Pueblos del Maíz returns for 4th Tucson festival

Tucson’s fourth annual Pueblos del Maíz festival Sept. 25-28 is the second of four international events that kicked off in early September in Bergamo-Gandino, Italy.

Bergamo and Tucson collaborate with fellow UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy Mérida, Mexico, and San Antonio, Texas, to host the annual festival celebrating each area’s cultural and gastronomical connection to corn.

Tucson’s four-day festival Thursday-Sunday includes a number of events centered on food, culture, music, visual arts and cooking demonstrations, most of which are free to the public. Here’s a snapshot of what to expect:

• Cooking demo: Sewa Yuli and Feng-Feng Yeh, Tucson City of Gastronomy Hero Awards winners, will showcase traditional and creative dishes following Yoeme and Chinese food cultures through recipes and storytelling. It’s from 4-5:30 p.m. Friday at Pima Community College Desert Vista Campus, 5901 S. Calle Santa Cruz.
• Fiesta del Maíz: This is the party side of Peublos del Maíz when the community gets together to eat, drink and soak in the corn(y) side of Tucson culture and history. Cooking demonstrations, folklorico dancing, live music, vendors, arts and crafts, a pop-up farmers’ market and corn-inspired dishes from chefs visiting from Italy and Texas. The fiesta is from 3-9 p.m. Saturday at Kennedy Park, 1955 W. Ajo Way.

Tucson City of Gastronomy Executive Director Jonathan Mabry said 3,500 people attended last year’s fiesta, which longtime Tucson chef and City of Gastronomy Board President Janos Wilder described as Pueblos del Maíz’s “showcase event.”

“It’s a wonderful time to come out, see your neighbors, let your kids roam a little freer, listen to live music and enjoy great food,” he said. “The cross-cultural cooking demonstrations will show how recipes for corn take on a different flavor when prepared by chefs from different places.”

Mabry said this year’s fiesta will feature nine regional food vendors, cooking demonstrations by chefs visiting from Italy and Texas, live music by Los Hermanos Cuatro (Tejano) and South Image (Waila), folklórico by Ballet Tapatío, and a blessing by Danza Tlamanalcah.

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Kids’ events include face painting and balloon art. Works from Galeria Mitotera artists will be exhibited.

• The “Noche de Maíz” dinner on Sunday will feature award-winning chefs from the Gastronomic Union of Tucson collaborating in the kitchen with guest chefs from Bergamo, Italy, and San Antonio to prepare a multi-course meal paired with award-winning Southern Arizona wines. It’s from 5:50 to 9:30 p.m. at The Carriage House, 125 S. Arizona Ave. Tickets start at $161.90 through pueblosdelmaiz.com.

Chefs participating in the dinner are Fabrizio Camer from Italy; San Antonio chef Jaime Gonzalez; and Tucson chefs Shuka Parker, Michael Elefante, Mat Cable and Gaby Maciel.

Pueblos del Maiz was the brainchild of the nonprofit Tucson City of Gastronomy and Mabry. The event launched in spring 2022 and has since grown into Tucson’s signature food heritage festival.

Mabry said last year’s Pueblos del Maíz drew more than 5,400 attendees from nine states and three countries, creating an economic impact of $1.1 million.

“Pueblos del Maíz spotlights Tucson’s unparalleled corn culture while building new global culinary bridges,” Mabry said. “Every dish tells the story of our region’s deep agricultural roots and multicultural food heritage.”

Local organizations participating in this year’s event include Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area, Mission Gardens, Kindred Connections, SuVida Healthcare, Pima County Health Department and Fluxx.

For more information, visit pueblosdel maiz.com.