If visions of signature dishes from Cafe Terra Cotta still dance in your head more than seven years after the landmark Tucson restaurant closed, an upcoming event is your opportunity to indulge those culinary fantasies.
At the same time, you can help a teen’s dreams of empowering young people who are battling cancer.
Menu favorites from the iconic restaurant will grace the tables at Pastiche Modern Eatery during a dinner to benefit the Bald Beauties Project in honor of Kelsey Taylor Luria, who succumbed to complications from acute myeloid leukemia in April 2015 at age 18.
“It has been about 16 months now and it is hard to believe it has been that long. It is so hard to ever lose a child, but we do the best we can and Bald Beauties is one of my outlets,” said Maya Luria, Kelsey’s mom. She and Kelsey’s dad, Michael Luria, are co-founders of Bald Beauties and former owners of Terra Cotta.
Maya said the family’s culinary connections in the community have provided an opportunity to realize Kelsey’s goal of providing photo shoots for children, teens and young adults battling cancer. The photos not only offer a needed emotional boost for youth in treatment, but provide a treasured keepsake for families.
“Kelsey received a photo shoot — actually she had two — that empowered her to feel more confident and beautiful without having hair and she wanted to be able to do something for other kids who were going through the same thing. It was truly her vision,” Maya said.
In its first year of operation, the Bald Beauties Project has also provided 39 Teen Comfort Kits for teenagers battling serious medical conditions. Each kit is comprised of a small bag containing a blanket, eye mask and other luxury items.
“A lot of focus in the hospital is on younger kids but not so much on teens ... we try to provide a few items that are appropriate for teens that make them feel special and make them more comfortable during their hospital stays,” Maya said.
Finally, the Bald Beauties Project seeks to fund research into AML, a rare and aggressive form of leukemia, with annual grants to the Children’s Oncology Group Foundation.
“We don’t want anyone else to have to go through what we have gone through with cancer, particularly AML. Such a small number of people in the population are affected that there is not a lot of focus on it and many of the treatments are very old, which is why they are so harsh and we hope to change that through research,” Maya said.
