ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

The folks at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Foodie have recruited a handful of experts to dive into just that question.

OK, they aren’t digging into the provenance of your fast food, but on Monday, Aug. 26, the panel that includes four celebrated regional chefs and a pair of naturopathic doctors will take a deep dive into what we eat and why.

Or, in the words of host ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Foodie’s head foodie Shane Reiser, posted on his : “This unique dining experience aims to connect us to our food, the land, the Earth, our bodies and even the cosmos.â€�

Unlike that lecture from your college nutrition class, at “Conscious Eating Under the Stars,� you get to literally eat their words.

The chefs — , an Indigenous community cook and recipient of the 2024 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ City of Gastronomy Foodways Keeper Award; Kelzi Bartholomaei, the former chef-owner of Mother Hubbard Cafe and a leading figure in the Gastronomy Union of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥; Tohono Chul Garden Bistro Executive Chef David Marks; and Feng Feng Yeh, a chef who founded the Chinese Chorizo Festival celebrating ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s role in the product — will create a meal using locally-sourced ingredients.

Expect to see roasted Pinole sourced from Ramona Farms in Sacaton, Chinese Jujube fruit, Tohono O’odham signature yellow watermelon and native tepary beans, maize, cholla buds and nopales. The folks who grew those ingredients — including Aaron Cardona of Arevalos Farm and a representative of Ramona Farms on the Gila River Indian Reservation — will be on hand to talk about their farming practices and how those ingredients, some of them that have grown in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s arid borderlands for thousands of years, are still flourishing today.

In the in-betweens, a couple of docs — Jasmine May, founder of Healing Spirit Soaks; and Angela Wojtowicz, who has a deep knowledge of the connection between physical, mental and energy bodies — will explain why eating those heritage foods offers healing powers.

“Conscious Eating Under the Stars� begins at 6:30 p.m. at Tohono Chul Park, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte, off West Ina Road. Tickets are $75 through and seating is limited. For details, visit .

“Conscious Eating Under the Starsâ€� kicks off the “ being held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27, at , 10000 N. Oracle Road in Oro Valley. Dozens of speakers will discuss topics centered around creating a resilient food system. Organizers describe it as a “convergence of minds and expertise dedicated to strengthening ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s local food system.â€�

Details and tickets ($89) are available through .