Full article here! https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/blog/business/2016/04/popular-hot-air-balloon-tour-reaches-new-heights.html

When Matthew Cooley and Olivia Laux began Float Balloon Tours in 2013, they didn’t know much about hot air ballooning. They just knew they wanted to rep the Phoenix community.

“Food is huge part of the experience,” Cooley said. “It’s a place in the desert for people who otherwise wouldn’t find themselves there.”

 

The dining aspect has become such a popular part of Float Balloon Tours that Cooley and Laux have created an offshoot of the hot air balloon tours, called Desert Dinners, for when hot air ballooning is out of season.

 

“We’re doing this fantastic thing even though we’re not able to fly, we have a beautiful spot, with a chef preparing this extravagant meal without having a time crunch or the unknowns of ballooning with a long set-up,” said Cooley.

 

The dinners can host anywhere between 10 to 30 people, and occur once or twice a month. Cooley said they’re looking to expand the dining operation to the Grand Canyon and possibly Alaska, in hopes of expanding nationally.

Words by Steven Totten for the Phoenix Business Journal photography by Marc Mintz and Constance Higley