Having gained Unesco city of gastronomy recognition, Tucsons new wave of downtown restaurants are making the most of the areas unusual desert foods
The desert surrounding Tucson, Arizona, is filled with soaring Saguaro cactus, their bright red fruits long a delicacy here. The abundance of this native food is one reason why, last December, Tucson became Americas first Unesco city of gastronomy, joining just 18 others worldwide, despite having fewer fancy restaurants than many US cities, and being one of its poorest.
Its a city whose food heritage is a big part of its identity, says Gary Nabhan, director of the University of Arizonas Center for Regional Food Studies. Yes we have award-winning chefs, but the vitality of our farm-to-table food system is a key reason why we were recognised.
Tucson has the longest history of cultivation in North America (dating back 4,000 years) and the nearby Sonoran desert is one of the worlds lushest, blooming with over 400 edible plants, used by the Tohono Oodham Native Americans for centuries. Its also home to Native Seed/SEARCH, one of the worlds biggest seed banks, where people can get desert-adapted seeds for free.
Most of the food businesses are independently owned, with chefs often experimenting with exciting new recipes, using unusual desert foods such as cholla buds, mesquite flour, tepary beans or prickly pears and rents remain low enough for people to be creative with their start-ups.
Among recent openings are Batch Caf & Bar, which majors on the surprising pairing of whiskey and doughnuts; Carriage House, which offers dim sum brunches and cooking classes by chef Janos Wilder; Elviras, an upscale Mexican (with the border so close, Tucsons food is multicultural), and Charro Steak, a ranch-to-table grill with a Sonoran twist.
Despite these changes, the restaurants are interlaced with thrift shops, and live music still plays on the streets: Tucson has not lost its gritty edge. On the fringe of downtown, yet still part of it, is the particularly hip Barrio Viejo neighbourhood (a Chlo campaign was recently shot here) with streets of colourful old adobe houses.
The nearby Downtown Clifton is a small, laid-back boutique motel with 10 rooms (from 75 a night), all furnished in mid-century style. It opened last year and is a welcome addition to an accommodation scene heavy with chain hotels.
Most of our guests come to enjoy the bars and restaurants, Nick Delisle, the manager, says. Downtown has grown up a lot recently, so young people are moving back here. Its now a place all the locals flock to, too.