PRESS RELEASES

In addition to food glorious food, Mesa's Fresh Foodie Trail® also offers hands-on opportunities for visitors looking to sharpen their culinary chops in the kitchen. Recognized as a gourmet gateway to Greater Phoenix, the area is where top chefs forage with farmers and source local goods for their ever-changing menus. The farms that make up the Fresh Foodie Trail® now offer a variety of cooking classes and tours for visitors that want to take home food education as their coveted souvenir.

Queen Creek Olive Mill is celebrating their Italian roots with new pizza making classes. Offered on the first Wednesday of each month, the course promises to teach all the classic skills required for an authentic pizza pie. From tossing dough, applying just the right amount of sauce and balancing all the flavorful toppings, these interactive classes are great for all ages. The Mill's standout feature is their giant brick oven in the middle of the indoor eatery where attendees will be taught how to fire their pie to perfection. In addition to savory pizza options, guests can make dessert pizzas with Mill's famous honey mascarpone cheese. Reserve an apron online.  

Pretzels, pies, tamales and tortillas are just some of the tasty baked goods that are part of Hayden Flour Mills at Sossaman Farms cooking class series. After a major expansion, their fully-equipped kitchen is ready for epicures-in-training (of all ages!) that want to get to the heart of how to make dough rise. Known for their hand-crafted ancient and heritage grains, the classes all feature Hayden Flour Mills product including Egyptian farro, blue corn, purple barley and their popular, White Sonoran Wheat flour. All classes are listed online with event dates and pricing. Visitors can also sign up for 'The Grain Experience' introductory tours held Thursdays and select Saturdays starting at 10 a.m. Head online for event dates and times.

Belly up to the bar at Garage-East and ask local vintners there to serve up a blended glass of Arizona wine. This unique tasting room located at Agritopia features seasonal treats from local food producers on their snack boards – all paired perfectly with their selection of white, red, pink and green wines (yes, green!).

Arizona has deep roots in the citrus industry when explorers brought the curious fruit with them to the “New World.” Stop by The Orange Patch and join their complimentary tours of their production facility. Visitors love to taste, shop and walk the grounds of the citrus orchards while taking in the fragrant orange blossoms each season.

Take the bounty home from Schnepf Farms where visitors can pick their own veggies, fruit and even flowers for the dinner table. Their U-PICK gardens change by the season but feature every type of produce under the Arizona sun. Visitors can also help farmers propagate and plant the gardens during certain times of the year. Fresh baked pies and pastries are available for take away at the Farm Fresh Bakery.

For a complete list of all the agritourism experiences on the Fresh Foodie Trail and to download the Arizona Agritourism Guide head online to www.FreshFoodieTrail.com. Inquire with Visit Mesa during IMM NYC and ask about the Eat The Rainbow: Culinary Press Tour May 14 - 17, 2020. 

MEDIA CONTACT:
Michelle Streeter, Sr. Vice President, Communications
Visit Mesa Arizona
[email protected] +001 480-682-3638
VisitMesa.com