In January of this year, Borderlands Brewing Company and Chef Maria Mazon debuted their brand-new menu at 2500 E. Sixth St. — Borderland’s new taproom in the Sam Hughes neighborhood.
But today, the two groups have officially parted ways.
“Honestly, it really hurts because I saw myself owning more restaurants,” said Mazon. “But putting everything on the scale, it wasn’t fair for the customers — for my partners. I was going in and out of the city for other projects, and new restaurants need more attention if you want your new restaurant to succeed. The chef and owner need to be there 24/7. I thought I could do it but I need to put my mental health first.”
Mazon shared the following on social media about the moves:
A few months ago, we announced that the second project between Borderlands Brewing and Mazon — a new concept named Dos — was set to open this summer in the Foothills. The restaurant has plans to take over the former Harvest Restaurant on River Road (stay tuned for more details on that).
“I felt like Wonder Woman, you know? And, that’s not the case,” said Mazon. “I have a 15-year-old son and BOCA — I still go in every day. I’m still on the line every day because it’s my baby. I’ve gotten a lot of opportunities and more coming my way. It’s not fair for the customers and our partners that I’m not there as much as I’d liked to be.”
Meanwhile, Mazon has big plans for BOCA and SONA Tortillas, which is her shop just a few steps away from the restaurant.
“I’m moving SONA next door where the flower shop used to be,” she said. “We’re going to run the store there and we’re also going to create a small kitchen studio for cooking classes. If I’m able to get even more of the premises, I want to host super, super private dinners — like literally 10 people at a time! You know, it’ll have modern stuff — TikToks and other things — but my intention is to host private dinners.”
As far as the menu goes at Borderlands Brewing in the Sam Hughes neighborhood, it’s there to stay for now until any future changes are made.
BOCA by Maria Mazon is located at 533 N. Fourth Ave. For more information, follow Chef Maria Mazon on Instagram or BOCA on Instagram.
Borderlands Brewing Company is located at 119 E. Toole Ave. and 2500 E. Sixth St. For more information, visit borderlandsbrewing.com or follow Borderland Brewing on Facebook and Instagram.
Stay in the Tucson Foodie Loop
Weekly digest of new openings, events, and guides. No spam.
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.
