Tucson Tacotopia

This Saturday Tucsonans will take part in the first ever Tucson Taco Festival at Rillito Downs from 11 am to 7 pm. The Festival got its beginnings in Scottsdale but I think Tucson will show them a thing or two about tacos. Don’t you?

I was fortunate to be chosen as one the taco judges and tonight went for an orientation at Sir Veza’s. As I perused through the materials and listened to the instructions, I almost felt like I was preparing to take the SATs.

Here’s some information about the National Taco Association.  The NTA is an organization dedicated to promoting and enjoying tacos of all types and from all cultures. The NTA is the world’s first organization of its kind promoting all things taco, all the time.

Teams – restaurants, resorts, food trucks, amateurs – compete for prizes ($$$) and the judges will judge anonymously, be serious about the judging, and score fairly. I will be judging chicken tacos, beef tacos, pork tacos, seafood tacos, and wild cards – tacos that don’t fit into the above (chocolate tacos, perhaps?) and well as the side cart. I will probably be taco’d out by Saturday night.

Judges will be sequestered and perhaps shackled to the table for 3 or 4 hours until they have judged everything based on taste, presentation, and texture. Then they are free to roam the rest of the event and enter the tequila tent, watch the lucha libre wresting, bartender throw down, and mingle. I’m hoping the judges can have cerveza in the tent or it’s going to be a long 3 or 4 hours and a near riot.

There’s going to be a kids’ zone plus hot chile pepper eating contest and macho taco eating contest. Oh, my.  You won’t want to miss any of this as you’ll have more than enough fodder around the water cooler on Monday.

Admission is $10 (kids under 12 free) and tacos cost $2/each. How many tacos can you eat?

Here are the specifics about parking, pets, etc.

A portion of the proceeds benefits the Anne Rita Monahan Foundation (ARM Yourself Against Ovarian Cancer).

I have two free tickets. Who wants them? Post a comment here as to why you want to go to the Tucson Taco Festival. Update: I awarded the two tickets to Soozi (see comments below). I chose her because she said she was giving blood. I just met up with her now at Sunflower on Speedway/Swan. She told me she gives platelets because she has a niece with kidney disease. Soozi is my hero. She also recommended that I take TUMS with me — what a great idea!

let's eat

from the press release

Don’t Be Absent for Tucson’s First Lunchtime “Food Truck Roll Call”

Hosted by Brookline College on April 19 – located at 5441 E. 22nd Street (just west of Craycroft)
11am – 2pm
Brookline College hosts Tucson’s first “Food Truck Roll Call” as part of the college’s grand re-opening celebration.

Participating Trucks:

• Jamie’s Bitchen Kitchen
• Seis Curbside Kitchen
• Planet of the Crepes
• Animal Farm – Guerrilla Fine Food
• Guero Loco’s Bubba-Que
• Hot Dogs With Heart
• Street Delights
• Jones Street Bistro

The event marks the first time the gourmet food trucks have converged for a weekday lunchtime food fest in Tucson. Experience the latest food craze as eight restaurants on wheels roll into the Brookline College parking lot to serve up a variety of gourmet cuisine.

The event is open to the public. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at 12:15 p.m. with a donation presentation to a local non-profit organization.

Meals on Wheels around Tucson

Food trucks galore this week / weekend in Tucson. Check out the specifics:  (from the press release)

•  April 10: 4-8pm: Tucson Food Truck Roundup at Lazydays RV, 3200 E. Irvington (see below for more info).
• April 11: Neighborhood Chef with Jones St. Bistro, Street Delights, and Cyclopsicle, at Ralph’s Service Station at S. 4th Ave/19th St.
• April 15: Tucson Food Truck Roundup at Bookman’s Event Center, 5120 S. Julian, 11am-3pm, Dust Devil Roller Derby Tournament.
• April 15: Crossroads Festival, 4811 E. Grant, next to the Grand Cinema Theatres, 4:30-8pm, Arizona International Film Festival Kickoff.

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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Food Trucks and RV’s in love!

The Tucson Food Truck Roundup comes to the Lazydays RV Park at 3200 E. Irvington, near the IH-10 overpass. If you think this is an unusual setting, drop by and see for yourself! Find out why we think this is a great setting. Our friends at Lazydays RV have been great to work with! Beer and wine available for the first time at a Tucson Food Truck Roundup!

–Great food tasting exploration.
Music by The Shaky Bones:

–Melo Dominguez doing live action art.

–And, a special appearance by The Rockin’ Pinups, including hula hoop activities, Bunny Hop instruction, and prize giveaways.

Mobile Kitchens, including:
Stolen Recipe BBQ
Jones Street Bistro
Foodie Fleet
German Food Station
Cook’s Kettle Corn
Taqueria El Tiburyn
Jamie’s Bitchen Kitchen
Smokin Hot BBQ
The Corn Roasters
Lee’s Rolling Wok Chinese Food
Seis Curbside Mexican Gourmet
Mike’s Roadside Cafe
Ni Hao Amigos
RobDogs
The Patty Wagon
and MORE!

A percentage of the proceeds goes to support Dinnerware Artspace.

Written by
David Aguirre
Director
Dinnerware Artspace