Comal Food Books & Goods, a pop-up food bookstore and cafe with dreams of a brick-and-mortar, hopes to open its storefront later this year in Phoenix.
The concept, led by Jovanna Perez Anzaldua and Dana Arbel, will combine a bookshop and a cafe to create a community hub where all types of food lovers can come together, according to Phoenix Mag. The exact location of Comal Food Books & Goods is hard to say, considering the two owners are looking for the right place to call home for the company’s first brick-and-mortar, but it’s expected to open in late 2025. In the meantime, Comal has hosted a handful of pop-up events to highlight new book releases.
This is a significant achievement for Perez Anzaldua and Arbel, who have supported each other’s projects since meeting in the mid-2010s. Perez Anzaldua has a background in social justice nonprofits, while Arbel entered the food industry as the founding chef at Central Records and the now-closed Cha Cha’s Tea Lounge. Their new store will feature a café with Arbel in charge of the menu, which will be plant-focused in a casual setting. The rest of the bookstore will feature shelves of cookbooks, food memoirs, and children’s books, alongside spices, snacks, kitchen tools, and textiles, focusing on women-, BIPOC-, and locally-owned businesses. They also plan to host touring authors, particularly those who often bypass Phoenix for lack of a foodie bookstore.
“We are passionate about food,” according to the company’s website. “We created Comal out of a deep appreciation for both home cooks and culinary professionals throughout Arizona and beyond. We curate a selection of books, food goods, and events that will inspire creativity and connection through cooking and enjoying food together with a deep appreciation for those who are a part of the process—this includes everyone from the farm worker to the renowned chef to the family matriarch who cooks with love for their family.”
