Local Eating during Independent's Week

This week LocalFirstAZ is celebrating independents (get it: for Independence Day) and one of our favorite ways to comply is by eating local.  We actually eat local most of the time when we go out, but this week, we are focusing on dining at local restaurants and/or food trucks..

Friday, we had dinner at La Hacienda www.LaHaciendaTucson.com

Saturday, for lunch with my 95 year old dad, we were at Lucky Wishbone for chicken and shrimp www.luckywishbone.com .

To lighten our load, at an early Saturday dinner, we stopped by the reopened Rincon Market and enjoyed their salad bar.  NOTE:  Their grand opening is all day 6/30 www.rinconmarket.com . 

 

 

Sunday, we are eating in, and Monday we will be doing a picnic on Mt. Lemmon and stopping my the cookie place in Winterhaven.  Who knows what Tuesday will bring, but Wednesday we will be at the localfirst mixer at Alfonso Oil Company on N. Oracle, chomping on bread, cheese and olive oil.  My guess is that local wine will also be available www.localfirstaz.com .  Through localfirst you can also get a $5.00 off summer discount card at many local businesses, including restaurants.

Tucson has no shortage of great local places to eat, including the Food Truck Round-Up and the Food Truck Rally. 

 So, please consider, eating local, especially during the summer!  And check out the upcoming event at http://facebook.com/dohappytoday

Helping Me Again: ProActive Physical Therapy, a Tucson BrightSpot

Since I broke my ankle in April, 2010, I have come to rely on Kevin Fay and tech staff at Proactive Physical Therapy for continued maintenance, strengthening and stabilization of the ankle and related tissue and muscles.  I cannot praise this locally owned business enough and I express my sincere gratitude for their continuing support and excellent care.  If you ever need physical therapy assistance, go to them at one of their regional locations.  www.proactivept.com .  They are the best!!

Salsas Rangel: The best salsa we've tasted in a long time

Yesterday we were out and about and one of our early afternoon stops was at the Farmer's Market in St. Phillip's Plaza.  The sycamore trees are just halfway through their leave-color-change phase and the cool temp made the stroll down the cobblestone boulevard quite pleasant.  While we bought a few fresh tomatoes and canned mustards at one booth (Grammy's from Cochise, Az, swyckoff@powere.net ), our real find was Salsas Rangel.  Here is a man who proudly shares his 25 years+ passion for making a wide selection of salsas (mild, medium and hot) in various sizes.  We tasted several of the options and purchased the Anaheim and Hatch variety, including a can for our son who is the banquet chef at Hacienda Del Sol.

The quality of freshness in this salsa is amazing and so I encourage you to go to the next market and taste (and buy) for yourself.  The holidays are coming, too, and I can think of a couple of cousins back East I need to tell about ordering from Fidel.  His website is www.salsasrangel.webs.com or you can email him at salsasrangel@gmail.com .

He ships throughout the world, thanks to DMAFB exposure.  Air Force personnel taste his products and then, when shipped to Germany, etc., they place orders with Sr. Rangel, who quickly sends them the best salsa in Tucson.

Local First Arizona Mixer, Tucson

This week, Mark and I attended our first Local First Arizona Mixer at Creative Juice Art Bar www.creativejuicebar.com .  Both of our businesses have been Local First Arizona members since last November, but we haven't been to a Mixer before and now we think it will be regular "date" we had so much fun! 

We met some folks we knew and met quite a few that were "new" to us.  The experience at the Creative Juice Art Bar was just enough "art" for me to feel that I was capable of doing it.  Everyone had a complimentary wine glass, with wine served by Gallifant Cellars www.GCwine.com .  I tasted the pink and red wines and since it only takes a little bit of wine for me to get a buzz, I was willing to try painting the wine glass.  Paints, pallette, brushes and water were displayed on the tables and my finished product now holds the business cards I collected from this Mixer (and future ones).  Appetizers, pizza and a decandant flourless (gluten-free) chocolate caked were served by Renee's Organic Oven www.reneesorganicoven.com .  I went back for three servings of the artichoke cheese bruschetta and Mark had two thin slices of the cake, minus the bites I allowed myself.  There was a DJ and cool, easy music that kept the 70+ local business owners in an energetic and congenial mood--definitely enhanced by the artistic atmosphere and complimentary food.

Local First Arizona Tucson Coordinator, Deanna Cheavas, did a brief "update" of exciting Local First Arizona events and developments including the October launch of their Localism campaign.  I highly recommend you check out their website and sign-up for the newsletter and other ongoing updates from Local First Arizona.  And, of course:  go local!  www.localfirstaz.com .

Another BrightSpot:

Here is a national magazine giving a "shout out" about Tucson's entrepreneurial culture. As a long time civic and now small publishing entrepreneur, Community Renaissance would add this caveat:  entrepreneurs in the Tucson Region often have to bypass traditional business pathways in order to get launched and, if your "business" involves civic entrepreneurship you have to endure being undervalued and underpaid for work that does not support the civic status quo.  Still, entrepreneurship is a "brightspot" in the region as I wrote about in earlier posts on Ignite Tucson, Tucson Food Truck Round-Ups, locally owned restaurants, entertainment venues such as local bookstores and Local First Arizona.

http://startuptucson.com/2013/entrepreneur-magazine-names-tucson-emerging-entrepreneurial-hub-2/