Enter the Centennial Taste of Arizona

Do you like to dabble in the kitchen?  Do you have a crowd-pleasing dish that you think is a blue ribbon winner?  If you are inspired by the spices, desert plants and flavors of the Southwest then submit your recipe for the Arizona Centennial Menu sponsored by the famous Stockyards restaurant.

Arizona became the 48th state to join the union on February 14, 1912.  Leading up to Arizona’s 100th birthday in 2012, The Stockyards is asking citizens from across Arizona to help create the official Centennial Menu as a lasting legacy for future generations. Recipes could be from your favorite Arizona restaurant or from your grandmother’s kitchen. The final menu selections will be determined by the Centennial Commission and featured as a special prix fixe menu at the Stockyards beginning February 14, 2011.

In 1947, The Stockyards Restaurant officially opened and quickly became a favorite gathering place for locals gaining popularity as Arizona’s Original Steakhouse.  E.A. Tovrea, the original owner, was one of 52 delegates that attended the Arizona Constitutional Convention in 1910.  In 2004, a visionary team painstakingly restored and revitalized the restaurant, which was recently added to the City of Phoenix Historical Register

Arizona history is rich in legends of many cultures including Spanish, Mexican, Native American and the original pioneers of the America’s Old West. Founded by a Spanish Franciscan friar in 1539, it was here that the great Indian chiefs Geronimo and Cochise led their people against the frontiersmen.  In 1775 the Spanish established Fort Tucson and the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone is still reenacted for onlookers today.  It is because of these many cultures and historic events that our culinary roots run deep.  If you think you have a tasty dish that represents our vast history, then submit your recipe here for the Arizona Centennial Menu.

Good luck and Bon Appetit!

Photo courtesy of Tonto Bar & Grill