Through this Saturday, drop by Iruña in Downtown Scottsdale as a collection of award-winning chefs honor Spain's famed Tomatina Festival







Held every August in the town of Bunol in the Valencia region of Spain, the Tomatina Festival is a week-long party featuring music, parades, dancing and fireworks. However, it’s best known for the hour-long food fight, in which participants duke it out in the streets with tons of over-ripe tomatoes. (Seriously.) Now, famed local chef, Aaron May is hosting a Tomatina Festival of his own at Iruña, his sleek new Spanish-themed restaurant and lounge in Downtown Scottsdale.



Although there won’t be any flying tomatoes (we think), this tapas- and wine-filled event, which runs through Saturday, is a can’t miss for local foodies. All week, enjoy a special tomato-based tapas menu, featuring dishes such as tomato terrine, tomato salad, stewed tomatoes and of course, Marmitako—the classic Basque fish stew, made with tomatoes and saffron. Wash it all down with specialty cocktails crafted with house-made tomato juice and tomato water, including the Bloody Mary, Bloody Maria and Bloody Caesar.



That said, the highlight of the week is undoubtedly tonight’s Multiple Sclerosis benefit dinner. Limited to 75 lucky food lovers, Chef May will be cooking alongside nationally acclaimed chefs Douglas Rodriguez, Beau MacMillan, Robert McGrath and Janos Wilder, each of whom will make his own tomato-based course for the six-course, $200 per person dinner. Meanwhile, Anthony Patafio, corporate pastry chef for all of May’s restaurants, plans to make a tomato cake for dessert. Reservations are required, and all proceeds will be donated to the local and national MS societies.