The nonprofit Tucson City of Gastronomy (TCOG) recently sent out a call for applications for new Chef Ambassadors to represent Tucson as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, both abroad and in the community.
Professional chefs, sous chefs, and pastry chefs who are currently employed in the Southern Arizona food industry and with at least three consecutive years of experience are eligible.
Selected applicants will undergo training to learn everything they need to know to speak knowledgeably about Tucson’s culinary history, culturally layered cuisine, heritage ingredients, traditional dishes and food preparation techniques, contemporary food scene, and the reasons Tucson qualified for the UNESCO designation.
“Every year, we receive several invitations to send Tucson chefs to sister Cities of Gastronomy around the world,” said Jonathan Mabry, TCOG Executive Director.
“In the past, we have sent Chef Ambassadors to do cooking demonstrations, collaborative dinners with local chefs, and discussion panels in Cities of Gastronomy in China, Spain, Mexico, and Turkey, and we are sending them to Italy and Saudi Arabia this fall.”
Locally, Chef Ambassadors also do cooking demonstrations for the public and participate in TCOG culinary events.
Applications open now and are due by midnight on August 14th.
Interested chefs can download the applications and instructions on the TCOG website.
More About TCOG
The non-profit Tucson City of Gastronomy was formed in 2016 to manage the 2015 UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy designation for metro Tucson and Southern Arizona.
It works with stakeholders in the local food system and food economy to leverage the designation to increase appreciation of our food heritage, culinary assets, and food system innovations, promote them on a global scale, and link them to heritage foodways preservation, culinary tourism, and economic development.
Learn more about the Tucson City of Gastronomy at tucson.cityofgastronomy.org.
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Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
