INAUGURAL TOP TACO FESTIVAL LANDS IN NEW ORLEANS MARCH 23, 2017
Save the Date for Tacos, Tequila and Live Entertainment to Benefit One Heart NOLA
This spring, Crescent City locals and visitors will be able to indulge in an evening filled with tacos and tequilas when the inaugural Top Taco festival lands in Riverwalk’s Spanish Plaza on Thursday, March 23, 2017. A collaborative effort by the team behind the highly successful Top Taco Denver and local restaurateur Shane Finkelstein, Top Taco NOLA will feature tantalizing tacos from forty of the city’s best restaurants, along with handcrafted tequila cocktails and top notch live entertainment. A portion of the proceeds will benefit One Heart NOLA, a charitable organization that raises funds and awareness for New Orleans’ foster children.
Top Taco Denver launched in 2013 and has since become the number one summer food festival in the city. “I’ve always wanted to do a taco festival. When I attended Top Taco in Denver a couple of years ago, I was really impressed by all of the incredible talent that participated and knew immediately this would be a great addition to New Orleans’ festival scene”, says Finkelstein, festival director and proprietor of NOLA restaurant Nacho Mama’s. “Combine all of the incredible chefs we have in our city with amazing tequila, great live entertainment and the Mississippi River as a backdrop and it is certain to be a memorable night.”
Sponsored by Southern Eagle Beverage, Hola Nola tortillas and Performance Food Group, the evening will feature forty (40) restaurants that will compete for People’s Choice and Judge awards in four categories: Top Creative Taco, Top Traditional Taco, Top Creative Cocktail and Top Margarita.
An additional ten (10) restaurants will be showcased in the private VIP Lounge, aboard the Paddlewheeler Creole Queen, where guests can enjoy one-of-a-kind culinary creations, exclusive VIP tequila tastings, live music by Mariachi Jalisco US and Margie Perez’s Latin band Muevelo. “Since it’s our first year,” said Finkelstein, “I really wanted to blow people away with the VIP experience.” The family-owned riverboat does annual charity events for CASA, the foster children advocacy group, so they were very excited about the opportunity to help raise money for One Heart NOLA.
Confirmed restaurants to date include: Mizado, Jacques Imo’s, Rum House, Araña, Velvet Cactus, Tacos and Beer, Del Fuego, Patois, Canal St. Bistro, Chiba, Cowbell, Vincent’s, Nacho Mama’s, La Casita, Felipe’s, Blue Oak BBQ and Horn’s. Restaurants will be paired with tequilas and spirits including Sauza Hornitos, Patron, Tres Generaciones, Casa Noble, El Tesoro, and Cointreau to create festive and flavorful cocktails.
Live entertainment will include performances by NOLA’s famed Latin ensemble Los Poboycitos and Afro-Cuban jazz and groove band Otra.
Top Taco NOLA will take place on Thursday, March 23, 2017 at Riverwalk’s Spanish Plaza in New Orleans. Stay up to date on information and ticket sales at www.toptaconola.com and follow on social media at www.facebook.com/TopTacoNOLA. For sponsorship information or to become a participating restaurant please contact Shane Finkelstein at shane@toptaconola.com or call 504-237-5667.
About One Heart NOLA
The vision for One Heart NOLA began in 2008 by two foster families who recognized that the needs of foster children, birth families and foster families were greater than the State was able to provide. With a grass roots effort, we began spreading the word about the various needs to family, friends, neighbors and church members as well as going to garage sales asking for the children’s items that didn’t sell. People were so happy to give knowing that local children would be the recipients. It didn’t take long for an empty bedroom to become a resource center benefitting children and families in need. In October 2015, One Heart was granted its 501c3 non-profit status. Run by volunteers, One Heart NOLA remains a grass roots operation believing that people best help people. 100% of the money donated to the organization goes to the children.
