Tucson chef Brian Smith represents US at International Food & Wine Festival in China

Maynards Market & Kitchen executive chef Brian Smith will soon fly to Yantai, China as the US representative at the International Food and Wine Festival at the second annual World Senior Tourism Congress.

Sixteen chefs from around the globe will showcase their countries’ cuisine at the two-week exhibition. Smith, the only US representative, will showcase American comfort food with a sophisticated Tucson twist.

“I am thrilled to be participating in this festival alongside so many other great chefs from around the world,” Smith said in a press release. “I can’t wait to show China and the other country representatives our unique approach to food in Tucson.”

Each day during the festival, Smith will create two unique dishes. For one dish, he will feature a fine-dining take on pork and beans, utilizing pork belly and ancient Tepary beans.

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Furthermore, Smith will also utilize these local ingredients from Native Seeds/SEARCH and other purveyors:

• Chiltepin
• Pistachio
• Pecan
• White Sonoran wheat flour
• Chile powder

While Tucson ingredients have become one of Smith’s specialties, he’s also excited for the ingredients China has to offer.

“I am looking forward to experiencing the local seafood available in Yantai,” Smith said. “Every day at Maynards I create a new fish feature, so getting my hands on fresh and interesting seafood will be gratifying.”

Maynards Market & Kitchen is located at 400 N. Toole Ave. For more information, visit maynardstucson.com.