do no wrong with food, wine, or high-quality produce! if you go in, make sure you pick one of her delicious dishes to go, but don't pass up on a bottle of wine or any of the fun snacks! Best wine club membership ever!

My boba sistah and I came here for a mocktail class and it was great! Love to see the trend of non-alcoholic drinks and it was the perfect event for Dry January. Tracy invited her friend Nathan Claiborn, the Sober Somm, to share with us his journey leaving restaurant work and alcohol and bringing premium, non-alcoholic drinks to the Valley. It was informative and we got to enjoy some drinks using the Ghia brand of aperitif. Glad to be around folks who abstain from drinking or who are sober curious and wanting to learn more. I bought a can of Ghia flavored with ginger and a fleur de sel dessert, brownie esque. The drink has a bitter undertone flavor, similar to grapefruit, and the ginger flavor was more noticeable by smell than taste. Not my type of drink but I can see how folks would enjoy it.The brownie was soft and had a cake-like texture and wasn't as fudgy as I expected. It had a nice caramel flavor, just understated and I prefer a richer chocolate taste and crispy edges. Tracy and her team were very welcoming and friendly and I'm glad I visited her shop. Hope to try more from her in the future.

I live on the far west side of Phoenix, and it took the promise of a brand-new cheese club to lure me over to Tempe. In this May of 2021, TDO operates by email and curbside pick-up; I found the process to be pleasant and straightforward. I emailed to join the Cheese Board and was sent an invoice I then paid for over Paypal. When I made an additional order for pick-up at the same time, which included a Bar Bites Box and three Stoic Ciders, the process went much the same, and I mentioned when I would be by to get everything. At this time, they are only open Thursday to Saturday from 10am to 2pm.I arrived there soon after 10am on a Friday. I sent a text message that I was there to pick up and had a reply in about a minute. Another two minutes, and they brought my bags to the table outside their door. Super easy!Even more, I love what I bought. The first month of the Cheese Board set an incredible standard by featuring a cheesemaker out of Cambria, California, named Stepladder Creamery. The box included four very different cheeses. Along with that was a baggy with almonds and dried apricots, and two house-made items: strawberry jam and Black Pepper & Green Za'atar Crackers. The jam and crackers were excellent paired with the perfectly-ripe Big Sur cheese I cut into that night.The three ciders were already cold. The Bar Bites Box contained a lot for $8. I didn't get to choose anything, but they chose well for me! It included two Fleur de Sel Caramel Brownies, two Ooey Gooey Blueberry Bars, a cannelle, two pecan bars, and two of some kind of shortbread bar. I haven't tried everything yet! I am making these last, as I figure I won't be making another trek to Tempe until July when I need to get my next Cheese Board box. Tracy Dempsey has me hooked!

Glad that TD is a location for produce/vegetable box pick-up. I tried a bridge box (between month). The pick-up process is seamless and fast. The parking lot is huge.I want to try some desserts but it is hard to decision since they all sounds yummy.

Tracy and her assistant are always so sweet and kind when I've been shopping here for gifts and I love seeing the new and unique sweets and snacks for sale, most of them made by her and her staff. Whether it's the signature bacon pecan brittle, Thomas Keller chocolate or some intriguing lefse chips, everything that I've bought for friends and family has gotten rave reviews for quality and taste. Upgrade one star!

I LOVE THIS PLACE! I recently became a member of TDO-ODV cheese club and wine club. The cheeses are unique and delicious. I love that I also get a written description of the cheese, the dairy, and things to pair it with. The wines have also been delicious. I so enjoy getting a written description of the winery, types of grapes used, tasting notes, and things to pair with the wine. I just went back today to get three more bottles of a french sparkling wine (that was in the wine club offering) that was so good I had to have more. Of course, while I was there I had to purchase some gorgeous bakery items. Tracy and Tammy are delightful and make great recommendations for anything you want to purchase. Next on my list is to try the lunches and dinners that Tracy offers each week. I will also be ordering my next special occasion cake from Tracy as she is an amazing chef!

This is a hidden gem with fabulous fancy pastries and baked goods as well as a nice selection of wines. Definitely worth a stop. I came just before close on a Friday and there was a small but expansive selection of sweets and I wanted them all. I ended up with a peanut butter chocolate mousse that was TO DIE FOR. I got a nice bottle of wine as well. Can't wait to go back and see what they have next time!

At the farmer's market on Saturday I saw this shiny yelp postcard with reviews on Butter and Me in her booth (which she supports but the business belongs to Kelly Garcia :-)).....using Yelp as my compass to navigate this next week I had a looksy at her wares... and me like lots!! Her breakfast cookies are brilliant and have everything I ever wanted in them: dried cherries, oatmeal cookie, nuts.. and oh yes APPLE WOOD BACON. Her specialty is melding the sweet and savory and she does that with ease. There were some homemade marshmallows that looked delectable but I needed to pace myself. She also provides goodies for Crudo Cafe.

This review solely centers on the Bacon-Pecan Brittle. Bought a bag of them (4 oz.) at Smeeks in Phoenix for $10.I'd seen a blurb about Tracy Dempsey's bacon brittle in Phoenix Magazine, regarding the best local food in the Valley and decided it was worth looking into. Apparently the idea for them came about in 2004, about the time L.A. also exploded in independent eateries interested in dumping bacon (and occasionally prosciutto, for that matter) into everything -- ice cream, donuts, cookies, churros, chocolate bars, lollipops, popcorn, etc. We've even got bacon lube and bacon vodka on the market. The magazine blurb and the back of the package both mention that this started as a dare by Dempsey's husband, and I suppose one could argue that a dare is what it takes to get some people to eat it. The brittle is one of those hard types that gets embedded in your molars. You definitely taste the bacon, but the overall flavor was sort of like burnt coffee. At $10 for a quarter-pound it seems lacking. It's pretty much your basic caramelized sugar, nuts, and then the applewood smoked bacon. Worth trying, though. Don't leave the brittle in the car on a hot day. Though the brittle was already in these impossible-to-break-apart chunks, it made the car smell like dog treats. Still good, though. It didn't spoil. I'll have to sample her other snacks some time since I'd hate to be the only Yelper without glowing reviews for the creator, whom it seems the other reviewers have met.

Just had a flourless chocolate cake salted caramel concoction by Tracy at Crudo. Chocolate is Heaven and Tracy is the Miss-siah.