Eloisa

ELOISA Chef John Rivera Sedlar At The New Drury Plaza Hotel In Downtown Santa Fe Has Deep Culinary Roots In His Grandmother’s Alto Street Kitchen Photos Caitlin Elizabeth

CHEF JOHN RIVERA SEDLAR has cooked all over the world, but at the end of the day, he always finds himself drawing back on his experiences learning to cook in his grandmother’s kitchen. With roots in Abiquiu, the well-regarded chef returned to Santa Fe a little over a year ago to open a restaurant in honor of his family matriarch, Eloisa.

ABOVE: From Georgia O'Keefe menu: Blue poppies with trout caviar BELOW: From Georgia O’Keefe menu: Abiquiu garden salad with roasted beets and watermelon radishes

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loisa was a professional life-long cook who worked in hotel kitchens and private homes around Santa Fe. I tended to hang out in the kitchens growing up,” Sedlar describes of his first culinary memories. The restaurant, also named Eloisa, opened April 1st, 2015, and is located inside the Drury Plaza Hotel.

Sedlar’s first kitchen job was on Old Santa Fe Trail at the old Bull Ring Restaurant. Thus, Sedlar has literally come full circle, as Eloisa is located only a few blocks away from where he started his career. Sedlar grew up in Santa Fe, but spent some of his youth in Spain, as his father was in the service.

His culinary fame has taken him across the globe, and each new experience reflects in his dishes. However, the driving force for his food never strayed far from home; his restaurant in Los Angeles, Rivera, took his grandmother’s last name, and his Santa Fe restaurant took her first name. “She’s my driving culinary influence,” he reflects.

Eloisa has two basic menus that exist side by side: small plates and large plates. “We asked ourselves: How are people eating today in Santa Fe? We have a huge Spanish influence when it comes to crispy and crunchy small plates, like tapas. It’s currently a very popular way to eat. However, much of the demographic is more mature here in Santa Fe, and they’re used to having one plate that includes an offering of meat, starch and vegetables.

We’re cognizant of both eating styles,” Sedlar explains.

Sedlar’s culinary ingenuity extends past the dishes themselves to the total dining experience. For example, he created the O’Keefe menu in honor of his Great Aunt Jerry (his grandmother’s sister), who was Georgia O’Keefe’s personal chef. When a table orders this menu, each guest receives a book filled with colorful photos evoking Georgia’s palette, along with plates of aromatics to pass around— herbs and flowers found around Georgia’s home in Abiquiu—which include chamisa, purple Russian sage, artemisia tridentata, chiles and flower petals. The menu is comprised of foods she ate or grew in her garden. “It’s experiential,” says Sedlar. “Georgia had a passion for food. She approached it much like she approached her paintings: paired down, elemental and colorful.”

Beyond its name, Eloisa has a definitive feminine feel. “I have a keen interest in strong women in northern New Mexico, like my grandmother and great aunt, as well as Georgia O’Keefe or Mabel Dodge Luhan,” Sedlar says. The décor of the restaurant itself— designed by Laura Carpenter—is light and airy, in contrast to the dark masculine restaurants Sedlar has owned in Los Angeles.

“Food is very powerful, and tells a story,” Sedlar says. “Every person can relate to aromas and flavors that evoke memories from their past. Ask yourself: What is the story on the plate telling you?”

Catering Above and Beyond But Sedlar’s cuisine isn’t just relegated to lunch and dinner menus. Events of all sizes and themes make good use of Sedlar’s creativity and skill.

When he’s catering an event, Sedlar works with his client’s theme to build a menu that corresponds. For example, for the opening of the Mayan exhibit at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, Sedlar and his staff grew a crop of Aztec black corn. Or, for the Lensic’s India-themed gala in June, Sedlar has planned a variety of curries. Celebrities often find themselves calling upon Sedlar’s services, both in Santa Fe and Los Angeles.

In addition to on-site events, clients can book the entire restaurant or rent out spaces of varying size throughout the Drury Plaza Hotel, like the rooftop or wedding garden. Sedlar is the de facto caterer for all events in the hotel.

Sedlar and his team can cater anything from an intimate group to the biggest event you can think of. “I once catered a dinner of 5,000 in Los Angeles.

Helicopters flew in the food,” he describes. Sedlar often finds himself catering for cultural institutions, like the opening of the Georgia O’Keefe museum, the opening of the Gene Autry Museum in Los Angeles, or the 90th birthday of Eli Broad at the Broad Museum, as well as events at the Getty, the Huntington, MOCA and MOMA. Eloisa 228 E. Palace Ave. 505.982.0883 EloisaSantaFe.com BELOW: Blue corn tacos with pastrami and serrano chiles

The Experience

Beyond the Glass

Photos Caitlin Elizabeth

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t Eloisa Restaurant and Bar Alto in the Drury Plaza Hotel, beverage director Winston Morris-Greene sees his job a creating an experience. “A bartender has a great opportunity to fulcrum people’s nights,” he explains. “For every person who walks in, we want to create a great experience through the drinks, food and environment.”

Morris-Greene is originally from Colorado but grew up in Santa Fe. He says he became a bartender by accident; a friend of his owned a bar on the plaza, and that’s where he started his career. He ran Low n’ Slow Lowrider Bar at Hotel Chimayo for two years, and during that time the place became one of the premier craft cocktail bars in the city. He came on board at Eloisa in August 2015, and became the beverage director in March of this year.

His vision is “to give the bar the feel of a new-age speakeasy. When you walk in the door, we want you to feel like you’ve found something,” he says. “The drinks capture prohibition-era cocktails and infuse them with Mesoamerican flavors.”

For example, the sour is created with tequila and damiana, and the house martini has hints of grapefruit and serrano pepper.

“We want to keep in mind the flavors that make the American Southwest great, and a lot of that stems from Mesoamerican plants and cooking,” he explains.

Bar Alto’s indoor space on the rooftop of the Drury Plaza Hotel is an intimate 12-seat bar that wraps around the bartender. The outdoor area seats 65, enticing summer crowds with cityscape views. Winston-Greene creates seasonal menus, sourcing the freshest ingredients available.

“I don’t sell drinks; I sell experiences,” he reflects. “The glass is just the way I get there.”

Bar Alto Eloisa 228 E. Palace Ave. 505.982.0883 EloisaSantaFe.com

Winston Morris-Greene