Antsy Nancy celebrates 5 years with a free open house in Tucson on Oct. 1

Antsy Nancy, Tucson's hands-on cooking, baking, and crafting studio, celebrates its fifth anniversary with a free open house from 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 5655 E. River Road, Suite 101, across from Whole Foods Market in River Center. The event is open to the public at no charge and requires no registration. Founder and CEO Heidi Yribar and her Aunt Nancy Rutherford, the inspiration behind the business, will both be on hand throughout the evening. Full details are at antsy-nancy.com.

Five years in, Antsy Nancy has welcomed children, adults, families, friends, private party groups, and corporate teams for creative classes and celebrations. The River Road studio was joined by a second location at Tucson Mall's CATALYST Creative Collective in 2024. Now, Yribar is preparing to expand through franchising, with the Phoenix and Scottsdale areas at the top of her search for the first franchise location.

For Tucson Foodie's full profile on Antsy Nancy, read Discover your inner chef with Antsy Nancy’s cooking & baking classes.

How it started

Yribar earned her MBA in January 2020, then unexpectedly lost her corporate position. Weeks later, the COVID-19 pandemic brought much of the world to a halt. During that stretch, she started working on home and garden projects with her Aunt Nancy Rutherford. Rutherford arrived for every project with supplies organized, tools ready, and the knowledge to guide Yribar through each step. Those experiences rebuilt Yribar's confidence and showed her what a shared hands-on project could do. She named the business for her aunt and opened Antsy Nancy in October 2021, built around the idea that everyone can learn to cook, bake, or craft when given the right instruction, tools, and materials.

Yribar's slogan, "Antsy Nancy does it all and so can you," carries that founding spirit forward. The studio has since hosted classes at Skyline Country Club, The Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain, Catalina Foothills School District, Tucson Medical Center, The Highlands, and elsewhere across the region, taking its format well beyond its River Road home base.

What to expect at the open house

The Oct. 1 event gives guests a chance to taste, try, and celebrate with the Antsy Nancy team. The evening includes:

• Appetizers, cocktails, crafts, and desserts sampled from Antsy Nancy's upcoming holiday class lineup.

• Photos and memories from the studio's first five years.

• Opportunities to meet Antsy Nancy instructors and community partners.

• Anniversary specials and a promotional gift for attendees.

Tickets and details

The Antsy Nancy 5 Years of Making Memories Open House is free and open to the public. It runs 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 5655 E. River Road, Suite 101, across from Whole Foods Market in River Center. No registration required. For questions, contact Antsy Nancy at info@antsy-nancy.com or (520) 639-6458. To browse upcoming classes or register, visit antsy-nancy.com.