Saguaro Land is a series from The Show looking at the Sonoran Desert — the lushest, hottest desert in the world that happens to be our home.
How is dessert done in the desert — specifically, the Sonoran Desert? The woman who made Chris Bianco's wedding cake, chef Tracy Dempsey, knows all about that.
Dempsey didn’t grow up in the desert — she spent her childhood all over the place — but she and husband Chuck, a meteorologist, have lived here for decades. She graduated from culinary school here in 1999, and she’s left her mark on the dessert menus of some of the best Valley restaurants.
She got her start as pastry chef at the original Mountain Shadows and Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn, two places deeply grounded — literally and figuratively — in the Sonoran Desert. She went on to work with Bernie Kantak at Cowboy Ciao, and now she freelances — and has made desserts for high-end locals from Citizen Public House to FnB.
The Show spoke with her about her culinary craft in the desert.
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The Show's Amy Silverman reflects on the Saguaro Land series, and the plight of the iconic Sonoran Desert cactus that is its namesake. -
The Show is exploring the desert season by season in the series Saguaro Land — through music, art, literature, food, drink, flora and fauna — and now through design. -
Journalist Caroline Tracey has watched as Instagram and other platforms have turned a spotlight on the desert in ways she finds both refreshing — and troubling. She spoke to The Show more about the trend and what it means. -
In The Show's newest installment of Saguaro Land, we learned about using the desert to make music from Kyle Bert, who has been turning agave stalk into didgeridoos for 25 years. -
Tempe artist Safwat Saleem used baking as a metaphor for describing how he and his young daughter are learning to thrive in the Sonoran Desert.
