Tucson foodies don’t know where they will dine or what they will eat (at least until a day or so before) and that uncertainty is what draws them to Chef Riley Chandler’s Pop-Up Tucson culinary events.
The first two events have sold out and he anticipates the third will be no different. Tickets are on sale now for the next 30-seat dining experience Sept. 1, which will take place in an unconventional — and as-yet undisclosed — location. Chandler will reveal only that dinner will be served on a “scenic rooftop.” The menu for the five-course meal with wine pairing will be revealed 48 hours in advance.
For guests, the surprise locale and menu are part of the fun. For the chefs, it is a chance to showcase their recipes. Chandler, a personal chef, organized his first Pop-Up Tucson dinner May 1 with Chef T.J. Culp, who has hosted similar events in Phoenix.
“He inspired me. He was the first chef to bring pop-ups to Arizona. They were trending in New York and San Francisco and all the big cities,” Chandler said of Culp.
The first dinner was on a private patio in Ventana Canyon and the centerpiece dish was a southwestern version of spiced duck with Szechuan peppers and lavender served at the upscale Eleven Madison Park restaurant in New York City.
The second event was brunch in a loft where Chandler showcased one of his original recipes: poached egg bruschetta made with mozzarella fresco, heirloom tomato, pancetta, cracked pepper and basil chiffonade, drizzled with a maple balsamic glaze.
For the Sept. 1 dinner, Chandler is teaming up with Tucson Chef Jose Zavala, who has worked at Maynards Market & Kitchen and Ermanos Craft Beer & Wine Bar.
After the next Tucson event, Chandler, 22, hits the road. Between high school and culinary school, Chandler, a drummer, toured the United States, Canada and Mexico with a band. Now he plans to tour again, cooking his way across the country.
Tell me about the tour.
“I’m planning a tour starting with the West Coast, Austin, Miami; nine cities are booked so far. Basically, it’s the same concept except I’m trying to bring southwest flavors and my influences from living here, and my grandmother, and traveling around the country. It’s a chance to collaborate with up-and-coming chefs from around the country.”
Who are these pop-up dinners for?
“I would love for anyone who was able to come and enjoy delicious food in a different atmosphere. I have music and art incorporated — in the first one, a live jazz trio; the next one, a live pianist. This one, I’m having an artist with easels with finished paintings and doing live paintings. I like mixing the arts together it creates a good atmosphere.”
How do you and the other chefs decide what kind of pop-up event you will have next?
“I try to bring a different chef each time so it’s based on each chef’s personal influences. I worked for Janos (Wilder) for five years so I took a lot of influence from him. Growing up in the southwest and my grandma, all those influence my food, too.
“T.J. was more of a classical chef and then he did his own thing and went more modern. And then James Piazza from Bianco’s was a musician like me and he was another influence. It just flows. We talk, we meet for coffee or call each other and spit out ingredients at each other. We have a list of ingredients and mix them up like a puzzle and we will pick out which flavors match. That’s how we basically do it. From there, we get the wines.”
You have said you learned to cook from your grandmother.
“She pretty much inspired me. She made the most delicious food all the time and I was like, ‘How do you do that?’ At a young age I really wanted to know. She taught me. She made bread from scratch all the time and pasta from scratch and sauce that would take 12 hours. She’s Italian and she had all the techniques mastered. She lived to be 100 years old, so I got to learn from her for a long time.”
What would she think of your Pop-Up Tucson events?
“I think she would be very proud. I would love for her to see these. She is my inspiration. … She cooked until she was 99 and that’s what keeps me going. She inspires me to push myself.”
You have had brunch and dinner events so far. What do you make for yourself at home?
“I’m a big cereal person. I will eat a bowl of cereal in the morning and I will have fruit. I will make something for dinner. I have had my grandma’s pasta recipe memorized since I was 15, so I will make fresh pasta. Even butter noodles is good. With fresh pasta, it just melts in your mouth, so good.”
What is your plan for the future?
“I would love to take this around the world, be able to travel and see the world, and then come back and maybe open a restaurant when I have an expanded palette and a lot of worldly flavors.”
