As far as food events happening in August — hey, the late summer in general — Arizona Good Food Expo is a good one. Formerly the Farmer + Chef Connection, the expo was renamed for its 10th anniversary.
But what is it? Hosted by the Local First Arizona Foundation, the event is more of a showcase of wholesale products from local farms and food artisans. It promises tips for sourcing local ingredients and products for restaurants, kitchens, groceries, and cafeterias. And, yes, there will also be samples, but almost more importantly, panel speakers.
At the event, there will be a panel on local sourcing staffed with some big names in the Arizona food world. On deck is Chef Tamara Stanger of Cotton & Copper — beloved source of our recurring Sonoran Arcana series — as well as Chef Stephen Jones of the Larder + the Delta at Portland Parkway Park.
There will also be Chef John Panza of BiGA by Senses, Whipstone Farm owner Shanti Rade, and Todd Hanley of Maynards Market & Kitchen and Hotel Congress.
But this is also leading up to the featured speaker for the 10th annual AZ Good Food Expo, FnB chef and recent recipient of the James Beard award for Best Chef: Southwest, Charleen Badman. To make a few assumptions, Badman will be covering her passion for the Blue Watermelon Project and student nutrition, running a successful and healthy restaurant, and the Valley dining scene in general.
Arizona Good Food Expo 2019 is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, August 26, at Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort. General admission is $25. For tickets and more information, visit the Arizona Good Food Expo website.