PASIFIKA FIRST FRIDAYS
TASTE OF PASIFIKA
FOR PASIFIKA. BY PASIFIKA
MAY'S POP UP SHOP FESTIVAL
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Pasifika First Fridays is a Salt Lake City based art cooperative dedicated to celebrating Pacific Islander artists and art every first Friday of the month. Our monthly festival aims to unite Utah community members and give Pacific Islander artists the chance to perform, sell, or showcase their art.
We invite Pacific Islander artists living and working in the Salt Lake Valley to join the festival for an opportunity to meet the Pasifika First Fridays Creative Team, receive a free artist profile (including head shots), and apply to be featured in upcoming First Friday festivals. For more information, email contact@pasifikafirstfridays.com.
Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @pasifikafirstfridays and like us on Facebook.
FEATURED CULINARY ARTISTS
VONI LOUIS | LIFE WITH VONI
Born and raised in California, and being a lover of food, I always had great opportunities to try many different and diverse flavors and foods. Oh, by the way, you will see the Cali girl appear in some of my posts – just embrace it I am a mother and a wife, but for sure a lover of food. My love for cooking didn’t really start until I was a newlywed. In our first five years of marriage we had four kids. Yes, I said it – FOUR babies in FIVE years. Ahhhh crazy I know, but such a HUGE blessing! So there I was, a super busy full time working mom, with a husband who was a student and working full time, putting in hours of volunteering with our church, sports, family events, etc. You get it – I was busy. We were on a tight budget, and when I say a tight budget I mean a REALLY tight budget. I realized I needed to learn fast, quick, easy but super tasty recipes that would fit in our budget. I started diving into recipes and experimenting with different spices and foods we could afford and fell in love with it! It quickly became a creative outlet for me. Fast forward to now, 10 years later, I am helping other busy folks with some of my quick and tasty recipes, tips and tricks I have learned in and out of the kitchen, mom hacks and a ton of other goods I’ve picked up throughout the years.
TOUCH OF POLYNESIA
Touch of Polynesia is great food, culture, and "Island" service. We serve The Best Otai that you will ever experience and delicious Polynesian style barbecue. We enjoy bringing a culture of joy and happiness into our cooking, which is reflected through our food.
Touch of Polynesia is family owned and operated.
SAGATO FOODS
Polynesian food has been a central part of our family story from the beginning.
It was in 1994 when Loi and Tualagi Sagato decided to share their special talents with the rest of the world. It began as a way to earn extra money for their young family of seven at a park in Kearns, Utah, with just a small folding table and tote filled with kekepua'a (steam buns) and pineapple pies. Over 20 years have passed yet Loi and Tualagi's passion still finds its way into kitchens all across Utah.
Now that we Sagato kids are grown, we want to carry on our parents' legacy to keep providing the highest quality Pacific Islander baked goods across the US.
https://www.sagatofoods.com
FEATURED EXHIBITORS
SOILETI HOKO
Soileti Hoko is a very talented local jewelry artisan. She is also the owner of SOSS Nails. In a nutshell, SOSS is a marinade of influence from Tongan and American design, music, fashion and culture. Behind the brand are three American born and bred Tongan sisters based in Northern California and Utah.
Their accessories are the physical manifestations of their modern obsession with colors, shapes, and traditional oceanic roots.
BILL LOUIS
Bill was born on the island of Fiji in the city of Suva. His father is Fijian, Samoan and German. His mother is Tongan from Vava'u. As the 5th child of 6 children Bill grew up in Reno, NV. As a contemporary painter and graffiti artist, Bill's esthetic is influenced by a combination of West Coast Graffitti and classical artists such as Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, and Paul Gauguin.
VENUE
THE GATEWAY
56 S. RIO GRANDE ST.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT