One of the first things I noticed about Tucson’s food and beverage scene was a somewhat prevailing mentality of not needing or wanting to be recognized. I’d ask folks in the industry around town just how it was that Tucson isn’t a bigger deal nationally and at least statewide. That line of questioning was typically met with shrugs and a sentiment that felt a lot like “maybe we don’t want to get big.”
Whether that’s true, it’s beginning to look like the issue might lie more in the rest of the state and its modes of culinary recognition. Understandably, you can’t expect someone in the biz to care too much about something that ignores their strides time and time again just because driving an hour and a half takes an hour and a half. Although the Arizona Foodist Awards finalists did include at least one Tucson-area nomination for most categories this year, that step in the right direction isn’t really enough.
The announcement of the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame inductees for this year took that step right back by inducting, yet agin, only Phoenix-area food and beverage professionals. I’m not saying Tucson should be recognized as a hand out just to ensure inclusion, but I also find it really irksome that Tucson has been largely ignored by the ACHoF for over a decade (unless you count Sam Fox and his empire of upscale, but casual New American joints). That’s to say Phoenix has had better entrants in every category for over a decade essentially and I don’t buy it.
After all, can you even keep calling yourself the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame if you fail to represent anything south of Riggs Road? Is there some sort of legal precedent for this?
That’s not to say the inductees this year didn’t deserve to be recognized. It’s just unfortunately beginning to look more and more like an unbreakable trend where one part of the state gets all of the credit for carrying the culinary torch—and it just isn’t true.
Listen up, Phoenix: If you can make the drive to Gilbert to hit up Joe Johnston’s restaurants, you’re pretty much halfway to Tucson anyway. Overlooking Tucson makes these awards look silly and it’s time for a change. If you’re still not ready to head south, I suggest calling it the Scottsdale Culinary Hall of Fame since the ACHoF awards come from the Scottsdale Culinary Festival anyway.
And to Tucson: Keep doing what you’re doing. It’s great and we can just start our own awards if we need to. Best of Tucson is right around the corner, after all.
For now, I leave you all with this:
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2015.
They’re just being consistent with everything else named Arizona that is really just a reference to somewhere in Maricopa county. They may as well rename all of them Phoenix, since that is the only place they bother with.
Our Tucson places wouldn’t have even been nominated if we didn’t have good ol’ Adam go up there and tell them what was what!
Isn’t that like your only being able to find 3 “Essential Dishes” south of 22nd Street– and not far south at that!!
Oh Ms. Hoach, don’t we have an old Phoenix life in our past?
Tucson DOESN’T want to be big. I hear it time & time again from people who love it here. As far as comparing Phoenix restaurants to Tucson restaurants, it’s no contest. Striving for excellence deserves recognition. Status quo performance doesn’t. If Tucson wanted to compete, they would produce better restaurants. Just because it’s been here for 30 years doesn’t make it great, or even good. Just old. Like Tucson roads. They’ll get you from point A to point B, but not without some serious heartburn and a bad taste in your mouth.
Don’t cry over spilt milk. Tucson in the last twenty years has chosen to be an economic, social and political backwater. Left wing policies promoted by Tucson media (including the Tucson Weekly) have discouraged business start ups and led to economic stagnation. To witness evidence of this all you have to do is drive up the I10 and experience the dynamism of our despised but prosperous capital city. Congratulations.
I live in Scottsdale, and very much miss Tucson restaurants.
Why would any city want ot be like Phoenixmesascottsdale? Tucson has soul and history and beauty which inspire great plates and great times.
The James Beard Awards are no different, Only then the Line of Demarcation is the Mississippi River (with a nod to the West Coast.)
I’ve been pounding the drum and slowly Tucson is being seen and heard.
We need more drummers.