TCoG Takes the Next Steps

Jonathan Mabry, Ph.D. has been hired to be the first Executive Director of Tucson City of Gastronomy, and the board has elected new officers. The non-profit took these steps to build upon its progress in developing programs, conducting outreach, and exchanging best practices with other members of the Creative Cities Network.

Archaeological digs led by Jonathan documented Tucson’s continuous habitation and agriculture extending back more than 4,000 years, and he was co-author with Gary Nabhan and others on the application that obtained designation of Tucson as the first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in the U.S. in 2015. In previous positions he was a Senior Project Director at Desert Archaeology Inc., Historic Preservation Officer and City Archaeologist for the City of Tucson, Director of Community Engagement for the UA College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and co-founder and President of Tucson City of Gastronomy.

The new board officers, all original board members, will work with Jonathan to maximize the designation's potential for increasing recognition of our rich agricultural and food heritage, promoting Tucson as a distinctive culinary destination and model for food system innovations, supporting local food producers, increasing awareness of the issue of food injustice, and galvanizing creativity around our food assets. The new officers are Janos Wilder of DOWNTOWN Kitchen + Cocktails and The Carriage House (President), Felipe Garcia of Visit Tucson (Vice President), Catherine Strickland of the Pima County Office of Attractions and Tourism (Vice President), and Nick Henry of the Community Investment Corporation (Secretary). The board is currently seeking candidates for the Treasurer position.