Arizona Illustrated

Tito and Pet: Cooking over wood has been a part of Tucson’s culinary history for thousands of years and it is at the center of the midtown bistro Tito and Pep. Head chef and owner John Martinez grew up cooking family meals, pig roasts and tamales with his grandmother in Tucson, which led him to pursue a career in the field. After several years in New York working for acclaimed chefs and opening restaurants around the world, Martinez returned to Tucson hoping to open a restaurant that reflected this city’s diverse cultural influences, Tito and Pep is the result. Compostmania: Cue music, a catchy dance, and overalls! Tank’s Green Stuff, a Tucsonian landscape composting company, has a loyal TikTok fanbase. Through their social channels they share composting fun facts, tips and gardening ideas with their followers. For food waste, the University of Arizona Compost Cats works to increase composting accessibility to community members. While they take different approaches, both companies have the same goal-- to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from landfills. Wearable Innovations: If you already think of your Fitbit or smartphone as an extension of your body, wait until these new devices hit the market. Philipp Gutruf, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Arizona, is at the forefront of designing the next generation of biomedical devices for monitoring users’ health. His lab has developed wireless 3-D printed, wearable devices that can seamlessly integrate with the shape of an individual’s body. Pandemic Pets: Anna Jo & Agnes: In this short series we spend time with people whose pandemic experience was challenging but made more bearable and fun because of their loving pets. In this story we meet Anna Jo, a hair stylist, who along with her puppy Agnes provided care and comfort for clients as they emerged from a long year of isolation.