Salsa & Tequila Challenge Competitors Bring the Heat in 2016

Southern Arizona’s most spirited restaurants gather to put their culinary and cocktail recipes to the test at the 2016 Southern Arizona Salsa & Tequila Challenge.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - The sights, smells, and sounds of competition will come alive as 41 of Southern Arizona’s finest restaurants and culinarians come together to battle it out for the title of Champion.
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On Saturday, Aug. 20 at 7:00 p.m. the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance and the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona will present the 6th annual Salsa & Tequila Challenge, a culinary food fight, fit for Southern Arizona. 

Local restaurants, breweries, and distilleries will serve over 40 varieties of salsa, 30 tequila cocktails, and 5 types of straight tequila, to a crowd of 1,400 attendees, in an effort to claim the top prize.

At the end of the evening 19 awards are up for grabs. Twelve of the awards will be decided by a judging panel of culinary experts and enthusiasts. The 2016 Salsa & Tequila Judging panel includes a food writer, a well-known local recording artist, Tucson’s Mayor, a radio host, a past winner of the Salsa & Tequila Challenge, and more. The judges will score entries based on appearance, taste, creativity, and presentation. Participants can also win first, second, and third place in the People’s Choice categories as attendees vote for their favorite salsas and tequila cocktails throughout the evening.
 
2016 Salsa & Tequila Challenge Participants Include*:
 
Angie's Gourmet To Go
Breakthru Beverage Group
Cactus Slap Salsa
Casino Del Sol Resort
Chef Chic
Click Café
Consulate of Mexico in Tucson
Corazon Azul
Corona Light
Crossroads Restaurant
Dante's Fire
Driftwood Pub & Kitchen
El Cisne Cocina de Mexico
El Charro
Elvira's
Fermented Tea Company
Fini's Landing
GRINGO grill + cantina
Harvest Restaurant
Highwire Lounge
Julio Cesar Chavez Tequila
JW Marriott Starr Pass
Le Buzz Café
Macayo's Mexican Kitchen
Melting Pot
Modelo Especial
Negro Modelo
Pasco Kitchen/Reds Smokehouse
[POPPED} Artisian Popcorn
Queen Ceviche
Reforma Cocina Y Cantina
Rigo's Restaurant LLC
Roger Clyne's Mexican Moonshine Tequila
Saffron Indian Bistro
Sonoran Sno-Cones
Table of Elementz
Taste Like Burining Salsa Company
The Living Room Wine Café & Lounge
The Roasted Chile
Three Wells Distilling Co
Westin La Paloma
*Please note this list will continue to grow as additional participants are added to the event.
 
Attendees will also have the opportunity to engage in regional experiences, such as understanding the difference between tequila and bacanora with the Mexican Consulate, learning the steps to a traditional folkloric dance with Ballet Folklorico, and enjoying the regional sounds of Salsa and Mariachi with live performances throughout the night.
 
Tickets to the event, $55 per person (21+ only), include chips, salsa tastings, tequila cocktail sampling and shooters, menu pairings, live music and dance performances, cultural activities, and more. Tickets will only be available for pre-purchase, there will be no day-of ticket sales.


2016 Southern Arizona Salsa & Tequila Challenge
When: Saturday, Aug. 20 at 7:00 p.m.
Where: La Encantada Shopping Center, northwest corner of Skyline Drive and Campbell Avenue
Cost: $55 per person (21+ Event)
Online: http://saaca.org/Salsa_Tequila_Challenge.html
Phone: (520) 797-3959
 
NOTE TO MEDIA: Photos available
 
About the Southern Arizona Arts and 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.
 
For more information about programs and events produced by the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance, go to www.saaca.org.