PORTFOLIO HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
THE EMPEROR OF SONORAN CUISINE Photo by Jason
Benjamín Galaz created what some say is the best Mexican Sonoran food in Arizona, but the culinary master is now helping entrepreneurs be the best they can be IN THE EARLY 1990S, Benjamín Galaz and his wife, helped perfect what is starting to become one of America’s next favorite fast foods: the Sonoran Hot Dog. “It’s not just your ordinary hot dog with a little bit of ketchup and mustard. This is a whole new experience,” said Maribel Álvarez, an anthropology professor at the University of Arizona and co-founder of Sabores Sin Fronteras. “With the first bite you take, you know you’re biting into something pretty unique and incredibly tasty.” Wrapped in bacon and grilled till crusty, the Sonoran Hot Dog comes with freshly baked Mexican bread, grilled onion, mayonnaise, mustard and a chile güero. It’s irresistible, fans say. Galaz, who expanded his business from a hot dog cart to several BK Carne Asada and Hot Dogs restaurants, now offers foodies culinary heaven in Tucson by serving some legit vaquero chow like steaks cooked with real mesquite firewood that are a real feast to discernible palates. But now, Galaz is on a mission to turn South 12th Avenue, Tucson’s most Latino district, into one of the Southwest’s most well-known cultural corridors. For that he has enlisted the help of the community and local leaders, aiding resident businesspeople succeed in their ventures. Some years ago, he understood that he had to go beyond his needs, and share his success with other local business owners who were sweating to make ends meet. He also noticed that there were many new merchants who desperately needed help. His soul-searching led him to realize that though for decades he had been living and doing business in Tucson (Galaz is born in Tucson but was raised in Sonora, Mexico), he really never felt part of South 12th Avenue, partly because of cultural differences in how to run a business. A couple of years ago it dawned on him that Tucson was his real home. “We have to be less selfish. We have to stop thinking only about our own business,” he says. In the meantime, Galaz is getting ready to unveil his new creation come October: a new restaurant that will fuse real Mexican seafood. Foodies are starting to line up. 14 • September 2015
Kindig
BENJAMÍN GALAZ
OWNER OF BK CARNE ASADA & HOT DOGS, AT ONE OF HIS RESTAURANTS IN TUCSON, ARIZONA.