Two-time Tucson Iron Chef Ken Foy is making a pineapple margarita and prime rib taco for Sundayโs 13th annual Salsa, Tequila & Taco Challenge.
The east-side comfort food restaurant Tandem American Eatery is whipping up a โCheeky Devilโ salsa picante, spiced hibiscus cocktail and โBL tacoโ while St. Cruz Restaurant at the Leo Kent downtown is offering up a โpeach surpriseโ salsa and โbackyard carnitasโ taco.
These are among the menus on tap for one of Tucsonโs longest-running and most anticipated culinary events.
And while some of the participants will describe their menus in detail โ Ranch House Grill & Brewery in SaddleBrooke, for example, says itโs planning to use watermelon and serrano in its salsa, and red chile smoked tri-tip in a taco to go with its โice melons margarita snow conesโ โ most keep their plans close to the hip until the last minute.
โSome chefs definitely hold back on what they tell us,โ said Kate Marquez, executive director of Salsa, Tequila & Taco Challenge sponsor Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance. โTheyโll tell us the name of the margarita, the name of the taco, but you donโt really know what it is until you get there. Itโs created that environment of competition that sparks innovation.โ
After all, this is a competition; chefs want to take home best salsa, best tequila cocktail and best taco honors, while local distilleries vie for best tequila pour.
Then thereโs the coveted Peopleโs Choice awards decided by the 700 people lucky enough to snag a ticket for the challenge on Sunday, Aug. 31.
Thatโs why chefs try to ensure โthat what theyโre doing is truly unique and is not going to be replicated by anyone else,โ Marquez said.
โYou donโt want to give the nuts and bolts so the other guy next to you can beat you,โ said Foy, chef owner of midtownโs Danteโs Kitchen & Cocktails, formerly Danteโs Fire.
Foy has won around a dozen awards, including a couple Peopleโs Choice nods, for his restaurant, which got its new name last year to clear up misconceptions that its focus was barbecue and spicy food.
Marquez said the SAACA event has led to some innovative culinary fusion from blueberry and strawberry-infused salsas to tacos that played with brisket and Nashville Hot chicken.
But the biggest push toward creativity is taking place in the cocktail space.
โI think thatโs where weโve seen the most inventive things come out of,โ said Marquez, who was in on the initial planning for what became the Salsa, Tequila & Taco Challenge in 2011 with the late Tucson restaurant impresario Don Luria.
โTen years ago we were just talking about Patron and a handful of (tequilas) and now Westin La Paloma has 75 different tequila brands and bacanoras and sotols,โ she said. โSo that has continued to grow that space and so have how the chefs interpret and use those ingredients in such creative, inventive ways.โ
Chef/mixologist participants Sunday include The Roasted Chile, White Stallion Ranch, Barnyard Crafthouse, POPPED Artisan Popcorn, Tortilleria Arevalo, Humo Cocina Mexicana, Ameliaโs Mexican Kitchen, AtEaseCookz, Westbound and Tap & Bottle, GAP Ministries, La Chingada Cocina, Hot Flash Chile Products, Dirty T Tamarindo, Scratching the Plate, Tucson Chefs, St. Cruz Restaurant, Ole Cocktail Co., El Conquistador Tucson, Isa Bey, Ray Rayโs Sonoran Spirit Tea, Whiskey Del Bac, Saffron Indian Bistro, Lindyโs on 4th, Breakthru Beverages, Seis Kitchen, Cayman Jack, Garden Bistro at Tohono Chul Park, El Rustico, Borderland Spirits and VMC Cocktails.
The entertainment lineup includes Ballet Folklorico Los Mextucaz, Mariachi Innovacion and Luche Libre matches, with emcee Frank Powers.
Classical guitarist Eduardo Costa also will perform, and artists Brie Bourdeaux, Donovan White, Edwina Alarcon, Pen Macias and Victor Navarro will be painting live.
The 2025 event will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday at El Conquistador Tucson, A Hilton Resort, 10000 N. Oracle Road; VIP ticketholders can get in an hour earlier. Tickets, which cover tastes of the chefsโ food and cocktail creations, are $100, $135 for VIP, through saaca.org.
