If your resolution for 2024 to eat and drink more delicious things, you've come to the right place. And, if you're recovering from a bit too much indulgence, it's not all decadence here. Check out a cheese and non-alcoholic cocktail pairing perfect for Dry January or a culinary event focused on healthier foods. So grab that new calendar and start filling it up with food and drinks events happening around Phoenix this month.
Multiple locations Toast the New Year with a bloody mary – no matter if you went to bed early, stone-cold sober or if you’re waking up in need of the hair of the dog (it’s National Hangover Day, too). A number of restaurants and bars around the Valley will be slinging virgin and more sinful versions of the tomato-based morning cocktail. You can build your own, choosing from more than 50 toppings at Hash Kitchen, join the early crowd when doors open at 6 a.m. at Yucca Tap Room or get adventurous with the version at Mr. Baan’s Bar and Mookata, which uses a housemade bloody mix, squid ink, lime and a Thai chile tincture.
New Year's Day Brunch at The Churchill
Jan. 1
901 N. First St. The morning after New Year's Eve is the perfect time for some strong coffee and a breakfast sandwich. Whether you patied the night before or not, start your year at The Churchill in downtown Phoenix. The adorable truck known as First Place Coffee will be churning out caffeinated beverages and sister-owned pop-up Sorelle will be on hand with their sweet and savory brunch menu from 9 a.m. to noon. The Churchill is also home to permanent food and drink options for a New Year's Day outing to please a crowd.
10880 N. 32nd St., #27Join Shea Cheese and The Nixer at Wright in the Garden to taste five artisan cheeses paired with non-alcoholic cocktails. You’ll learn about the art of pairing flavors and taste alcohol-free sips including Prima Pavé wine, Hiyo Watermelon Lime seltzer and Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.’s Arizo[NA], an NA IPA. Tickets are $55 and may be purchased online.
2100 W. Rio Salado Pkwy., MesaCopper State Beer Festival will return to Mesa’s Riverview Park for its third year this month. The event spotlights craft beer from around the state and beyond along with wines, ciders, kombuchas, hard seltzers and spirits. There will also be eats from local food trucks, live entertainment and a market featuring goods crafted by local artisans. Tickets range from $20 for designated drivers to $65 for VIP and may be purchased online. The event benefits The Beer Babes Family, which works to engage women in the beer community.
1340 E. Eighth St., #104, TempeJust how important are those resolutions you have around eating better and drinking less? Four Peaks Brewing Co. has planned a four-course pairing dinner to tempt you to put those plans on pause, even if just for the evening. The first course is bone marrow with a pretzel crostini, balsamic fig jam, micro arugula and shallots paired with a smokey old fashioned. Next, try butter-poached halibut with sugar snap pea risotto, herb-roasted heirloom cherry tomatoes and radish paired with pilsner. The next serving is a honey and soy-glazed duck breast with tempura oyster mushrooms, purple potato puree and a quail egg, paired with Four Peaks’ Bad Birdie Juicy Golden Ale. A vanilla sponge with blood orange, tangerine and toasted almond gelato closes the meal with a mango IPA. Tickets are $80 and may be reserved on Eventbrite.
4341 E. Broadway RoadIf your New Year’s resolution is to get more connected to the food you eat, learning about beekeeping may be for you. This course, offered at the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, will teach participants the fundamentals of beekeeping through lectures, hands-on workshops and field days. No prior beekeeping experience is necessary. The class is $100 and attendees can save their spot online.
6106 S. 32nd St.Gather and Grow, a local organization focused on creating spaces for the community to learn about self-sustainability and organic practices, will host its inaugural community brunch, Brisket and Waffles, at The Farm at South Mountain. Tickets are $100 or $12 for children ages 10 and younger, and proceeds support school gardening programs in the South Mountain community.
6106 S. 32nd St.Blue Watermelon Project’s culinary contest returns to The Farm at South Mountain, challenging students to create healthy, tasty meals while raising awareness about the role of nutritious meals in schools. At the Feeding the Future event 12 teams from eight Valley school districts will work with local chefs and school food professionals to come up with inventive and healthy dishes to serve. Winning students receive a variety of prizes, including scholarships for high schoolers. And, what you taste may be served at a school cafeteria in the future – at least four winning schools will have their dishes made and served for fellow students to try. Tickets are $100 and may be reserved online.
555 N. Pima Road, ScottsdaleThe Valley’s newest food and drink festival comes from A Taste of AZ, the team behind the eponymously named podcast and magazine. The event, hosted at Salt River Fields promises bites from local chefs, sips from Arizona wineries, breweries and distilleries, cooking demonstrations and live music. Tickets may be purchased online and range from $79 for general admission to $109 for VIP, which also includes two tickets to a Spring Training baseball game at Salt River Fields.
9875 N. 85th Ave., PeoriaSlurping will not be frowned upon at this festival. The Nom Nom Noodles Festival returns to Centennial Plaza Park in Peoria for a second year to showcase Valley noodle vendors. There will also be a curated anime marketplace featuring local artists. Tickets range from $5 to $40 and include parking at nearby garages. Tickets for children ages 12 and younger are free. Food and drink are sold separately by each vendor, with menu prices ranging from $5 to $17.
113 N. Sixth St. The Arizona Wine Festival at Heritage Square is back for another pour. The event will feature 20 Arizona wineries as well as breweries, food trucks, live musicians and vendors selling artisan goods. Saturday wine tasting tickets are $35 and Sunday tickets are $30. They can be reserved on Eventbrite.
Toast National Bloody Mary Day
Jan. 1Multiple locations Toast the New Year with a bloody mary – no matter if you went to bed early, stone-cold sober or if you’re waking up in need of the hair of the dog (it’s National Hangover Day, too). A number of restaurants and bars around the Valley will be slinging virgin and more sinful versions of the tomato-based morning cocktail. You can build your own, choosing from more than 50 toppings at Hash Kitchen, join the early crowd when doors open at 6 a.m. at Yucca Tap Room or get adventurous with the version at Mr. Baan’s Bar and Mookata, which uses a housemade bloody mix, squid ink, lime and a Thai chile tincture.
New Year's Day Brunch at The Churchill
Jan. 1 901 N. First St. The morning after New Year's Eve is the perfect time for some strong coffee and a breakfast sandwich. Whether you patied the night before or not, start your year at The Churchill in downtown Phoenix. The adorable truck known as First Place Coffee will be churning out caffeinated beverages and sister-owned pop-up Sorelle will be on hand with their sweet and savory brunch menu from 9 a.m. to noon. The Churchill is also home to permanent food and drink options for a New Year's Day outing to please a crowd.
NA Cocktails and Cheese Pairing
Jan. 610880 N. 32nd St., #27Join Shea Cheese and The Nixer at Wright in the Garden to taste five artisan cheeses paired with non-alcoholic cocktails. You’ll learn about the art of pairing flavors and taste alcohol-free sips including Prima Pavé wine, Hiyo Watermelon Lime seltzer and Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.’s Arizo[NA], an NA IPA. Tickets are $55 and may be purchased online.
Get ready to sample local craft beer at the Copper State Beer Festival.
Phoenix New Times
Copper State Beer Festival
Jan. 132100 W. Rio Salado Pkwy., MesaCopper State Beer Festival will return to Mesa’s Riverview Park for its third year this month. The event spotlights craft beer from around the state and beyond along with wines, ciders, kombuchas, hard seltzers and spirits. There will also be eats from local food trucks, live entertainment and a market featuring goods crafted by local artisans. Tickets range from $20 for designated drivers to $65 for VIP and may be purchased online. The event benefits The Beer Babes Family, which works to engage women in the beer community.
Four Peaks Brewing Co. invites people to ditch their resolutions for a four-course paired dinner.
New Times Archives
Ditch Your Resolutions Beer Dinner
Jan. 171340 E. Eighth St., #104, TempeJust how important are those resolutions you have around eating better and drinking less? Four Peaks Brewing Co. has planned a four-course pairing dinner to tempt you to put those plans on pause, even if just for the evening. The first course is bone marrow with a pretzel crostini, balsamic fig jam, micro arugula and shallots paired with a smokey old fashioned. Next, try butter-poached halibut with sugar snap pea risotto, herb-roasted heirloom cherry tomatoes and radish paired with pilsner. The next serving is a honey and soy-glazed duck breast with tempura oyster mushrooms, purple potato puree and a quail egg, paired with Four Peaks’ Bad Birdie Juicy Golden Ale. A vanilla sponge with blood orange, tangerine and toasted almond gelato closes the meal with a mango IPA. Tickets are $80 and may be reserved on Eventbrite.
Beekeeping for Beginning and Small-Scale Farmers
Jan. 17 to April 64341 E. Broadway RoadIf your New Year’s resolution is to get more connected to the food you eat, learning about beekeeping may be for you. This course, offered at the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, will teach participants the fundamentals of beekeeping through lectures, hands-on workshops and field days. No prior beekeeping experience is necessary. The class is $100 and attendees can save their spot online.
Brisket and Waffles Community Brunch
Jan. 206106 S. 32nd St.Gather and Grow, a local organization focused on creating spaces for the community to learn about self-sustainability and organic practices, will host its inaugural community brunch, Brisket and Waffles, at The Farm at South Mountain. Tickets are $100 or $12 for children ages 10 and younger, and proceeds support school gardening programs in the South Mountain community.
Feeding the Future
Jan. 276106 S. 32nd St.Blue Watermelon Project’s culinary contest returns to The Farm at South Mountain, challenging students to create healthy, tasty meals while raising awareness about the role of nutritious meals in schools. At the Feeding the Future event 12 teams from eight Valley school districts will work with local chefs and school food professionals to come up with inventive and healthy dishes to serve. Winning students receive a variety of prizes, including scholarships for high schoolers. And, what you taste may be served at a school cafeteria in the future – at least four winning schools will have their dishes made and served for fellow students to try. Tickets are $100 and may be reserved online.
A Taste of AZ Food and Drink Festival
Jan. 27555 N. Pima Road, ScottsdaleThe Valley’s newest food and drink festival comes from A Taste of AZ, the team behind the eponymously named podcast and magazine. The event, hosted at Salt River Fields promises bites from local chefs, sips from Arizona wineries, breweries and distilleries, cooking demonstrations and live music. Tickets may be purchased online and range from $79 for general admission to $109 for VIP, which also includes two tickets to a Spring Training baseball game at Salt River Fields.
Arizona Nom Nom Noodles Festival
Jan. 279875 N. 85th Ave., PeoriaSlurping will not be frowned upon at this festival. The Nom Nom Noodles Festival returns to Centennial Plaza Park in Peoria for a second year to showcase Valley noodle vendors. There will also be a curated anime marketplace featuring local artists. Tickets range from $5 to $40 and include parking at nearby garages. Tickets for children ages 12 and younger are free. Food and drink are sold separately by each vendor, with menu prices ranging from $5 to $17.
Arizona Wine Festival
Jan. 27 to 28113 N. Sixth St. The Arizona Wine Festival at Heritage Square is back for another pour. The event will feature 20 Arizona wineries as well as breweries, food trucks, live musicians and vendors selling artisan goods. Saturday wine tasting tickets are $35 and Sunday tickets are $30. They can be reserved on Eventbrite.
