Pan-African Food Festival debuts in Phoenix
(Black River Life photo/Brian Watson)Local tastemakers team up to highlight African Diaspora flavors in the Valley of the Sun.
(Phoenix AZ) – The first weekend of November brought long-awaited relief from sizzling summer temperatures – and a prime setting for the debut of the area’s first Pan-African Food Festival, organized by local fashionista Zoe Sarabo.
The Pan-African Food Festival featured a variety of African, Caribbean and African-American cuisines, along with music and culture of the African Diaspora. Situated outside of the AFRI-Soul Education Center downtown, the event attracted community members and food vendors from across the Valley.
(Black River Life photo/Brian Watson)What is Pan-African cuisine?
Pan-Africanism is the idea that Africans, Caribbeans, African Americans, and the many diverse peoples of African descent around the globe should all be united by common interests. Lead organizer Zoe Sarabo described the Pan-African Food Festival as a “…celebration of food and culture, recognizing that there is a plethora of amazing food trucks and restaurants located in the valley that are either not known or not recognized,” which represent many Black cuisines around the world.
“It’s a chance for people to come together in space and taste the flavors of other cultures,” she added.
(Black River Life photo/Brian Watson)
Sarabo said that she’s observed many wonderful cultural festivals in the Valley, but not many that feature Afro-descendant cultures. We often hear about the mythical “cookout” in African American culture, and she wanted to create something similar that could unite many people around the foods we love and enjoy.
Participating Vendors
If you missed the festival and feel hungry for flavors of the African Diaspora, here’s a listing of the food trucks, restaurants and other vendors that participated—
Aligned Juice
Axum Market
Buzzybee Creations
Jak’s Smokehouse
JJ’s Smokehouse
Mercy’s Kitchen
(Black River Life photo/Brian Watson)
When is the next festival and how can I attend?
Sarabo says the event will be held again next fall, building off this year’s successful launch. She credits that success to the community, and also her fellow event organizers: Dr. Darlene Little (owner of AFRI-Soul Education Center), festival emcee DJ Philo, photographer Tameir Moore, and volunteer coordinator Denise Tremble-Smith.
If you’d like to get involved or make sure you don’t miss the next festival, follow lead organizer of the Pan-African Food Festival Zoe Sarabo on Facebook.
(Black River Life photo/Brian Watson)
