Only 100 Tickets Remain for SAVOR Southern Arizona Food & Wine Festival

Annual community wide food and wine festival, presented by Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance, Local First Arizona & Tucson Botanical Gardens, approaches Sell Out.

​(TUCSON, Ariz.) - SAVOR Southern Arizona Food and Wine Festival, Southern Arizona's Largest and only locally-focused food festival, has rapidly become one of the region's can't miss events. With nearly two weeks before the event, less than 100 tickets remain available for sale.
 
On Saturday, February 4th from 11a.m. to 3 p.m. over 75 of Southern Arizona's finest chefs, wineries, breweries and distilleries will come together at the Tucson Botanical Gardens showcasing fine food and drink, furthering Tucson as a dining destination worthy of international culinary prestige, including the city's status as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy.
 
"The Savor Food and Wine Festival not only showcases the rich and delicious culture of the region, but highlights the importance of supporting these local food businesses in our daily lives," said Kimber Lanning, Founder and Executive Director of Local First Arizona. "Much of southern Arizona's local economy is driven by those in the dining, culinary, and local foods industries. Without them, we wouldn't have the diverse culture and economy that we see today in Tucson and beyond."
 
SAVOR Southern Arizona Food and Wine Festival was designed as a collaborative partnership between the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance, Local First Arizona, and Tucson Botanical Gardens to promote local chefs and producers while sharing the message that supporting local business creates a significant economic impact.
 
The SAVOR Southern Arizona Food and Wine Festival is proud to announce the list of 2017 participants and their featured menus:
     - [POPPED] Artisan Popcorn: Various flavors of Artisan Popcorn
     - Agustin Kitchen: Duck Goulash
     - aka Deli & Bakeshop: Morning Buns
     - The Coronet: Butternut Squash Bruschetta with local Barrio bread & veggies
     - Alfonso Gourmet Olive Oil & Balsamics: Serrano Honey Roasted Red Pepper Goat Cheese Bruschetta (using Local Serrano Honey Vinegar)
     - Angie's Gourmet To Go: New Orleans Style Seafood Gumbo (locally made Andouille sausage)
     - Kalil Bottling Company, OFFICIAL WATER SPONSOR FIJI: Featuring samplings of RC Cola, Diet RC, 7UP, Canada Dry Ginger Ale and A&W Root Beer
     - Arizona Doe Baking Co:  French Macarons (local Meyer lemons & prickly pear)
    - Beyond Bread: King Cake - A sweet cinnamon pastry, draped with festively colored frosting and sugar for Mardi Gras.  
     - Boca Tacos y Tequila: Cochimito Pork with pibil sauce micro green garnish        
     - Brother John's Beer, Bourbon & BBQ: Smoked Beef Brisket, Burnt End BBQ Pit Beans (Local Angus Beef from 1855 Farms)
     - BrushFire BBQ Co.
     - Cafe Botanica: Magdalena Squash Bread made with Mesquite Flour and Agave Syrup served with Hand-churned butter and Limequat Marmalade (Local Magdalena Squash, Mesquite beans, lime-quats)
     - Charro Steak: Tortilla chips, salsa sampling as well as vegan and classic guacamole (Local chiles)
     - Chef Chic: Tequila Braised Pork with a nopales salsa and a refreshing Palomas drink with grapefruit cream float      
     - Crossroads Restaurant: Red Chile mini Chimi and Beans  
     - Dakota Restaurant and Dakota Catering: Tempura Coconut Shrimp with Orange Sweet and Sour Chutney and Confetti Cole Slaw with Homemade Sweet and Sour Poppy Seed Dressing  
     - Dominicks Real Italian: Homemade Lasagna and Tiramisu    
     - El Charro Café: Tortilla chips, salsa sampling and vegan and classic guacamole (local chiles) 
     - El Cisne Cocina de Mexico: Squash, tomato carrot, cheese and Onion Soup and mushrooms stuffed with chorizo, with Queso Fresco and handmade tortillas
     - Epazote at the Tucson Hilton El Conquistador Resort: Red wine pairing with featured menu sampling
     - Ermanos Craft Beer & Wine Bar: Pulled Pork Tacos paired with locally brewed craft beer and red wine sangria 
     - Fermented Tea Company: Prickly Pear Kombucha 
     - SpunLight Cotton Candy: Organic Cotton Candy in various flavors 
     - Gourmet Girls Bakery & Bistro: Mocha Dacquoise Meringue Bites            
     - Kingfisher: Creole Gulf Shrimp and Fresh White Anson Mills Grits, Antebellum Fresh White Grits from South Carolina
     - Mama's Hawaiian BBQ: Prickly Pear Lemon Squares (Local mesquite flour and prickly pear syrup)
     - North Italia: Osso Buco Cappelleti (Local mushroom, roasted sunchoke, truffle jus, I'itoi onion) with Ricotta Panna Cotta (Almond Biscotti, Fig and Date compote).
     - Bob's Steak & Chop House: House Cured Salmon & Creme Fraiche and dessert pairing of Lavender Rose Bavarian Cream  
     - Primo at JW Marriott Resort and Spa: Porchetta Slider with Arugula and Aioli (Local Pork Belly - Starbar Farms)
     - Queen Ceviche: Margarita with local Hibiscus flower
     - Ramona Farms American Indian Foods: Poshol (Tepary bean soup) and Tepary bean brownies (Local Tepary beans and pima club wheat)
     - Rigo's Restaurant: White Sangria and Chicken chile poblanos platter              
     - Seis Kitchen and Catering: Cochinita Pibil Street Taco           
     - The Living Room Wine Cafe & Lounge: Chilaquiles- tostadas layered with green chili chicken, cotija cheese, crème fraiche, and cilantro       
     - Tohono Chul Garden Bistro: Three Sisters + Cheese Tostadito, Mole Sauce, Salsa "Tomato", Desert Winter Greens, Cilantro Pop Rocks, Corn, Pinto Beans, Squash, Mole, Cheese, Citrus, Winter Greens, Chilies
     - Wildflower: Bacon Wrapped Jidori Chicken Torchon- Smoked Cheddar Grits, Charred Cipollini Onion, Brussels Sprout, Natural Jus and Sticky Toffee Pudding- Medjool Date, Roasted Pear, Vanilla Cardamom Yogurt (Local Hayden Flour Mill Grits and McClendon's Farm Medjool Dates)
     - Yellow Brick Coffee: Honduras: Mi Tazita Cold Brew on Nitrogen and Kenya: Kamoini hand-brewed via a Chemex           
     - PY Steakhouse at Casnio Del Sol: Port Salut Pot De Creme, Truffle Honey, Whiskey Libation (Local White Sonoran Wheat, Honey) Partnering is Breakthru Beverage on libation sampling
     - Guiseppe's Italian Kitchen: Artichoke Bruchetta and spring mix salad with gorgonzola and grilled asparagus with Lamb osso bucco
     - Cheri's Desert Harvest: Prickly Pear Cactus Lemonade and Jalapeno Pepper Dip with Crackers (Prickly pear cactus syrup from locally grown farm and jalapeno pepper dip from locally sourced produce company)
     - AJ's Fine Foods:  Brown Butter Truffle Tarts           
     - Cactus Slap Salsa: Salsa with local Hatch Chiles    
     - 1912 Brewing Company: Selected local Brews
     - Barrio Brewing: Selected Local Brews
     - Aridus Wine Company: Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Tank 16 (blend), Malbec, Syrah, Tank 9 (red blend)
     - Caduceus Cellars / Merkin Vineyards: Chupacabra Blanca, Chupacabra, Dos Ladrones, Primer Paso
     - CataVinos: Wine Selections
     - Dragoon Brewing Co: Selected Local Brews
     - Golden Rule Vineyards: 2013 Black Diamond, 2011 Second Chance Zinfandel, 2012 Commonwealth, 2013 Petite Sirah
     - Hamilton Distillers: The Easy Breather: Whiskey Del Bac Clear, creme de cacao, cinnamon syrup, lemon juice, strawberries
     - PRP Wine: White Italian blend Duca d' Amalfi and red French Blend Chevalier de Bayard
     - Pueblo Vida Brewing Company: Bavarian Hefeweizen & Seasonal IPA
     - Roger Clyne's Mexican Moonshine Tequila: Fresh mango piece with the Silver Tequila, Cheese Pairing with Reposado, imported chocolate with Añejo. 
     - Sand-Reckoner: Select Wine Samples
     - Sonoita Vineyards: Select Wine Samples
     - Three Wells Distilling: Cocktail and Libation Sampling
     - Oskar Blues: Selected brews
     - Firestone Walker: Union Jack, Luponic Distortion, Pivo Pilsner, 805
   - SanTan Brewing Company: Grapefruit Shandy, HopShock IPA, MoonJuice IPA, Grapefruit MoonJuice IPA, Mr. Pineapple
     - White Claw: Spiked Spirit Mixers, Sparkling Flavors in Natural Lime, Black Cherry and Ruby Grapefruit
     - Finley Distributing: Henry's Hard Soda-Grape, Blueberry Ale, Blue Moon & Leinenkugel seasonal flavors
     - PRP Wine: Chevalier de Bayard, a French red Grenanche blend
     - Arizona Hops & Vines: Sparkling Moscato, wine cocktails, red wine
     - 1912 Brewing Company: Draft beer, IPA, Sour Brews
     - Dos Cabezas WineWorks: Arizona Wine
     - Pillsbury Wine Company: Rosé 15, WildChild White 14, WildChild Red 14, Roan Red 13
 
Exhibitors representing the Tucson City of Gastronomy will be present to share how Tucson earned its prestigious distinction from UNESCO.  Many participating chefs will be highlighting local ingredients that are unique to this region in their SAVOR samplings.  This year the event has partnered with the International Traditional Knowledge Institute (ITKI) to present the TRusT™ mobile app at SAVOR.  TRusT™ helps share the stories of local foods with a global audience. The TRusT™ app shows stories of people making finished products according to traditional practices, combined with modern technology to narrate how, when and where artisanal products are made.
  
Additional highlights of the 4th Annual SAVOR Southern Arizona Food and Wine Festival include:

• Admission to Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden Life which will be open for guests to enjoy during the festival

• Two performance stages featuring the acoustic stylings of Tucson musicians

• Educational partners Edible Baja Arizona, Slow Food Southern Arizona, and Native Seeds/SEARCH offering a unique local perspective on the intersection of food in culture, traditions, and history

• Raffle featuring select baskets each valued between $750-$1,000 and featured local restaurant gift certificates, art, local foods features, destination certificates, music and event tickets, as well as featured art, jewelry and much more

• The Compost Cats will be onsite to educate attendees on how they can reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions and increase local food security by diverting food scraps, landscape clippings, and manure from landfills and transforming them into high quality soil amendments for local agriculture and landscaping

Tickets for the 4th Annual SAVOR Food and Wine Festival are now available for purchase at www.saaca.org (Until Sold Out). Tickets are $65 each and include menu and libations samplings from over 75 local chefs, restaurants, wineries, breweries, distilleries and food purveyors. This is a 21+ event.
 
Please note, the Tucson Botanical Gardens will be closed to General Admission Botanical Gardens entry the day of February 4, 2017.  The Tucson Botanical Gardens will reopen to the general public on Sunday, February 5 at 8:30 AM 
 

SAVOR Food and Wine Festival
When: Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way
Cost: General Admission: $65 in advance (no day of ticket sales)
Online: www.saaca.org
Phone: (520) 797-3959
 
Note to media: Photos available upon request. 

About Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance 
The Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance (SAACA) is a not-for-profit organization that exists to ensure that, through engagement in arts and culture, our communities produce strong, inspired citizens. SAACA enlists artists, businesses, governments, and individuals to expand artistic and cultural opportunities in their respective communities. To enhance access to the arts and to promote cultural awareness in the communities it serves, SAACA presents large-scale festivals, events and other programs. The Alliance also promotes educational opportunities in the arts and culture for all ages.   www.saaca.org
 
About Local First Arizona
Founded in 2003 by Director Kimber Lanning, Local First Arizona (LFA) is the largest alliance of independent businesses in the country, working to strengthen communities and local economies through supporting, maintaining and celebrating locally owned businesses throughout the state of Arizona. With nearly 3,000 local business members, LFA educates citizens, stakeholders, business leaders, and legislators about the significant environmental, economic, and cultural benefits of strong local economies. Visit www.LocalFirstAZ.com for more information.
 
About Tucson Botanical Gardens 
Tucson Botanical Gardens, designated as America's Best Secret Garden by Reader's Digest, is an urban oasis in the heart of Tucson, featuring a 5 ½ acre collection of 17 specialty gardens. Voted Tucson's "BEST Public Garden" in the Tucson Weekly's BEST of issues for 12 years and awardee of the 2014 Copper Cactus Award for a Non-profit business. Now celebrating its 40th Anniversary, the Tucson Botanical Gardens has a seasonal tropical butterfly exhibit, an on-site café and two garden gift shops. The Gardens is located at 2150 N. Alvernon Way. For more information on classes, rotating exhibits, events or anything else, call (520) 326-9686, Ext. 10, email [email protected] or visit www.tucsonbotanical.org.