When one door closes, another opens.
With the permanent closure of Café Botanica inside the Tucson Botanical Gardens, owner Kristine Jensen is pumped to open her new brick-and-mortar version of the online store, Gallery of Food, on Saturday, September 19.
“We are so sad to say goodbye to our lovely Café Botanica and will miss making food in one of the most relaxing and beautiful places in town,” said Jensen. “But we are so excited as we turn the next chapter and make our offerings more accessible to the public.”
The space at 2522 E. Ft. Lowell Rd. has been remodeled to accommodate a cozy market as well as a new kitchen where the staff will continue to prepare Café Botanica’s take-home meals. Some of the familiar dishes include Frida’s Favorite Corn Pudding, Duck Tamales, Grilled Vegetables, and more.
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“There is such a wealth of amazing local offerings – it will be great to have them all under one roof,” said Jensen. “We will be able to expand on our farm-to-table offerings and our catering kitchen will allow us to provide for all size events.”
Some of the local products found online and inside the bodega include Top Knot Farms, Pivot Produce, Aravaipa Farms, and Barrio Bread.
The bodega is temporarily for pick-up and delivery orders only from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Wednesday – Saturday. They plan on expanding the market’s hours in the future when the inside is open to the public.
Deliveries are available on Saturday and Sunday from 2 – 5 p.m.
Gallery of Food Bodega is located at 2522 E. Ft. Lowell Rd. For more information, call (520) 884-5033 or visit galleryoffood.square.site.
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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.
