Where does a chef go after closing a restaurant he ran for 13 years? For Ken Foy, it was the far eastern end of Speedway Boulevard, where the pavement runs toward the Rincon Mountains and Tanque Verde Ranch has been feeding people since long before most of the east side was built.
Foy closed Dante's Fire on Grant Road on July 19, 2026. He gave two reasons, an upcoming building remodel and the ongoing Grant Road widening project. About five weeks later, on Aug. 26, Tanque Verde Ranch announced him as its new executive chef.
Many people who live along the Tanque Verde and Sabino corridor think of the ranch as a resort for out-of-town guests. Its kitchen also runs on a fixed weekly schedule, and the ranch takes bookings for it through OpenTable and by phone. Now one of Tucson's most decorated independent chefs is cooking for that schedule.
Why a Grant Road chef ended up at a guest ranch
Foy opened the Grant Road restaurant in 2011 and ran it under several names, most recently Dante's Kitchen + Cocktails. He was known for a Summer Whiskey Dinner Series, multi-course "R&D dinners" where guests tasted new dishes straight from the kitchen, and scratch cooking with locally sourced ingredients. He won Iron Chef Tucson in 2022 and again in 2023. Tucson Foodie reports that only three chefs have won that competition in back-to-back years.
When the restaurant closed, Foy said his team would carry on through Tucson Catering Company and Solana Spanish Villas. The ranch job came sooner than many expected. Tucson Foodie quoted the ranch's announcement:
"We are thrilled to welcome Ken Foy as our new Executive Chef. Ken brings an incredible passion for food, hospitality, and creating memorable dining experiences."
The ranch's roots go back to 1868, when it started as a cattle operation. It has hosted guests for nearly a century and served as a filming location for Nickelodeon's "Hey Dude!" in the early 1990s. In recent years the food program has grown to include six-course chef dinners with wine pairings, holiday buffets, and event menus built around Sonoran Desert ingredients. The new chef inherits all of that.
The week at the ranch, meal by meal
These are the ranch's regular meals from its dining page, with prices from the ranch's à la carte activity sheet dated January 2026. That sheet lists rates per person, before sales tax.
| When | What | Hours | Listed price, Jan. 2026 sheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesdays and Saturdays | Cowboy Cookout at Cottonwood Grove | 5:30 to 8 p.m. | $55 adults, $27.50 kids |
| Wednesdays and Saturdays | Sunset Ride and Cowboy Cookout | Evening ride plus dinner | $150 |
| Thursdays and Sundays | Breakfast Ride to the Old Homestead | Winter: ride 7:45 a.m., breakfast 9 a.m. | $100 walk, $115 lope |
| Sundays | Sunday Brunch | 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. | $55 |
| Daily | Dog House Saloon | 4 to 9 p.m., 21 and older after 7 p.m. | Menu pricing |
Those are early-2026 list prices, so expect to confirm them when you book. The ranch's dining pages offer an OpenTable reservation link for its meals. They don't say whether diners need to be staying overnight, so ask about that when you reserve. The ranch's reservations line is 866-413-3833, and the front desk is 520-296-6275.
Saturday nights fill the calendar first
The Cowboy Cookout is the meal most neighbors could fit into an ordinary week, and Saturday is when the ranch adds extras. The line-dancing series runs on the first and third Saturdays of each month from Oct. 3, 2026, through May 15, 2027. The ranch describes a fire at Cottonwood Grove, grilled meats, homemade cornbread, fresh fruit, and desserts, then dancing on the ranch floor. By the calendar, the next line-dancing nights are Nov. 7 and Nov. 21, then Dec. 5 and Dec. 19.
This Saturday, Oct. 31, Halloween falls on a cookout night. The ranch's Family Friendly Halloween Adventure at the Cowboy Cookout runs from 5:30 to 8 p.m., with decorated trails and free candy bags for kids. The event page links to OpenTable for booking but doesn't list a separate Halloween price.
The two cookout nights serve different food. The ranch's cookout menu, dated March 2026, includes:
- Both nights: a salad bar with green chile cornbread and honey butter, cowboy beans, homestyle mac and cheese, baked potatoes with all the fixings, grilled burgers and hot dogs, catch of the day, and bone-in barbecue chicken
- Fall and winter side: cream corn, which replaces summer's corn on the cob
- Wednesdays: beef brisket, St. Louis pork ribs, and house brownies
- Saturdays: hand-cut New York strip steaks, barbecue pulled pork, and house-baked cookies
- Dessert: house apple cobbler plus a seasonal cobbler
The menu also notes gluten-free buns and Impossible vegan patties, and gratuity isn't included. You pay for the cookout at Cottonwood Grove, not in the dining room. That menu dates from before Foy arrived, so it shows what he inherited, not necessarily what's on the grill this weekend.
Mornings run on horseback and brunch
The Breakfast Ride is the one ranch activity with written instructions for people who aren't staying there. The activity sheet says participants who are not staying at Tanque Verde Ranch must arrive 30 minutes before the ride and check in at the front desk. The ride goes to the Old Homestead for blueberry pancakes, ranch-style eggs, and bacon. On the winter schedule, riders leave at 7:45 a.m. and breakfast is at 9. It runs only on Thursdays and Sundays, the schedule can change without notice, and the sheet lists a 250-pound weight limit.
Sunday Brunch is the easier way in. It's an all-you-can-eat spread with grilled Atlantic salmon, biscuits and gravy, made-to-order omelets, carved prime rib, and house-made bagels, cookies, and Danish. It runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. year-round. The OpenTable listing describes the Carrillo Dining Room as having floor-to-ceiling windows and notes a casual dress code.
Where Foy's own cooking will show first
The weekly meals above stay put. Foy's own style will more likely show up in the special events the ranch already hosts. In a Sept. 15 profile on the ranch's blog, the ranch says his menus will feature fresh, local Arizona ingredients and dishes that reflect local culture. It also says he aims to host events that highlight local talent and work with other Tucson chefs. That sounds a lot like the R&D dinners and whiskey dinners he ran on Grant Road.
The ranch already has a format for that kind of dinner. A Rodney Strong five-course wine dinner on March 20, 2026, was priced at $95 per person plus tax and gratuity, with limited seats. For groups, the ranch offers a Chef's Table with a six-course seasonal menu and wine, beer, or cocktail pairings, starting at $225 per person.
Holiday meals are the other place to watch. Thanksgiving is about four weeks away, and as of late October the ranch's events calendar shows nothing after Halloween except the line-dancing series. Past prices give a rough guide:
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2025: brunch at $80 for adults and $40 for kids 12 and under. Seatings were at 1:15 p.m. in The Barn and 2:30 p.m. in the Carrillo Dining Room, and reservations were required.
- January 2026 activity sheet: Holiday Buffet at $80 for adults and $37.50 for kids, with seatings at noon and 2:30 p.m. Toddlers 3 and under eat free.
Neither one is a 2026 price. The 2026 holiday meals will be the first ones served since Foy took over the kitchen, so check the events calendar in early November for dates and prices.
If you're planning holiday hosting around a sale, a purchase, or family arriving from out of town, Michelle Bakarich and The Bakarich Team are glad to help you work out the timing. We work across the Tanque Verde and Sabino corridor and can point newcomers to east-side spots like the ranch. Let's Connect.
