UNESCO City of Gastronomy

Tucson is recognized as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy—a title that celebrates deep food traditions, local ingredients, and culinary practices passed down over generations.

When two chefs opened a new restaurant under that designation, they brought us in to create a mural that honors what that means. We gathered a group of local chefs, each cooking a dish with native ingredients, and photographed the full spread you see at the bottom.

At the top, we painted some of the native plants used in those dishes. Each letter in “GASTRONOMY” holds a different ingredient—mesquite pods, cholla buds, and other pieces of the desert food story.