The third annual Chinese Chorizo Festival (CCF) returns on Friday, October 4 – Sunday, November 20.
This year’s festivities will include one-of-a-kind dishes, cocktails, and cultural programming at multiple locations in Tucson and Phoenix. More than 25 participating restaurants and food vendors will be showcasing the overlooked story of Mexican and Chinese immigrant solidarity through the revival of the Chinese chorizo.
Originating from some 100+ Chinese grocery stores that once existed in Tucson during the late 1880s-1970s, this forgotten delicacy has become a symbol for community solidarity. Proclaimed Chinese Chorizo Month in Pima County, the Festival program organized by the Chinese Chorizo Project (CCP) promotes intersectional solidarity, community collaboration, historic restoration, and cultural and artistic enrichment.
Each of the restaurants and food vendors will incorporate Chinese chorizo produced and donated by Chinese Chorizo Project’s chef and artist Feng-Feng Yeh.
Also, all participants will keep the proceeds resulting from the festival and will be promoted on various social public forums — supported by CCP’s strategic media partner Tucson Foodie.
In the past two years, 1,300 pounds of Chinese chorizo has been donated to more than 55 restaurants, food vendors, and cultural organizations in Tucson and Phoenix. Up to 30 pounds of Chinese chorizo (15 pounds of vegan mushroom-based and 15 pounds of pork-based) will be distributed to each participant.
New in 2024
Chinese Chorizo Paste will be introduced this year to diversify the culinary offering opening Chinese chorizo flavors to different applications, including cocktails! The paste’s complex versatility led to the creation of the Chinese Chorizo Sonoran Sour — a cocktail featuring a Chinese chorizo-washed bourbon.
This innovation has even inspired an upcoming cocktail competition in Phoenix at AZ Wilderness DTPHX at 6 p.m. on Monday, October 7, following a competition in Tucson called “A Drink for Solidarity.” Cocktails will feature the use of the Chinese chorizo paste, Ray Ray’s Sonoran Spirit Tea, and a sponsored spirit from IZO Spirits or Whiskey Del Bac with conceptual storytelling of Chinese chorizo.
A program of cultural events begins at Tucson Meet Yourself’s Culture Kitchen on Saturday, October 5 from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The Chinese Chorizo Project, Anita Street Market, Los Descendientes de Tucson, and Trejo’s Tucson will host a conversation named “A Recipe for Solidarity,” sharing how Tucson’s culinary legacy shapes our community’s past, present, and future.
Chinese chorizo will be explored as a historic food fusion that embodies the success of building resilience through community solidarity as represented in legacy businesses like Anita Street Market.
Chinese Chorizo Project recently teamed up with the University of Arizona School Garden Workshop contributing a piece about the history of Chinese grocery stores in the 2025 School Gardeners’ Almanac — an annual hyper-local gardening handbook of curated community knowledge.
K-12 students then learned how to make Chinese chorizo paste, exploring the flavors in combination with unexpected foods. On Thursday, October 17, students will showcase their creations at the 2025 School Garden Workshop Almanac Release Party at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) downtown (5 – 9 p.m.).
The Tucson Chinese Cultural Center will host a free special event from 11:30 am to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 26, celebrating the history of Chinese Chorizo. Tucsonans whose families owned local Chinese grocery stores will talk about their experience making Chinese chorizo. After learning about the history and traditions, guests can taste a dish that is unique to Tucson and a nod to our area’s blending of Chinese and Mexican cultures: Chinese Chorizo Fried Rice.
These are just a few examples of the events happening during this year’s Chinese Chorizo Festival — keep scrolling to start planning!
2024 Chinese Chorizo Festival’s Schedule
Tuesday, October 1
- Chinese Chorizo Month Proclamation Hearing
- Board of Supervisors Hearing Room at Pima County Administration Building
- 9 a.m.
Thursday, October 3
- Queer For Good
- Hotel Congress
- 5 – 10:30 p.m.
Friday, October 4 – Sunday, October 6
- Tucson Meet Yourself
- Downtown Tucson
- Chinese chorizo sushi with Samurai Sombrero
Saturday, October 5
- Tucson Meet Yourself’s Culture Kitchen: A Recipe for Solidarity
- A conversation with Anita Street Market x Los Descendientes de Tucson x Trejo’s Tucson
- Jacome Plaza in downtown Tucson
- 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 6
- Muna Food for Jewish Voice for Peace
- BCC, 101 E. Ventura St.
- 6 p.m.
Monday, October 7
- A Drink for Solidarity Cocktail Competition
- AZ Wilderness DTPHX, 201 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix, Arizona
- 6 p.m.
Friday, October 11 – Sunday, October 13
- Find Chinese chorizo at the following Phoenix restaurants/vendors
- AZ Wilderness DTPHX
- Chilte
- Lom Wong
Saturday, October 12
- Silver Chef 2024
- Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, 1288 W. River Rd.
- 4 – 6 p.m.
Thursday, October 17
- U of A School Garden Workshop and School Gardener’s Almanac Release Party
- MOCA, 265 S. Church Ave.
- 5 – 9 p.m.
Friday, October 18 – Sunday, October 20
- Find Chinese chorizo at the following Tucson restaurants/vendors
- Anello
- Barrio Bread
- BATA
- Maru Plus Japanese Restaurant
- Rosebud Bakery
- Urban Fresh
Friday, October 25 – Sunday, October 27
- Find Chinese chorizo at the following Tucson restaurants/vendors
- 5 Points Market & Restaurant
- Ate Kei’s Filipino Treats
- Brick Box Brewery
- Casa Madre
- Ceres
- The Garden Bistro at Tohono Chul Park
- Penelope Pizza
Saturday, October 26
- History and Traditions of Chinese Chorizo
- Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, 1288 W. River Rd.
- 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 27
- Center for Creative Photography Sobremesa with Virginia Grise and Chef-artist Feng-Feng Yeh
- Time and Location TBA
Friday, November 1 – Sunday, November 3
- Find Chinese chorizo at the following Tucson restaurants/vendors
- Cafe a la C’Art
- Falora
- Gallery of Food
- Houlden’s Rise Above
- Noodies
- Owls Club
Thursday, November 7
- First Thursday at Tucson Museum of Art
- Food by Empanadas El Dominicano at 140 N. Main Ave.
- 5- 8 p.m.
Sunday, November 10
- Second Sundaze at Tucson Museum of Art
- Centennial Block Party, 140 N. Main Ave.
- 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday, November 10
- Vivamos Siempre Como Hermanos Chinese Grocery Store Pop-Up
- Casa Cordova, 175 N. Meyer Ave.
- Food and drinks by Lumbre Pizza A La Leña and Carbs & Coffee Co.
- 11 – 4 p.m.
For more information on the story of Chinese chorizo and events, visit chinesechorizoproject.com and follow the Chinese Chorizo Project on Instagram.
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Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
