Prevue July-August 2018 - 46

Left: Indigenous cuisine at Indian Pueblo
Cultural Center, Albuquerque (photo
credit: Indian Pueblo Cultural Center/
Marcia Keegan); Below: Flavors of the
Sonoran Desert at Downtown Tucson's
Charro Steak (photo credit: Visit Tucson)

"Pre-contact" menus are a popular culinary trend in
Albuquerque, and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
has an entire menu dedicated to them.
adjacent Civic Plaza. Investments of
more than $300 million are reshaping the
city's skyline, with most of its revitalization
centered on its urban core.
"It's a destination where the
experiences are truly unique and hard
to replicate anywhere else," says Kristin
McGrath, VP of convention sales,
services & sports at Visit Albuquerque.
"The opportunity to attend a meeting in
an authentic destination that provides
immersive, interactive experiences and a
world-renowned culinary scene provides
truly memorable events for attendees."
"Pre-contact" menus are a popular
culinary trend in Albuquerque, and
groups can visit Pueblo Harvest at the
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, which
showcases ingredients Native Americans
used before exposure to any outside
influences. The newly opened Three
Sisters Kitchen is another example,
and includes a discovery-based test
kitchen, community classroom and
local foods shop.
Groups can also book private events
at Gruet Winery, which has partnered

46 | prevuemeetings.com

with Santa Ana Pueblo to make the first
Native American-grown wine from pinot
noir grapes.

TUCSON
"Tucson makes for an incredible destination
for meetings and incentive travel for the
same reason that it's a great destination for
any visitor," says Graeme Hughes, VP of
sales at Visit Tucson." We have incredible

places to stay enveloped by the beauty
of the Sonoran Desert, an internationally
recognized culinary scene, and endless
outdoor adventure opportunities."
Tucson was named the first UNESCO
City of Gastronomy in the United States
a few years back, and a new food tour
highlighting its complex food heritage
launched this spring. The Presidio District
Experience is led by local ethnobotanist
Martha Burgess, who has deep knowledge
of indigenous ingredients taught to her by
Tohono O'odham elders. The tour begins
with tastings at the Presidio Museum, and
then visits three restaurants that showcase
the local cuisine and its fusions of Old and
New World ingredients.
"People have been continually growing
food here longer than anywhere in North
America and the ingredients from that
long history are showing up more often on
plates here," says Hughes. "Whether that's
a chiltepin cold brew coffee at EXO or the
flavors of local foraging that make it on to
the plates of resort chefs like Ryan Clark
(Casino del Sol) and Ken Harvey (Loews
Ventana Canyon). People here are serious
about celebrating the unique characteristics
of eating in the Sonoran Desert."
visitcos.com; denver.org;
visitphoenix.com; santafe.org;
visitalbuquerque.org; visittucson.org
http://www.visitcos.com http://www.denver.org http://www.visitphoenix.com http://www.santafe.org http://www.visitalbuquerque.org http://www.visittucson.org http://www.prevuemeetings.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue July-August 2018
