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Sonoran Food Guide: A Love Letter to Sphinx Dates

For James Beard Award–winning chef Charleen Badman, chef-owner of FnB in Old Town Scottsdale, the Sphinx Date is more than just a fruit — it’s a distinctive, locally grown delicacy that carries the flavors and roots of Phoenix’s history.

Originally discovered in Arizona in the 1920s, the Sphinx Date has long been tied to Phoenix’s Arcadia neighborhood, where it has grown for more than eight decades. Chef Badman honors that heritage by partnering with a local Arcadia grower. 

In this episode of Visit Phoenix’s Sonoran Food Guide, Chef Badman explores how the Sphinx Date embodies the resilience of Phoenix's Sonoran Desert — a fruit that flourishes in the desert heat. Grown just a few miles from FnB, the farm-to-table restaurant is one of the only places in the city where guests can experience this unique variety.