“We felt so honored to be voted “favorite talk show host”
by the readers of Phoenix Magazine, Thank You!”
Kim & Don

10 Years on Radio a Victory for ‘Kim and Don’
Naysayers said show about food just wouldn’t cook

October 5, 2006 - AZCentral

They said it couldn’t be done.  Well, some restaurant owners said that, anyway, when Kim and Don started their new food-focused radio show in 1996 on KXAM 1310 then (later moved to 2009 KAZG (1440) in Phoenix).
Who’s laughing now? Kim and Don, of course, because they still are on the air, making them, in their words, the longest continuously running food and restaurant show in the Valley.

How did they do it?

    “We are professional broadcasters who saw a need and didn’t let the naysayers discourage us,” Laurie said, adding that “we had some restaurants that really believes in us.”

Their show, Culinary Confessions with Kim and Don, which airs weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., celebrates its 10th anniversary Friday with a “reverse radiothon.” They will donate $10 to the United Food Bank for every person who calls the show.

Kim and Don arrived in the Valley from Boston with no job prospects, but they did have radio experience and a good idea, launching a show that asked listeners to call in with restaurant recommendations.

They bought time on KXAM, an independent station, and searched for sponsors.  Some, including Roger and Cheryl Wagner from barbecue restaurant Thee Pitts Again, still are sponsors, as is Via Delosantos Mexican Cafe. Others, however, shunned them. But they knew after the first show, when 34 people called in, that there was a place for the format. They now have more than 1,000 pages of restaurant reviews from listeners, plus links and maps, on their www.kimanddon.com website.

Live Food Show Visits El Chorro Lodge

August 28, 2006 – Paradise Valley Independent
By Ashley Morris, Independent Newspapers

Only Culinary Confessions’ KXAM  (they are now on1440 KAZG), could bring a table full of condiments from all over Arizona to the live broadcast Aug. 11 at the newly renovated El Chorro Lodge, 5550 E. Lincoln Drive.
Culinary Confessions broadcasts live from a different Valley restaurant every Friday and rest assured, the condiments, a group of the show’s faithful listeners, will be there.

Kathryne Castro, account executive, appreciates the condiments’ dedication over the years.

“The condiments have a happy relationship with food and they add flavor to the show,” Ms. Castro said.

Culinary Confessions has been on air for nearly 10 years.

Barbara Brandon, whose radio name is “Barb the bus babe,” has been a fan since the show first aired about 10 years ago.

Ms. Brandon has attended nearly 50 live broadcasts over the years and often rides the bus for hours to attend.

“I enjoy the camaraderie of the listeners and trying new foods and restaurants,” Ms. Brandon said. “I look forward to coming.”

Attending broadcasts can also earn diners rewards.

Everyone attends 10 broadcasts, gets a gift certificate to a restaurant through the passport to good eating program.

Ms. Castro believes culinary confessions offers something for everyone.

“Food is a universal subject and all ages can relate to such a common everyday thing,” Ms. Castro said. “We get some callers who are 10 and some callers who are 80.”

According to Ms. Castro, the show is recommended for anyone who loves food and positive conversation.

“We talk about anything to do with food, like restaurants, good eating, or what’s in season,” Ms. Castro said. “We are also about positivity, because people get tired of talking about the war and need an outlet.”

Bob, whose radio name is “Bobnoxious,” comes for food and friends.

“The crowd has a good sense of humor and a love for food,” Bob said.

Barbara Hawrylak, an El Chorro Lodge manager was excited to have the broadcast at the Lodge.

“These events help get out name out htere and remind people that we are still here,” Ms. Hawrylak said.

For more information, visit culinaryconfessions.com.

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 KAZG (1440 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 and Kim  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 Kim, 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) 949-1440, $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 Don or Kim 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 Don, who is also KXAM’s station manager. “It’s two hours of fun.”

Podcast and blog can be found at culinaryconfessions.com or kimanddon.com

This was a great article about the show we did on River Cruising

http://www.expertclick.com/Newsreleasewire/34213

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