On Sunday, decadent aromas and colorful cuisine from around the world transformed West Madison Street for Phoenix’s first annual Donut and Ice Cream Festival. Dishes at the festival included churros, beignets and rolled ice cream. Attendees tasted doughnuts and ice cream from over 15 local businesses.
Craft beers, bubble tea, coffee and cocktails were served to complement the sweet treats. The event contained a mini marketplace indoors that sold pop culture novelties such as anime stickers, handmade earrings, and doughnut pins. They also offered a Super Smash Bros. tournament and board games.
Event organizer Jason Charles said that while the event was inspired by a desire to pair ice cream and doughnuts together, he also wanted to take the opportunity to bring together cultures from around the world.
“We want to use the festival for people to discover ethnic and regional versions of doughnuts and ice cream,” Charles said. “The festival is about discovering new foods and how a common food may look different between other cultures, but every food is just as delicious.”
Charles also said the event was a way for the community to support local businesses. Each business brought something new to the festival. For example, the restaurant Hot Bamboo paired bao, a type of Chinese steamed buns, with ice cream.
“Ice cream bao is a traditional Asian street food but Americans don’t know about it,” Hot Bamboo owner Anna Heinbach said. “The foods we are selling are as traditional to Asia as hamburgers are to America.”
Heinbach said that while Hot Bamboo sells everywhere across the Phoenix area, she hoped the event will spread awareness about her business.
Event attendee Leslie McIntyre shared a similar sentiment. She said that while she’s been to many different food festivals across the state, she always notices new vendors due to the magnanimous personalities of the owners.
“I was at the Margarita and Mojito festival last night and I’ve recognized three trucks here that were there,” McIntyre said. “The brightness of the trucks is very memorable, but what brings me back is the connection of the owners with the public.”
In addition to connecting local businesses with the public, the diversity of the vendors serves as a cultural diffusion. McIntyre recognized that food and culture are intertwined, as both are social events that bring people together.
“There’s a huge connection. Food is one of those things that people gather around,” McIntyre said. “Food allows people to share their culture, especially for families that don’t have a lot.”
While this year was a first for the event, Charles hopes to continue to provide a platform for small businesses to expand their creativity and grow.
“We plan to continue the Arizona Donut & Ice Cream Festival, continuing to showcase small businesses and creative and ethnic versions of donuts and ice cream,” Charles said.
Contact the reporter at ilschnei@asu.edu.
