BUSINESS
Duke’s Roadhouse It must be scary to have a restaurant catch fire before it even opens. “I’ve had restaurant fires before, but none like this,” Steve Kovach, owner of Duke’s Roadhouse, told InMaricopa . The construction site was ablaze on a Saturday night in March. The fire started in a trashcan and what exactly caused it was still under investigation at publication time. It burned for half an hour before firefighters put it out. Kovach chalked up the minimal damage to the unique metal build of the new honky-tonk. “If this was conventional construction, the building would have burned down,” he said. And here’s more good news: Kovach said the fire didn’t damage the building and the opening is still on schedule. When exactly Duke’s opens is still a question. Kovach’s ballpark estimate is May. A new office building is headed for Maricopa Grand Professional Village. A pre- application narrative and site plan submitted by Gilbert-based Pillar Companies calls for the construction of a building on an undeveloped lot near the intersection of Desert Greens Drive and Smith-Enke Road. Principal Curtis Kelner promised the proposal “would not negatively impact the neighbors, the surrounding community or the city of Maricopa,” in response to concerns that construction will occur at one of the four most crash-prone intersections in the city. The new building would sit adjacent to the Trend Spa and Desert Greens office rental company building, according to a site blueprint submitted in the application.
BRIEF
Phoenix-based Legacy Development Partners submitted pre-application paperwork to construct a six-building shopping center on the northeast corner of Porter and Applegate Roads, according to public records. The shopping center will sit on 6½ acres just north of Copa Flats and is looking for a mix of retail and restaurant tenants. The total retail space will amount to more than 40,000 square feet. A project narrative said the developer anticipates the project “will complement the area’s mixed-use vision” and will offer “new commercial options for Maricopa residents.” Maricopa Auto Outlet, the city’s only auto dealer, turns 10 years old. Located in the historic center of Maricopa, it first began serving the community in early 2015. They had the vision back when the fledgling city had 30,000 fewer residents and no railroad overpass. In the decade since Maricopa Auto Outlet sold its first vehicle, owner Roman Bylkov has helped local commuters find safe, reliable transportation — whether they’re taking the kids to school right around the corner or commuting north every weekday. With so many new people moving into town, he wants to help more people than ever before. “Maricopa is still a small
CAC food truck scene’s new arrivals
A project narrative and site plan submitted to the city show the intent to convert a residential home in the Heritage District into a spa business offering Ozempic injections and other non-invasive procedures. Applicant Caron McAnulty plans to open a spa in the shell of a 1,000-square-foot home near Plainview Street and Honeycutt Road, offering Botox, microneedling laser therapy and other similar services, according to the application. The business, Revive and Renew Aesthetics, shares the name of a company run by McAnulty in Phoenix. The storefront is in a business park but has no reviews on Yelp or Google. McAnulty, a personal trainer and YouTuber with more than 14,000 subscribers, told InMaricopa she plans to compete with two longtime Maricopa medspa titans, Maricopa Wellness Center and Vitiello Primary Care, with some certified staff. The Maricopa Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously approved two requests to construct the future pizza parlor at Honeycutt and Whisker Roads, marking the way for the city’s first restaurant east of Porter Road. The requests asked to rezone 3 acres and to approve a development review permit from Phoenix architecture firm Soaring Eight. Zzeek’s will take up a little more than half of the space of the 7,600-square-foot building, which will include a patio for outdoor dining. A tenant for the neighboring suite has not been announced, but a project narrative suggested it could be used for “medical and/or office tenants.”
Over the last few weeks, you may have noticed a few new food options rolling onto the Maricopa campus of Central Arizona College. Five new food trucks are now calling the college parking lot home, joining some mainstays. You’ll find some Southern staples Johnnie B’s Soul Food Kitchen , including catfish dinners, shrimp
and grits and a hearty étouffée. Mama Bear’s Mini Kitchen could become your next favorite go-to breakfast spot. You’ll find some yummy eats like breakfast pizza, French toast and frittata bites. Get your frybread fix at Native Nom Noms. You’ll find some classics, like Navajo tacos and mutton stew served with frybread. Feel like indulging in spam musubi, kalua pork or lumpia? Swing by Ohana Island Treats for a taste of the islands, like shaved ice and peanut butter energy bars. Can Maricopa ever have too many taco options? Not according to Taco Culture . While street and quesa tacos dominate the menu, you’ll also find the occasional caldo or posole.
The longtime operator of Maricopa’s Raspados Locos food truck, Alexis Aguilar started selling her gigantic, fun-flavored cookies inside three businesses on the
main strip in January. She debuted her own pop-up store at the Copa Farmers Market in mid-March. “They’re New York-style cookies, so each cookie
The largest egg company in the Southwest and one of the top producers nationwide is trying to stay strong during the current H5 bird flu outbreak. Since the bird flu arrived in the U.S. in 2015, Hickman’s Family Farms has constantly been upgrading its biosecurity measures. But a new outbreak that began in Pinal County in November has the business and its egg ranch in Maricopa scrambling. When the bird flu became endemic in the wild bird population, Hickman’s began using non-lethal defenses — air cannons, lasers and bright ribbons — to discourage birds from contaminating the farms. A virucide was used to eliminate airborne viruses. Yet Hickman’s lost 1.1 million chickens. The farmers are running out of new ideas to implement, said Glenn Hickman, owner of Hickman’s Family Farms. “These birds have been dying off and on from February 2022, so that’s the tragedy for us,” said Hickman, 63.
is 155 grams-plus. It’s a really thick cookie,” said Aguilar. At $4 to $4.50 a pop, three of her cookies weigh more than a pound. Every cookie she makes is a little different, and the ingredients make a difference. Ingredient ratios and dough hydration all play a role in baking a chewy, thick and flavorful cookie like Grandma made. Better yet, the menu rotates with the seasons.
city. I like to meet people and see what we can do to provide reliable, affordable
transportation for them,” he said. “We want to provide them with transportation that will help them get to work and travel on SR 347.”
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April 2025 | InMaricopa.com
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