Radio Spot to Mark Anniversary with Food Bank Benefit
October 6, 2006 - East Valley-Scottsdale Tribune
By Mike Branom, Tribune

The clock strikes 11 a.m., the radio dial is set to KXAM (1310 AM) and stomachs are growling. It's time for a bellyful of chat about good eating across the Valley. Welcome to "Culinary Confessions," where for two hours every weekday, amiable hosts Don Sandler and Kim Laurie discuss everything about food -- restaurants, favorite cuisines, secrets of the chefs -- with devoted listeners. The show has earned such a following, the biggest fans have been dubbed "The Condiments," laughs Laurie, because they add flavor.

The support of listeners, calling to rave about egg drop soup or prickly pear sandwiches, has kept "Confessions" on the air for 10 years. Today's show is part anniversary celebration, part charity event.  For every call taken at (480) 949-1310, $10 will be donated to the United Food Bank.

KXAM's modest studio, in a downtown Scottsdale office building, is the home of a near-encyclopedic knowledge of the Valley's food scene.

No matter the questions-- Where's the best place to find fried chicken? Where's a good restaurant for kids? -- either Sandler or Laurie has a suggestion, and their listeners are always ready to offer an opinion.

Other features include surveys (How do you get your three suggested daily servings of dairy?) and trivia contests (What is the shape of an oyster cracker?). Guests include local restauranteurs, cookbook authors, and other luminaries of the culinary world.

When Sandler and Laurie moved away from Boston's cold winters a decade ago, they had backgrounds in radio and food -- but they didn't have a show.

So, they bought time on KXAM, starting with a Sunday slot, and with the show's popularity expanded to its present five-days-a-week format.

"People, instead of hearing all the negative talk about 'The left's no good,' 'The right's now good,' here's something everybody can relate to--food," said Sandler, who is also KXAM's station manager. "It's two hours of fun."

Webcadsts, a chat room, and a blog can be found at culinaryconfessions.com