Visit Tucson using national campaign to attract people to Tucson’s Mexican food

CATALINA FOOTHILLS, Ariz. (KGUN) — The sounds of spatulas slapping against the grill top filled the air, as the kitchen staff at Amelia's Mexican Kitchen cooked up their specialty birria.

Jose Contreras, the owner of the restaurant, said the recipes have a family connection.

“It’s a legacy that we have from my grandma, Amelia’s, with the recipes,” Contreras said.

Recently Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen was recognized by the New York Times, which Contreras said was an honor. It was an opportunity for him to reach communities outside of Tucson.

“We are very excited to see new people from New York,” he said.

In cities like New York, Phoenix, Chicago, and Los Angeles, Visit Tucson said they’re using a social media campaign to promote America’s Best Mexican Food.

“They’re going to know more about our culture, our food,” Contreras said.

All throughout the city, Visit Tucson said they’ve put up 36 signs saying ‘Home of America’s Best Mexican Food’. One of them is near Grant and Craycroft. They said they’ve also added more than 170 restaurants to their website.

“We have a very good restaurants in Tucson and the gastronomy is growing a lot,” Contreras said.

Visit Tucson said they also launched a long-form video series and app to incentivize visitors to go to their partner restaurants.

“Their notoriety, that is worthy of a place with such culture and depth…I think it’s a great way to just get the word out,” the owner of El Cisne in the Foothills, George Ferranti, said.

Ferranti said Visit Tucson’s signs are a good way of attracting visitors and snowbirds.

“It’s a great place to have really good slow food, high-quality ingredients,” Ferranti said.

He said those types of ingredients are a good way of introducing people to our region, from Nogales all the way to Oaxaca, Mexico.

“It’s not just a slogan or wanna-be…it’s been established and known here,” he said.