Since the departure of Café Botanica, the Tucson Botanical Gardens had been without a spot to grab a bite to eat while admiring nature, butterflies, and the chirping of birds.
Well, now the Gardens is happy to announce that there’s food once again with Edna’s Eatery, which all due to the new partnership with Westward Look Wyndham Grand Resort & Spa.
The name of the café was inspired by Edna Johnson, who was a housekeeper, friend, nanny, and gardener to the Gardens’ founders.
Edna actually planted many of the citrus trees on the west end of the Tucson Botanical Gardens, and “she loved to tend a large herb garden.” Over the course of many years of harvesting and gardening, Edna lived on the property until her death in 1973.
The menu is cleverly categorized with sections like “from nature”, “above ground”, and “for our up and coming botanists.” All of the produce is from the garden and other local partners, coming together to create dishes like the Huevos Rancheros, Vegan Burrito, Roasted Turkey and Brie Panini, and Vegan Pita Pockets.
Edna’s Café is open daily with breakfast from 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Admission to the Gardens is required for the restaurant.
Edna’s Café is located inside the Tucson Botanical Gardens at 2150 N. Alvernon Way. For more information, call (520) 326-9686 or visit tucsonbotanical.org.
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.
