Beer for a cause
Benefit for food bank features breweries, food, music
Taste what a number of popular New Mexico eateries have to offer and wash it down with some good craft beer at the Santa Fe Beer & Food Festival. The festival, which will be held on May 6 at Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino, will feature more than 60 vendors and several breweries, according to Christine Gabaldon, director of marketing at Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino.
“We have breweries,” she said. “We have food. We have live entertainment, music. It’s a fun event. Last year, we had just over 2,500 attendees, and this year we’re hoping for over 3,000.”
Participating restaurants include Inn of the Anasazi, SantaCafé, Jinja Bar and Bistro and Sopaipilla Factory, as well as Buffalo Thunder’s Red Sage restaurant and Turquoise Trail Bar and Grill. Breweries that will be part of the festival include Santa Fe Brewing Co., Nuevo, and Odell Brewing Co.
The event also supports a good cause. Proceeds benefit The Food Depot, which is northern New Mexico’s food bank and provides food to 145 nonprofit agencies including food pantries, homeless shelters, youth programs, senior centers and homes for the mentally disabled. In 2016, The Food Depot distributed
6.2 million pounds of food, enough for 5.1 million meals for children, seniors and the working poor in northern New Mexico, according to an event news release.
“You get to sample all of the different beers as well as food venues,” Gabaldon said. “We also have an additional benefit for The Food Depot. Anyone who brings in five cans of nonperishable food will receive a T-shirt. If they bring an additional five cans, they can get a growler. So they can actually choose if they want a growler or a beer fest T-shirt or they can get both if they bring in 10 cans. And then if they choose to get the growler filled, then they can choose from one of the breweries and purchase the alcohol.”
This year’s event has doubled in size. This year, it will not only be limited to the Tewa Grand Ballroom but will also extend into the Pueblo Ballroom and the promenade level.
“It is just a lot of fun,” Gabaldon said. “There are a lot of activities taking place on the entire property. It’s a lot of excitement, fun and games and it’s just a great event to visit, especially on a Saturday afternoon.”