The annual Tucson Culinary Festival takes place October 6 and 26 with two different exciting events. Plan early this year, and make it a point to experience one of Tucson’s ten-year traditions.
The festival will kick off with the Reserve & Grand Tasting Events on Saturday, October 6. The events, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., are special events made for wine lovers. The Reserve Tasting allows guests the rare opportunity to taste small production, boutique wines that are hardly ever available by the glass. Tucson Original Chefs will create special meals to complement the wines. The Reserve Tasting will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the pool area and breezeway at Casino del Sol Resort. The cost for this event is $100 per person in advance or $125 at the door.
The Grand Tasting will be held in the Grand Ballroom and foyer of Casino del Sol Resort. Guests can experience a selection of over 100 wines, and a wide selection of micro brews and beers. Tastings of signature dishes from over 40 Tucson Originals restaurants will also be available. The Grand Tasting will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and guests are invited to relax in the Festival Lounge, which will feature cocktail competitions and spirit tastings. The cost for this event is $65 per person in advance, or $80 at the door.
On October 26, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the World Margarita Championship will take place. The event, on the plaza of the Tucson Museum of Art, will feature competitions between Tucson’s top mixologists trying to make the best margarita. Guests will taste the margaritas made by the participants and special dishes compliments of Tucson Originals Chefs. Guests will vote for the 2012 People’s Choice Award. Local celebrities, including UA Basketball star Joseph Blair, food experts Jennifer English and Edie Jarolim, and mixology expert Robert Plotkin will also be there. Tickets for this event are $45 per person in advance or $60 at the door.
A portion of the proceeds from both tasting events will benefit Tucson Values Teachers and the Tucson Hispanic Chamber Foundation (Scholarship Fund) on behalf of Cox Charities.
