Bob McClendon, pioneer of local organic farming in the Valley, has died

A stalwart Arizona farmer who championed local, organic practices, has died. Bob McClendon, the patriarch of McClendon’s Select, passed over the weekend, his family announced on Tuesday on social media. The announcement did not cite a cause of death.

McClendon’s Select is one of the state’s only certified organic farms. The farm is run by three generations of McClendons and grows more than 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables, and produces honey and bee pollen, on plots in Goodyear and Peoria. McClendon’s has long been a go-to for chefs and farmers market shoppers alike. 

Bob McClendon was born and raised in Tucson. He attended the University of Arizona, graduating from its pharmacy school with honors. The trajectory of his life changed when he began growing citrus at his Peoria farm in 1975. He expanded the varieties of produce from there. In the 2000, he shifted to organic farming, and McClendon’s Select received certification for its organic practices in 2005. He was among Phoenix New Times’ 100 Tastemakers, a series highlighting the people who shaped the Valley’s culinary scene.

McClendon’s Select is run by three generations of the family, which includes McClendon’s wife Marsha, son Sean, daughter-in-law Kate and grandson Aidan. The family shared a joint statement on social media, honoring the legacy of their husband, father, grandfather and inspiration.

“Bigger than life, Bob was as much a force of nature as he was an admirer of it. Through sheer tenacity, unrelenting curiosity and the pursuit of good health and good food he dedicated his life first to pharmaceutical medicine and then to organic farming,” the McClendon family announcement read. “Constrained only by the elements and his suspenders, he took a patch of dusty desert and turned it into a bountiful paradise.”

Shoppers at Phoenix’s Uptown Farmers Market and the Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market can find the McClendon’s Select stand with its thick font sign featuring colorful wedges of citrus at the center. Those browsing produce also may have encountered its founder while shopping.

“Bob enjoyed nothing more than to spend his Saturdays at the farmers’ markets discussing how to prepare a squash blossom. He loved talking to customers and hearing what they were cooking,” the McClendon family’s post read.

Chefs share tributes to McClendon

McClendon was also “a true admirer of the chefs and restaurant crews who would make magic of his vegetables,” the post said. 

Several chefs and restaurateurs shared their condolences and tributes on social media. Chris Bianco, the restaurateur behind Pizzeria Bianco, Tratto and Pane Bianco, recalled meeting McClendon more than 20 years ago when he was in search of a new farmer to source tomatoes. 

“Any success I’ve ever had I owe to my farmers, and none more than Bob McClendon,” Bianco wrote on Instagram. “Things arrived w(ith) miraculous perfection all I could try to do was not to screw them up … your legacy is on endless tables my dear friend … rest easy Bob … we love you.”

Chef Charleen Badman, whose work with produce at her Scottsdale restaurant FnB has earned her the moniker “the veggie whisperer,” called McClendon a “kindred spirit” in an Instagram post on her personal page.

“Side by side, we embraced the desert’s rhythms, savoring its gifts throughout the seasons: the vibrant Sungold tomatoes shimmering in the heat, the deeply-rooted Gilfeather rutabaga, and the thriving avocado squash and spigarello reaching for the light,” Badman wrote, adding that McClendon’s support of FnB and her nonprofit, Blue Watermelon Project, “will never be forgotten.”

Justin Beckett, who has helmed the kitchen at Beckett’s Table for more than 15 years, posted a tribute to McClendon.

“Bob McClendon was more than a vendor, more than a partner, more than a farmer,” Beckett wrote on Instagram. “The connection that he made with our restaurant and with me personally will forever live in our hearts and my souls (sic). Every Interaction with Bob was genuine, very personal and I always felt like I was the only person in the room when he spoke to me.”

Details about McClendon’s funeral service have not yet been announced. Phoenix New Times has reached out to the McClendon family for comment.