Interested in enjoying or helping to prepare a nice meal for a good cause?
Starting May 31 through August 28, you may dine and be an apprentice chef at one of Tucson’s best restaurants, while helping to provide more housing for those in need.
The Primavera Foundation, a Tucson-based nonprofit dedicated to co-creating pathways out of poverty, has launched its 23rd annual Primavera Cooks! Summer Dining Series, a culinary extravaganza with a purpose.
“Primavera Cooks! embodies our dedication to building a stronger community,” said Primavera Foundation CEO Tisha Tallman. “Through Cooks!, we seek to raise awareness about the pressing issues of homelessness and the essential need for sustenance. This year’s Cooks! features a more focused approach on the theme of women and family emergency housing.”
The annual fundraiser supports Primavera’s vital programs, which help over 8,000 individuals with more than 30,000 touchpoints per year.
This year, Cooks! aims to address the critical shortage of beds for unhoused women and families in Pima County by raising funds to increase shelter space and housing, especially for women and children. Last year, 67% of the 483 women counted in the Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness’s Point-in-Time Count were unsheltered.
The dining series is part of a yearlong Primavera campaign to raise $3 million for more housing for women and families that also features a September golf tournament and a December 5k Walk Run.
This year’s series features past program favorites such as Feast, Kingfisher Bar & Grill, Zio Peppe, Tavolino Ristorante Italiano, and Charro Steak & del Rey. Cooks! also expanded its offerings with a cocktails and hors d’ouevres experience at Portal Cocktails (a part of Ermanos Bar) as well as two private dinners with James Beard Award-winning Chef Janos Wilder at Studio Janos.
For a full listing of apprentice and dining experiences and to purchase tickets, visit https://primavera.org/primavera-cooks/ or contact Geraldine Espinosa at gespinosa@primavera.org. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Trevor Williamson at twilliamson@primavera.org.
This event is brought to you by the following sponsors: Tucson Electric Power, Lovitt&Touché, Desert Diamond Casino, Southwest Gas, Long Realty Cares Foundation, Keller Legal Resources, State Farm, Bashas’ Family of Stores, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Jeffrey & Susan Warren.