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Global Cuisine

Velvet Taco Tackles Tailgaters With Taco Sets

Score a touchdown with your readers by sharing Velvet Taco’s newest creation: Taco Touchdown Packs, built for football weekends. Velvet Taco — the fan-favorite brand known for its globally inspired, scratch made tacos across nearly 50+ stateside locations — is here to help your readers elevate their game day experience with the launch of its new tailgate-inspired taco sets.

Each Taco Touchdown Pack is designed with tailgate-inspired flavors and the fitting amount of tacos for a touchdown celebration—6 tacos for 6 points, and your readers can even throw in margarita pitchers (made for 6 people) for the full party vibe!

From Oct. 25 to Nov. 30, guests can catch these exclusive online-only packs, available every Friday through Sunday, ideal for pick-up or delivery to fuel their weekend football festivities:

  • 6 Buffalo Chicken Tacos for $20 – Just like wings but in taco form! Perfect for that game day kick, made with crisp chicken tenders, house buffalo sauce, carrots, bleu cheese and ranch crema.
  • 6 Kobe SmashBurger Tacos for $25 – Juicy burger-inspired tacos that take the classic tailgate staple up a notch. Filled with peppered bacon, cheese blend, lettuce, red onion, tomato, house brined pickles and velvet sauce, this taco has all the makings for a perfect smash burger – all in a hand held taco.
  • Small Group Margaritas (frozen or rocks) for $30 – Because nothing pairs better with tacos and touchdowns!

Velvet Taco’s new Taco Touchdown Packs are perfect for football fans and tailgate lovers alike. The convenience of online ordering for pick-up or delivery makes it easy for anyone to enjoy without the hassle of cooking, while adding the small group margaritas will take any football gathering to the next level…

Velvet Taco reimagines global flavors to create a menu full of inventive, scratch-made tacos, taking guests on a sensory world tour. The trailblazing fast-casual restaurant offers 20 imaginative taco recipes, unforgettable sidekicks, such as its signature Red Curry Coconut Queso and classic Elote, along with its namesake Red Velvet Cake and the fan-favorite Kick-Ass Margarita. To keep things interesting, the brand offers a Weekly Taco Feature (better known as the WTF), rolling out a new taco creation each week. Velvet Taco introduced its unique, globally inspired taco offerings to Dallas in 2011.

Since then, the brand has consistently shattered taco-making boundaries with its handcrafted creations, establishing nearly 50 locations across the United States with plans to expand internationally, beginning in London in 2025. Velvet Taco has received dozens of local and national accolades; it was notably awarded Nation’s Restaurant News’ 2016 “Hot Concept” designation and 2020’s MenuMasters Award in the Best Limited-Time Offer category for its Weekly Taco. For more information, including a complete menu, visit velvettaco.com and follow the brand on Facebook and Instagram @VelvetTaco.

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Scottsdale Cirque du Chilî Benefits Developmentally Disabled Adults

The Scully Learning Center Foundation will host the first Cirque du Chilî on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 4-8 p.m. at The Holland Center, which is located at 34250 N. 60th St. in Scottsdale, Ariz. The dedicated Cave Creek, Ariz.,-based non-profit 501(c)(3) organization works to enrich the lives of developmentally disabled adults in the desert foothills area.

Cirque du Chilî is a community event created to raise awareness of critical unmet needs faced by developmentally disabled adults and teenagers within the desert foothills community. This family-oriented event will showcase the community agencies, resources and support available to developmentally disabled adults and teenagers as well as raise funds to meet these needs.

According to Brady Dalton, event chair, Cirque du Chilî will feature 13 carnival games and prizes, chili tastings and informational booths with developmental disability community experts. Local chefs, community leaders and citizens will compete for the “Hottest Chef in Desert Foothills” title.

Cirque du Chilî will be joined by the following community partners/sponsors: Tonto Bar & Grill, Harold’s Corral, The Horny Toad, Tailgaters/El Primo, Daisy Mountain Fire & Medical, The Saloon, Indian Village, Athens on Easy Street, Area Agency of Aging, Arion Care, Department of Economic Security, Totten Fulton Rizzo, Kathryn Bradley, PC and Absolute HCBS, among others.

“There is an invisible population within the Phoenix housing crisis,” says Maureen Casey of First Place Global Leadership (2023).”Specifically, there are at least 159,000 people in Arizona who have an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD). Approximately 77 percent of those with IDD in Arizona live with their aging families. Of that, about 27 percent live with a caregiver over the age of 60. This invisible population is going to need housing and support in place as their families’ transition, perhaps due to their own needs for nursing care or death. Without immediate action, the ‘invisible’ housing crisis currently faced by adults with IDD and their families risks becoming a full-blown emergency with widespread, lasting consequences.

Admission is free. Chili tastings are $2 per taste or $20 for unlimited tastings. Beer from local breweries will be available for $5 and wine from local wineries for $10. Donations, which are tax-deductible, will be accepted. All proceeds go to the Preserving Families building fund.

For more information or to enter a chili dish to compete in the “Hottest Chef in the Desert Foothills” contest, visit scullylearningcenter.com or contact Scully Learning Center at info@scullylearningcenter.com.

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Pilgrim’s Ultimate Nuggets Smash Cake Kit Celebrates Milestone

Traditional smash cakes are flying the coop. In celebration of National Chicken Month in September, Pilgrim’s, one of America’s largest poultry producers, is bringing a savory twist to the popular first birthday tradition with the launch of Pilgrim’s Ultimate Nuggets Smash Cake Kit. This limited-edition kit is here to knock the boredom out of traditional smash cakes, helping parents celebrate their little “nugget’s” big day in an unexpected way.

More than ever, parents want to make their little nugget’s first birthday a smash, and what better way to celebrate the milestone than by giving them their first nibble of chicken nuggets, one of the top solid foods kiddos love. Complete with Pilgrim’s crunchy and juicy Ultimate Nuggets, creamy Idahoan mashed potatoes to be used as “frosting,” a fun birthday candle and festive accessories and décor, the Pilgrim’s Ultimate Nuggets Smash Cake Kit is perfect for celebrating your little one’s first birthday or to delight the nugget lover in your life at any age. The kit includes step-by-step assembly instructions to make set up a breeze so party guests can get straight to feasting.

“Pilgrim’s is shaking up the smash cake celebration just like we did the chicken nugget game, so only the unexpected will do,” said Chelsea Parker, senior director of brand marketing at Pilgrim’s US. “The Ultimate Nuggets Smash Cake Kit lets parents create a memorable and delicious moment worthy of the ultimate celebration.”

Pilgrim’s released their new line-up of nuggets this past June, bringing the excitement of quick service restaurant chicken to the grocery store. Pilgrim’s Ultimate Nuggets are reimagined to be the best tasting nugget in the frozen chicken aisle. Seriously flavorful, dangerously crispy and perfectly seasoned, these nuggets knock the boredom out of chicken to make snack time, dinner time and everything in between more delicious.

Pilgrim’s new line of chicken nuggets also includes Pilgrim’s Loaded Nuggets, available in Chicken Pot Pie and Cheesy Jalapeño flavors, and Pilgrim’s Mini Nuggets, available in Zesty Ranch, Buttery, and Original flavors.

Pilgrim’s is releasing 100 Ultimate Nuggets Smash Cake Kits that will be available for purchase for $7.99, the same price as a bag of Pilgrim’s nuggets. Parents and nugget fans can head to pilgrimsusa.com/smash-cake-kit to claim a kit while supplies last.

As a global food company with more than 62,000 team members, Pilgrim’s processes, prepares, packages, and delivers fresh, frozen, and value-added food products for customers in more than 100 countries. The company operates protein processing plants and prepared foods facilities in 14 states, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the U.K, the Republic of Ireland and continental Europe.

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