Tag: food event

Food trucks battle for “Best Slider” at Slider Throwdown

As culinary events are slow to return to the calendar the 2020 Slider Throwdown is back with a new location. Circle Sunday November 8th on your calendar for the popular burger battle between local food trucks. This year’s event is moving from Kierland Commons to north Phoenix’s High Street and proceeds will again go to Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation.

Eight food trucks battle from 12- 3 p.m. for “Best Slider” chosen by judges and “People’s Choice” awards. Attendees will sample sliders for all tastes including beef, chicken, veggie and more. Food trucks cooking up sliders include Bayou Bistro, Food Diva, Aioli Gourmet Burgers and more.

“The Slider Throwdown is one of our favorite annual events because it brings the community together through food, fun, and entertainment,” said Kris Jacober, executive director of the AFFCF. “Without the support of our community through fundraisers like this, we could not continue to fulfill our vision of helping to give foster youth in Arizona the type of childhood that everyone deserves — so we are deeply grateful for every attendee.”

The burger battle will follow CDC guidelines including social distancing, limited ticket sales, hand sanitizer stations and attendees wearing masks. “We are excited to bring this event to High Street in a safe, secure and delicious environment on High Street,” said Jacober.

Tickets are $35 dollars per person and include samples of all sliders and three non-alcoholic beverages. The Josh West Trio will provide live music and attendees can bid for exciting prize packages at a silent auction. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.affcf.org/events-2/

The 9th annual Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival set for Aug. 22 -25

The culinary stars shine bright on southern California when the 9th Annual Los Angeles Food & Wine festival launches for four days in August. Celebrity chefs and local food icons show off the coastal cuisine of southern California cooking. Jerimiah Tower and Nancy Silverton are two of the chefs cooking for guests at diners, cooking demonstrations and more.

The four days start with a series of dinners Thursday evening at restaurants around the city before shifting to the Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica airport for the weekend.

Los Angeles Food & Wine festival events

14 culinary events will span the weekend including…..

The Legends Dinner at Chi SPACCA: The widely credited father of California cuisine Jeremiah Tower joins queen of the Mozza-Plex Nancy Silverton at her white-hot Chi SPACCA. This epic, one-night-only pairing promises a lifetime of bragging rights to the 40 festival-goers fortunate enough to snag a ticket.

Dinner at Otium: Fans of Netflix’s “The Final Table” can pull up a chair to watch 2018 season winner Tim Hollingsworth share the spotlight with rising star chef Travis Swikard at Hollingsworth’s downtown masterpiece, The Broad museum-adjacent Otium. 

The Epic Burger Throwdown with Alvin Cailan: In a city known for great burgers, the best are going bun to bun to win the coveted LAFW Golden Burger Show Trophy. Host Alvin Cailan, of YouTube’s “The Burger Show,” joins celebrity judges Seth Rogen, Tiffani Thiessen and Adam Richman in this juicy battle of the beef.

LA’s Faves & Craves: In one short stroll, festival-goers can take in the breathtaking diversity of L.A.’s culinary landscape as the city’s own Jet Tila hosts a showcase of the most crave-worthy dishes of 25 local chefs. L.A’s finest tacos, pizza, hot dogs, donuts, fried chicken and Asian-inspired specialties will share one location for one afternoon.

Meat Me at LAFW’s Great Steak-out & BBQ: Meat master Curtis Stone of Gwen Butcher Shop & Restaurant and 25 other great tamers of the flame are bringing their A+ game to LAFW. Surf, sides, caviar and Big Cabs will complement the slabs at this event evoking the nation’s greatest steakhouses and BBQ joints.

Sunday Brunch So Hard: Those lucky enough to score one of the very limited VIP tickets to LAFW’s grand finale enjoy rare pre-event access to Jeremiah Tower, the illustrious self-taught chef dubbed “The Last Magnificent” by Anthony Bourdain. Standard tickets are anything but shabby, too, at the culinary legend’s brunch-to-end-all-brunches.

To see a full list of events, more information and to purchase tickets visit their website.

Nothing’s better than BBQ, Bourbon & Beer at Mowry & Cotton

The Phoenician’s Mowry & Cotton restaurant is again hosting their signature BBQ, Bourbon & Beer Feast on Saturday October 27th. Chef de Cuisine Tandy Peterson cooks BBQ favorites smoked spare ribs and whole roasted pig paired with local beers and bourbon. Resort guests and locals are invited to this all-you-can-eat feast.

Guests will be able to sample beers from Four Peaks Brewing Co., Huss Brewing and Phoenix Ale House. Sip on bourbon from Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam and Woodford Reserve.

The 21 & over event offers guests the chance to mix & mingle as they sample food and drink on the patio and at stations inside the restaurant.

Seating is limited and tickets are $70 plus tax & gratuity and include unlimited food and 6 drink samples. The event goes from 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. and reservations can be made by calling 480-423-2530 or by email. For more information visit their website.

 

 

Art of Ice Cream Experience pop-up comes to Scottsdale

Most of us ice cream lovers get to experience its delicious taste for a few quick minutes a few times a month or however often we give in to the craving for the cold, sweet treat. With so many flavors and styles of ice cream we need more time to experience our love affair and for only 3 months starting Dec. 1st the Art of Ice Cream Experience is coming to Scottsdale.

This interactive pop-up exhibit will be housed in a 2 story building near Craftsman Court and 3rd Ave in old town Scottsdale and will offer visitors theme filled rooms such as the Push-Up Pop Room, the Banana Split Room  and the Sundae Room.  Visitors can schedule 60 minutes to explore the different rooms to learn about,  take photos and most importantly taste samples of ice cream that will tempt all 5 senses.

The Art of Ice Cream Experience is good for all ages especially millennials as the exhibits are social media friendly and photos and selfies are encouraged to remember ones tasty experience.

Ice cream lovers can scoop up their tickets now as a limited number of tickets will be available each day during the 3 month engagement. The Art of Ice Cream Experience will be open daily from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Group tickets are available and the pop-up can be used for corporate or holiday parties.

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Scottsdale hosts annual “Live & Local” event

If you attend charity events around the Phoenix area you’ve probably been to “Live & Local” event hosted by the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Scottsdale.

Always a favorite on the charity circuit and one of the biggest fund-raisers of the year for BGCS, 2017’s event will be on Sunday Nov. 12th at The District at Desert Ridge in north Phoenix.

“It’s an honor to bring recognition to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, an organization we’ve passionately supported for many years,” said Stacy Bennett, GoDaddy Corporate Responsibility Lead. “Beyond supporting a worthy cause, we’re looking forward to getting the community together to enjoy local food, libations and entertainment.”

Food and entertainment

The red carpet dining and entertainment event starts at 6 p.m and honors Arizona’s dining, cocktail and live music communities.

Presented by GoDaddy and co-sponsored with the Arizona Restaurant Association this years event includes delicious bites to eat from local restaurants such as Tryst Cafe, The Thumb, Chef Wade’s Bistro on Wheels, Chase’s Diner, The Melting Pot, Postino, Bertha’s, Taste of New Mexico, and The Dhaba.

Under the stars, guests can dance to live entertainment from local bands that will take the stage from 6p.m. – 9p.m.

Get your Live & Local tickets

General Admission tickets are $65 and give guests access to live entertainment, beer garden, wine tasting and 20 samples from restaurants.

VIP tickets are $150 with cocktail bar with drinks crafted by mixologists, upgraded wines, 10 additional restaurants for VIP’s and the after party from 9p.m.-11p.m.

“We are grateful for the partners and sponsors who come together, work hard and put on such an amazing event to help us continue to serve children and teens in need throughout Greater Scottsdale,” said Dr. Lisa Hurst, BGCS CEO.

Tickets and information can be found here.

 

 

The who, what, where & when for the 2018 Devour Culinary Classic

Details are starting to emerge about one of the highly anticipated food festivals of the southwest as the 2018 Devour Culinary Classic is less than 7 months away.

This 2 day food event takes place on Saturday and Sunday March 3rd & 4th 2018 and moves this year to the Desert Botanical Garden on the Phoenix/Scottsdale border. Skip breakfast as this annual event opens its doors each day at 10:30 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m.

“Just like all the participants in the Devour Culinary Classic, the Garden is proud to fly the ‘locally grown’ flag,” says Desert Botanical Garden Executive Director Ken Schutz. “We look forward to hosting the event in 2018.”

Local First Arizona started Devour Culinary Classic almost 10 years ago and has become a model food event around the country for supporting locally owned restaurants, wineries, brewers and more.

“Our main objective is to support the development and promotion of the culinary and extended local food community and culture in Arizona, bringing deserved local and national attention to our state’s food scene,” said Kimber Lanning, founder of the event and Executive Director of Local First Arizona. “We believe we’ll be even better suited to showcase Arizona’s one-of-a-kind culinary culture with Desert Botanical Garden as our host.”

Devour Culinary Classic chef talent

As of the end of August, over 30 chefs from around Arizona are confirmed to strut their stuff with the list continuing to grow. A few of the names you can expect to see are…..

Bernie Kantak The Gladly & Citizen Public House, Danielle Leoni The Breadfruit & Rum Bar, Kat and Brad Moore Short Leash Hot Dog, Jeff Smedstad Elote Cafe, Tamara Stanger Helio Basin Brewing Co. (Winner of last year’s Devour Excellence Award)

Ticket packages, Week of Experiences and more.

Before the Classic goes off there are two events leading up to the festive weekend. The Devour Classic Bartending Competition shakes things up on Fri. February 25th from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. and the Seven Chefs Singh Along prepare a meal under the stars on Wed. February 28th from 5:30- 8:30 p.m. More details can be found on event links.

Tickets go on sale for members of Local First Arizona localist program, Desert Botanical Garden and Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance to all events of November 1st, 2017 and to the public on November 13th, 2017. Tickets are limited to all events and non-members should consider membership to above groups for pre-sale tickets.

3 ticket packages are available for those that want to experience much of what the event has to offer. Early entry, Cooking demonstrations, access to wine and spirits tents, meet and greet with chefs and more are available. The single day packages are The Tasting Package $105,  The Connoisseur Package $165 and The VIP Package $205. See ticket link above for individual package perks.

As details continue to become available be sure to check the website for updates.

 

 

 

Beer for Brains Foundation EPICURIAD returns Sat. April 29th

Food truck chefs get out of their comfort zone on Saturday April 29th for a good cause as the Beer for Brains Foundation raises money for brain cancer research and awareness with its EPICURIAD Spring 2017 Food, Craft Beers & Wine Pairings Event.

12 food truck chefs including Left Coast Burrito Co., Saffron Jak and Electric Sliders will leave their trucks for a full and modern kitchen experience at Allstate Appliances in north Scottsdale to compete against each other to create a new dish for the gourmet pairing competition.

The night begins at 6:30 p.m. with VIP attendees getting a chance to see a 2 chef face off between executive chef Jordan Murray of Rock A Belly, Food Network’s “Street Eats” Season 5 vs Chef Tim Cobb of United Lunchadores, Street Food Chef of the Year in 2015. The chefs will flip a coin to see if they will be cooking with beer or wine in addition to the ingredients provided with 35 minutes to create a dish before the main event.

At 7:30 p.m. main event begins where attendees will be able to sample gourmet food, craft beers and wine. They will have the chance to vote for “Best Pairing” to see if beer or wine is the preferred pairing and “Best Entree” based on taste and presentation. Gold, Silver & Bronze medals will be awarded to the Top 3 winning chefs who will the go head to head with restaurant chefs at the Fall 2017 EPICURIAD event.

The event is one of Beer for Brains Foundation multiple events around the country where the partner with breweries, medical facilities, and other partners to raise money and support ground breaking research at GBM Agile Tempe headquarters on the campus of Arizona State University.

Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.thebeerforbrainsfoundation.org/ for $95 per or $150 VIP with proceeds going to Brain Cancer Research with GBM Agile.

Allstate Appliances is at 15250 N. Hayden Rd in Scottsdale.