The first annual Vida / Celebrating Women festival was held on Saturday, March 9 — and it sold out!

Not only were all profits from Vida tickets sales donated to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona but women in the community were highlighted for their contributions to Tucson’s food and beverage industry, too. We had local female vendors providing wares to purchase, services to enjoy, and had representation by Microloan recipients who have benefitted from the Community Food Bank’s programs.

For those of you that missed out, it will be held in March next year and we’d love you to attend!

Support the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona

If you’d like to make a donation to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona for programs that train and support women in the culinary arts, such as Caridad Community Kitchen and their Microloan Program in partnership with Community Investment Corporation (CIC), please consider donating to communityfoodbank.org/donate.

Thank you to every role player involved in making this event a success.

We want to thank each chef for the exquisite dishes presented at the festival — they were tasty and eye-catching.

Thank you to our vendors for sharing your beautifully crafted products and fun services as well as Microloan recipients chef Cecilia Arosemena of Dish for Dosha and Dani Flower of Sunflower Superfoods for sharing your products.

Thank you P.O.M. Events and Eastland Alley for the gorgeous photo booth and to our photographers — Mariah Alysz of Rya Pie Pictures, Jim Harris of J. Martin Harris Travel & Leisure Photography, and Jackie Tran of Tucson Foodie — for capturing the celebration through your lenses.

A huge thanks to Sarah Fox Hammelman of Sand-Reckoner for the wine donation, to the Community Food Bank for your representation, and the Morning Blend for featuring Vida on your show.

Lastly, event partners — Maynards Market & Kitchen, Yelp, and Brunch Babes — thank you for your behind-the-scenes hustle that made the festival the success that it was.

Here are the tasty dishes and libations created by our female chefs and mixologist:

Wendy Gauthier (Chef, Chef Chic)

Sweet Pea Panna Cotta with crab salad, mango dashi sorbet, crab tuile, and micro greens

Janet Jones (Executive Sous Chef, Tanque Verde Guest Ranch)

Fermented Pickles and Baby Beets atop house-made, dark, torn rye bread with local quark goat cheese and smoked nopales sauce

Stephanie Kingman (Mixologist, The Parish)

Strawberry-Rose Lemonade and Sand-Reckoner Vermentino Wine-based Sangria flavored with mango, mint, and habernero

Maria Mazon (Chef, BOCA Tacos y Tequila)

Organic Mushroom Chicharrón with a chile verde pea purée, ricotta, and chile guajillo carrot sauce

Rica Rances (Sous Chef, The Parish)

Confit Sunrise Beets marinated in preserved orange aji amarillo with Brunost siphon, fennel oil, fermented honey garlic glazed pancetta, and lavender haze

Gina Skelton (Executive Pastry Chef, Casino Del Sol)

Salted Honey and Goat Cheese Mousse with almond lavender cake

Susan Fulton (Gourmet Girls Gluten Free Bakery & Bistro)

Lemon Thyme-marinated Wild-caught Shrimp in an Asiago cheese black-pepper waffle cone with organic crisped kale, Champagne-infused papaya, and a pomegranate balsamic reduction

Dominique Stoller (Executive Pastry Chef & General Manager, HUB Ice Cream Factory)

Prickly Pear Jamaica pops dipped in chamoy and Tajin

Mini Arizona Blue Corn Choco Tacos filled with Arizona blue corn and honeycomb ice cream, dipped in white chocolate and rolled in crushed honeycomb candy

Nikki Thompson (Chef-Owner, Nook)

Tucson meets Hawaiian-style Fresh Ahi Poke Shooter served with a Tajin lotus crisp

Caridad Community Kitchen and their Microloan recipients:

Caridad Community Kitchen

Broccoli and cranberry salad

Microloan recipient, Dish for Dosha Juices

Organic Juices

Microloan recipient, Sunflower Superfoods

Specialty Baby Greens and Sprouts

Wares and experiences provided by our local female vendors:

Belle Starr Salon

Braid Bar and Hair Styling

Sigfus Designs

Jewelry

Cosmic Weavers

Henna and Art

Sonoran Rosie Herbal Products

Luxury Organic Beauty Products

Batea Boutique

Curated Clothing and Vintage Designs

Creative Tribe

Craft and Paper Goods Pop-Up Shop

Heliotrope

Metalwork Jewelry

Solace Macrame

Macrame Art Installations

Photo booth fun and memories captured:

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And that’s a wrap.

See you next year for delicious plates and drinks, music, and photo booth fun to support local women and raise funds for the Community Food Bank.

For more information about the Vida festival and Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, view our article: First Annual “Vida / Celebrating Women” Festival Empowers, Uplifts & Supports Women in Tucson.