About Michele.


Michele Laudig is a writer, artist and editor eating up New York City’s deliciously diverse food scene. Currently senior editor at Zagat in Manhattan, she was the staff restaurant critic and food blogger at Phoenix New Times since 2006, where she wrote cover stories, a weekly column and daily blog posts. Michele co-authored 100 Years, 100 Chefs, 100 Recipes, an Arizona Centennial Legacy Project published in February 2012, and has also written for Phoenix Magazine, Edible Phoenix, The Arizona Republic, Sommelier Journal and Hemispheres.

In previous lives, she served as New Times’ music editor, styled fashion shoots, toured with a rock ‘n roll band and lived in Tokyo. She has a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Columbia.

Passions.

Wine-drenched bistro afternoons
Serious sushi counter time
Pea shoots and oolong
Ice-cold oysters, ice-cold martinis
Pennsylvania hoagies
Moules frites and Trappist Tripel
Foie for dessert
Cheese for dinner
MacGuyver cooking

Always. . .

Hungry
100%
Curious
100%
Fearless
99%
Witty
67%

Crudo is closing, and chef Cullen Campbell is going pop-up

The days of the edgy eatery tucked into a Scottsdale hair salon are nearly over.

Crudo chef Cullen Campbell tells me that he’s not renewing his lease, and that the restaurant’s last day will be July 16.

Since it opened in 2009, taking up the in-house cafe and front patio of the Steven Paul Salon, it amassed a cult following for Cullen’s inventive dishes, from raw madai with Meyer lemon to polenta with dates and foie gras.

While he’s searching for a new restaurant location, though, Cullen plans to stay in the spotlight. He’s already lined up a collaboration at Posh with chef-owner Joshua Hebert and House of Tricks chef Kelly Fletcher on July 18 (more details to come). He’s got some other pop-up events in the works, and plans to do a two-night stint at Cycle on August 19 and 20, serving “crazy upscale diner food.”

And don’t be surprised to see Campbell around town with a food truck. He bought one a few months back, and now he’s ready to put it to good use.

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