Some of Tucson’s most celebrated chefs, including a 2026 James Beard Award semifinalist, a two-time Tucson Iron Chef and chef ambassadors with the Tucson City of Gastronomy, will turn to the desert as their pantry for the second annual Desert Magic at Tohono Chul Park on Aug. 29.
The event, presented by Tucson Foodie, connects the dots between wellness and food.
On the food side, Tucson chefs Christian Padilla, David Marks, David Solorzano, Devon Sanner, Gracie Soto, Jackson Dennis, José Contreras, Ken Foy, Obie Hindman and Pablo Valencia will each prepare 3- to 4-ounce tasting plates crafted from sustainable local and desert ingredients that could include chiltepin, mesquite, prickly pear and native corn.
Chef Ryan Clark last year used native figs in one of his dishes for the inaugural Desert Magic at Tohono Chul.
For the inaugural 2025 event, dishes included Ryan Clark’s brown butter figs, mesquite crumble and honey gelato; and David Solorzano’s Mechudo bean soup with Pima corn and bacanora-chiltepin vinaigrette. Other dishes incorporated goat cheese and saguaro fruit vinegar, tepary beans, masa crackers, a white tepary bean hummus, smoked brisket sliders and a steak basted in Whiskey Del Bac.
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Nearly a dozen Tucson chefs will prepare dishes using sustainable local ingredients from the Sonoran Desert for the second annual Desert Magic event on Aug. 29.
On the wellness side, nearly two dozen practitioners will be stationed throughout the gardens offering everything from acupuncture, sound healing, reflexology and breathwork to herbal cleansing, clairvoyant readings, cacao ceremony, evolutionary astrology and aura photography.
The Tucson Modern Jazz Quartet will provide ambient music throughout the evening, and DJs Rosa Dragona and LaDev will be on hand, as well.
Because the gardens have limited space, the evening has been divided into tiers, from the early bird (sold out) to general admission ($68) and last call ($75 with slots opening up Saturday, Aug. 22). Tickets are available through tohonochul.org, and the price includes all food plates, wellness experiences and a welcome drink.
Desert Magic is from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, at Tohono Chul Gardens, 7366 N. Paseo Del Norte off West Ina Road.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com. On Bluesky @Starburch
Cathalena E. Burch
Reporter
