PHOENIX – Bashas’ Food City division will showcase the state’s best tamale makers at its 12th annual Tamale Festival here Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 8-9.
Festival attendees, numbering in the thousands, may taste and buy tamales made from original recipes in church commissaries by members of faith-based organizations.
Proceeds from the sale of the homemade tamales, which will be sold individually and by the dozen, will go to the various organizations to support their charitable work.
“Food City created this festival 12 years ago,” Rob Johnson, spokesman for Bashas’ Family of Stores, told SN. “It’s an exclusive Food City-originated event created for the church and non-profit organizations to raise money for initiatives within their communities.”
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The free festival, open to the general public, drew approximately 45,000 attendees last year. The event is held at the same time each year, at the beginning of the holiday season when Hispanic families begin to make tamales and other treats for the holidays.
Food City, a division of Bashas’ Family of Stores with 48 units, serves a largely Hispanic customer base.
In addition to tamale booths, the two-day festival will feature a variety of booths that will offer jewelry, and arts and crafts.
Live mariachis, along with other musical entertainment, will be part of the celebration.
Twenty-five vendors will sell tamales for $2 each, or $18 for a dozen. There will also be a candy apple booth and a funnel cake booth.
Food City will have its own booth where it will sell its own brand Dos Ranchitos tamales, made from its original recipe.
The retailer also will be selling menudo, durros, agua frescas and champurrado (Mexican hot chocolate).
Tamale recipes, for all varieties, will be available to festival-goers.
On Sunday afternoon, after taste-testing each booth’s tamales, a panel of celebrity judges will name the “Best Tamale,” and Food City will award prizes to the winning tamale maker.
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