Become Yelp’s No. 1 place to eat in America: check!
Become a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef Southwest for the second year in a row: check!
Cook jackfruit tacos with Kelly Clarkson on live TV: check!
Over the last couple of weeks, Wendy Garcia, the chef and mastermind behind Tumerico and La Chaiteria, has been making headlines all over the country.
Most recently, Garcia took her talents to the big screen where she had her own segment on the The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Clarkson introduced Garcia to the crowd, congratulating her for being “best in the nation” since Tumerico was named Yelp’s top place to eat in the nation.
Yelp published their “Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S.” list last month. To come up with the list, Yelp users nominated their favorite dining spots, which were then ranked by the total number of submissions. Yelp reviews, ratings and geographic representation were also part of the formula.
Since Tumerico is known for their vegan and vegetarian Mexican food, Garcia walked Clarkson through the process of making jackfruit carnitas tacos, which is the restaurant’s specialty.
Garcia and Clarkson first made the salsa then added it to a pan along with the jackfruit carnitas. “This smells delicious,” Clarkson said as they mixed the two together.
When asked why Garcia chose to use jackfruit in her dishes, she said she doesn’t like soy and found jackfruit to not only taste better, but that it’s also the healthier option.
The two then assembled their tacos and topped them off with cabbage, lime, guacamole and cashew cream.
As she took her first bite, Clarkson’s eyes widened and the crowd cheered. She told Garcia she knew what she was having for lunch later.
“That is delicious, what in the world!” Clarkson said. “I know why you’re No. 1.”
Clarkson ended the segment by telling the audience to check out Tumerico if they were ever in Tucson.
You can check out the full video of Garcia representing Tucson on The Kelly Clarkson Show on their YouTube channel. Find Tumerico at 2526 E. Sixth St. and 402 E. Fourth Ave.; and La Chaiteria at 1002 W. Congress St.
