Culinary Showdown in Tucson
Wednesday, 31 August 2011 19:09
Video by Yujiro Sano
Salsa, tequila, mariachi music and dancing all highlighted the inaugural Southern Arizona Culinary Challenge held at La Encantada Shopping Center on Aug. 27.
The event kicked off at 4 p.m. with the salsa challenge. Area restaurants like El Charro Café and Guadalajara Grill competed to prove that their salsa was the best in Southern Arizona.
Those who wished to test the salsas paid $10 for a bag of chips and a wristband that allowed them complete access to all the salsa they they were tough enough to swallow. After testing all the salsas, participants would then vote on which was their favorite.
“We just happened to be here but we’re having a lot of fun,” said Giovanni Dominice, a Tucson resident salsa tasting with his girlfriend. “I think events like this are a great way to showcase the diversity of Tucson, and the salsas are great too.”
Thirteen amateur chefs also competed for the votes of the participants with their own versions of hot, mild and alternative salsas. The alternative salsas had either a fruit or vegetable base.
“I wish we could have events like this every week,” said Arif Hukic, who was manning the salsa booth for the Sheraton Fire + Spice restaurant. “A win today would be nice but the most important thing is that everyone looks like they’re enjoying themselves.”
The same format was used for the tequila challenge. A $35 fee allowed participants to taste the area chef’s tequila-based drinks, food and tequila pairings. In order to challenge the chef’s creativity, no versions of a margarita were allowed.
“People don’t always think of culinary arts as an art, but it definitely is,” said Kate Marquez, executive director for the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SAACA). “And an event like this is a great way to marry all the arts: performing, culinary, visual and musical.”
Throughout the day participants were treated to music from the mariachi group Los Changuitos Feos de Tucson and the Latin jazz group Tesoro. In between the musical acts, dance instructor Jeannie Tucker gave free salsa dancing lessons.
Along with the entrance fee for the salsa and tequila challenges, a silent auction was held where art and other handmade crafts by Tucson artists were sold. All proceeds from the event were given to the Tucson Community Food Banks and SAACA.
“This particular project has been in development for about two years,” said Marquez. “We’ve been really busy all day but it’s really paid off. Hopefully this is something we’ll be doing for a long time.”
Written by Matt Lechuga You are reading Culinary Showdown in Tucson articles
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