Tucson takes the national spotlight in the next episode of "Pati Jinich Explores PanAmericana." Visit Tucson announced the Season 2 episode, "Arizona – Abundance in the Desert," on Nov. 4. It airs at 8 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9, on Arizona Public Media's PBS 6, and it will stream on PBS.org and the PBS app.
In the third episode of the season, chef and television host Pati Jinich explores Southern Arizona's cultural landscape. The episode features several Tucson residents and experiences. It highlights the people, traditions, and cultural influences of the Sonoran Desert region.
Who Jinich meets in Southern Arizona
Feng-Feng Yeh of the Chinese Chorizo Project shares the history of Tucson's Chinese immigrant community. More than 100 Chinese-owned grocery stores once served the city's Mexican barrios. Yeh revived that legacy through the project and its annual festival. "The Chinese Chorizo Festival revives immigrant stories through art, food, and solidarity," Yeh said in a 2025 Tucson Foodie story.
Poet Laureate Logan Phillips guides Jinich through historic Barrio Viejo. He shares stories of the neighborhood's history, cultural identity, and poetry scene.
Meanwhile, chef Aaron Lopez takes Jinich into the Sonoran Desert to forage local ingredients. The pair also visit a seed bank that preserves thousands of years of agricultural heritage. Lopez is the chef-owner of Ursa at 110 E. Congress St. in downtown Tucson.
Finally, musician Brian Lopez introduces Jinich to Desert Noir. The musical style draws on the landscapes and atmosphere of the Sonoran Desert.
Jinich's earlier visits to Tucson
This episode continues a long relationship between Jinich and Tucson. An earlier season of "Pati's Mexican Table" devoted an episode to the city. In "How Do You Say Tucson?" she visited restaurants and met local chefs to explore what Mexican food in America means. The episode also tackled the Sonoran hot dog.
Season 9 of "Pati's Mexican Table" then opened in Tucson. In "Tucson: Gateway to Sonora," Jinich learned artisan bread-making from Don Guerra at Barrio Bread. She then crossed into Sonora, Mexico, to see where the wheat he uses originates.
Jinich returned in 2023 while working on her PBS series "La Frontera with Pati Jinich," and she sat down with Arizona Public Media during that visit. The show's second season includes time with the Tucson Samaritans, a volunteer group that works to save lives on the border.
Most recently, Jinich spoke at Visit Tucson's 2026 annual meeting on Oct. 14 at the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa. Tune in Nov. 9 to see how the city appears in her latest episode.
