Expo showcases 102 businesses

Samples of delicious dishes from “Taste of the Valley” chefs at the sixth annual Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce Business Expo drew area residents to the West Center and adjacent tent Tuesday to learn about a wide variety of business products and services.

Local food vendors included Agave, Coyote Grill, Kokopelli’s, Kristofer’s, Panda House, Los Pavos, Lavender’s and Trivetti’s.

Specializing in East and West contemporary cuisine, Chef for Hire Bennie Lavine exhibited to promote her cooking classes and home catering for private parties. Her samples of chicken in peanut sauce were full of flavor.

At 11 a.m., the West Center and big tent were filled with visitors, most of whom were taking full advantage of the dollar tickets to sample foods from vendors of their choice.

Edgar Legazppy was the chef on hand representing the Doubletree Hotel at Reid Park in Tucson. His generous, attention-getting trays of dessert samples and appetizers were attractive, tempting and easily drew visitors to the exhibit booth.

Food may have been the big draw but while walking and sampling visitors got to see the wide variety of business and service exhibitors.

Representatives of established area banks were on hand along with Business Banking Specialist Phaedra Mitchell and personal banker Kasey Fisher of the new Chase Bank at Fry’s Marketplace.

Linda LaGasse of M&I Bank said, “We attend to talk with visitors and tell them about our great customer service and that we’re the second oldest bank in the U.S. established in 1867.”

Licensed massage therapist Dawn De Gara, who brings her massage table to homes of area residents, was busy giving free massages and Larry Kempton and Jennifer Proctor of FICO’s Pecan Store handed out samples of their recently harvested pecans.

Inviting visitors to sit on two comfortable sofas from Ashley Furniture Home Store were Antonio Giron and Gary Ceresa.

La Posada sales counselor Moreau Durkin said she attends the Expo for name exposure of Arizona’s premiere retirement community while representatives Stephen Brean and Karina Dominguez of AristoCare attended to make the public aware of its nursing, meal preparation and light housekeeping services in Green Valley, Sierra Vista and Tucson.

Representatives from area services included Country Fair White Elephant, Mature Worker Connection, Rotary Club of Green Valley, the Salvation Army.

Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer in Green Valley. Contact her at ellen2414@cox.net.