Tucson, AZ - The Executive Director of the nonprofit Tucson City of Gastronomy (TCOG), Jonathan Mabry, announced that he is thrilled to welcome Shane Reiser, Publisher of Tucson Foodie to the TCoG team. “As one of the top food influencers in our region, Shane is greatly responsible for growing Tucson Foodies footprint and creating ever-growing awareness of our city’s unique cuisine and gastronomic excellence recognized by our 2015 designation as the first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in the USA. There’s so much more to come, and we look forward to having Shane work with us to help our organization get to the next level in community impacts from the designation and our work.”



Shane, who became owner and “Head Foodie” of Tucson Foodie in 2022, has been an influential figure in the local food scene ever since. Under his leadership, Tucson Foodie now produces many signature and partner events, pop-up dinners, the Foodie Insider program, and so much more. Working to showcase the diversity and strength of Tucson’s culinary community, he is ideally positioned to be an asset to TCOG


“Thanks to the hard work of TCOG Director Jonathan Mabry and the volunteer board members, in many ways, we are leading the pack among other cities of gastronomy around the world,” said Reiser. “With our food scene being one of the major job creators and one of the top motivators driving visitors to Tucson, we can build on our accomplishments as we grow.  I am excited to join the board to join the Food Justice and Sustainability committee, something I am passionate about, and I look forward to helping to expand awareness on just how impactful TCOG is to our community.”


Since receiving the designation in 2015, TCOG has accomplished much over the past 9 years to put Tucson’s unique culinary heritage on the map.  It has produced a wealth of initiatives, including the annual Pueblos del Maiz Festival, which last year generated more than $1 million in economic impact.  They’ve also sent TCOG-certified Chef Ambassadors to UNESCO Cities of Gastronomy around the world, including Macao (CHI), Merida (MX), Parma (IT), Bergamo (IT), and San Antonio, TX (this week), and brought chefs to Tucson from Parma, Merida, and San Antonio. They have created restaurant and chef certification programs, food heritage education programs, Food Heroes awards, videos about different local food traditions, and more.  Additional information can be found at https://tucson.cityofgastronomy.org/ and https://tucsonfoodie.com/.

 

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