Tag: food events

Mac & Cheese Festival coming in October to Scottsdale Waterfront

Here’s another food festival to add to your foodie calendar as Arizona’s 1st Mac & Cheese Festival arrives at the Scottsdale Waterfront on Saturday October 7th.

This Friday July 14th being National Mac & Cheese Day is a great time to “tease” yourself as tickets go on sale for this cheesy festival. Discounted General Admission tickets can be purchased all weekend when you use the promo code MacCheeselove

Local valley restaurants will prepare their unique style of this comfort food which will be washed down with libations from from local supplier.

Festival goers will enjoy cheesy goodness  from 12 noon -7 p.m.  and during those 7 hours foodies can take a  food break inside Game Central playing ping pong, Jenga and other games to burn off the calories. A craft beer exhibition will also open to pair with your tasty samples.

Want to learn the secrets of making mac & cheese then make sure you check out cooking demonstrations from from participating chefs. The schedule of demonstration will be released on August 1st.

 

 

The Arizona Seven chef collective re-unite for chef Kelly Fletcher

The local food and restaurant community can never be accused of not helping one its own or its local communities, whether it’s an unfortunate occurrence(fire, theft) or medical need of a staff member we always rally when we hear the cry.The cry went out for chef and all around good guy Kelly Fletcher(House of Tricks, El Chorro Lodge & Zen Culinary) and the medical expenses incurred when Kelly fell ill with a life-threatening infection that had him in the hospital for weeks and at rest back at home.

We heard the cry and jumped into action with 2 Fund Up meals cooked by the “Arizona Seven” chef collective at Crudo restaurant in coming weeks.

The 2 Fund Ups will feature chefs Keenan Bosworth (Pig & Pickle), Cullen Campbell (Crudo, Okra Cookhouse & Cocktails), Jacob Cutino (Homeboy’s Hot Sauce), Josh Hebert (Posh Improvisational Cuisine, Hot Noodles Cold Sake), Scott Holmes (Little Miss BBQ), Stephen Jones (The Larder + The Delta), Bernie Kantak (Citizen Public House, The Gladly) and Gio Osso (Nico, Virtù Honest Craft).

A pig for Kelly Fletcher

100% from both Fund Ups will be donated to pay the medical expenses with the 1st Fund Up taking place next Sunday June 4th for a Communal Pig Roast. Chef & host Cullen Campbell will be roasting a whole hog at his Crudo restaurant with the other 6 chefs will be preparing gourmet side dishes, sauces, desserts and more smoked meats.

Beer from local brewery Huss Brewing Co. will be poured along with wines & cocktails from The Whiny Pig and Tito’s Vodka. The family style roast starts at 2 p.m. and is $50++ per person.

Multi Course dinner

On Monday July 31st the Arizona Seven will re-unite at Crudo for a Multi- Course Dinner to help pay down Kelly’s medical expenses. The menu will be created by Kelly with the other chefs putting their unique twist on each of the courses. The dinner begins at 6 p.m. and is $150 ++ per person.

For tickets to the Arizona Seven Fund Ups go to http://7cheffundup.bpt.me/

Who are the Arizona Seven chef collective?

Chefs who own restaurants are friends more than competitors who wish all the best in the day-to-day operations of locally owned restaurant survival. To bring awareness of the local Phoenix food scene the Arizona Seven chef collection debuted in 2014 with events for all to collaborate in and showcase their talents outside of their restaurants. The goal is to bring the James Beard Award back to Arizona.

Crudo is at 3603 E. Indian School Rd. Phoenix 85018.

 

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.

Burger Battle returns to see who makes the Best Burger in the Valley

The Scottsdale League of the Arts annual Burger Battle returns this Thursday March 9th with more burgers, beers and fun to its new location at the Scottsdale Waterfront at 7 p.m.

The Burger Battle is one of the non-profits more popular events which helps raise money for artists, art programs and art education through several fund-raising events throughout the year.

This years Burger Battle will be emcee’d by local sports writer and sports  talk show host Dan Bickley. Burgers will be served from local restaurants such as Hand Cut Burgers, Aioli Gourmet Burgers and Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company.

In between tasting burgers, side dishes and desserts attendees will be able to play lawn games and dance to the sounds of The Groove Merchants.

After tasting burgers patrons will be able to cast their vote for the People’s Choice Award for Best Burger while 5 judges will be selecting the Judge’s Choice Award. 2 winners will then compete in the World Food Championships in November.

Tickets for the competition are $65 when purchased in advance or $75 at the door. VIP tickets are available for $85 and include early entry at 6 p.m., a VIP gift and access to a private lounge. This is a 21 and over event. Tickets can be purchased at http://scottsdalefest.org/