3 More U.S. Cities With Real National Food Recognition

By Beatus Mídias · Published September 2026 · 6 min read

Tucson: the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy in the U.S.

In December 2015, Tucson became the first city in the United States to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a City of Gastronomy, recognized for the longest continuous agricultural history of any American city — a 300-year tradition of vineyards, orchards and ranching, according to UNESCO's own listing. The city runs more than two dozen food festivals a year, including Tucson Meet Yourself, which draws over 100,000 people annually.

Durham: a James Beard Award-winning chef at a seafood counter

Chef Ricky Moore, owner of Saltbox Seafood Joint in Durham, won the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef: Southeast award in 2022, according to Axios Raleigh. Durham's Research Triangle food scene keeps producing recognized talent: Preeti Waas was a James Beard semifinalist in 2023, per WRAL.

Huntsville: recommended in the first-ever MICHELIN Guide American South

When the MICHELIN Guide published its first-ever selection for the American South in November 2025, two Huntsville restaurants — Purveyor and Salt Smokehouse — were named "Recommended," according to the Guide's own listings and Michelin's official announcement. Huntsville has also been Alabama's most populous city since 2021, per AP News, fueled in part by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center next door.