Alejandro Restaurant wins Taste of Marana STANDOUT Award
Local owner pays tribute to his family through the menu
Marana, Arizona - Discover Marana proudly announces the winner of the first Taste of Marana STANDOUT Restaurant Award for 2024: Alejandro, “Serious Mexican, Mariscos, & Fusion Food” in Southern Marana.
The STANDOUT award recognizes nominated local restaurants that offer exceptional food, service, and community involvement. The nomination highlighted the restaurant's outstanding food, service and welcoming atmosphere as key reasons for this honor.
The restaurant’s full name, Alejandro, “Serious Mexican, Mariscos, & Fusion Food,” reflects its diverse menu, featuring dishes ranging from seafood to enchiladas and tacos. Many menu items are named after family members as a way to celebrate life.
Owner Alejandro Diaz opened the restaurant in the Fry's Shopping center at Cortaro and Silverbell in July of 2022 to honor his brother Gilbert and two cousins, all of whom unfortunately passed away just months apart.
The family turned tragedy into inspiration, founding the restaurant to honor their loved ones.
Diaz says, "This recognition is a testament to the hard work and passion of our entire team, who strive to bring the best dishes to our guests every day. I’m so thankful for the support of my family and community"
The Taste of Marana STANDOUT award presentation took place at Diaz’s restaurant on Tuesday, May 7th, during a special lunch for the Marana Chamber of Commerce’s IMPACT Marana class. This group of 25 local professionals has spent the past several months immersing themselves in all things Marana.
Amanda Wiggins, President and CEO of the Marana Chamber of Commerce says the restaurant is a great example of the small businesses fueling our economy. “We exist to support local business and create a thriving community through connected business leadership. Nearly two years ago, our Chamber was excited to welcome Alejandro, his family as a new business in Marana and our Chamber. Since then, Alejandro’s has been a great partner to the business community through hosting Chamber events, catering business meetings and personally, my family enjoys their taco boxes to go!”
High resolution photos are available at this link.
About the Taste of Marana Standout Restaurant Award
The Taste of Marana STANDOUT Restaurant Award is part of Discover Marana’s initiative to promote the local dining scene and showcase the stories behind the restaurants. A strong dining scene is an important part of tourism and a thriving community, especially in light of the challenges that restaurateurs have faced in the last several years due to labor shortages, supply chain issues, and inflation.
Discover Marana invites the public to nominate their favorite local restaurants for the next award. The nomination form can be found on Discover Marana’s website.
Discover Marana hopes to honor up to 10 local restaurant owners who stand out in their field. The first STANDOUT award winner was Nana’s Kitchen back in August of 2023 and Vero Amore - Dove Mountain in November 2023. Both restaurants have been in the community for 15 years!
The trophy awarded to the winners is an individual art piece by local artist Trevor O’Toole.
About the Town of Marana Restaurant Task Force
The Marana Restaurant Task Force for the Town of Marana is a coordinated effort to bring sit-down restaurants to our community for the benefit of our residents, our economy and tourism. Read more about how we’re working to attract more dining options to the community here.
About Discover Marana
Discover Marana the official destination marketing organization for the town of Marana, Arizona.
For more information about Discover Marana and its programs, visit DiscoverMarana.org
Contact:
Stefanie Boe, Discover Marana
sboe@Maranaaz.gov
520-279-4564 (text friendly)