COCHISE COUNTY, Ariz. (KGUN) — Nine Cochise County restaurants are participating in Arizona Restaurant Week for the first time.
The local businesses that are participating are:
- Angry German (Sierra Vista)
- Big Tex Bar-B-Que (Willcox)
- Café Roka (Bisbee)
- Doc’s Watering Hole (Sierra Vista)
- J’s Kitchen (Sierra Vista)
- Landmark Café (Sierra Vista)
- La Unica Restaurant and Tortilleria (Willcox)
- Le Cornucopia Café (Bisbee)
- The Kitchen at Tirrito Farm (Willcox)
Victoria Holts and her husband opened their restaurant, Doc's Watering Hole, to share their passion for food and country music with Sierra Vista.
“I am a foodie. I love food,” she said. “Through his military career he [my husband] kept getting stationed here, and we just fell in love with Sierra Vista. And then once he retired we were looking for something to do, and so we decided to open Doc's.”
She said she is using this statewide initiative to showcase what they have to offer.
“A lot of people (know) that we’re a bar and we’re honky tonk and we have dancing but they don’t really know the food part of it," Holts said. "So we thought this was a great opportunity.”
Down the highway, in Bisbee, Le Cornucopia Cafe, hopes their history of good food draws in new customers. Co-owner Gretchen Bonaduche said the cafe has been open for 28 years — which is one of the reasons she purchased the cafe three years ago.
“I’m just hoping to gain extra exposure for the restaurant," she said. "We’re actually rated in the top 10% in the world for lunch. And so I want everyone to know about us.”
All of the participants had to create a special menu for the week that includes a drink, an appetizer, entrees and a dessert. Holts said the menu they created is all-new for the event and features two different pizza options.
“To be honest, I’m a little nervous," she said. "I want everything to be beautiful, to be perfect. My kitchen staff has been in the kitchen trying these recipes and I just want to make sure I deliver.”
Because of Le Cornucopia Cafe's success, Bonaduche decided to have a mixed menu.
“We have some new items and we also use some items that are quite popular on the menu as well,” she said.
Holt and Bonaduche may serve different foods, but they agree they are happy to participate in something that supports local businesses.
“It’s important the state of Arizona does things like this for the communities because there are so many wonderful restaurants and you might not know about them,” Bonaduche said.
Arizona Restaurant week started Friday, Sept. 8 and runs through Sunday, Sept. 17.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
