Jackie Alpers interviewed in a Food & Wine Magazine culinary travel article on why Sonoran dogs are an important part of Tucson’s local food culture.
In 2024 Jackie Alpers was commissioned to cook, style and photograph over 65 step-by-step recipes for Taste of Home. Some of the recipes photographed for Taste of Home include: Vietnamese Chicken Salad Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Gorgonzola Spread Mini S’mores...
Jackie Alpers offers tips and advice for making the perfect burrito in article for Tasting Table. Read the article at Tasing Table: How to Add Guacamole to Your Burrito for Freshness in Every Bite. Screenshot
Your understanding about the origins of Chinese American food may be incorrect – mine certainly were. For example, I thought that most of the Chinese dishes that we consider to be American favorites were modified by Chinese chefs to fit American tastes and...
In this online cooking contest, Jackie Alpers was challenged to show Chefs Roll my best regionally-inspired dish incorporating Hellmann’s Mayonnaise or Best Foods Mayonnaise that I love to enjoy all summer long and I chose my Elote Hot Dogs.      View this post...
My image illustrating the “Kringle 3000 Hot Dog” recipe from my Unofficial Elf Cookbook has been selected for inclusion in the American Photography 41 book!!
These loaded hot dogs were inspired by Santa’s sleigh, powered by the mighty Kringle 3000 engine, that Santa relies on for his epic trek across the globe in the movie “Elf”.
Thank you to the staff and judges at AP-AI, and to the amazing team at Media Lab Books who trusted me to write and photograph The Unofficial Elf Cookbook.
Jackie Alpers inducted into the Taste Hall of Fame for her achievement in food photography. She is a recipient of the 16th 15th & 13th annual Taste Photography Awards from the Academy of Media Tastemakers, “The Oscars of Food Media”
“Food photography has been taken to new levels by Jackie Alpers. Using a natural light studio, she creates her meals and photographs the food after. Taking photos of food is more than just a passion for her. She loves eating just as much! Check out her cookbook on the Taste of Tucson, which has won multiple awards!”
Two images from Taste of Tucson have been chosen for American Photography 37. Having one of my first food photographs selected for American Photography 23 gave me the confidence to continue pursuing a career as a food photographer way back when, and this award...
Two images from my cookbook Taste of Tucson have been nominated in the food photography category of the International Color Awards, the leading international award honoring excellence in color photography.
“…its collection of recipes from some of southern Arizona’s favorite spots offers the chance to make the home kitchen a creative place.” Steve Goldstein, host of The Show on NPR
Tast of Tucson is a Reading the West Awards Finalist in the Eating the West cookbook category. The Reading the West Book Awards are sponsored and promoted by the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association. The awards honor the best fiction,...
“A love letter to Tucson and Sonoran food, food photographer Jackie Alpers takes us not only through southern Arizona cuisine, but also to her favorite spots in the Old Pueblo. The book also notes the culinary influence of the Tohono O’odham people on Tucson.
Sonoran-Style Recipes Inspired by the Rich Culture of Southern Arizona (West Margin Press, 2020) by Jackie Alpers, shows off the long food history of the Tucson region and the desert transplant’s love of all foods Sonoran. The book begins with a brief history of...
Spice up your breakfast with “Taste of Tucson.” Watch me make one of my favorite Sonoran style breakfasts from my Taste of Tucson cookbook live on the nationally syndicated NBC Tampa morning show, Daytime. Click on the image to watch the full...
On 15 December 2015, Tucson, Arizona, became the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy designated in the United States, joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). The Tucson City of Gastronomy (TCoG) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with a board of directors...
“Molletes are just these beautiful, open-faced Mexican sandwiches with slathered on ingredients on a roll with hot sauce on top and a fried egg,” Stevens says. “The recipe comes from Jackie Alpers’ new cookbook, Taste of Tucson. It was exciting to put something out there and showcase some of the work that writers like Jackie are doing during the pandemic.” – Ashlie Stevens for Forbes.com.
“A vegetarian taco recipe from Jackie Alpers, author of the Taste of Tucson cookbooks is featured on CNN. There are some great ideas for incorporating more #vegetarian meals to your life.” Thank you to the fabulous writer and editor, @misstanyae for...
“Now more than ever, cookbooks are a way to experience regional cuisines from the comfort of home,” said Alpers. “People are doing a lot of armchair traveling these days and cookbooks are a big part of that. People can read up, then get up and into the kitchen, no...
It has been an extremely challenging and emotionally charged time to release a cookbook, so I can’t stress enough how much it means to me that EatYourBooks circled around and gave Taste of Tucson some love.
Taste of Tucson news and press. Taste of Tucson: Sonoran Style Recipes Inspired by the Rich Culture of Southern Arizona by Jackie Alpers is featured in the article Five Arizona Cookbooks you should know. Link to full article included.
“We talk about Jackie’s belief that writing and photographing a cookbook is an inclusive process, along with her experiences as a full-time food photographer, and her ultimate desire to write her own cookbooks, which culminated in two books, one called Sprinkles: Recipes and Ideas for Rainbowlicious Desserts which explores the science of sprinkles (Sprinkology!), shares crafty methods for sprinkling, and offers a comprehensive guide to identifying and cooking with them and her most recent book published in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic – Taste of Tucson.”
I loved chatting with Andi Berlin about Taste of Tucson: Sonoran-Style Recipes for this wonderful article in the Arizona Daily Star. She included the recipe for menudo that Teresa’s Mosaic Cafe graciously gave me to include in the book. Read the full article.
Listen to Jackie Alpers author of the Taste of Tucson cookbook, on the Radio for an Interview on Wake Up, Tucson! with Chris DeSimone. Recorded March 19, 2020.
Taste of Tucson has been published! The recipes are inspired by the ever-evolving Sonoran style regional cuisine that my home in Southern Arizona is famous for.
My updated Food Network guide to what and where to eat in Phoenix. Go beyond the cowboy steaks and traditional Mexican fare that are often associated with Phoenix and celebrate the city with these dishes inspired by international cuisines, as well as local trends and...
by Jackie Alpers for the Food Network Your guacamole will need to find a new bowl this year. Our twist on the traditional savory snack stadium shines the spotlight on dessert. I built this over-the-top snack stadium made with all kinds of sweets. Read all about it at...
Tucson, Arizona America’s best food cities for travelers on a budget It may not have made front-page news in America’s biggest cities, but Tucson is a big deal in food circles. It was the first city in the United States to be named a Capital of...
by Jackie Alpers for the Food Network The only real bagel in Arizona is in Scottsdale at the New Wave Market. The smoked salmon everything bagel is a FoodNetwork.com Cheap Eats. Food photography and compilation by Jackie Alpers I found, photographed and wrote about...
I came up with something rainbow sparkly to inspire kids to want to cook. In this homemade rainbow lollipop project I encourage kids to be creative and to made their own color and flavor choices. They also get to smash candy with hammers, which is a lot of fun. The...
Four years later, and the Sprinkles revolution is still going strong! The Food Network asked me to make a how-to video for the Rainbow Layer Cake, one of the most popular recipes from my book, Sprinkles!: Recipes and Ideas for Rainbowlicious Desserts. Watch the video...
When is a bear not just a bear? When it’s also an eclair. An eclair bear that is! Here’s another one of my fun projects for kids that I’ve been working on with the Food Network. Start with this eclair recipe, then build your bears from there. I show...
I’ve written and photographed a guide on what to eat in Arizona for the Food Network. “Grub in the Grand Canyon State: The Best Things to Eat in Arizona,” features 29 of the the most iconic dishes across the state.  Though Arizona is geographically and...
I know that a lot of people are concerned with food waste. Here is one little way in which you can reduce it. Save your dough scraps and turn them into one of the recipes that I developed (and photographed ) for my latest article for Food Network, which is...
Tucson Lifestyle’s Home & Garden Magazine asked me to develop and photograph recipes featuring corn, beans and squash (AKA The Three Sisters), which are companion plants and staples of Sonoran cuisine.You can check out the full article online starting on...
I have written and photographed my first feature article for Edible Baja Arizona Magazine that includes a bunch of my super easy summer recipes inspired by Sonoran food classics, including these baked Carne Asada Tostadas with guacamole and pickled red onions....
It’s getting hot out there folks! Get my super easy summertime frozen fruit recipes and see my latest food photographs for Refinery29, including the World’s Easiest One Ingredient Frozen Watermelon Pops. This recipe is also featured on Good Morning...
My latest article for Food Network was sponsored by the folks at Lipton Tea, who asked me to come up with some new ways to flavor ice tea. Bold flavors and unique flavor combinations are the new wave of iced teas creations this summer. Here’s how to dress up...
Learn how to eat a cactus. Kathy Gunst was on NPR’s Here & Now on May 19th talking about prickly pear cactus and my recipe for Nopalitos Salad. Listen to the broadcast on the Here & Now website, and get the recipe.
 Several of my photographs are included in, “Great American Eating Experiences: Local Specialties, Favorite Restaurants, Food Festivals, Diners, Roadside Stands, and More is a guide to favorite local food across the U.S.”, a new book from National...
I talked with the fine folks at Natural Awakenings Magazine about food photography, creativity in the kitchen, and healthy eating – Sonoran style. Read all about it here: http://www.naturaltucson.com/TUCS/March-2016/Jackies-Happy-Plate
Nothing says, “It’s party time” like beverages with fancy looking decorated rims! Dip, dunk and swirl your way to a festive holiday celebration with my 10 ideas for decking out your glassware for the holidays. The melting hard candy drink rim pictured uses the...
Refinery29 asked me to develop and photograph 10 recipes for comfort foods made with just two ingredients. Pictured above are crispy little appetizers made with only Parmesan cheese and pepperoni. You can see the rest here. My two-ingredient beer and cheddar dip...
My marvelous microwave mug meals in mere minutes. For Refinery29. Pictured above is my photo of a bacon cheeseburger made in a mug in less than 5 minutes! It’s a miracle! Easy microwave chicken pot pie you can make in a mug in minutes.
by Jackie Alpers for Taste To help us carbo-load for the long trek through the neighborhood every Halloween, my mother would prepare her standard pre-trick-or-treating meal of Kraft’s boxed spaghetti dinner. We loved it. These days, I’ve upgraded the tradition with a...
This non-alcoholic version of sangria incorporates grilled fruit for a smoky/spicy summer quencher. The contrast of the grill marks on the colorful fruit make for a stunning visual display, so be sure to serve this in a large glass pitchers or several smaller glass...
Sprinkles elevate an everyday dessert like this simple chocolate mousse into something special. Glittery red cinnamon sugar and vanilla mini marshmallow bits add a kick of flavor, while the subtle color of these pretty blue jimmies comes from natural dyes. So sprinkle...
Store bought pound-cake was a weeknight dessert staple when I was growing up, and it’s still got a strong presence in the grocery store’s freezer section. What I like best about it is that it’s sturdy, but not too sweet, making it a good base for creative elaboration....
by Jackie Alpers for Refinery29 S’more of my multiple microwave mug meals, manageable in mere minutes! Mug Desserts at Refinery29 Mug Breakfasts at Refinery 29 Funfetti Microwave Mug Cake Recipe at The Kitchn
Are you standing in the middle of a convent store in the middle of the night, or are you perhaps gazing at the leftover remnants of a box of Krispy Creams from your latest work-related breakfast meeting and wondering to yourself, “What else can I do with these donuts...
by Jackie Alpers for The Kitchn “The most creative and inventive snacks are the result of mastering the art of improv” – me quoting me! Read the article I wrote for The Kitchn. The improv snack pictured is a bagel sundae topped with hot fudge,...
12 Unexpected Ways To Top Hot Dogs | By Jackie Alpers for Food Network.com Summer party spreads like picnics and pot lucks are an excellent opportunity to put your creative snacking skills to use and experiment with inventing new and exciting hot dog combinations, or...
I am thrilled to be a part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s ‪#‎GimmeFive‬ challenge to explore healthy living and lifestyle choices. Refinery29 asked me to create 5 easy avocado recipes with 5 ingredients each. Here they...
Celebrate Spring with one of my creative pizza ideas, or use them as inspiration for your own unique pie. Read more at the FoodNetwork.com. The pizza above is a chocolate and blueberry breakfast or dessert pizza with lemon mascarpone, sage and edible flowers. Below is...
There’s a Peeps extravaganza going on over at the Food Network just in time for Easter. I came up with 8 party ready ideas featuring everyone’s favorite sugar coated marshmallow candy. The Peeps Bunny King cake is shown above. Below...
Listen to me talk about food photography and my cookbook, Sprinkles! Recipes and Ideas for Rainbowlicious Desserts on NPR! I also make this Lucky Charms Cereal Cake on-air to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Here’s the link to the audio and the recipe.
How to make candy strawberries out of Red Hots, and 10 other treats to make with the cinnamon candy for Valentine’s Day, or any time you’re in the mood to spice things up a bit. My latest article and food photography for the Food Network.
Super easy, family friendly, roasted baby carrots for the Food Network. One of my 14 Tasty Ways to Use Up a Bag of Baby Carrots. Get the recipe and read the rest here.
In my latest article for Random House’s Taste Cooking I share recipes for my favorite Mexican street snacks, including TostiNachos and these Walking Tacos made with Tapatio Doritos. They’re perfect for the Super Bowl, a day when it is perfectly acceptable...
Go beyond the cowboy steaks and traditional Mexican fare – here are my 11 must try restaurant dishes that showcase the best food in Phoenix, Arizona, written and photographed for the Food Network. Pictured is the Stetson salad made famous by Cowboy Ciao chef Bernie...
The July, 2014 issue of Tucson Lifestyle Home & Garden Magazine features my photo of a sprinkles dipped ice cream cone. Recipes and photos from my book, Sprinkles!: Recipes and Ideas for Rainbowlicious Desserts are featured inside. I am happy to announce...
I talked with the San Jose Mercury News about how to build a better birthday cake. http://www.mercurynews.com/food-wine/ci_24989149/build-better-birthday-cake I also did an interview for Bakepedia, written by Lauren Chattman. Here’s the link to the whole Q...
I’m thrilled to be a contributing author and photographer to the Food Network’s website. Heres’s a link to my latest articles and my latest photographs of recipes from Food Network Chefs are featured on my Food Photography Pinterest board. Here are a...
Sprinkles!: Recipes and Ideas for Rainbowlicious Desserts is a fun and kind of weirdly wonderful, whimsical book, and I believe it’s the first cookbook dedicated entirely to the appreciation and understanding of sprinkles.  I hope you all love it!
My photo of this woman in a white dress holding a glass of white wine is featured in the international publication Foodprint 2013, annual of gastronomy.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time sitting in bars, in the company of both friends and strangers, eating, drinking, talking (sometimes bit too much), and taking photos. I’ve put that experience to use in my latest photos for the feature, “Raising the Bar”. Here’s the cover, table of contents and opening spread.
I’ve won an honorable mention in the food photography category of the 2012 International Photography Awards for my photo of fresh tomatillos which was selected from over 10,000 entries from over 100 countries around the world.
My favorite fair food has all the qualities of a carnival freak show. It has elements of the unexpected; it’s bigger and weirder than the food I see everyday; and it evokes awe and borderline disgust. The more absurd the better. This is my second year documenting the food at my county fair, an
March 2012 issue of Tucson Lifestyle Magazine. My producer Melanie Sutton and I decided to have the model as well as the photographs themselves emulate different sculptures. Here’s a link to the rest of the story.
Janos Wilder supplied a recipe for Somen Noodles from his new restaurant Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails, to a beautiful new online green living magazine. I supplied the photo. You can get the recipe and check out the rest of the magazine at Sustainable Online Magazine.
I’ve started a blog of easy, healthy and hopefully fun recipes that I’ve developed over the years. It’s illustrated with food photos that I took just for this project.