Amazing things happen on the culinary stage at the annual Tucson Festival of Books. Last year Janos Wilder gave a speech that led to a change in local food policy that allowed restaurants to legally use produce from backyard gardeners. Who knows what could happen this year?

This year's line up looks promising: Ryan Clark from Lodge on the Desert, Doug Levy of Feast, Ethan Schulz of Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, Massimo Tenino of Tavolino Ristorante Italiano, Wilder and others. There's a ton of demonstrations and other culinary-related readings as well, and it sounds like there will be some pretty decent eats, too.

The event takes place this Saturday and Sunday on the UA Mall. There's more on the festival over here. If you go to the events page and search the culinary category you can find a quick guide to all the food-related stuff.

It looks like the new sushi spot How Do You Roll?, which is located in half of the old Pizza Plus #1 spot at 914 E. Speedway Blvd., is open. It sells a sort of fast-food, design-it-yourself sushi deal. More on that here.

Next door, in the other half of the building, the new shop Josie's Yogurt is open, too. It sells frozen yogurt. More on that here.

• Animal Farm will be at Bookmans tonight.

In case you haven't caught up with the relatively new batch of food trucks hitting the town, you have two chances this weekend. Tonight, the Bookmans on Grant will host a food fest from 6 to 9 p.m.

The trucks and other mobile food vendors scheduled to be there:

Guero Loco's Bubba Que
Animal Farm
Jamie's Bitchin' Kitchen
Seis Curbside Kitchen
Street Delights
Trucking Good Cupcakes
K-Bork Tacos y Gorditas
Ni Hao Amigos
Hawaiian Shaved Ice
The Patty Wagon
Mafooco
Pin Up Pastries
Foodie Fleet
Red Pepper

And tomorrow, a smaller gathering of trucks will be at art/retail hotspot Monterey Court (505 W. Miracle Mile) from noon to 4 p.m.

Scheduled for tomorrow:

Jamie's Bitchen Kitchen
MaFooCo
Guero Loco's Bubba-Que
Jones Street Bistro
Foodie Fleet

It looks like work is finishing up on the new Sawmill Run Restaurant up in Summerhaven on Mt. Lemmon. The restaurant is going in where the well-known Mount Lemmon Café stood for many years before closing several years ago.

Initial estimates were that Sawmill Run would open last fall, but that date was pushed back for a variety of reasons. The restaurant started hiring a couple of weeks ago, though, so an opening can't be far off.

The only description we can find of the food is a mention here, where it is described as "Western mountain food." We're thinking the place will likely serve hearty American fare that appeals to people visiting the mountain for leisure activities, but we'll have to wait until it opens to find out.

A new restaurant named Elliott's on Congress is going in at the former home of A Steak in the Neighborhood at 135 E. Congress St. The sign on the door says it will be a restaurant and vodka bar and that it is expected to open in March of this year.

No word on if this is another venture by Luke Cusack, who owned A Steak in the Neighborhood. My other high-tech reporting techniques - peering through the thick blue curtains shielding the windows - proved fruitless, so we'll have to wait to see how this all pans out.

Ever shed tears of joy over baked goods? Customers at the newish restaurant Gourmet Girls Gluten Free Bakery and Bistro have.

Susan Fulton, who owns the bakery and restaurant at 5845 N. Oracle Road with her business partner Mary Gibson, said people can get emotional when experiencing edibles previously prohibited by a sensitivity to gluten, which is found in most conventional baked items.

“We’ve had people cry when they eat the carrot cake, because they haven’t had it for so long,” said Fulton. “We’ve had people say ‘This is the first time I’ve been able to eat off my husband’s plate in 20 years.'”

The restaurant sells a large assortment of baked goods made from bean, rice, potato and other flours, which makes it possible for those with gluten-intolerance to dig in without experiencing symptoms associated with the food allergy.

Breakfast items like omelets, oatmeal and French toast are also available. Come lunch time you'll find several soups, salads and various sandwiches ranging from grilled cheese to burgers made with grass-fed patties.

Fulton and Gibson started the business by selling goods at farmers’ markets, opening a brick-and-mortar location in November.

They say their goal is to produce as many items as possible without using gluten-containing ingredients. They also work ceaselessly to increase the number of vegetarian and egg and milk-free options they offer.

There’s more on the restaurant over here.

Local chef, restaurateur, author and all around decent fellow Janos Wilder has been named a semifinalist in the Outstanding Chef category of this year's James Beard Foundation awards. Wilder has made this list many times in the past and the foundation named him the top chef in the Southwest back in 2000.

I've never met any other James Beard award winning type folks, but have spent a tiny bit of time with Wilder. Frankly, he's the man. Not only is he sort of an unofficial historian when it comes to various aspects of Southwestern cuisine, but his dedication to the community is consistent and impressive. Here's hoping he takes the award when the winners are announced later this year.

Zinburger, a Fox Restaurant Concepts eatery that got its start in Tucson in 2007, has signed a megadeal to open more than 20 locations across the country. Nation's Restaurant News has the story:

The Briad Group has signed a licensing agreement with Fox Restaurant Concepts for rights to develop Zinburger units in the 23 states east of the Mississippi River, the company said.

The Briad Group, based in Livingston, N.J., has one Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar in Clifton, N.J., which opened in December 2010.

Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Fox Restaurant Concepts debuted its first Zinburger restaurant in Tucson, Ariz., in December 2007. It owns and operates two additional Zinburgers in Arizona.

“With the incredible success of the Clifton location and the Fox-owned locations in Arizona, we feel Zinburger is the right concept for growth opportunities now and in the future,” Brad Honigfeld, chief executive officer of The Briad Group, said in a statement.

Read more: http://nrn.com/article/fox-briad-expand-zinburger-west#ixzz1n7pZqgLe

There is something magic about pork belly. Those who imbibe in it are prone to eye-glazed moments of reverence when discussing it. Chefs swear by the texture and flavor even a small amount adds to a dish.

I find this impressive, so I drove up to Lee Lee Oriental Supermarket this weekend to lay in a small supply of pork belly ($3.19 a pound, if you're wondering) to see what all the hype was about.

When I arrived home I realized I had no idea what to do with what I'd bought, but bacon is always a good idea. So I slapped down six slabs on a cutting board and fought off the dog while rubbing each chunk vigorously with salt and sugar, just like the internet told me to. Then I added crushed Pakistani peppers to one and garlic to another, leaving the third plain.

The word is that this should be left to cure for one week, so this will be hitting the frying pan next Sunday. Can making one's own bacon really be this easy? I'll be back in a week with a full report.

• Rubbed-down and ready to go.

We noticed a new Oregano's Pizza Bistro location is under construction in Plaza Del Oro, on the corner of Orange Grove and Oracle Road. The other Tucson location is at 4900 E. Speedway Blvd.

Not much more to report on this one, but you can check out more about the restaurant over here.