TUCSON, AZ - Savor the tantalizing cooking secrets of award-winning Executive Chef Jason Jonilonis at his “Four-Star Culinary Showcase” on the last Saturday of every month at Westward Look Resort.
Both gardeners and home chefs will enjoy this delectable weekend that includes a tour of the Chef`s Garden, followed by a cooking demonstration and lunch with the Chef on the Gold Room terrace overlooking the city, plus suite-sized accommodations at this historic resort in the Santa Catalina foothills.
Chef Jason`s award-winning culinary artistry is an inspired fusion of Southwestern and European culinary styles, accented with fresh chiles, herbs and other regional ingredients from the Chef`s Garden.
From Chef Jason`s Southern California roots comes a passion for the freshest seafood, often served with Pacific Rim overtones. From the deserts and canyons of the Southwest come the Native American and Sonoran influences of chiles, pinon, mesquite, prickly pear, sage, tequila and chocolate. Along his culinary career path, Chef Jason has cooked with world-class chefs, gathered native plants with botanists, baked pike bread with Native Americans and roamed the mountains in search of wild forest mushrooms.
He`s participated four times in the illustrious Masters of Food and Wine in Carmel and was selected for the James Beard Foundation`s “Best Hotel Chefs in America” program. He also was named the American Culinary Federation`s “Arizona Rising Star Chef of the Year.” The Gold Room at Westward Look Resort holds Mobil Travel Guide`s Four-Star Award, AAA`s Four-Diamond Award and Wine Spectator`s Award of Excellence.
Chef Jason and his staff regularly harvest fresh foods throughout the resort`s 80-acre oasis - gathering mesquite beans and prickly pear pads, pomegranates and pistachio nuts, plus the bounty of the quarter-acre organic Chef`s Garden. There are more than 20 species of fruit trees on the grounds, along with specialty gardens featuring herbs, medicinal plants and edible flowers.
The Culinary Package for Two includes suite-sized accommodations, the garden tour, chef`s demonstration and lunch for two at the resort. Prices range seasonally. The Culinary Deluxe Package adds dinner for two in the Mobil Four-Star Gold Room. For package reservations and details, call 800 722-2500 or 520-297-1151 or email: [email protected].
Local residents are also welcome to attend the Culinary Showcase “ala carte” for $28 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
Westward Look is Arizona`s most authentic resort experience. Since 1912, this historic homestead has enchanted visitors with the simple pleasures of Southwestern hospitality. The resort features two nature trails with interpretive displays, a desert gallery, a Wellness Center with native botanical spa treatments, a fitness center, distinctive meeting facilities and 244 suite-sized guest accommodations. On-site activities include horseback riding, birding, tennis, swimming, hiking and biking, plus golf nearby. The resort is located on 80 acres of lush Sonoran desert, seven miles east of Interstate 10 at 245 E. Ina Road
Westward Look Resort combines historic charm with the contemporary comforts expected of a resort featured in the 2002 edition of Resorts and Great Hotels, the connoisseur`s guide to the world`s best. Westward Look was voted the number one resort around Arizona by Arizona Business Magazine.
Westward Look Resort is managed by Coastal Hotel Group, a full-service hotel management company that operates luxury resorts, intimate inns and upscale business properties across America. For more information, contact Coastal Hotel Group, 211 E. Ontario, Suite 400, Chicago IL 60611, 312-988-9888. View Coastal`s 25 unique properties at www.coastalhotel.com.
——-