Top women chefs offer kitchen secrets....read more here!

It's the holidays! And who doesn't want a little extra help in the kitchen? Top women chefs from across Arizona offer up some of their own kitchen secrets (hint: Tricia Guerrero might have the best idea yet.)

Don't forget - you can ask these great women chefs for more tips and ideas all afternoon this Saturday, November 20, when they present Getting Our Just Desserts at The Art Institute of Phoenix. Tickets are just $35 for a full afternoon of sweet and savory nibbles - and lots of great ideas for the holidays.

Go tohttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Getting-Our-Just-Desserts/127049954000526?ref=ts) for details - and then go towww.blacktie-arizona.com/rsvp - event code justdesserts10 for tickets!

Barbara Fenzl, CCP, Honorary Chef for Just Desserts Favorite kitchen “trick:” “Once you’ve seen Jacques Pepin’s technique for cutting a perfect parchment paper circle, you’ll never cut it another way.”

Heidi Lee, Into the Soup Favorite kitchen “trick:” “You don’t need a complete recipe if you know the techniques and a flavor profile.”

Renae Hannum, Regional chef, Quorum Hotels & Resorts Favorite kitchen “trick:” “Adding a little salt to a sweet, like caramel. Salted caramel sundaes, for instance, are wonderful.”

MaryAnne Moody, owner, Bueno Burger Favorite kitchen “trick:” “Taking a deep breath to remind yourself it's a job you love, it's why you're there and you can still have fun with it."

Julia Baker, CEO & executive chef, Julia Baker Confections Favorite kitchen “trick: ” “Everything looks better with sugar flowers on it. Also, always have a Plan B – and a smile.”

Dezirea Elizondo, Sous Chef at Posh Restaurant Favorite kitchen “trick:” “I like to deglaze a pan with white wine. That smell is unexplainable – and unforgettable!”

Therese Hills, Pastry Chef, Troon Private Golf and Country Club Favorite kitchen “trick:” “For some desserts, I like to use salted butter to bring out flavor. For instance, with fruit cobblers, salted butter can bring out (all of) the flavors of the fruit.”

JoAnn Ayres, The Art Institute of Phoenix Favorite kitchen “trick:” “I think for many, students and other cooks, it comes down to something really simple: read the recipe first. There’s always a little something that could make a difference!”

Country Velador, Pastry Chef, Cowboy Ciao Favorite kitchen “trick:” “Brown butter. The taste is so good, so nutty and still creamy. We make a brown butter ice cream that I can’t imagine taking off the menu.”

Asta Pedersen, American Healthcare and Culinary Consultants Favorite kitchen “trick:” “Smoking. Smoking meat, fish, cheese and even other foods give a whole new dimension and adds new and complex flavors.”

Francine Marz, The Art Institute of Phoenix Favorite kitchen “trick:” “You know what’s cool? Molecular gastronomy. I’ve started using things like meat glue. It can make something look like a glass mosaic; (With these techniques) the possibilities are endless.”

Victoria Babbitt, The Ritz Carlton, Phoenix Favorite kitchen “trick:” “Really getting to know your ingredients, knowing what might go together and being ready to try different methods and matches.”

Julie Grandon, co-creator Torched Goodness Favorite kitchen “trick:” “If you cover your eggs completely with water, bring it to a boil and let it boil for five minutes, then turn the heat off, cover the pan and let it sit for 15 minutes more, you will have perfect hard-cooked eggs with no discoloration around the edges.”

Tasha Slatton, Il Terrazzo, The Phoenician Resort and Spa Favorite kitchen “trick:” “When you have multiple tasks to accomplish in the kitchen, or you’re working with a long list of ingredients, write it down. A list of what you need and what you need to do will help you stay cool and collected.”

Sascha Levine, sous chef, FnB Favorite kitchen “trick:” “Get your pan really, really hot before you add any oil. And then let that get hot before you add anything else to the pan. Oh, and don’t take shortcuts or fake your way through anything.”

Joan O’Connor, co-owner/chef, Honeymoon Sweets Favorite kitchen “trick:” “We use a painter’s guard to spread frosting really flat and smooth on cakes.”

Chelsie Higgins, Scottsdale Community College Favorite kitchen “trick:” “I really like the fusion of sweet and savory. What’s really interesting to me is the amount of very good fresh, local fruit. I’ve been playing with dehydrating it. It gets a very pure, intense flavor.”

Julie Fiedler, Iron Chef Competitor Favorite kitchen “trick: “I really like using non-stick pans, like the Salton grills; we use them a lot in competition. I also love the sous-vide machine.”

Charleen Badman, co-owner and chef, FnB Favorite kitchen “trick: “I like wood burning stoves, cooking with mesquite and charcoal. It gives a really good flavor to (almost any) food.”

Lisa Dahl, co-owner and executive sous chef, Dahl & DiLuca and Cucina Rustica Favorite kitchen “trick: “My favorite trick in the kitchen is what I call hooks. They are creating compounds and herbal oils that can be used as short-cut flavor enhancers that are natural but not only save time but have diverse applications.

Tricia Guerrero, East Valley Institute of Technology Favorite kitchen “trick:” “As a dining room manager, my favorite trick in the kitchen is to find a great group of chefs to cook for me!”

Sweet deal on these houses....

Students in Christine Hahn's pastry classes at The Art Institute of Phoenix spent part of this week making gingerbread houses for the holidays. The houses - along with several others - will be on sale this Saturday, when two dozen of Arizona's top women chefs present Getting Our Just Dessert. Set for 3 to 6 p.m. at The Art Institute of Phoenix, the sweet 'n' savory tasting event benefits the Careers in Culinary Arts Program in Arizona -which gave away more than half a million dollars in scholarships to high school culinary students across Arizona in 2010. Go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Getting-Our-Just-Desserts/127049954000526?ref=ts) for details - and then go to www.blacktie-arizona.com/rsvp - event code justdesserts10 for tickets!

We know what these fabulous chefs are cooking up...

..for Just Desserts. (Check http://www.facebook.com/pages/Getting-Our-Just-Desserts/127049954000526?ref=ts) But what do Arizona's top women chefs have for dessert when they're not working? Think we'd ask this question if we didn't know the answer? Right! See what they told us, below! And don't forget to get tickets to sample a few of their more - ahem- public efforts - just go to www.blacktie-arizona.com/rsvp - event code justdesserts10. Here's what the chefs have to say:

Barbara Fenzl, CCP, Honorary Chef for Just Desserts, says, “Oh, that’s hard. Something with chocolate and caramel. No, wait, Concord cake. No…crepes with hazelnut mousse and crème anglaise. No, wait,..."

Heidi Lee, television and radio maven and creator of Into the Soup, likes desserts with flash, “Anything with alcohol and fruit, like a trifle or a rum ball. If it lights up, that’s even better.” But Renae Hannum, regional chef, Quorum Hotels & Resorts, likes to switch things up: “At the moment, I love banana and coconut cream pies. Next month?”

Dezirea Elizondo, sous chef at POSH Restaurant, doesn't much care for desserts, “I don’t like sweet-sweet desserts, so maybe cheesecake? Cheesecake with raspberries on top.” Therese Hills, pastry chef, Troon Private Golf and Country Club, on the other hand, likes things seasonal. “I think this is a toss-up between cupcakes made with pumpkin and pumpkin spices or almost any cake with cream in it. But fall is my favorite season and I love fall flavors – like pumpkin. ”

JoAnn Ayres, chef and culinary nstructor at The Art Institute of Phoenix, thinks its easy to get a little tired of some sweets. “You do get a little jaded, but I think a good fruit crisp or a great apple pie just might do it. ”

Country Velador, pastry chef, Cowboy Ciao, likes dessert for comfort. “It’s that continuing memory-pull to childhood: birthday cake. It makes any time a special occasion, and it’s also so versatile.” Asta Pedersen, American Healthcare and Culinary Consultants, also likes desserts that remind her of home and childhood, saying, “Riz a l’amande. It’s a light, fluffy rice pudding with almond paste, whipped cream and a hot sour-cherry sauce that’s a traditional Danish Christmas dessert. It’s wonderful and almost like a comfort food.”

Francine Marz, C.E. C.., chef/instructor and ACF Competition Team Coach at The Art Institute

of Phoenix, is a woman who knows what she likes. “That’s easy. Chocolate pots de crème.” So does Victoria Babbitt, at The Ritz Carlton. She says, “Crème brulèe. Cool, creamy, firm custard and a crunchy sweet topping. What could be better?” And MaryAnne Moody, owner of Bueno Burger, couldn't agree more. "Favorite dessert? Creme brulee. 'Plain vanilla,' with fresh berries. Hands down."

Tasha Slatton, cook III at Il Terrazzo, The Phoenician Resort and Spa, is another chef who likes to harken to home and family when it comes to sweets. “Maybe chocolate layer cake. I’m torn, though. My grandmother always made angel cake. It always has this great texture, it’s simple and delicious. That’s it. Grandmother’s angel cake.”

Sascha Levine, sous chef, FnB, doesn't like desserts very much. “It’s so funny! I don’t really like desserts. But anything salty, like salted caramel…oh, and cheese. Cheese is a good dessert.”

On the other hand, Joan O’Connor, co-owner/chef, Honeymoon Sweets, likes to think creatively about dessert. “I love breakfast pastries. A warm, gooey pecan-cinnamon swirl bun is wonderful. But then, a chocolate layer cake is also very good.”

Chelsie Higgins, chef and instructor at Scottsdale Community College, has diverse ideas about a good "dessert." “To eat? Tiramisu. I’m always in search of the perfect flavor and texture balance. But I really love making mousse. And pie. A perfect rustic fruit pie when it first

comes out of the oven is great to make and to give away.”

Tricia Guerrero, chef and director of culinary arts at East Valley Institute of Technology, knows what she likes in a dessert: “Bread pudding! It’s not too sweet, it can have real depth in flavor, and it has a homey, satisfying kind of ‘feel’in substance. It’s really good when it’s warm, but it can survive at room temperature, too.”

Julie Fiedler, Iron Chef Competitor, on the other hand, likes a lot of bang for her dessert buck. “I love tiramisu. It has all of my big weaknesses in one wonderful dessert: coffee, liqueur, and creamy, delicious pudding and whipped cream.”

Charleen Badman, co-owner and chef, FnB, is another chef who eschews desserts that need to be...uh, chewed. “I’ll take my desserts as fermented or distilled beverages, like a good liqueur or maybe some Chartreuse.”

Lisa Dahl, co-owner and executive sous chef, Dahl & DiLuca and Cucina Rustica, wants dessert that reminds her of happy times with friends and family. “If I had to pick just one favorite dessert I would pick my favorite birthday cake a "Princess Cake," because it suits my decadent style. It is regal like a Fabrege egg and the color of the marzipan frosting is faint green which is very feminine. It is so light and airy yet fulfilling that you feel like you are eating a cloud.”

And finally, Julie Grandon, co-creator Torched Goodness, the fabulous dessert truck that serves up uniquely created creme brulee, was stunned to be asked. “You’re joking, right? Because, you know, what else would it be?”

Top women chefs dish about getting into the kitchen...

...and what the future holds for women chefs. As they prepare to dazzle Phoenix with Getting Our Just Desserts, set for Nov. 20, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the ARt Institute of Phoenix, they're more than ready to chat about what it's really like to work in kitchens set firmly in a man's world. Here's what Lisa Dahl, co-owner of Sedona's Dahl & DiLuca, Dezirea Elizondo, sous chef at POSH, and Therese Hills, pastry chef at Troon Private Golf and Country Club have to say.

Lisa Dahl, co-owner and executive sous chef, Dahl & DiLuca and Cucina Rustica

Lisa Dahl took a life-long love of the kitchen to its next logical step when she partnered with Andrea DiLuca to open their first restaurant in West Sedona. Passionate about the Italian kitchen, Lisa toured and studied in Italy to create a solid foundation for her creative approach to modern dining with a distinctly Italian feel.

How she got her start: “What got me into the kitchen professionally was to finally put myself first and pursue my calling because life is too short to not follow your heart.”

What she loves about it: “I loved to cook since I was a teenager because it brought joy to others and unites us all when we sit at a table enjoying a feast together.”

How the industry’s changed: “I am not quite sure how the industry has

evolved for women in perspective to other industry standards. I am in a small microcosm living in Sedona as compared to a larger urban density, but I am a minority even though an owner. Of our two restaurant kitchens there are a total of three women, including myself, my assistant sous-chef (mother of eight children) and our pastry chef. We employ at least 40 other kitchen personnel all male. It is still a man’s world and I have to exhaust myself to have my voice heard and be respected for our standards.

What the future holds for women chefs: “The future is what we make of it. You have to have lots of tenacity as well as ingenuity in this day and age no matter what your gender or race. And having a spiritual belief system doesn't hurt either. Just do it!”

Dezirea Elizondo, Sous Chef at POSH Restaurant

A C-CAP scholarship winner, Dezirea began working for Josh Hebert at Posh shortly after beginning studies at the Art Institute of Phoenix. She advanced from the salad station to fish and then to plating while still in school. Shortly after graduation this year, she was promoted to sous chef for POSH.

How she got her start: “I have always been in the kitchen. Our entire family cooks together, especially on Sundays when we all gather at my parents’ house to make dinner.”

What she loves about it: “Cooking together has helped keep my family close. Cooking reminds me of this.” How the industry’s changed: “I have four guys working with me, I’m still quite young and sometimes it can be hard. It means I really try to go the extra mile.”

What the future holds for women chefs: “Seeing how many women were in school with me, and how passionate we all are about our work, I know we’ll see more and more women coming up. We have a competitive side, but we’re also good leaders.”

Therese Hills, Pastry Chef, Troon Private Golf and Country Club

Winner of the Barbara Fenzl Scholarship from C-CAP, Therese is a graduate of Scottsdale Community College. She has had successively responsible positions at Troon, and hopes one day to open her own bakery.

How she got her start: “My mom definitely inspired me to cook. I’ve been in the kitchen since I was a little girl.” What she loves about it: “I have always definitely loved baking more than cooking.”

How the industry’s changed: “I think there are many more opportunities for women to become professional chefs. Certainly, there are many more opportunities for women in pastry, and to become professional pastry chefs.”

What the future holds for women chefs: “I believe women will find more opportunities coming along. It’s a much more open industry, and there are more women entering this profession. So it becomes something that can grow in many ways.”

Chef Alan Zeman and high school culinary students from across the state- Chef Zeman talks knives and knife skills