Chocolate Karma in Tucson

I’ll travel anywhere for chocolate,

but I can hardly wait to get back to Tucson.

By Madelyn Miller

I have chocolate karma. (Sorry, that is not a dessert.) Chocolate things just seem to come to me, and chocolate experiences call to me.

On a recent trip to Tucson, I stopped into the Tucson Art Museum. There was only time to dash into the gift shop where I saw some wonderful jewelry and was drooling over it (I like jewelry almost as much as chocolate). I read the bio and discovered the artist; Donna Nordin was also a chef. A chocolate chef.  I read that she had been chosen a James Beard chef and her chocolate mousse pie had been on the cover of Bon Appetit. Wow, I thought, I would really like to meet her.

Three hours later, I was in her home eating dinner, having the famous chocolate pie for a most memorable dessert.

How did this chocolate miracle happen?

Well, Donna is part of the first family of food in Tucson. Her husband Don Luria is surely the Don of the foodies in town. He is on the board of everything and in fact, started many of the boards.  Don and Donna own a popular restaurant, Terra Cotta, that was temporarily closed because of a fire. So they invited the group of journalists I was traveling with into their home for dinner.

It was one of those lucky moments when I knew that travel and food writing is the perfect career for me.

But I’ve had other great chocolate experience in Tucson.

The restaurant serves a dual purpose­: to raise money for this worthy cause and to make sure that guests come back frequently, if only to get a bite of the chocolate mousse pie. Other must-try items are the prickly pear lemonade (and if you take a tour you will learn why it is good for your cholesterol) and the terrific salads.

This is the most educational restaurant I have ever visited. Many people are familiar with the sweet, red fruits of the saguaro—but few have you tasted the carob-like flavor of a ripe mesquite pod or put a zing in their mouths by biting into the “mother of chiles” (chiltepin) or held the “drugstore of the desert” (creosote) and inhaled its distinctive aroma. “Taste of the Desert” classes are offered at Tohono Chul Park (3 hours for $30). To sign up call 520-742-6455 ext 228 or jofallas@tohonochulpark.org.

One of the most wonderful cooking classes I have ever experienced was at Tuscon’s Westward Look Resort (www.westwardlook.com). Chef Chris Pedersen takes so much pride in his organic garden, that he starts the class there. After a garden walk followed by a three-course class, you get to taste the wonderful flavors of the garden and take home the recipes. (insert pictures of chef and garden)

Chef Pedersen introduced his pastry chef Rohan Wirasina and my class learned to make the Tres Leche Chocolate Torte with Guajillo Chili Hibiscus Chocolate Filling.  (insert picture of chef with dessert)

Honestly, I know I will never make this dessert at home. I do not grow hibiscus. I do not have any guajillo chili. But I will come back to Tucson just to eat more of Chef  Chris Pedersen's wonderful food and Rohan's chocolate wonders

I will travel almost anywhere for chocolate. But I can hardly wait to get back to Tucson.

For more information on Tucson www.visitTucson.org.

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