Wine & Dine

Our friends in the quad-cities share their recipes, favorite drinks, best wines, and more!

Living (and Making Wine) in a World-Class Wine Region

Living (and Making Wine) in a World-Class Wine Region

Between them, Maricor and Richard Skladzien have lived in lots of places: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, and California. And they’ve enjoyed a variety of experiences in those places: they were an accountant and public works director, respectively, and they ran a coffee roasting company, grew grapes, and owned several stores.

The rolling hills of Paulden, Arizona—and a sense of adventure in retirement—provide the setting for their newest endeavor: They’re the owners of Del Rio Springs Vineyard and Winery, and its tasting room in downtown Prescott.

‘Where Community is Our Business’

‘Where Community is Our Business’

As a unique and charming venue in Prescott Valley, Rafter Eleven has established itself as the go-to destination for memorable business meetings and curated private events. With its rustic atmosphere, exquisite new menu options, and refreshing cocktails, Rafter Eleven promises to deliver an unforgettable experience for you and your guests, whether it’s for business or pleasure.

Home is Where the Heart (and Wine) Is

Home is Where the Heart (and Wine) Is

If you’ve been hibernating since the cold weather hit Prescott Valley, then you’ve missed all the amazing updates Rafter Eleven has embraced to start off 2023. It’s a major makeover and it’s all because of input from community members like you.

The highlights: an interior renovation that lets you watch live music from inside and a total menu revamp, including cocktails!

The Staycation Destination

The Staycation Destination

You come to Rafter Eleven for the scones and specialty coffee. You stay a little longer for wine and live music, and you come back for a cooking or paint-and-sip class. All three of those travel boxes are checked all in one fabulous local place. You can easily spend an entire day at Rafter Eleven and have a completely unique experience each part of the day.

A Stress-Free Holiday Season … Is That Possible?

A Stress-Free Holiday Season … Is That Possible?

Just imagine: it’s Thanksgiving morning and the kitchen is full with a few too many chefs. Notes of slow-roasting turkey and candied yams are wafting throughout the house, which is alive with kids running around outside, cousins setting the table, and a grandparent or two taking a nap in the corner as if all this happy chaos wasn’t happening right at their feet. You’re the host of this jolly affair, but as you take in the ambiance you realize that in all your planning for the big Thanksgiving feast you’ve forgotten to provide breakfast for your crew. Luckily, someone has thought ahead and pulls out a plate of scones they pre-ordered from Rafter Eleven for this very moment. The scones are warmed in the oven, breakfast is saved, and everyone is content to continue preparing for the main event.

You Are What You Eat…

You Are What You Eat…

The summer heat might be winding down, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy those bright summer flavors well into the fall season. At Rafter Eleven, our absolute favorite way to incorporate light and tasty flavors into cooking is with our naturally infused olive oils and balsamic vinegars. The simplest way to do this is to create a one-of-a-kind vinaigrette with all your favorite flavors. With more than 20 balsamic vinegars and olive oils to choose from, you’re bound to find a flavor profile you love for your salad. If you’re not sure what kind of salad or dressing to make, we’ve got you covered.

Simplicity. Taste. Education. Fun.

Simplicity. Taste. Education. Fun.

At Rafter Eleven we’re all about using quality products to create something amazing, and it doesn’t have to be complicated! You don’t have to have the fancy title of ‘Chef’ to be good in the kitchen.

All you need is a little bit of inspiration, plenty of great ingredients, and a willingness to try something new every once in a while! Whether you’re seasoned in the kitchen, or you love a themed meal, the cooking classes at Rafter Eleven are a fun, stress-free way to learn a new dish or two.

Something New is Cooking in Prescott

Something New is Cooking in Prescott

Food, whether in the making or eating of it, has been a source of the community since humans began using fire. A uniquely food-centric form of community has just opened in downtown Prescott.

Having a commissary kitchen in Prescott has been the dream of many, especially Kathleen Yetman, Executive Director of Prescott Farmers Market (PFM.) She first saw the need for such a space when PFM conducted a feasibility study for a local food center in 2018.

Fast forward three years to PFM receiving grant funding from the Department of Agriculture, and now the dream has been realized through NoCo Community Kitchen. Named after its location, NoCo is bringing new life and new members of the local food community to North Cortez Street just two blocks from where PFM began 25 years ago.

Make Camping a Culinary Experience!

Make Camping a Culinary Experience!

Summer is in full swing. The days are longer and the sun brighter; all the more reason to spend time outside and breathe in the fresh air. A favorite summer pastime of Yours Truly and the owner of Rafter Eleven herself, is camping out on the Rafter Eleven Ranch, with horses, quads, and kids in tow. As a family we would make our way across the open ranch land until we saw our campsite marker: the crooked double trees sitting in the middle of the peaceful openness.

Fresh, Fragrant, and Organic

Fresh, Fragrant, and Organic

If you walk down Costco’s coffee aisle anywhere in Arizona, you can pretty much assume that the dominant intoxicating aroma is emanating from the bags labeled Firehouse Coffee Roasters.

Traveling Through Taste: Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar Edition

Traveling Through Taste: Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar Edition

The new year has just begun, and much like you, we are ready to pack a bag and hop on the nearest flight to practically anywhere. As a local shop that curates our natural olive oils and balsamic vinegars from around the world, we thought we would take another trip through taste with you, just in case you’re not quite ready to book that ticket.

A Stress-Free Holiday Season … Is That Possible?

A Stress-Free Holiday Season … Is That Possible?

Now let’s skip ahead to December. It’s chilly and crisp during the day and the evenings are filled with cozy fires and marshmallows bobbing up and down in hot chocolate, in giant ceramic mugs. The holidays are in full effect, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or any other type of gathering. Invites to spend time with family and friends are coming in the mail. While it’s always nice to be invited, it’s often hard to know what to bring for the hosts (and it’s impolite to show up to a house empty-handed). Rafter Eleven is the perfect place to create a unique and local gift for your hosts and hostesses. There’s something for the coffee obsessed, the wine lover, the gourmet food aficionado, and the avid learner (think vouchers for our paint-and-sip and cooking classes). You can create your own gift basket or give the Rafter Eleven team a budget and a theme and they can have it ready for pickup upon arrival!