Tucson’s José Contreras heads to the James Beard House for a masa and seafood dinner in New York

José Contreras, chef and owner of Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen, will to New York City to cook alongside rising star chef Alam Méndez of Washington, D.C.’s Apapacho Taqueria for a collaborative dinner at Platform at Pier 57 by the James Beard Foundation.

The event runs at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11 at Pier 57, 25 11th Ave. Tickets cost $210 for dining table seats and $250 for the chef’s counter. Purchase seats at jamesbeard.org.

It marks a significant moment for Tucson. Contreras opened Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen in November 2021, and the restaurant quickly drew local and national attention for its birria, house-made salsas, and award-winning cocktails. A New York Times feature and a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination followed. A Platform by JBF dinner places Contreras among the country’s most closely watched culinary voices.

Read the full story of how Contreras built Amelia’s.

The menu: masa and the Mexican Pacific

The dinner takes its name and its thesis from the relationship between heirloom corn and the coast. Drawing from the Pacific shores of Oaxaca north to the Sea of Cortez in Sonora, Méndez and Contreras will build a multi-course menu using traditional masa as the structural canvas for regional coastal ingredients. The pairing speaks directly to both chefs’ roots, and to Contreras’s deep connection to Sonoran culinary tradition.

Artisanal Mexican spirits from Mijenta Tequila will accompany each course, adding another layer of Mexican regional beverage culture to the evening. The dinner includes a cocktail reception with passed hors d’oeuvres on arrival, a full multi-course menu with pairings, and a Q&A with both chefs. The full menu is forthcoming.

Who is Alam Méndez?

Alam Méndez grew up in Oaxaca, where his path to his bedroom as a child ran through the dining room and kitchen of his parents’ restaurant, Las Quince Letras, now recognized by the Michelin Guide. He later cooked at Arzak in San Sebastian and at the celebrated Hija de Sanchez in Copenhagen before coming to the U.S. In 2024, he and his wife, pastry chef Elisa Reyna, opened Apapacho Taqueria at La Cosecha in Washington, D.C., a restaurant rooted in the Mexican cuisine they grew up with and built around native corn masa made in-house daily.

The two chefs bring complementary but distinct regional voices to the Aug. 11 menu. Méndez draws from Oaxaca’s coastal and corn traditions; Contreras carries the flavors of Sonora and the Sea of Cortez. Contreras recently announced his next Tucson project, Carrizal Molino + Cocina, which centers on nixtamalization and the traditional process of preparing corn for masa. The timing of this dinner fits squarely within that direction.

Why this matters for Tucson

Contreras joins a line of Tucson chefs who have earned national recognition in recent years, including Wendy Garcia of Tumerico and Flavia Briones of Barista del Barrio, both previous James Beard semifinalists.

Seats at Platform by JBF events sell out. Tickets for the Aug. 11 dinner are available now at jamesbeard.org. Tucson diners planning to travel for the dinner can also follow Contreras’s upcoming Carrizal Molino + Cocina.