Devour the Desert
A Palm Springs Food & Culture Journal
The Local Questions, Vol. 1 | Field Notes From Palm Springs
If you spend even a little time here, you start to notice something strange.
Not the obvious stuff—sunshine, palm trees, mountains that look like a painted backdrop—but the quieter questions that keep popping up when you’re standing in line for coffee or driving down Palm Canyon wondering why everything feels slightly unreal in the best possible way.
Here are a few of those questions.
Call it field notes. Call it curiosity. Call it what happens when a desert refuses to behave like anywhere else.
The Local Flavors | Lola Rose and the Hummus That Could
Some side dishes know their place.
A basket of flat bread arrives to keep you occupied while you wait. A small plate of humble hummus appears as an appetizer, dutifully performing its supporting role before the main event arrives.
But some side dishes have greater aspirations. They think they are the Little Engine That Could. They want to make it to the top of the mountain.
And a few... very few... actually do.
Lola Rose's hummus belongs in this final category.
The Local Celebs | Alfred Hitchcock in Palm Springs: Suspense, Sunshine, and Second Helpings
Alfred Hitchcock spent a career making audiences nervous.
Not frightened exactly. Nervous.
Any director can startle you with a loud noise. Hitchcock preferred a gradual approach. He understood that anticipation is often more powerful than the event itself. This is true of murder mysteries, ticking bombs, and restaurant reservations.
Fear, he knew, was best served slowly.
Like a carefully prepared meal.
The Local Flavors | Why Palm Springs Tastes Like a Memory: Marcel Proust, Ratatouille, and the Science of Scent
There is a scene in the Pixar film Ratatouille that may explain Palm Springs better than many travel brochures.
Anton Ego, the famously impossible food critic, reluctantly takes one bite of Remy's rustic ratatouille.
The bite shatters his carefully cultivated cynicism.
He drops his pen in pure shock as the taste instantly transports him backward in time.
The Local Culture | The Oasis of Palm Springs: Nothing This Beautiful Happens by Accident
Palm Springs is a city built on optimism.
It is also built on plumbing.
Visitors rarely think about this. They are understandably distracted by mountain views, perfectly chilled martinis, impossibly blue swimming pools and citrus trees that appear to have signed a long-term lease with the sun.
Everything feels effortless.
It isn't.
The Local Flavors | Palm Springs Cocktail Culture: How a Desert City Turned Leisure Into an Art Form
Palm Springs has always understood the importance of a good drink.
Not merely the liquid itself, mind you. Plenty of places serve cocktails. Palm Springs elevated them into a social activity, a fashion accessory, a networking tool, and occasionally a competitive sport.
The Local Landscape | The Fault Isn’t in the Stars. It’s Under our Feet
How colliding continents created the Coachella Valley, our famous springs—and the earthquake we're all politely pretending isn't coming.
Some cities were built beside rivers.
Some grew around natural harbors.
The Local Guide | Unwritten Rules of Palm Springs: What the Brochures Forgot to Mention
Every city has its own unwritten rules. Palm Springs simply has better weather while breaking them.
People arrive expecting sunshine...
And they're rarely disappointed.
But what does surprise people is that sunshine isn't merely weather. It's an architectural feature, a lifestyle choice and occasionally a force of nature that transforms your rental car steering wheel into a branding iron.
Palm Springs has its own customs, rhythms and peculiar logic.
The Local Flavors | Why Palm Springs Is California’s Newest Foodie Capital
We’ve long been known for our pools, celebrities, golf and mid-century modern architecture, along with old-school steakhouses and "date shakes.” But things are changing. Think elevated food prepared by chef-led restaurants, artisan wine and craft cocktails. Our little oasis is becoming a culinary destination rivaling much bigger cities.
The Local History | Meet the Pioneer Women Who Created Palm Springs
Before Palm Springs was a mid-century modern oasis filled with Hollywood glitz, it was a rugged, isolated desert outpost. The oasis of palm trees and hot springs was a challenging place to live, yet in the early 20th century, a remarkable group of determined women settled this arid valley, laying the foundation for the glamorous resort town we know today.
The Local Architecture | Glass & Steel: A History of Palm Springs Modernism
Palm Springs is a time capsule of Mid-Century Modern architecture, the greatest concentration of this style in the world.
This is Us
Meet the founders and owners of Artisan Food Tours and hear why they created their new gourmet food tour company in Palm Springs.
The Local Culture | Beyond the Pools: Exploring the Quirkiest Corners of Palm Springs
While Palm Springs is famous for its mid-century glam and poolside lounging, the magic and charm also lie in its more eccentric corners.