Meet Amber Marquette | Founder of Maddox Lane

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amber Marquette and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amber, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
The hits are going to keep on coming, you have to roll with them. We’ve endured a pandemic, staffing challenges, economic changes that have inflated food costs. Financially, I’ve been stressed. There is uncertainty when you rent a space over owning a space, there are people who will decide not to show up for work one day when you need them. In this industry there will be inevitable human error…the hits go on and on.

You must commit to learning, growing, adapting or changing, evolving, moving on, becoming solution oriented and rolling with it. Or not.

What should our readers know about your business?
Maddox Lane delivers ingredient driven, high quality meals made by people who love food to individuals weekly with our meal delivery service. We also provide corporate food contracts in Scottsdale/Phoenix and surrounding area. We are committed to eliminating the use of industrially processed seed oils, sourcing local and organic produce and part of our service is the research we put into vetting and sourcing ingredients. We got to where we are today by using a “slow and steady wins the race’ mentality and knowing that we are a continual work in progress. Controlling quality and not investing in marketing, instead we have relied on referrals and word of mouth and our product to speak for itself – which has allowed us to grow at a rate that has felt manageable given the challenges and market conditions for the food industry.

I’ve learned that the food business is one you need to have passion to stay in. Margins aren’t as flexible as they are in other industries. I’ve had to rethink what success means to me and build my business around that instead of what it might mean traditionally. We want to stay boutique, we want to keep the quality and connection with our customers and aren’t interested in “selling out”, and we want to support local growers and prodcuers. This has made me become more creative in terms of what expansion and growth would look like. I want people to know we are committed to quality. We want to improve every single day. We live in a country with a broken food system and want to do our part to make eating better possible while supporting the small amount of producers and farmers left who also share those same values.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We’re going to drop off bags at one of the local resorts in Paradise Valley and kick off the week with intention setting spa service at the Omni Montelucia or Camelback Inn. Lunch stop at Pomo for their wood oven fired bread, grilled vegetables and carpaccio plate followed by an afternoon of treatments and water therapy. Post spa sessions. I will book us blowouts with my favorites Maya and Carrie at Primp and Blow in Tempe and we will head to dinner at my favorite local Thai spot, Glai Baan for Thai street food favorites – the eggplant and shrimp salad, dumplings and larb are must haves and the whole crew is hospitable and makes you feel at home.

Day one is a good day to tuck in early, so we can wake up and hike Camelback for sunrise and then head to Berdena’s in Old Town for their avocado toast (add an over easy egg) and best breakfast burrito in town (get extra salsa). Naps are in order or maybe some biking on the canal to work up our appetite for a trip downtown for Sonoran wood fired favorites at Bacanora, where I like to sit at the bar. We can check out local art downtown To end the evening, a visit to underground Valley Bar for some dancing to one of their DJ’s (DJ Ashwaganda might be playing which is always fun).

We will head up to Civana for a self care day and book ourselves into their guided water immersion, where we will cold plunge with a guide followed by an infrared sauna session to combat inflammation and support our immune system. Next up, some walking meditation at their labyrinth and end the day with a sound bath and intention setting ceremony. Since we’re close to Carefree and Cave Creek, it’s a great time to have martinis and dinner at Keeler’s steak house and then hit up Harold’s for some live country bands and line dancing.

Saturday morning, we have to visit Uptown Farmer’s Market (it’s the best in town), we will stop by McClendon’s Select (Arizona grown organic produce) and say hello to the crew, then grab a fresh green juice from Revived by Roots with a scoop of Irish Sea Moss added. Stops by La Belle Vie french bakery, Stone Grindz Chocolates, Sonoran Pasta Co, Culture Clash, and Benny Blanco’s Tortilla booth’s are a must as we sample things from over 70 vendors along the way. Ottro makes a nice brunch stop (Flap Jack’s, Chilaquiles and their Pozole Blanco are my brunch go-to’s) before a chill by the pool or a few games of pickleball or tennis and a refreshing nap before we head to dinner at Back & Rider for the freshest seafood in town followed by live music at the Van Buren or Walter Where? House if we want to head downtown or maybe we stay in Old Town Scottsdale area and end the night with a few songs at the Rusty Spur Saloon.

We have to squeeze in a few days and road trip it the two and a half hours to Sedona, I have the perfect air bnb with red rock views by day and a full sky of stars at night. We will start each morning with fresh juice from The Local Juice and hikes to Devil’s Bridge and West Fork Trail to follow. A stop at Tlaquepaque to pop in all the galleries is a must and we have to book a session with one of Sedona’s renowned Numerologists or entertain ourselves with a psychic reading before dinner at Elote. After dinner one night, we will book an evening sky tour to star gaze with a guide. And ending the final Sedona day with a swim or dip in the hot tub and early bedtime before we head back to Phoenix.

We have to stop by Andreoli’s Italian before the airport drop-off for my favorite gnocchi, beef carpaccio, pasta fagioli and pistachio tiramisu.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I feel immense gratitude for the customers who have been with me from the beginning, who shout us out, who tell everyone they can about us, who leave reviews, who reach out to let us know we’ve made their lives better, and sometimes who provide constructive feedback when needed. We do this because of them!

Chef and mentor Robert McGrath has been a part of team Maddox Lane since just a few months after we started and it is hard to put into words the level of effort and energy he has put into helping us grow. He is incredible to work with and inspiring in the kitchen and in life. His consideration, thoughtfulness and care is unmatched. I feel forever indebted to him.

Website: https://themaddoxlane.com/

Instagram: @maddoxlaneaz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaddoxLaneAZ?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Photos of Amber by Nicole Curtin / all other photos are styled and photographed by Amber