Five years ago, Ahwatukee City Lifestyle was the new magazine in the mailbox. Publisher Sherry York remembers that first year as a whirlwind—recruiting the right team, getting a foothold in the community and learning to think in editorial cycles.
Even before she was involved, editor Beth Del Ville recalls showing her husband an early issue and thinking how she’d love to be part of it one day.
Five years later, Sherry has a close-knit team: Beth; Stephanie Slezak, head photographer and social media coordinator; and a talented roster of photographers and writers.
In honor of the fifth anniversary, we sat down with Sherry, Beth and Stephanie to peek behind the glossy pages at how it started, their favorite memories and where the magazine is headed next.
1. Take us back five years. What do you remember about the beginning?
Sherry: The first year was about leaning into the community, figuring out how we were going to show up for everyone and learning what would be meaningful, interesting and inspiring. Now, five years later, we’re established, and that gives us more creative freedom and room for collaboration.
Beth: I remember getting one of those first issues out of my mailbox and showing my husband. I said, “Oh my gosh, how amazing is this? We have this beautiful magazine here in our community.” I remember thinking, What a dream it would be to be a part of it. My wheels started turning even then. I was freelancing and focused on being a stay-at-home mom, but I remember thinking how cool it would be to put my mark on this.
2. When did you realize the magazine had really become part of Ahwatukee?
Sherry: I don’t know if it was one moment or several. We’ve had partners tell us their phones were blowing up after being featured and people reach out because they connected with our stories. We’re not trying to write tearjerkers, but sometimes we want to go deeper and find the humanity, that common factor in all of us. I also love when I call a business and they know exactly who we are.
Beth: I love when I go to the dentist’s office or my doctor’s office and there we are. Or when you go into Nello’s and the magazines are supposed to be there, but there are none left because people have taken them. Or when people find out what I do and say, “Oh my gosh, I loved that story,” or, “I’m always looking at your events,” or, “I really enjoy the recipes you guys share.”
3. What have five years taught you about Ahwatukee?
Sherry: I’m struck by how proud people are of Ahwatukee and how much they cherish their community. We really aspire to honor that.
Stephanie: Ahwatukee is like a small town inside of a big city. We grew up here, but now that we’re adults and have kids, we get to see it more in depth. We go behind the scenes with community business owners and see how interconnected everybody really is.
4. Do you have a favorite story or photo shoot from the past five years?
Sherry: We had a story last year about living with less, born out of my own journey of selling my house and downsizing, which I hadn’t planned on. In the end, I came to my new home with about a third of what I'd packed into our longtime house. It was so freeing. I could breathe easier and feel peaceful. That’s one that stands out to me.
Beth: It was our first really big fashion shoot that we did with our photographer Qiana Kelsch for the September 2023 issue. We had two of our partners modeling, brought in a stylist and collaborated with Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino. It was hard to get there—a lot of behind-the-scenes learning—but it was all worth it for those shots.
Stephanie: My most favorite shoot ever is the garden shoot feature and cover of the January 2026 issue.
Sherry: That issue is such a perfect example of our creative process. I pitched it because my sister-in-law has this amazing garden in Tempe. I was thinking health and wellness, food, vegetables. Then Beth said, “Wait a minute, I’ve been wanting to do a gorgeous garden shoot with a beautiful girl in a dress with a basket.” Honestly, without Beth, I probably would have had somebody there in overalls! She took it in a completely different direction and elevated it.
5. What happens behind the scenes that readers would never guess?
Stephanie: I don’t think people realize what goes into making the magazine. It’s not just plugging things in. There’s so much creativity and planning. I don’t think anybody has the slightest inclination of what it takes.
Sherry: People might see a feature with six cute wrapped Christmas presents and have no idea we sourced the papers from all different stores, shopped for matching ribbon and found all the embellishments or toppers we tied onto them. There’s so much detail that goes into getting the pictures we want.
I also think people would be shocked to know how many people there are behind us, lifting us up. The three of us could in no way do this without our group of writers, other photographers and the people who let us come into their homes and businesses to get what we need. It’s definitely a team effort. I think people would greatly underestimate how deep that roster is.
6. What do you love about meeting the people behind the community?
Beth: We’re so lucky. Whether we’re sharing a story about a partner or somebody else in the community, the people here are amazing. We’ve done stories with firefighters who brought us into the fold right away, and business owners who are constantly giving back. There are so many wonderful people in this community whose stories we get to share, and what an honor and a privilege it is to do so.
7. You three clearly have a friendship outside of the magazine. How has that shaped the work?
Sherry: I think people might be surprised by how good of friends we are. We’re all moms, and our families come first. There are times when we finish one of those elaborate photo shoots and just sit down, connect and find out where everybody is in life. I don’t know that every editorial team has the bond I feel like we share.
8. What stories are you still looking for?
Sherry: We want our readers to know how much we’d love to hear their feature ideas, especially about community heroes or people who have a story that needs to be told. We don’t know what we don’t know. We want to find people working with charities, giving back in unique ways or tied to organizations we can shout out.
"There are so many wonderful people in this community whose stories we get to share, and what an honor and a privilege it is to do so."