'Arizona cheese goddess' is back with beer, wine, food shop in Phoenix

Lara Mulchay was dubbed the "Arizona cheese goddess" when she opened Petite Fromage in 2009 inside of D'licious Dishes, at Seventh and Missouri avenues in Phoenix. But her artisanal cheese and charcuterie shop, as well as D'licious Dishes, eventually closed.

Now, Mulchay and her husband, Joel LaTondress, are back with Arcadia Premium, a craft beer, wine and specialty-food shop at Thomas Road and 56th Street in Phoenix. They’ve actually taken over the existing business of the same name, a store that up until now also specialized in home delivery of beer, wine and other entertainment staples.

Mulchay has spruced things up with an impressive larder of local gourmet foods, including those luscious cheese and meat selections, plus products from Press Coffee Roasters in Scottsdale, desserts from Tempe’s Tracy Dempsey Originals, and sweets from GoodyTwos Toffee Company in Scottsdale.

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Inventory will continue to build over the next few months, and change with the seasons. Already, Mulchay has added local goodies from AZ Bitters Lab, Hayden Flour Mills, Homeboy’s Hot Sauce, Wonder Mustard and Super Chunk Sweets by pastry artist Country Velador. In quick time, Mulchay and LaTondress plan to increase shelf space for more Arizona craft beers and boutique wines, too.

In the meantime, Arcadia Premium is still providing delivery service to Arcadia, Biltmore, Paradise Valley, and Old Town/south Scottsdale. So you can get a six-pack of Scottsdale’s Papago Orange Blossom beer for $10.29 or a bottle of Cochise County Pillsbury Petite Sirah 2012 Special Reserve for $59.59, ordered online and delivered in about an hour.

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Add in a bag of GoodyTwos Sweet & Salty Toffee ($15.95), a bottle of AZ Bitters Lab Mas Mole chocolate-chile beverage mix-in ($18.95), goat milk chevre from Fiore di Capra in southern Arizona ($12) and a bag of Tracy Dempsey Originals bacon-pecan brittle ($10), and it’s a real party.

Details: Arcadia Premium, 5618 E. Thomas Road, Phoenix. 602-464-9000, arcadiapremium.com.