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Food,
Wine, Chefs Equal Fun in the Scottsdale Sun
32nd Annual Scottsdale Culinary Festival
The Scottsdale Culinary Festival returns for its 32nd
year April 13-18 for a week of sumptuous, savory
delights served with a side of sun-drenched days. Soak
up average temperatures of 84 degrees during the
country's longest-running food festival as you eat and
drink your way through a diverse roster of food and
cocktail happenings, and special appearances by local
and national celebrity chefs.
Culinary events range
from casual to upscale at venues throughout the city.
Not-to-be-missed spots include the Friends of James
Beard Benefit Dinner at The Westin Kierland Resort &
Spa; Chef Tribute Dinner at J&G Steakhouse; Mixologist
"On the Rocks" at Hotel Valley Ho; Eat, Drink, & Be
Pretty at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts; and
the biggest of them all, the Great Arizona Picnic at
Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza. And the culinary event is
a "fresher festival" this year because of a new
partnership with Singh Farms, a 20-acre family-run farm
in Scottsdale known for its sustainable practices.
Organic vegetable garden on the grounds of the
Scottsdale Center for the Arts
In preparation for its
32nd annual Scottsdale Culinary Festival, the Scottsdale
League for the Arts recently planted an organic
vegetable garden on the grounds of the Scottsdale Center
for the Arts (7380 E. Second St.). Managed by the
composting and sustainability gurus, Ken and Lee Singh
of Singh Farms, the garden will provide fresh herbs and
produce to be used at the 2010 Scottsdale Culinary
Festival. Vegetables harvested through the winter and
spring will be donated to the Vista del Camino community
center in Scottsdale.
On October 28, the
Singh’s planted a batch of winter-ready crops such as
romaine, kale, and rainbow chard.
And in the next few weeks they plantied seeds to grow
bunching onions, carrots, radishes, beets and other root
crops. However, before anything was planted, we had to
prep the soil says, Lee Singh. “The first thing we did
prior to planting was amend the soil because it was
previously a flower bed, and we didn’t know about any
pesticides or chemical fertilizers that might be in
soil.” To prep the soil, the Singh’s mixed in Singh
Farms compost and compost tea (a special blend of
organic materials steeped together), and then injected a
fish-based fertilizer into the soil. “This raises the
sugar content of the soil, gets the microbial activity
going and doesn’t wash away into the sewer like chemical
fertilizers.”
First Harvest
Throughout the winter, the Singh’s harvested grown
crops as well as moved in new plants as the seasons
changed. “By the time the festival rolls around,” Singh
said, “we will have an all-new batch of crops, a spring
mix
with lots of fresh herbs for the chefs to cook with.”
“The City of Scottsdale is pleased to provide land
for this garden,” says City of Scottsdale Irrigation
Systems
Coordinator, David Pratt. “The Scottsdale Culinary
Festival is a signature event and a powerful fundraiser
for
the Scottsdale Center for the Arts, so we were pleased
to be a part of this.”
Ticket prices range from $5 to $200.
About the Scottsdale Culinary Festival
The Scottsdale Culinary Festival, produced by the
Scottsdale League for the Arts, is a non-profit
(501(c)3) charitable organization that raises funds for
arts and arts education programs throughout Arizona.
Since 2002, the League has contributed more than $3.2
million to numerous organizations benefiting children
such as Ballet
Arizona, Childsplay, Free Arts of Arizona, Greasepaint
Youth Theatre, Jazz in Arizona, Phoenix Boys Choir and
the Scottsdale Center for the Arts. For additional
information about the League or about becoming a member
or volunteer, contact SLA at 7309 E. Evans Rd.,
Scottsdale, AZ 85260 or by phone at (480) 945-7193. Or
visit
the Web site, www.ScottsdaleCulinaryFestival.org.
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