Primavera Cooks! Apprentice Chefs Jennie Grabel from 92.9 The Mountain and Paul Gold. photo: Art Clifton
For those of us who brave the summer in Tucson, the culinary tradition of the Primavera Cooks! Summer Dinner Series is an amazing opportunity for all the foodies in your life. The fundraising dinners are held at various Tucson Originals restaurants and feature multi-course meals paired with select wines, prepared by top chefs, to benefit the programs and services of the Primavera Foundation.
The local charity’s mission is to “provide pathways out of poverty through safe, affordable housing, workforce development and neighborhood revitalization.”
The tenth annual event again features some of Tucson’s favorite restaurants participating, including: Janos, Pastiche, Kingfisher, the Cup Café and Acacia (see sidebar for full schedule). With dinners spread out on the calendar from mid-May to mid-September, there is ample time to schedule one of the events around your vacation plans.
Dinners are an all-inclusive $125 per person, with $50 of that cost being tax deductible. Reservations for the dinners, which are on Wednesdays or Sundays, must be made through Primavera Foundation, and not through the individual restaurants. Payment must also be made in advance to the non-profit organization.
David Elliott, Primavera Cooks! program coordinator, expects that approximately 700 guests will participate in the dinners this year, which were started as a way to “increase fundraising and visibility for the organization.”
Elliott is also proud of the associated “Apprentice Chef Program,” where donors work side by side with celebrity chefs in preparing the meals. “Some apprentice chefs have returned six or seven times to work with different chefs each year,” said Elliott.
Pat Connors, of Pastiche restaurant, was a co-founder of the program ten years ago, along with Primavera’s Holly Lachowicz. Connors said the program grew out of an older cookbook concept that had “run its course.” He explained that when they were brainstorming a way for Tucson Originals to continue to help, his suggestion was to “do something in the summer which would help the restaurants and Primavera.”
Connors said a side benefit of the program is the “restaurant junkies” they develop out of the program become part of the eatery’s “family” once they have served as chef apprentices. Connors also explained that the concept has caught on in other cities, and their local non-profit partners, as a fun and unique way to raise funds and friends.
Last year’s Primavera Cooks series raised over $140,000 for services. This year promises to continue the tradition of success, as many attendees return year after year to support this unique event.
For full details, visit Primavera.org or call 623-5111 x101.
PRIMAVERA COOKS! 2011 SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 18: Janos, 3770 E. Sunrise Dr.
Sunday, June 12: Cup Café (brunch), 311 E. Congress St.
Wednesday, June 15: Feast, 3719 E. Speedway Blvd.
Wednesday, August 3: Le Rendez-vous, 3844 E. Fort Lowell Rd.
Wednesday, August 10: Lodge on the Desert, 306 N. Alvernon Way
Wednesday, August 17: Acacia, 3001 E. Skyline Dr.
Sunday, August 28: Tavolino, 2890 E. Skyline Dr.
Wednesday, September 7: Pastiche, 3025 N. Campbell Ave.
Sunday, September 18: Kingfisher (brunch), 2564 E. Grant Rd.
