Nearly 55,000 people are expected in town for the 61st Annual Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase, according to the local tourism agency, Visit Tucson.
That’s 55,000 mouths to feed as gem hunters and rockhounds work up their appetites treasure hunting at exhibitions throughout the city.
Many of the veteran exhibitors that sell at the 40-plus scheduled shows already have their favorite spots to nosh.
For George Sumpter, owner of the Colorado-based G. Sumpter Beads, there is nothing quite like a plate of enchiladas from El Charro, downtown at 311 N. Court Ave.
“I get these cravings for Mexican food, living up in the mountains in Colorado,” Sumpter, 68, said. “When I come down here, that is what I look for.”
Sumpter, who has been visiting the showcase as a buyer and seller since the mid-1970s, started participating with his latest business four years ago.
He’s already selling his vintage beads and accessories at the A Bead Carnival show — the first show of the showcase season — which started on Monday and runs until Feb. 14.
When he can’t make it to El Charro, Sumpter enjoys meals a little closer to where he exhibits.
His go-to breakfast-and-lunch spot is the cash-only Ajo Café, 3132 E. Ajo Way, less than a mile from A Bead Carnival.
“I like the little local places,” he said.
He is also partial to El Torero, the South Tucson staple, open since 1957, at 231 E. 26th Street.
“It is off the beaten path,” he said. “And we can always get a table. It is never so busy that we have to take a number and wait.”
Sumpter is one of several exhibitors who offered up suggestions on where to eat in the Old Pueblo.
Geoff Notkin: Owner of Aerolite Meteorites aerolite.org
When Geoff Notkin turns 54 on Feb. 1, amid the hustle-and-bustle of showcase activities, he knows exactly where he will be. The owner of Aerolite Meteorites, television personality and Tucson resident will celebrate the occasion at Maynards Market & Kitchen downtown with Steve Arnold, his cohost on the Science Channel series “Meteorite Men.” Arnold and Notkin share the same birthday.
“I find Maynards to be one of the most sophisticated restaurants in Tucson,” Notkin said of the downtown restaurant, located in the Historic Train Depot, 400 N. Toole Ave. “It is so elegant. You could be in Paris eating there.”
While Notkin saves Maynards for special occasions, he will often take guests across Toole Avenue to its sister restaurant, Cup Café at Hotel Congress, or to El Charro for business lunches during the showcase.
Notkin says proximity to where he is exhibiting is key. Notkin will be set-up in several places this year; at the Hotel Tucson City Center, 475 N. Granada Ave., Jan. 30-Feb. 14; the Kino Sports Complex Gem & Fossil Show, Jan. 31-Feb.15 and showing by appointment at his Aerolite Meteorites building at North Stone Avenue and East Speedway.
One of his favorite restaurant recommendations to out-of-towners is the Cushing Street Bar & Restaurant, 198 W. Cushing Street.
“It’s where I met my fiancé five years ago,” Notkin said. “She was the hostess and I was there giving a science lecture. It will always have a special place in my heart.”
Geoff Notkin :Chief operating officer of Michal & Company michalandcompany.com
As chief operating officer of Michal & Company, Decker is already in Tucson, two weeks early to make sure things go smoothly. That’s how long it takes to unload and set-up the 10 semi-truckloads of gem and mineral materials imported from around the globe, then transported from Michal & Company’s 12,000-square-foot Los Angeles warehouse to its two exhibition spaces in town. Michal & Company, founded by namesake Michal Mael, sets up at the Rapa River Gem & Mineral Show, 292 S. Freeway Ave., and the Kino Sports Complex Gem and Mineral Show, 2500 E. Ajo Way.
Decker said the team often puts in long days, so dining at restaurants is kept to a minimum.
One of their favorite places when they do get a free moment is the Silver Saddle Steakhouse, 310 E. Benson Highway.
“Not only is the food extraordinary, the personnel and the service is stellar,” Decker said. “They are very friendly and always seem glad to see us there.”
Decker said that, in recent years, the team has also taken to restaurants and bars downtown to unwind after a hard day’s work.
“It is phenomenal what the city has done down there,” he said.
Geoff Notkin: Co-owner of Rocksaholics LLC rocksaholics.com
Aisha Jan and her husband Arif Jan returned this week from a seven-week trip to Northern Pakistan to gather inventory for their upcoming exhibitions at the Pueblo Gem and Mineral Show, 350 S. Freeway Ave., and the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show at the Tucson Convention Center, downtown.
The Jans’ business, Dallas-based Rocksaholics LLC, deals in high-end gems and minerals from Northern Pakistan and Afghanistan, including aquamarine crystals, tourmaline and topaz.
Aisha has been visiting Tucson for the event since the mid-1970s. Rocksaholics have been an official exhibitor since 2005.
When the Jans are in town, their home away from home is the Alibaba Mediterranean Restaurant, 2545 E. Speedway.
Not only are the portion sizes generous, Aisha says, but the meat is halal, which means it adheres to Islamic law. The Jans are Muslim.
“Anywhere else we are restricted to seafood and vegetables, and I love meat,” Aisha said. “We are there almost every day during our three-week stay.”
