First All Star Food Fest draws crowds, vendors report record sales in Santa Cruz

First All Star Food Fest draws crowds, vendors report record sales in Santa Cruz The first-ever All Star Food Fest in Santa Cruz brought together more than 40 food vendors from the Central Coast and South Bay, offering a variety of dishes for food lovers to enjoy. The inaugural All Star Food Fest launched in Santa Cruz this morning, featuring over 40 food vendors from the Central Coast and South Bay in a free event for food enthusiasts. 'There's so much amazing food, so much great food, and we're just so happy and so stoked to bring all these people together, some of the best of the best,' said Daniel Jahangard, one of the event organizers. Advertisement Jahangard, also known as "Double Meat Please" on social media, organized the event in collaboration with "Collective Santa Cruz." 'Our goal with our account is to inform people about what's happening in Santa Cruz with the food scene, what's new, and then also to elevate the community of places we genuinely love and are passionate about,' Jahangard said. The event showcased a curated selection of vendors, including Chubby's Tacos, Mr. Shrimp, and others. 'We have Chubbies Tacos, we have Mr. Shrimp, too many to name, but let me tell you this right now, we've curated where there's not too much of anything,' Jahangard said. One attendee at the event tried gluten-free chicken strips from Chubs Chicken. 'I got the chicken strips, half spicy, half regular, and I just had my first bite, and it is amazing,' Jessica Chard said. Sleight of Hand Pizza, a local vendor specializing in sourdough wood-fired pizza, was also present and highlighted its international recognition. 'Our 'Killer Bees,' we won fourth in the world with, so it's pretty big honestly for us, and it means a lot just to be here,' said Patrick Baumann, a representative from Sleight of Hand Pizza. Another popular vendor, Bubb's Burgers, was quickly selling out of its offerings. 'We use really high-quality ingredients, and that's kind of our thing with our former food truck being protein-heavy,' a representative from Bubb's Burgers, Austin Town, said. Organizers said this was the first All Star Food Fest and shared their hopes of bringing it back next year. In a Sunday social media post update, organizers said the event's results were 'record-breaking.' Organizers said several vendors sold out, with some returning after restocking and selling out again. They also thanked the vendors and attendees who supported the event.