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Tucson & its food scene featured in TIME’s ’50 World’s Greatest Places’ list

(Photo by Kieran MacAuliffe)

Tucson & its food scene featured in TIME’s ’50 World’s Greatest Places’ list

Mar 16, 20231 min read

On Thursday, March 16, TIME revealed its list of the “World’s Greatest Places” and Tucson and its restaurant scene are featured among 50 extraordinary destinations around the world.

(Photo by Kieran MacAuliffe)

To compile this list, TIME solicited nominations of places-including countries, regions, cities, and towns-from its international network of correspondents and contributors, with an eye toward those offering new and exciting experiences. It’s a pretty big deal and an incredible honor because the Old Pueblo is listed alongside other destinations like Washington, D.C., Dijon, France, and Naples, Italy.

Downtown Tucson’s BATA was featured as one of the exciting new experiences in Tucson, which recently celebrated its very first anniversary.

“We can’t think of a better way to celebrate our first anniversary than to be recognized by TIME in this way, and for Tucson to share this honor with such renowned and remarkable destinations worldwide,” said Tyler Fenton, BATA’s co-owner and executive chef.

Tyler Fenton of BATA (Photo by Anna Smirnova)

“We’re grateful for our patrons, our suppliers, and our community who have each played a significant role in this achievement and recognition,” he continued. “It’s truly an honor for our team to service both our local and global guests alike.”

The other Tucson area landmarks making this year’s list include Barrio Bread, BOCA by Chef Maria Mazon, Borderlands Brewing Company, The Citizen Hotel, Maynards, the tour company Borderlandia, and the upcoming Leo Kent Hotel.

The full TIME “World’s Greatest Places” list will be featured in the April 10/April 17, 2023 double issue of TIME, available on newsstands Friday, March 17.

To check out the full list of destinations, visit time.com.

Article written by:

Matt Sterner

Matt Sterner

More about Matt

At 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.

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