TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — For today's bite, the decades-old Barrio Viejo neighborhood serves as the backdrop for a first-of-its kind food festival.
Downtown spots of all stripes are joining in the inaugural Tucson Vegan Restaurant Week, an event put together by culinary groups Tucson Foodie and Death Free Foodie.
KGUN9 stepped inside the Coronet on Cushing to taste a medley of flavors we'd never tried together, one tasting plate after another.
When she first took the keys 10 years ago, Coronet owner Sally Kane said she had a vision for the food she'd make. "(It's) food you make for people when you have 4-5 hours and you love them," she said.
Kane moved Coronet's restaurant, café and Nightjar bar into the rustic adobe home-turned-bar-and-grill in 2020. Now, Kane and her self-described team of caretakers are imbuing their dishes with their own experiences all while celebrating one stand-out ingredient on each plate.
"It could be a carrot or a parsnip, a lamb or steak," Kane said. "There's a star of the plate, and the star is asking us to do something with it."
Kane elaborated on a conversation about appealing to omnivores—people who eat both meat and veggies. She said all the dishes on Coronet's special tasting menu are meant to be vegan and appetizing.
"None of these dishes suffer because they're vegan, as opposed to vegetarian," she said. "Everything's composed and created the way it should be."
Executive chef Tanner Fleming says part of that success is thanks to his strong collaborations with his kitchen team. "I'm an omnivore," Fleming said. "We have a vegan chef that works here and we collaborate together to create things that I would want to eat."
We walked through five unique courses: The first star was a tofu mosaic over crispy rice which gave that meaty, savory feeling.
Next, a glazed parsnip paired with radishes, apples, pistachios, and a salty nuttiness from tempeh.
No. 3 was an unexpected standout: local mushrooms, beets, hazelnuts and a white Oaxacan mole Fleming said he'd tried on his travels to Mexico.
"It was something I brought back with me and wanted to create my own version, so I spent about two months, lots of (research and development)," he said.
No. 4 — Fleming said he feels cabbage can be under-appreciated, so he roasted it on top of tepary beans and an African harissa aioli.
Last but not least is the sweet tooth's favorite course: a poached pear drenched in hibiscus (in Spanish, jamaica), rosemary, and paired with a vanilla coconut cream.
"The main thing about jamaica is that it's that beautiful pink color. It's very obvious to poach a pear in it, at least to myself and my team.
Coronet's doing another unique project for Vegan Tucson Restaurant Week. Kane said the Coronet Café, feet away from the restaurant across the courtyard, will also celebrate vegan options that people can try casually as they come and sit for lunch.
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José Zozaya is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. Before arriving in southern Arizona, José worked in Omaha, Nebraska where he covered issues ranging from local, state and federal elections, to toxic chemical spills, and community programs impacting immigrant families. Share your story ideas and important issues with José by emailing jose.zozaya@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
