Maynards Market & Kitchen recently beefed up their team. Between adding Chef de Cuisine Brian Smith, who is working with Executive Chef Michael Byrer, the upcoming fall menu will be one of Maynard’s strongest menus yet.

“I’ve always been interested in the downtown food scene and Maynards is a downtown original,” Smith said. “That and their reputation to quality, using local products, and their movement towards sustainable practices is really inspiring.”

When Tucson Foodie spoke with Smith in April 2015, he was Chef de Cuisine at Acacia Real Food & Cocktails, which has since closed. Aside from his eight years at Acacia, Smith has worked in the kitchens of Coi in San Francisco and McCrady’s in Charleston, bringing diverse high-end dining experience to the mix.

“I’m looking to bring a fresh perspective using techniques and flavor combinations that I’ve learned throughout my travels, as well as give the downtown food scene and our guests something fun and unique that they possibly have never had before,” Smith said.

In addition to implementing additional modern techniques, the fall menu will have heavier emphasis on seasonal ingredients.

“We work closely with local farms and other purveyors and shape our menus around what’s available to us at that time,” Smith said. “From there I like to elevate them with science and knowledge to make things fun, different, and delicious.”

Fall Menu Highlights

• French Onion Soup ($9) – deep allium flavor with caramelized yellow, red and white onions, leeks, and shallots with toasted baguette and melted Gruyère cheese
• Butternut Squash Risotto ($19) – a medley of flavors and textures with roasted and pickled butternut squash, goat cheese, sautéed greens, fines herbes, arborio rice, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and beet chips
• Pork Chop ($23) – succulent cider-brined Niman Ranch pork chop, herbed polenta, Willcox apples and pomegranate chutney, ginger snap crisp, and seasonal vegetables

For more information, visit maynardstucson.com.