Skip to Content

Tacos and Tamales at the Tucson Culinary Festival

Attention: open in a new window. PDFPrintE-mail

  By Jackie Tran

The Tucson Culinary Festival is an annual food and wine fundraiser taking place on Oct. 28 through 31 at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort and at Maynards Market and Kitchen. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Diamond Children’s Medical Center and New Beginnings for Women and Children.

The festival will be hosted by the Tucson Originals, a group of unique, independently-owned local restaurants. To help with the fundraising, the restaurants will provide food and beverages.

The Fifth Annual World Margarita Championship features some local bartenders competing for the title of “best margarita” in front of a panel of celebrity judges. There will also be a ballot for everyone to vote for a winner.

The Reserve Tasting features small production wines along with specially created dishes to accompany them.

The Grand Tasting will have samplings of dishes from more than 40 local chefs and an international selection of more than 100 wines and spirits.

The festival will conclude on Sunday, Oct. 31 with the Copper Chef Challenge and Barbecue. The all-ages event, which begins at 11 a.m., has a prime rib competition followed by a cheese steak competition.

After those events, Chef Addam Buzzalini from May­nards will compete against Chef Jim Murphy from Kingfisher Bar and Grill.

In addition, there will be brunch and barbecue items from local chefs.

For more details on the event, visit www.tucsonculinaryfestival.com.

For information about the charities, visit www.diamondchildrens.org and www.nbwctucson.org.

Written by Kirsten Boele You are reading Tacos and Tamales at the Tucson Culinary Festival articles

Stalk us at:

Border Beat on Facebook


Border Beat Blogs

Educación en la Frontera

By: Shannon Maule

A look at higher education in regard to those who have and have not been able to travel from various countries to the United States. Stories from people in the higher education world relating to the border.

A Mosaic America

By: Rachel Kolinski

"Exploring Diversity one Face at a Time"

Dancing in the Desert

By: Hope Jamieson

Explore dance throughout the borderlands.

A City of Musical Diversity

By: Maria Teracena

Tucson musicians influence and are influenced by the sounds of the world.

Culture Crossing

By: Chelsey Barthel

American borders are crossed every day by cultures of all kind. These stories tell the personal experiences of people from different lands, offering further insight into the difference of cultures.

Borderfilmbeat

By: Lauren Inouye

A look at Mexican and Latin films that reflect culture, politics, and society --  reviews, research and analysis.

CaPOWera

By: Charles Misra

Stories about martial arts and combat sports with a cultural twist, all finding a home in America's southwestern borderlands.

Border People

By: Jamie Turow

Profiles of English language learners.

Tear Down Borders

By: Jessica Hoerth

Meet some of the people in Tucson who have made the journey across the border as they share what they came in search of and what struggles they may have encountered along the way.

Border Couture

By: Lauren Urratio

Fashion and how it is impacted by the border and international cultures.

Crossing the Line

By: Lucy Valencia

News from along the border with Mexico

The Border Project

By: Melissa Guz

"The Border Project" is an art showcase located in the University of Arizona's Museum of Art. It has over 40+ art pieces related to border issues.

Athletics and the Border

By: Preston Fawcett

Get to know high school coachs and athletes from Arizona border towns or from Mexico and their struggles to get to where they are.

Border Personalities

By: Audrey A. Fitzsimmons

The Southwest boasts of diverse ethnic backgrounds and a wealth of interesting personalities. Border Personalities is dedicated to the people of the Southwest and their stories.

Border Beats

By: Jeff Kessler

U.S. - Mexico border issues, current events, and interesting local stories

Music of the Border

By: Steven Schiraldi

Music reviews of musical works by Mexican or other ethnic artists.

The Border Wall

By: Brett Haupt

A visual exploration of America’s last frontier -- pictures and videos from different areas of the wall and fence that separate two different worlds and insight into what really stands between the United States and Mexico, ramifications of wall building and what it means for the average citizen.

Border Athletes

By: Lauren Sokol

Meet international student athletes at the University of Arizona, a look at the recruiting process that helped them find a temporary home in the desert, and culture changes that the athletes might have endured.

Journey Across the Border

By: Emily Kjesbo

Spotlighting Mexico’s top travel destinations, as well as a few of its hidden gems.

Border Shots

By: Keith Perfetti

A photojournalist looks at how other photographers have viewed the border and shoots lesser known spots of the southwest.


MLS Soccer comes to the Desert

By: Jeff Kessler

All about the 2012 Desert Diamond Cup,  a 10 day exhibition soccer tournament featuring four Major League Soccor teams coming to Tucson.