Arizona's first shared workspace and laboratory for startups in the biotechnology and life science industries is now open in downtown Phoenix.

Driving the news: Development company Wexford Science & Technology held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Connect Labs on Jan. 19.

• The facility at 850 N. Fifth St. is in a building that's a partnership between ASU, Wexford and the city of Phoenix.

Details: Connect Labs provides office and laboratory space for startups to lease, giving them access to expensive equipment the young businesses might not be able to afford otherwise and fostering collaboration across the field.

• The facility is "wet lab"-equipped, meaning it can handle things like biological matter, chemicals and hazardous substances.

Why it matters: The Valley is home to a rapidly growing bioscience sector clustered in downtown Phoenix that includes ASU, UofA, NAU and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

• "This is something that you often find on the coasts, not in Phoenix, Arizona," Tom Osha, Wexford's senior vice president for innovation and economic development, told several dozen people at the ribbon-cutting.

Between the lines: David Krietor, executive director of Phoenix Bioscience Core, downtown's university-led biomedical complex, tells Axios there are at least eight startups in the building already, including six on the fifth floor, which houses Connect Labs, and one in ASU's space that's preparing to move up.

• One tenant is ElectraTect, which is developing a breathalyzer-type device to detect THC.
• There's room for dozens more companies, Krietor said.

Zoom in: BacVax, a startup that's developing a vaccine for childhood ear infections, moved into the building in 2021, leasing space from ASU while it waited for Connect Labs to open.

What they're saying: "The health and biosciences (sectors) are the next big thing here. This is where we're going to see a lot of employment and growth in the market," Krietor said.

• Phoenix tends to be "late to the party" on such trends, he says, but when it moves to catch up, it does so quickly.

What's next

If you're a fan of good alcohol and you live in the north Phoenix and north Scottsdale area, you're in luck — Trevor's Liquor opened its second location in the Valley.

Where: 7000 E. Mayo Blvd., near Scottsdale Road and Loop 101.

Details: The new Trevor's has almost everything you'd find at the original location, near McDowell and Scottsdale roads, including a massive selection and specialty barrel picks of great whiskey.

• Yes, but: It's so much more than just a liquor store because it includes an ample bar, dog-friendly patio, pizzeria, humidor, cigar lounge and even an indoor golf simulator (you'll need to call to reserve some time for that one).

💭 Jeremy's thought bubble: I love Trevor's, so I drove to the new location to check it out. I was impressed by the size of both the bar and the store itself.

• While I was there, I picked up a bottle of David Nicholson Reserve, an affordable, hard-to-find and under-appreciated bourbon. I've never seen it outside of Trevor's.

What's next: An employee told me a third location is in the works for 36th Street and Indian School Road, so central Phoenix whiskey snobs — like myself — have something big to look forward to.

Share with a friend who likes to imbibe

Arizona's culinary scene has reason to celebrate this week.

What's happening: Twelve Arizona chefs, two restaurants and one bakery were named semifinalists for the prestigious James Beard Foundation awards.

Several new faces and a few seasoned chefs made the cut:

• Outstanding Chef: Silvana Salcido Esparza, Barrio Café | Phoenix
• Outstanding Restaurant: Proper Meats + Provisions | Flagstaff
• Emerging Chef: Christian Lowe, Shift Kitchen & Bar | Flagstaff
• Outstanding Bakery: JL Patisserie | Phoenix and Scottsdale
• Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Crystal Kass | Valentine, Phoenix
• Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: Glai Baan | Phoenix

Zoom in: Nine Arizonans were named semifinalists for "Best Chef" in the Southwest region, which includes New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma and Arizona.

• Rene Andrade and Roberto Centeno, Bacanora | Phoenix
• Jaren Bates and Brett Vibber, The Table at Junipine | Sedona
• Nephi Craig, Café Gozhóó | Whiteriver
• Wendy Garcia, Tumerico | Tucson
• Fernando Hernández, Testal | Phoenix
• Yotaka and Alex Martin, Lom Wong | Phoenix

Flashback: Last year, Chris Bianco, of Pizzeria Bianco and Tratto, won Outstanding Restaurateur and Don Guerra, of Barrio Bread in Tucson, won Outstanding Baker.

What's next: This year's finalists will be announced March 29.

• Winners will be honored in Chicago on June 5.

Our favorites: We still need to try many of these places, but we can confirm that Barrio Café and Glai Baan live up to the hype. 🤤

📢 Talk back: Which other restaurants should have made the short list?

🌮 The Chilté Tacos food stand is opening a brick-and-mortar location at the Egyptian Motor Hotel on Grand Avenue tomorrow. (AZcentral)

📉 Goldman Sachs is predicting Arizona could see a 2008-style housing crash, with prices dropping about 25%. (ABC15)

🏛 A state House committee approved a bill that would create a monument to assassinated journalist Don Bolles at the Capitol, setting the stage for a vote of the full House. (Capitol Media Services)

👀 Gov. Katie Hobbs created the Independent Prison Oversight Commission, which will investigate how to improve transparency and accountability in the corrections system. (KTAR)

🔥 Hot and fresh local job listings.

1. Director of Enrollment Services at Carrington College.
2. Director, Sales Operations at WillScot.
3. Head of Change Management at Western Alliance Bank.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Post a job.

Welcome to another edition of "Where in the Valley."

How it works: We show you something cool and you tell us where it is.

• The first person who gets it right gets swag. And we'll pick a second winner from the rest of our responders who guess correctly before 3pm.

You tell us: Where in the Valley can you find this bronze bulldog?