Things To Do In Catalina Foothills

Despite what owner Rachel Yaseen has discovered for herself, she knows that cooking organic, healthful meals might seem intimidating to some. At The Organic Kitchen, she works to banish those impressions and inspire students with her own enthusiasm for natural foods, whether through cooking classes or intensive workshops. “Students learn to eat outside of the industrial food chain,” noted reporter Emily Gindlesparger of Zócalo Tucson magazine, “developing instead the creativity to source from their own yards and work with ingredients available in the Southwest throughout the seasons.”

Pupils learn to improve their eating habits and concoct quick and simple at-home feasts that draw on local veggies, grains, beans, herbs, and spices. Each class features only gluten-free recipes, and the sessions focus on culinary traditions from India, the Mediterranean, and other regions. Pantry makeovers go even further, helping facilitate lifestyle shifts with cooking classes and one-on-one coaching to rid kitchens of powdered hot dogs. When not educating, the chefs handcraft gluten- and soy-free Hiker-Biker bars from local honey and dates.

Pupils learn to improve their eating habits and concoct quick and simple at-home feasts that draw on local veggies, grains, beans, herbs, and spices. Each class features only gluten-free recipes, and the sessions focus on culinary traditions from India, the Mediterranean, and other regions. Pantry makeovers go even further, helping facilitate lifestyle shifts with cooking classes and one-on-one coaching to rid kitchens of powdered hot dogs. When not educating, the chefs handcraft gluten- and soy-free Hiker-Biker bars from local honey and dates.

Ultima Self-Defense and Fitness LLC's instructors cater to diverse fitness and self-defense expectations with krav-maga classes which teach a unique form of self defense by removing the traditional rules that apply in other self-defense teachings. For energetic, high-energy exercise, KravFit uses kettlebells to achieve total-body toning and conditioning. Kids' programs also include krav-maga classes as well as birthday parties that challenge celebrants to cut their cake with a samurai sword.

Featuring a cabal of unhinged motocross stuntmen that includes Nixey Danielson, Metal Mulisha wows onlookers with high-flying acrobatics. VIP attendees of the show will receive admission, a Rockstar energy drink, and a poster autographed by the gravity-defying riders of the evening. In addition to a dazzling jump show, the night’s event also includes twin super-late-model races. The delicious fumes and dirt clouds commence with jumps at 7 p.m., before the spectacle launches into full-blown racing.

The Practical Chef schools fledgling foodies in an approachable environment with the added benefit of certified executive chef Craig Nassar's years of gourmet know-how. Hands-on classes ($65¬–$90) include all necessary ingredients and equipment—saving you the trouble of transporting your industrial-grade meat tenderizer by city bus—and offer a delightful repertoire of beginner and intermediate techniques open to all experience levels. Basic Cooking Techniques gets newbies up to speed on the nitty-gritty of browning meats, whipping up sauces, cooking grains, roasting root vegetables, and cooking leafy greens, while the katana-sharp Knife Skills class trains slicing sempais to mince, dice, and julienne with dignity and honor. Upcoming tutorials include pasta workshops, where students learn to fashion a variety of fresh noodles and seasonal sauces from scratch—an ethereal substance made from leprechaun hair, comet dust, and the residue of one’s first kiss. The Enticing Tapas class, meanwhile, covers an array of small plates provocative enough to inspire even the most bashful schoolmarm to flamenco her way across the gas range. At the end of each class, ravenous students get to feed on their freshly prepared meal before toting the recipes home for later replication.

The cultural traditions of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales have enlivened Tucson for more than a quarter century thanks to the Tucson Celtic Festival & Scottish Highland Games. Along with traditional music, dancing, and food, guests can also witness feats of athletic prowess during the internationally sanctioned Scottish Highland Games. The traditional event features activities such as a caber toss, which consists of participants lifting and throwing gargantuan wooden poles so that they land parallel to the thrower but not touching any of their vital organs, and Highland croquet, substituting the usual equipment with bowling balls and sledgehammers. If any questions as to the event’s authenticity remain, one need only look to the audience for confirmation: each year sees 30 to 40 Scottish clans come together to celebrate their heritage.

The weekend before Cinco de Mayo, The Tucson Taco Festival pits 25 teams of taco craftsmen, ranging from amateurs to local restaurateurs, against each other in pursuit of a $5,000 prize as they feed thousands of attendees. Sporting Lucha Libre wrestling masks and working inside intricately decorated booths, the teams collectively produce 30,000 tacos, accompanied by sides such as salsa, guacamole, and more than 30 premium tequila brands. Meanwhile, bartenders rev their blenders in a margarita-making challenge, and visitors show off their ability to ingest spicy food without first ingesting an air conditioning unit during a hot-pepper eating contest. Live music from El Camino Royale and Shrimp Chaperone spurs bodies into motion, while youngsters can stop by the Kids Zone for festive face paint or a jaunt in the bouncy castle.