An event on Tuesday will be something to “taco” about.

The Tacos & Tequila supper will feature a flight of tequila drinks and a flight of tacos for attendees to enjoy, and proceeds will go toward the annual Red, White & Blue Celebration.

Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce Tourism Director Dylan Does said the fundraiser is a collaborative effort between himself, Chamber Event & Tourism Coordinator Brittany Sichra and Midnight Garden Owner Luisa Ortega. The event is limited to 50 people, and tickets are $50.

Ortega, who will be making the food with her daughter, said the five-course supper will help highlight the value of authentic Mexican cuisine.

“We’re used to Tex-Mex food, 99-cent tacos, and there’s nothing wrong with 99-cent tacos because they’re great for fast food,” she said. “But I think in people’s minds, Mexican food is cheap, and really when you look at how time consuming good, authentic Mexican food takes to prepare, it is not cheap. There is a lot of labor that goes into making authentic food and I think sometimes people don’t see that, because we have all these places that sell inexpensive food.”

Ortega said the event will showcase good, quality homemade food. The three tacos and the drink pairings include:

Al pastor taco featuring pork marinated in an adobo sauce with spices and peppers paired with a horchata martini. Ortega said the meat will be layered on a vertical rotisserie with a pineapple and onion on top. The meat will be carved off and placed on the tortillas. The meat is marinated days before;

Fish taco featuring red cabbage, mango salsa and an aioli paired with a limeade. Ortega said the fish will be lightly breaded in Maseca, which is a corn masa, and;

Steak featuring cilantro, onions and an avocado sauce paired with a paloma drink. The cut of meat will be better quality, such as chuck or ribeye, she said. The paloma drink is made with tequila, grapefruit, soda, lime and salt.

She said they wanted to showcase their tortillas, which are not like the typical packages purchased in grocery stores.

“The flavor is completely different,” Ortega said. “I prefer the El Milagro brand out of Chicago. They don’t have preservatives and I don’t like the flavor of preservatives. I do not eat corn or flour tortillas if preservatives are in there. The corn tortillas also have a funky smell because of the tortillas. So, for this event we will be making our own corn tortillas or using El Milago, which do not have preservatives. You will get a higher quality tortilla and I think a lot of people have not had that experience.”

She wanted to note that they will have mocktails for all three drinks and vegetarian options for the tacos. There will be vegan chorizo, a mushroom with the al pastor seasonings and a chile relleno which is a poblano pepper stuffed with cheese and dipped in an egg batter.

The meal will also have a tomatillo, mango, lime salad starter, a poblano dip and a fruta cup.

“The goal of the night is to provide high-quality, fresh made, authentic flavors and be able to talk about the history of the items,” Ortega said.

The fundraising goal for the Red, White & Blue Celebration is $30,000.

EVENT INFORMATION

Name: Tacos & Tequila

Location: Midnight Garden

Address: 1501 S. 17th Ave.

Date: Tuesday

Hours: 5 to 7 p.m.

Tickets: Tickets can be ordered online at https://forms.gle/spx7vDhx1Ayk8QoH6

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.