Lake Havasu Food Coalition

Rural Arizona
Written By Lynita Johnson

In The Media:

June 2021 Update

Local First Arizona hosted a third and final roundtable discussion on April 8th in Lake Havasu to introduce the Lake Havasu Food Alliance brand concept to community members, share about Lake Havasu Food Alliance’s upcoming projects and events, and spark interest in attendees to become more involved. 

Conversations from this and the last two roundtable discussions helped the group to identify some exciting LHFA projects to tackle in the future such as a ‘Homemade in Havasu’ cottage (home-based) business market, a ‘Restaurant Row’ event hosted on the main downtown street featuring local restaurants, and partnering with Mohave Community College and Arizona @ Work to provide free restaurant staff training to local businesses.

However, the most important impact of this project came from creating a community around food businesses and food culture by bringing stakeholders together, getting to know each other and our mutual interests, and identifying immediate ways we could partner. Together we were able to connect 2 local food bloggers and 1 local farmer/video producer to create a total of 16 videos and multiple posts promoting the Havasu Top Chef 2021 (see MEDIA). The bloggers showcased participating restaurants and behind-the-scenes footage with local chefs. It was an extremely successful event, selling out of tickets 3 weeks in advance! Also, inspired by the marketing ideas generated at the roundtable discussions, Go Lake Havasu has decided to lead a collaboration with local restaurants to launch a menu of unique fish & chips and mixed drinks variations during October 2021 for the annual rededication of the London Bridge!

Creating strong local relationships like these between the SBDC, the BBB, Go Lake Havasu, the KAWS, the Lake Havasu Farmers Market, local chefs, local foodies, and other community members through this project will serve the LHC community far into the future. We’re proud to be part of the work that helped to launch the Lake Havasu Food Alliance and we look forward to the positive impacts they will continue to have on the Lake Havasu food system

“Working with Local First Arizona was a great experience. Liza took the time to explain why we needed to do research and follow a development process. Even though I support a strong local food system doesn’t mean that the community desires it as well. With the help of the Food Symposium and three focus groups, we determined that I was not alone. Lake Havasu has a lot of people working independently and together we can make more of an impact. We have a list of action items to tackle!”
— Regan Ross-Robertson, Director of Community Programs & Relations

Where It All Began:

Following the Lake Havasu Food Symposium in July 2020, Local First Arizona (LFA) partnered with the KAWS, Lake Havasu Farmer’s Market, Go Lake Havasu, SBDC, and BBB to implement a series of strategies for building a healthy Lake Havasu City (LHC) food system and local economy. The partnership is funded by a $5,000 contract with Go Lake Havasu.

LFA organized and facilitated the first roundtable discussion on October 21st last year, targeting the question of “How do we build a food culture in Lake Havasu?” This virtual gathering consisted of a panel of local chefs Ben Groeger and Christopher Gallaga and Food Reporter at the Phoenix New Times, Lauren Cusimano. Panelists shared about their personal journeys into the food world and provided insight on how and why LHC would benefit from developing a more robust food culture. All of the nearly 20 attendees were enthusiastic to take part in the conversation and help identify LHC’s food and beverage assets, including the hidden hole-in-the-wall restaurant gems, the aquaculture from the lake, and tourist attractions like the London Bridge.

The second roundtable discussion was hosted virtually on December 16th, starting with a ‘Happy Hour’ with LHC’s Martini Bay bartender presenting on how to create a Bourbon Old Fashioned drink with locally-purchased ingredients. A conversation facilitated by LFA followed on how LHC can continue to build a strong food culture through the community perspective of what makes attractive local food experiences more enticing, continuing to build business capacity in customer service, innovative ways that low-budget food businesses can market themselves, and new social events that bring the public in touch with local food entrepreneurs and the growing local food culture. 

Following this roundtable, we crafted a Content Plan focused on partnering with local food bloggers to create stories and social media posts about the consumer experience at local restaurants and partnering with a local producer to make short clips of a ‘behind-the scenes' look at local restaurants, chefs, and their favorite dishes scheduled on a monthly basis. Once the Content Plan is finalized by Go Lake Havasu with an estimated budget, it is ready to submit for funding requests from local community partners.

Lastly, to help expand capacity for new and existing LHC restaurants, Go Lake Havasu sponsored tuition for food entrepreneurs to take part in LFA’s virtual Rural Restaurant Boot Camp, hosted by LFA Director of Food Programs Chef Gabe Gardener. The 6-week course included content on foodservice purchasing and math, profitable menu design, marketing, branding, taxation, permitting, and food safety. Seven LHC restaurants signed up for the program.

In Partnership With

Lynita Johnson
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