Local Chefs Come Together to Support the Preservation of Arizona History

The Event: Tastes, Toasts & Tales
The Cause: Arizona Historical Society
Event Date: April 26, 2022
Location: Arizona Historical Society
Sponsors: SRP & National Bank of Arizona
Emcee: Barbara Fenzl
Reception Catering: Harmony Boards
Participating Chefs: Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco, Pane Bianco & Tratto | Silvana Esparza of Barrio Café | Christopher Gross of Christopher’s at Wrigley Mansion | Vincent Guerithault of Vincent’s | Mark Tarbell of Tarbell’s, The Wine Bar & Tarbell’s Tavern | Eugenia Theodosopoulos of Essence Bakery | Alessandro Stratta of Campo Italian Bistro | Charles Wiley of Hearth ’61 at Mountain Shadows
Notable Moments: This event marked the kick-off of a collaboration between the Arizona Historical Society and food pioneers such as Barbara Fenzl to collect, preserve and share the culinary history of Arizona. Barbara donated her personal collection of letters from Julia Child, Simone Beck, Jacques Pépin to the museum as well as books, articles, TV show recordings and photo archives to keep her treasures in Arizona.
The eight well-known Arizona chefs who participated in the event had worked with Fenzl on collaborative projects over the last 35 years. Guests enjoyed visiting the museum exhibits while savoring the delectable tastes from the chefs that were accompanied by Arizona wines. Karen Fernau, Howard Seftel and Fenzl regaled the crowd with stories about each of the chefs.
Photos courtesy of Debby Wolvos Photography








