The Corn Flower, Scottsdale

The Corn Flower’s executive chef, Cecy Solano, is an artist whose medium is the humble empanada. Working from a palette of sweet and savory sundries, she balances poblano peppers with sour cream and potatoes, draws out the flavors of ground beef with red-wine sauce, and tweaks the classic combo of peaches and cream by replacing the cream with vanilla syrup. Her other authentic Mexican specialties include savory and sweet tamales, as well as breakfast and lunch burritos accompanied by homemade salsa.

Rather than keep her recipes all to herself, Cecy and her husband share their knowledge of Latin American cooking and culinary history during tours of the eatery and in-home cooking classes. Occasionally, she turns her pastry-making prowess to baking show-stopping 2-D and 3-D gourmet cakes, or trundles her gourmet eats to catered events that she decks out with artfully prepared dishes and centerpieces whittled from fruits and veggies.