The University of Arizona Press

One of America’s top tourist destinations, Tucson also boasts an amazing array of restaurants. Tucson Cooks! highlights the city’s gourmet excellence with detailed descriptions, tantalizing menus, and mouth-watering recipes from some of the city’s finest eateries. For four years, Tucson has hosted a series of summer dining events known as Primavera Cooks!, a partnership between two local non-profit organizations, the Primavera Foundation and the Tucson Originals. For these gourmet events some of Tucson’s finest restaurants opened their kitchens and their wine cellars to host apprentice “hobby” chefs. These apprentices paid for the opportunity to work in gourmet restaurant kitchens with well-known chefs responsible for some of the finest local cuisine. The chefs and apprentices planned, prepared and served a multi-course wine-paired dinner for approximately 50 friends and supporters of these two well-respected, local, non-profit organizations. Tucson Cooks! features the delicious results of those evenings. Food-lovers everywhere will welcome the chance to visit the kitchens of such nationally-recognized venues as Janos, Terra Cotta, and The Grill at Hacienda del Sol as well as local favorites including Pastiche, Feast, and Elle. In Tucson Cooks! you will find stories, recipes and photographs about the dozen restaurants that collaborated on Primavera Cooks! With nearly 100 delectable recipes, from Roasted Duck with Fresh Blackberries to Macaroni and Cheese, the book has something for everyone. The book also includes recipes from many other Tucson Originals, including El Charro, Miguel’s, and Wildflower. Try a Chipotle Molasses Glazed Chicken from Acacia or Charred Ahi Tuna with Asian Slaw from The Gold Room at Westward Look. Tucson Cooks! offers a guided culinary expedition through hot stoves, sharp knives, and gourmet recipes for hobby chefs and discerning diners everywhere.