16 april 2015 Story and Photos by Amanda Goossen S even years ago, Phoenix native Aric Mei decided to open a pizza restaurant in the Camelback Corridor. After growing up in the restaurant business with his family, who has owned Nello’s in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe for over three decades, Aric designed his own restaurant: The Parlor Pizzeria. After working in the art department of film productions in Los Angeles for eight years, Aric moved back to Phoenix in 2007, ready to combine his background in art with the business that was deeply rooted in his heart, hospitality. “I’ve fallen head over heels for hospitality,” said Aric. “Finding my own voice in a business I grew up in has been really satisfying.” And that voice, for Aric, was found not only within the walls of The Parlor Pizzeria, but deeper, in the soil that grows vegetables and herbs outside his restaurant almost year-round. “The thing people don’t realize,” said Aric, “is that Phoenix is the perfect place to grow such gardens. We have two, almost three, growing seasons.” Bringing the restaurant garden to life was not only a relaxing experience for Aric, who admits that he tended to the rows of herbs every day after hours of stressful construction, but it was also the gateway to his future. “The engagement with the garden has been incredibly rewarding,” said Aric. “It’s where I want my future to go.” The next step was to expand the 100-square-foot garden space at The Parlor into a personally designed home garden. Purchasing a .75 acre lot in the heart of Arcadia last year made this step possible. Aric’s home garden consists of five rows within an 800-square-foot space. His plan is to expand to the other side of the yard with time. “I’ve noticed the other side of the home is more serene, with less traffic noise and more ideal for such a garden,” said Aric. In mid-March, a recent harvest has left the garden with only a few plants still intact. Spigarello (a long-stemmed leafy green that looks like kale but tastes like broccoli), red Russian kale, fennel, bunching scallions and various types of lettuce sit amongst a few bolted plants. The new selection of spring plants will be brought in within the coming days. BRINGING HIS WORK HOME Continued from Arcadia News gardens Aric Mei’s

17 “The thing people don’t realize, is that Phoenix is the perfect place to grow such gardens. We have two, almost three, growing seasons.” Aric said it’s been a complicated process creating a garden that is 100 percent organic and produces vegetables and herbs for his restaurant. “I had to eradicate Bermudagrass without chemicals,” said Aric. “Not an easy feat.” With the help of Bob McClendon, owner of McClendon’s Select, a family run, certified organic farm located on 25 acres in Peoria, they found a way. Using black tarp to cover the ground for eight months, the men were able to completely rid the land of the thick grass and prepare it for planting. “This entire thing has been an amazing education,” said Aric.