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An outdoor frybread making class kicks off Scottsdale Western Week in Old Town

Celeste Deschene (left) and Sasha Yazzie demonstrate making fry bread dough in Old Town Scottsdale on Jan. 25, 202
Gabriel Pietrorazio/KJZZ
Celeste Deschene (left) and Sasha Yazzie demonstrate making fry bread dough in Old Town Scottsdale on Jan. 25, 2025.
Coverage of tribal natural resources is supported in part by Catena Foundation

Scottsdale Western Week is underway, and a unique Indigenous culinary experience kicked off this year’s festivities to honor the city’s roots in the heart of Old Town over the weekend.

From hand-tossing to frying round balls of dough, several dozen people practiced making frybread in an outdoor cooking class on Saturday. The Frybread Lounge hosted the event at a venue overlooking the Arizona Canal in downtown Scottsdale.

Celeste Deschene is Diné and with the first Native-owned restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale. She taught the sold-out, hour-long course and shared her favorite part is educating the public about their food customs.

“Having people embrace another culture and really take it in and see what it’s like to make something that’s, you know, straight from scratch,” she added. “Frybread’s always good any time of the day, but you really should have it in moderation.”

More Tribal Natural Resources News

Gabriel Pietrorazio is a correspondent who reports on tribal natural resources for KJZZ.