Our guest Mark Candelaria is one of the most notable luxury architects in Arizona, with over 4,000 homes designed across the world, many of which are in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. Nick was expecting a real estate conversation, but Mark surprised us with insights on life, success, integrating business and personal, and much more.
Podcast Content
Iconic Estates: Designing, Building, and Living the Dream in North Scottsdale
Host Renee Dee, publisher of ICONIC LIFE magazine hosts three experts in the luxury home market here in Scottsdale. Mark Candelaria, Founder of Candelaria Design, discusses the homebuilding and renovation process of ICONIC Arizona homes. David Friedman, Carefree Office Manager at Russ Lyon/Sotheby’s, shares his expert insights of North Scottsdale and its prestigious private communities and golf courses. Then, Jennifer Schumacher, Global Real Estate Advisor, shares how she prioritizes relationships with her clients while helping them find them their dream home in their dream location.
Willamette Valley Wine + Food Tour Reunion
In this episode Mark gets together with a handful of our past Willamette Valley Lifestyle Tour guests to relive the memories and continue the friendships that were made on this fabulous 5-night trip last August. This is our only tour we do within the country and it is an easy getaway that only takes a few hours to get to, but feels like you are miles away. We take guests to the heart of the Willamette Wine Valley in Central Oregon to explore one of Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Regions of the Year that is truly a hidden gem. This year we are taking 14 guests from June 12-17 - spots are still available!
Everyday we visit incredible local wineries, tour some of the vineyards and an olive oil mill, learn about the process and of course enjoy food and wine pairings! Every evening we enjoy a multi-course dinner of local, often farm-to-table cuisine and meet the owners and chef. In between eating and drinking, we have leisurely mornings and nights at the lovely Setting Inn. You will wake up to views of the vineyards and lavender fields, and will have the opportunity to take a guided hike amongst 100-year old trees, visit the local boutiques or farmers market, and relax by the Inn's fire pit with a drink and cigar. While there is a daily itinerary of wine tastings and dinners, each day is also relaxing and full of beautiful scenery, fresh air and cool temperatures.
There are still a few rooms remaining, so we'd love to have you join us! Visit candelariadesign.com/oregon-wine-tour for more info.
The Inspiring Life and Career of Our 2024 MVP: Pablo Moncayo
Our guest today is Pablo Moncayo, Project Manager here at Candelaria Design since 2018 and our current year’s MVP as voted by the entire Candelaria Design staff. Each year our team nominates and votes for our Most Valuable Player – someone who embodies teamwork, leadership, a willingness to learn and go the extra mile. We talk about what this means to Pablo, how his childhood lead him to architecture, his projects past and present, how he has seen the architectural landscape change here in Phoenix and his goals for the future.
Pablo moved here from Chihuahua, Mexico in 2001 to live with his Aunt. Later in 2008 he went to undergrad at Taliesin-The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, now known as The School of Architecture and later earned his master’s degree in Architecture there. He has since remained a board member at the School of Architecture. He shares with us his passions, his sources of design inspiration, favorite travel destinations, and his inspiring personal story!
The School of Architecture formerly known as Taliesin-The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture: https://www.tsoa.edu/
Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona: https://franklloydwright.org/taliesin-west/
Elrod House in Palm Springs, California: https://architectuul.com/architecture/the-elrod-house
Arango Mabrisa House in Acapulco, Mexico: https://archeyes.com/arango-marbrisa-house-john-lautner/
Las Setas in Sevilla, Spain: https://www.setasdesevilla.com/en/
La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain: https://sagradafamilia.org/en/
Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias in Valencia, Spain: https://cac.es/en/
Catching Fire with Nick Hogan of Pyro Restaurant
Our guest today is Nick Hogan, Co-Owner and CEO of Flagship Restaurant Group, the team behind the popular new, award-winning restaurant Pyro in Arcadia, next to the Global Ambassador. In addition to Pyro, they have 16 other restaurant concepts spanning across Arizona to Chicago to Nashville! This team has defied the odds of successfully creating and managing multiple restaurant concepts simultaneously and talks about all the risks and luck in this journey.
In this episode we’ll hear about how this restaurant group founded over 20 years ago in Omaha, NE got started with a team of four friends who are still the same group of owners. Since, they have grown to multiple cities and states and over 40 locations and become a success here in Arizona. Just like architecture, this career is a mix of creativity and mathematics and takes a great team and leadership.
Nick will tell us about how Pyro came about and the design and menu creation. Also here in town, be sure to check out the beautifully designed Palma, Cham Pang Lanes and Ghost Donkey in downtown Phoenix and later this year two Blue Sushi Sake Grill locations are coming to Surprise and Tempe and a couple more in the works for 2026!
To learn more about Flagship Restaurant Group visit:
Extravagant Spaces on The Design Network - with Host Kelli Ellis and CEO Jason Harris
There are everyday homes and then there are homes with a little something EXTRA. We are thrilled to announce we have a new series launching on The Design Network this month, Extravagant Spaces.
In our latest podcast episode Mark gets together to chat with Designer and Extravagant Spaces Host, Kelli Ellis, and Founder/CEO of The Design Network, Jason Harris. We talk all about our new series collaboration, the featured homes, Jason’s new home in North Carolina designed by Candelaria Design, filming, and more. Be sure to give this episode a listen to learn even more about the making of this incredible new series!
In the series, premiering Saturday, Jan 20 at 6pmAZ/7pm Central, designer Kelli Ellis takes you behind the scenes into some seriously extra-vagant spaces with Architect Mark Candelaria. From indoor shooting galleries to bespoke bowling alleys, putting greens to personal spas, these spaces must be seen to be believed.
This new 6-episode series features all Candelaria Design homes and will be available to stream on your smart TV or on their YouTube channel 24/7!
Watch here:
https://www.tdn.tv/
https://www.youtube.com/@TheDesignNetwork
https://pluto.tv/en/live-tv/5f4ff8c8bcf3d600078af3eb
Kicking off 2024 with Chef Brent Menke of Mick's Brasserie
Mark & Isabel kick-off the episode by sharing highlights from their holiday trip to Lisbon & Fatima Portugal, Lourdes, and San Sebastián, Spain - see and hear more about their trip on our Blog: https://www.candelariadesign.com/lifestyle-blog
Next they share the exciting news that SIX of our Candelaria Design homes are featured in a brand new series on The Design Network called Extravagant Spaces!! The series debuts January 20th and will continue every Saturday for 6 weeks, catch it streaming for free on The Design Network or on their YouTube page!
Our guest on this episode is Brent Menke, head chef & owner of the Mick Brasserie, an award-winning French Colonial Brasserie in North Scottsdale that I’ve now had the pleasure of dining at twice. Together we talk about his journey from a yacht deckhand to meeting his French wife, to becoming a chef, and then opening his restaurant during 2020 We talk about his curated food and wine tours to France, monthly themed wine pairing dinners, his favorite chefs and restaurants in town and much more!
Building with Rammed Earth with Otto Pappa
This podcast episode features Otto Pappa, architect and founder of Ottocrete, specializing in rammed earth and concrete-based designs. Otto and Mark met while working on a very cool, modern house in Paradise Valley, that is now the recipient of two design awards! Otto founded ottocrete with the desire to fuse timeless design with timeless construction, blurring the lines between sculpture, art, and architecture. Otto hand-makes all his pieces and his work can be found worldwide, from California to Spain to Austria in both private spaces and commercial such as the Hermes store in Orange County.
Follow Mark & Isabel's Holiday trip on his Instagram @mcandelariaarch and via the links below:
Castilla Termal Monasterio De Valbuena
Join us on one of our 2024 Inspiring Living Tours:
Oaxaca, Mexico Cultural Tour May 2-8
Willamette Valley Wine Tour August 8-13
Iconic Hour: Architectural Case Study with 3 Leading AZ Architects
On this special episode of ICONIC Hour, Publisher Renee Dee is joined by three of Arizona's most prolific architects: Mark Candelaria, Brent Kendle, and CP Drewett. Each has made an impact on the architectural landscape of Arizona, utilizing their unique talents to create beautiful works of art within the desert environment.
In this episode, these three architects discuss their backgrounds in architecture, their sources of inspiration, and how to preserve and continue Arizona's flourishing architectural and cultural progress.
Click above to watch the podcast on YouTube or click below to listen to just the audio.
Inspired Cooking with Chef & Blogger Giangi Townsend
Our guest today is Giangi Townsend, creator of Giangi’s Kitchen, a top-rated food and recipe blog. Back in the 1980s, Giangi’s desire as a working mom to provide healthy and delicious food for her family has since grown into a full-blown business featuring tons of recipes, an online shop, virtual cooking classes and her favorite cookbooks, including one of her own, Back to Basics – Cooking 101.
Giangi's childhood was spent between Southern Italy in the Summer and Paris in the Winter with her French father and Italian mother, it's no wonder she ended up as a fabulous chef! We talk about the importance of food and gathering for dinner, what led her to become interested in cooking and blogging, her favorite recipes and cookbooks, and tips and tricks in the kitchen and in life!
"Friends of Build Magazine" Podcast with Guest Mark Candelaria
This week Mark is a featured guest on the podcast "Friends of Build Magazine" with Host and Founder Ted Bainbridge.
Mark and Ted talk about all kind of topics, from what inspired Mark to host his annual Italy & Spain tours and the power of travel to refill his creative tank as a designer. Life and business wisdom Mark has learned from his very successful clients, industry trends and how more clients have been gravitating back toward traditional architectural design. Lastly, Mark goes in-depth on his initiatives to pay-it-forward, as well as his desire to see more of his countrymen living out the American Dream.
Recording at Mark’s office
TOPICS DISCUSSED
[01:58] The origin of Mark’s recipe book on the Candelaria website
[05:06] Why Mark began hosting wine tours
[10:23] How travel refills Mark’s creative tank
[12:27] The challenges of working with different builders on projects in different locations
[17:33] Traditional vs contemporary architecture and the emerging “Mod-iterranean” style
[20:22] Encouraging aspiring architects to embrace traditional styles
[28:09] What Mark has learned from working with prestigious clients through the years
[30:00] Giving back
[38:30] Mark’s most memorable career moments
[39:30] Upcoming trends in the industry
[44:08] Mark on how anyone can live the American Dream
Springing into the Phoenix Home & Garden Tour with John Roark and Isabel Dellinger Candelaria
Welcome to Spring! Today’s Inspiring Living episode celebrates Spring perfectly as our guests include Phoenix Home & Garden Magazine Editor-In-Chief John Roark and Interior Designer and my lovely wife, Isabel Dellinger Candelaria. We talk about the Phoenix Home & Garden Magazine Garden Tour coming up this Saturday, April 17. You can get your tickets by clicking here, you will not want to miss this as we have a fabulous Candelaria Design home with Gardens by Refined Gardens on the tour, pictured below.
Give our podcast a listen, give us a subscribe and review for a chance to win a custom Candelaria Design Pasta Machine!
We also have a fabulous feature in this month’s Phoenix Home & Garden Magazine showcasing a Candelaria Design ~ Earth and Images home that is one of our favorites, shown below. Visit our Press Page here for more on the April/May issue and our feature.
A Look at the Career and Hot Real Estate Market with Sandra Wilken
Our guest today is Associate Broker and Real Estate Advisor, Sandra Wilken of Modern Portfolio Real Estate Services. Modern Portfolio provides clients with the highest level real estate buying and selling experience along with a wide variety of premier concierge services, the first and only concierge service program of its kind in Arizona.
Sandra Wilken’s love of Paradise Valley and Scottsdale, Arizona began more than 50 years ago when her family relocated to Arizona from Boston. That love, along with her natural winning way with people inspired her decision to jump head-long into the real estate industry. Sandra has devoted more than half of her 40+ year career to working with developers to create high-end luxury communities in the Valley of the Sun. Today, Sandra and her team are both humbled and extremely proud to have sold more than $1.4 billion in new development residential real estate since 1979.
Driven to be the best, Sandra quickly earned a reputation for providing her clients with high-quality professional services — all with a personal touch. During those early years, her portfolio of loyal clients continued to expand catching the attention of several Canadian real estate developers. Their vision to build premier developments in desirable locations throughout the Valley required an expert to ensure their success. Drawing on Sandra’s unique background in architecture, design, marketing and sales, a partnership was forged which ultimately led to the completion of seven world-class developments, such as The Phoenician and Gainey Ranch. Listen to Sandra describe the detailed on how the partnerships and these amazing travel and living destinations came to be.
Sandra continues to live her passion and is honored and inspired to work with the best advisors and clientele in the most distinguished neighborhoods of Paradise Valley and Scottsdale.
ICONIC HAUS Launch with Renee Dee and Mark Candelaria
ICONIC HAUS is a luxury designer show house presented by Scottsdale-based, lifestyle magazine ICONIC LIFE that brings together 22 talented designers under one roof for an 18-day showcase. This Winter’s 2020/2021 ICONIC HAUS is a spec home located in Paradise Valley designed by Mark Candelaria and Vivian Ayala. The stunning “Mod-iterranean” style estate is 11,000 square feet and was built by Temac Development and is marketed for sale by The Joffe Group.
Renee Dee, Founder and Publisher of ICONIC LIFE, sits down with Mark Candelaria over Aperol Spritzes in his office’s new demonstration kitchen to talk all things ICONIC HAUS. They also discuss what it’s like to be the go-to guy for spectacular estates and remodels in the Valley and the changes in design he's seen since covid-19.
ICONIC HAUS will open VIRTUALLY to the public late November and will host several very small, private events, all to benefit The Heart Center at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
Thank you to ICONIC HAUS Premier Sponsors: Viking Range/Central AZ Supply, Brizo, BMW, Circa Lighting, Crestron, Dunn Edwards, Hunter Douglas and Solstice Stone.
Getting Real With Real Estate With Frank Aazami
On this episode of Inspiring Living, we feature Realtor extraordinaire and friend, Frank Aazami of the Russ Lyon-Sotheby’s Private Client Group. Prior to obtaining a real estate license, Frank started his career in top 40 Radio, where he introduced new listeners, created awareness and converted ratings into better sales/profit. His unique marketing ideas have always been his passion for success. He then owned multiple retail franchise stores, further developing a boutique fun fast food retail concept, owning and operating them for profit. Frank then entered the Real Estate market as a investor, developer, and builder. He managed his own diversified portfolio of Mix-use, multifamily and commercial holdings for close to 10 years at which time he decided to bring his expertise into the field of Real Estate Re-Sale and Marketing.
You are in for a very interesting and inspiring story! This episode shows that you need to just go for it-don’t wait for things to happen-go make things happen! His positive energy comes through in the podcast and I know you will be inspired.
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