Fall 2020: Groundwork

edible NEW MEXICO

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THE STORY OF LOCAL FOOD, SEASON BY SEASON IN NEW MEXICO

Groundwork ISSUE 69 · FALL

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2020

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radishandrye.com 505.930.5325

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ROASTERY | TASTING ROOM | COFFEE BAR

Agua es Vida café es amor

1208 RIO GRANDE BLVD NW, ALBUQUERQUE

FALL: SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER DEPARTMENTS 5

GRIST FOR THE MILL

By Willy Carleton and Briana Olson

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CONTRIBUTORS

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LOCAL HEROES

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EDIBLE ARTISAN

Black Mesa Winery, The Skillet, Charlie’s Bakery and Café, Sean Sinclair, and The Compound Rude Boy Cookies Takes on Racism in the 505

by Robin Babb

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STREET FOOD

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FERMENTI’S PARADOX

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AT THE CHEF’S TABLE

Hot ‘n Fast by Cristina Carreon Hollow Spirits: Looking Forward to Being Full Again

by Michael Dax

44 COOKING FRESH Celebrating Fall with the Galette by Stephanie Cameron

62 SOURCE GUIDE / EAT LOCAL GUIDE 64 LAST BITE

ON THE COVER

edible NEW MEXICO

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

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THE STORY OF LOCAL FOOD, SEASON BY SEASON IN NEW MEXICO

Vanilla Old Fashioned by Stephanie Cameron

FEATURES 52 UNITED STATES OF ANXIETY As the Pandemic Surges, Restaurant Workers Face Fears About the Virus and Their Livelihoods

by Joanna Manganaro Toto

56 IN THE WEEDS

Hearing from the Front Lines of Local Agriculture

by Anita Ashok Adalja

Groundwork ISSUE 69 · FALL

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2020

Groundwork: Peppers on micaceous clay comal created

by Emily Swantner. Photo by Stephanie Cameron.

Chasing Korean Flavor by John Katrinak

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TOUCH AND GROW In the Throes of Tomatoes by Marisa Thompson

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Answering the Call to Accountability

nas·cent – ˈnāsənt,ˈnasənt/

Nascent comes from “nascens,” the present participle of the Latin verb nasci, which means “to be born.” An adjective for coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential.

The year 2020 is the year nascent.

The majority of you would likely argue that this year has been abysmal.

It has presented challenges that will impact us for many generations to come. (Hello national deficit!) However, out of adversity comes opportunity. And with opportunity, comes endless possibility.

Cecilia Cuff: Heart, Mind and Soul of The Nascent Group The birth of The Nascent Group comes from the name itself. To be born, with the intent of future potential. Founded in 2011, The Nascent Group was created in response to the desire to broaden the options in the male-dominated and unsustainable hospitality industry.

Integrating psychologically safe environments through urban planning, business strategy, contemporary hotel and restaurant design and event planning, The Nascent Group saw an opportunity to transform the world one project at a time.

For this private hospitality design and project management agency, inclusivity is the driving force for change. This progressive stems from the influence of the Managing Principal, Cecilia Cuff, who grew up in Chicago, a city with a vibrant culture of art, music and international flavors.

As a proudly Black and female entrepreneur herself, Cuff represents the

possibility of converting adversity into opportunity. “Adversity forced me to work twice as hard as my peers, while knowingly making less. And, although I didn’t think the color of my skin or being a female would be a factor that could overshadow my performance, at times, it did. It was a sad reality, but it was my reality. If I can protect someone else from that experience, it will make my mission rewarding,” says Cuff. She recognizes the necessity to influence behavior in the industry by promoting inclusivity and diversity for long-term success and prosperity.

Human Sustainability: Uplift the Underdogs In recent moments, we have been given the opportunity of time to reflect and re-examine our societal priorities. The Black Lives Matter movement, following the death of George Floyd, highlighted the necessity for social change in exposing systematic and systemic racism in our communities. The public response was strong and compassionate.

In listening to the voices of our BIPOC (Black and Indigenous people of color), we have been able to develop further empathy, allyship and a greater unified voice. We were reminded of our common humanity and the importance of sustaining it.

Corporations have a significant causal power in society. But, that power is driven by consumerism. In simple economic terms, the relationship between supply and demand determines the value of the commodity.

We need more conscious consumers, consumers that look beyond the label to drive purchasing power towards community-centric products and services. It is our responsibility as a community to empower, to inform, and to stand for the betterment of our communities. As much as corporate social responsibility should be integrated into every business context, individuals should also step up. In Brooklyn, Amber Tamm

guides communities through the process of playing a more active role in their destiny. Tamm’s work guides communities, especially low income and minority communities, that not only connects with their environment, but that also showcases pathways for careers working with the earth and self sustainability.

As for corporations, this is a gentle reminder to avoid being performative in the objective of speaking out only to attract consumers. It is beyond making a single public statement or rushing to donate to a cause (even though consistent donations to nonprofits are effective).

In accordance to Albrey Brown, head of diversity and inclusion for Airtable, “What our minority groups really want to see is taking those statements and reconstructing their processes and programs to find a solution that will best serve these groups long-term.”

B Corporation not only offers an extremely thorough guide to those corporations who are already taking the appropriate steps to perform ethically, but also helps lead interested companies through the process of getting to the other side.

The Nascent Group will Level the Playing Field Leading by example as constructive disruptors in the hospitality and design industry, The Nascent Group works with businesses to build their brand by creating systems that support community sustainability while celebrating local artisans. The Nascent Group pledges their support towards helping marginalized groups by being a corporate social responsible business and proving that investing in human sustainability is just as profitable as the bottom line.

As proof, their baseline is heavily weighted towards projects that will make the world a better place, improve community prosperity and fight to level the playing field for those who weren’t haven’t been given a fair chance. Through The Nascent Group projects, it hopes to trigger an effective ripple effect of social change in the hospitality industry.

Celebrating Social Impact with the Flavors of Cuisine In the world of food, multicultural mosaics are often celebrated and sought out for unique guest experiences. But, with customer expectations only increasing, hospitality services must become more creative in recreating emotional comfort for guests that satisfy their psychological senses. Teaming up with the right collaborators while consciously adding value through design, execution and sourcing, enables businesses to be able to sustain itself in a reciprocal harmony with its local makers.

Perfect Example? The Shed Project in Northern New Mexico is an

experience that offers an exploration of the land it inhabits and the roots of growing up in northern New Mexico, carrying on the tradition of bringing people together through food. Johnny Ortiz & Afton Love offer an expression of their place through endemic plants and natural materials all brought together to a table where strangers eat the fruiting body of the processes, together, in their studio.

For New Mexico’s reborn premier venue, the Stakeout, one of The Nascent Group’s grand projects, the venue celebrates the demographic makeup of New Mexico, bringing together rich heritage and flavor and supporting diversity in every moment. The Stakeout menu is curated by local farmers using a farm-to-fork mentality that is led by in season produce and local sourcing. This keeps the small communities thriving and heritage and stories alive by being passed down through goods. The Nascent Group aims to create innovative spaces for long-term community value by integrating local relish for every guest and every client.

A Call to Action The Nascent Group would like to recognize all businesses that have incorporated human sustainability especially in supporting members of the BIPOC community. One of The Nascent Group pillars is community, and to be recognized as a community we must include everyone.

To find out how you can become a better ally or take the next steps towards designing a more sustainable & inclusive operation, please reach out to The Nascent Group at cecilia.cuff@thenascentgroup.com.

Find us on Instagram @TheNacentGroup.

20 Years in 2020 #Compound202020

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edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

GRIST FOR THE MILL

PUBLISHERS Bite Size Media, LLC

This issue of edible is for the workers that form the backbone of our food economy. Rarely in the limelight and often undervalued, the many farmworkers, delivery drivers, produce handlers, servers, dishwashers, and other food industry workers who bring the food to our tables, sometimes literally, have stories to tell. The stories in these pages make clear that, for many, the labor behind our meals has never felt more dangerous, more insecure, or less compensated. In this issue, we hope to give a voice to some of these workers and share a few of their experiences and concerns as the ongoing pandemic persists.

The labor behind our meals, as the stories in this issue likewise reveal, is manifold: it is the work of perfecting a tomato harvest in the garden, maintaining a craft distillery during a pandemic, or using a cookie shop as a platform for racial justice and lasting change. These stories remind us that good food, the kind that nourishes and strengthens the bonds of family, friendships, and community, comes not just through love, but through sweat.

We also shine a light on food businesses and towns that have often been overlooked or sidelined, with visits to a handbuilt barbecue rig in Alamogordo and a hole-in-the-wall Korean restaurant and market in Albuquerque. In highlighting Black business owners and tapping into Albuquerque’s budding Korean food scene, we begin to confront the invisibility of those members of our greater food community who tend to be excluded from mainline narratives of our state’s history. Seeking out, patronizing, and amplifying BIPOC-owned businesses is essential work for all who are dedicated to the vitality of local food.

As this issue goes to press, reports on the slowing transmission of COVID-19 give us cautious reason to hope. As we celebrate the backyard harvest of tomatoes, and as the state moves once again toward reopening, we invite readers to honor (and tip!) those who all along have continued their work behind the scenes—planting seeds, hoeing rows, wiping down tables, and building the kinds of relationships and mutual aid networks that we all need. Now more than ever, we ask that you support the labor being done here, in New Mexico, in your neighborhoods, and for the health of our communities.

Stephanie and Walt Cameron

EDITORS Willy Carleton and Briana Olson

COPY EDITORS Margaret Marti and Cyndi Wood

DESIGN AND LAYOUT Stephanie Cameron

PHOTO EDITOR Stephanie Cameron

EVENT COORDINATOR Natalie Donnelly

DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER Cyndi Wood

VIDEO PRODUCER Walt Cameron

SALES AND MARKETING Kate Collins, Melinda Esquibel, Gina Riccobono, and Cyndi Wood

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CONTRIBUTORS ANITA ASHOK ADALJA For the past decade, Anita Ashok Adalja has been working as a farmer through the lens of a social worker. She holds an MA in clinical psychology and substance abuse counseling, as well as a certificate in ecological horticulture and sustainable agriculture. She is deeply committed to building community, increasing food access for all people, and ensuring financial security for farmworkers. She has worked on production farms in Pennsylvania, Virginia, California, Washington, D.C., and for Silver Leaf Farms in New Mexico. Currently she is the produce and distribution manager at Agri-cultura Cooperative Network in Albuquerque’s South Valley, and a board member at La Montañita Co-op.

ROBIN BABB Robin Babb is a writer and the owner of Harvest Moon Books. She lives in Albuquerque. @harvestmoonbooks

STEPHANIE CAMERON Stephanie Cameron was raised in Albuquerque and earned a degree in fine arts at the University of New Mexico. After photographing, testing, and designing a cookbook in 2011, she and her husband Walt began pursuing Edible Communities and they found edible in their backyard. Today Cameron is the art director, head photographer, marketing guru, publisher, and owner of edible New Mexico.

WILLY CARLETON Willy Carleton is co-editor of edible New Mexico.

He recently completed his PhD in history at the University of New Mexico, with a dissertation examining the cultural history of twentieth-century agriculture in the Southwest.

CRISTINA CARREON Texas native Cristina Carreon most recently has covered crime/courts and trending news for the Alamogordo Daily News/USA Today as part of a regional Gannett network in southeast New Mexico. Prior to that, she covered business and education at a sixteen-county regional newspaper in northeast Mississippi. Now Carreon works as a freelance writer in New Mexico and west Texas and enjoys basic pandemic activities like hiking in remote mountains and baking sourdough bread.

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edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

MICHAEL DAX Michael J. Dax lives in Santa Fe and writes about environment and culture in the American West. He is the author of Grizzly West: A Failed Attempt to Reintroduce Grizzly Bears in the Mountain West (2015).

JOHN KATRINAK As the chef and owner of Soo Bak Seoul Bowl, John Katrinak has been bringing Korean food to New Mexico for more than eight years. Starting from a food truck, the menu, based on his mother’s home cooking, seeks to bring a taste of the Korean countryside to Albuquerque. His goal is to share traditional and innovative Korean cuisine in a family-friendly atmosphere—a celebration of Korean and local culture that provides a glimpse of how his family celebrates food. In his free time, you can find him biking to local breweries or in the kitchen developing the next special to propel Korean food to the forefront of the New Mexico food scene.

JOANNA MANGANARO TOTO Joanna Manganaro Toto is a freelance writer, new mother, and designer of Sonámbulo Jewelry. A recent Santa Fe transplant, she enjoys scouring estate sales for southwestern treasures and sampling the excellent restaurants in her new city. Check out her designs and vintage finds on Instagram at @sonambulojewelry.

BRIANA OLSON Briana Olson is co-editor of edible New Mexico, lead editor for the New Farmer’s Almanac, and a regular contributor to Southwest Contemporary.

She enjoys long mountain walks, taking risks in the kitchen, and seeking out new and interesting things to eat, from Bangkok to Albuquerque.

MARISA THOMPSON As the NMSU Extension Urban Horticulture Specialist, Marisa Thompson is responsible for active extension and research programs supporting sustainable horticulture in New Mexico. In addition to studying landscape mulches and tomatoes, her research interests include abiotic plant stressors like wind, cold, heat, drought, and soil compaction. She writes a weekly gardening column, “Southwest Yard & Garden,” which is published in newspapers and magazines across the state and on her blog. Readers can access the column archives and other hort-related resources at desertblooms. nmsu.edu. Find her on social media @NMdesertblooms.

EXPLORE THE BEST OF NEW MEXICO. ONLINE. ALL THE TIME. nmculture.org

STAY CONNECTED TO CULTURE. Museums, historic sites, and other institutions of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs are bringing their resources, activities, and exhibits into your home. New online and social media content is available to keep you engaged and informed.

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LOCAL HEROES An edible Local Hero is an exceptional individual, business, or organization making a positive impact on New Mexico's food systems. These honorees nurture our communities through food, service, and socially and environmentally sustainable business practices. Edible New Mexico readers nominate and vote for their favorite local chefs, growers, artisans, advocates, and other food professionals in two dozen categories. In each issue of edible, we feature interviews with a handful of the winners, allowing us to get better acquainted with them and the important work they do. Please join us in thanking these Local Heroes for being at the forefront of New Mexico's local food movement.

Black Mesa Winery

AN INTERVIEW WITH OWNERS LYNDA BURD AND JERRY BURD BEST WINERY Photos by Stephanie Cameron

Left: Lynda and Jerry Burd in the barrel room. Right: Labeling machine at Black Mesa Winery.

Black Mesa Winery produces wines and ciders using 100 percent New Mexico grapes and apples. All fruit is hand sorted, pressed, fermented, and bottled at the winery. They use their own fruit from over three acres of vineyards and purchase grapes and apples from across New Mexico.

Most of their wines are sold in Velarde, but they also have a New Mexico distributor and a wine club, and ship to forty states.

How did you get to where you are now? What’s the backstory, and what was the moment that brought you to your current work?

We are originally from Colorado. We fell in love with wine in California, then moved to Oregon to learn to grow grapes and make wine. After five years, it was time to get out of the rain and back to dryer weather and a 8

edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

higher elevation. The art of Santa Fe and Taos brought us to New Mexico.

We’ve owned and operated Black Mesa Winery for twenty years.

What is unique about your winemaking? Does every barrel still get its own name?

After five thousand years, there is not a lot of “new” in winemaking.

We focus on hands-on processing, using minimal equipment—and always at gentle speeds. We concentrate on small batches of wine; usually less than one hundred cases of each blend are bottled every year.

We have more than two hundred barrels of wine in a mixture of oak from France and American oak from Minnesota. Wine and its

experience the essence of true santa fe hospitality Expanded Patio Dining · In-Room Dining · Take-Out Open Daily from 7am to 9pm 113 Washington Avenue | Santa Fe, NM 87501· (505) 988-3030 rosewoodhotels.com For reservations, please call (505) 988-3236

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Left: Montepulciano grape vines. Right: Bird’s-eye view of Black Mesa vineyards in the Velarde valley.

movement require close record keeping. We have named the barrels after mountains in Colorado, grandkids, our cats and dogs, and many of the small towns in northern New Mexico. It works better than a barcode!

Thus far, it’s been a hot, dry summer. How do you keep your vineyards happy in these conditions?

Our three acres of vines are drip-irrigated. The system is set up to water three times each week, with running time based on the heat and amount of rain. This year we have watered more than any other year.

Black Mesa creates a number of unique blends. What are your favorite varietals to grow? What are your favorite varietals to source from other growers?

Our unique red blend, Coyote, is made with cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel. Our Antelope is made from the Bordeaux grapes: cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, and merlot. Abiquiu White comes from riesling, traminette, and chenin blanc grapes grown at Las Parras de Abiquiu.

Here on the property, we grow mainly Montepulciano, pinot gris, and albariño; cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel, and syrah come from Deming; and tempranillo, malbec, and barbera come from Belen. We also purchase small batches from neighbors here in the Velarde Valley.

Wineries weren’t allowed to reopen in time with breweries, and some winemakers have reported grappling with surplus wine.

How have you fared during the pandemic?

The pandemic has hit us hard, as it has everyone in the wine industry—from grape growers to tasting rooms. Our solution has been more online opportunities [for customers] to purchase wines and receive discounted or free shipping. Recently we’ve been offering outside tastings (but no glasses).

We’ve seen an increase in new people stopping by. Many are locals who just haven’t had the time in the past. Quite a few are people just driving to get out of the house, or out of the big city.

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edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

We also do an online tasting, called Black Mesa Buzz, with our winemaker Craig Dunn every other Thursday. For those doing their own Zoom with family and friends, we have a special that includes wine, glasses, and pistachios. It’s been fun.

Starting Friday, July 31, we are hosting a farmers market, Farm Friday, here at the winery.

Describe a perfect fall day of eating and drinking in Velarde.

Velarde is beautiful in the fall. The smell of piñon burning, the golden leaves on the trees lining the Rio Grande, the crisp fall air—it’s the perfect place to be. Often, the odor of fermenting grapes is a part of the experience. When people ask about the grape being fermented, it’s an opportunity to taste a wine of an earlier vintage.

We offer covered picnic tables for those who want to bring their own lunch or snacks. They can watch the hummingbirds, take a walk in the vineyards or around the labyrinth, or follow our petroglyph trail.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with edible readers?

Being local is important to us. We support the Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project as we have petroglyphs on our property. We are involved with the Española Humane animal shelter—we have eleven cats and two dogs, with strays showing up here on a regular basis—and are active in the Santa Fe Opera’s Española Valley Opera Guild. Our wines and ciders are registered with New Mexico True. Most of our in-store products, from honey to hand sanitizer to hot sauces, are produced in northern New Mexico.

Most important for us is for our visitors to have a relaxing experience here. We want them to enjoy their tastings, take home wines and ciders that are unique to New Mexico, and share the experience of Black Mesa Winery with their friends and families.

1502 NM-68, Velarde, 505-852-2820, blackmesawinery.com

1301 Cerrillos Rd ■ Santa Fe, NM 87505 ■ (505) 557-6654 ■ www.galleryethnica.com

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LOCAL HEROES

The Skillet

AN INTERVIEW WITH ISAAC SANDOVAL, OWNER/CHEF, AND SHAWNA SANDOVAL, OWNER/OPERATOR BEST RESTAURANT, GREATER NEW MEXICO Photos by Stephanie Cameron

The Skillet team from left to right, bottom row up: Charlotte Sandoval, Talula Lennox, Hannah Lopez, Bailey Simon, Shawna Sandoval, Isaac Sandoval, Taylor Bustamante, Taylor Gallegos, Vicki Guido, Miranda Salazar, Caitlin Nelson, Paul Pino, Weston Tozzi, Jorge Martinez, Ray Jaramillo.

The Skillet is a contemporary New Mexican restaurant and bar specializing in Southwest comfort food. Located in Las Vegas, its building along the Gallinas River dates to 1924 and was formerly a wool warehouse for Teichert’s General Store.

How did you get to where you are now? What’s the backstory, and what was the moment that brought you to your current work?

I grew up in the restaurant world. I spent a lot of time as a child at my family’s Dairy Queen. I remember sitting in the booths drawing images of ice cream and other treats. When I was thirteen, I started working for my dad at Charlie’s Bakery and Café making tortillas, which was just a griddle and a press then. I eventually worked as a busser, server, prep cook, and worked the line.

I went to New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, where I met Shawna, and we earned undergraduate degrees in fine art in 12

edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

2010. In 2013, we received our MFAs in sculpture and painting from Fort Hays State University in western Kansas. While in Kansas, I cast a three-hundred-pound cast-iron skillet. Shawna and I cooked with it as performative art to connect people with art and food. This led to a residency at Six Mile Sculpture Works in Granite City, Illinois. After moving back to New Mexico, I attended Luna Community College, took culinary classes, and ran the catering portion of Charlie’s. Shawna and I built a food truck from an Argosy trailer and ran it for three years before opening our brick-and-mortar restaurant.

You offer some New Mexican classics, but what stands out on your menu is the variety of cultural influences. What’s the origin story behind your favorite fusion dishes?

Our menu is heavily influenced both by the culture of Las Vegas and our work as artists. After moving back from the Midwest, we noticed

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Left: Fish and shredded green chile pork tacos, green chile strip fries, and ribbon fries. Right: Giant Rice Krispies treat and piña colada.

limited cuisine options in Las Vegas. If we wanted to eat anything other than traditional northern New Mexican cuisine, we would have to drive to Santa Fe. We really wanted to make a restaurant that would attract all types of customers. Our intention is to send out fresh, delicious, and fun food for everyone sitting at the table. I know of people who have made special trips to Santa Fe for the orange chicken from Panda Express, or for Indian. I saw this as an opportunity to offer menu items like the Orange Chicken Burrito. So much of our menu comes from the idea that food can connect us, bring us together, and be wrapped in a tortilla.

What is a local food issue that is important to you? Why? Everyone talks about eating local, growing local. . . . This topic is different for us than it is for some other communities throughout the state. I think parts of town are food deserts. Everyone should have access to fresh produce and grocery options and not have to travel a long distance. Although there are many restaurants in Las Vegas, the easiest is fast food. I hope that The Skillet can be a place where customers can get wholesome, fresh, and healthy options.

Another issue that is really important is making sure my employees are being paid adequate living wages and have access to proper healthcare. With COVID on all of our minds, I want it to be worth it for employees to work in the restaurant, and we have started to adjust how we operate in order to take care of each other.

You’ve described The Skillet as an immersive art, food, and drink experience. What inspired you to bring art and dining together?

Even before we opened The Skillet, art-making was an important part of our existence. I love making art about food, and Shawna and I have done most of the artwork at Charlie’s. Charlie’s exemplifies how art 14

edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

can inform the experience of a restaurant. When operating the food truck, we parked in front of our studio and probably sold more art directly to customers than in galleries or online. While planning for the opening of The Skillet, we had the time to make all the big sculptures and murals. It is an evolving project. I love the idea that people who might not otherwise have opportunities to experience art “off the pedestals” come in to enjoy the work around them.

What are you doing to keep your spirits up in 2020? What are you looking forward to?

Lots of marijuana and eating tons of our house-made ice cream cake.

I’m looking forward to cooking on the outdoor skillet and our new horno outside on the patio.

What do you love about living in Las Vegas?

Living in Las Vegas is special. The diversity of the community goes unnoticed until you start talking to people. We have brilliant people all over town. People look out for each other and support local. So much of it is from another time, the Old West, but after taking a second look, there is so much more than that. People are doing exciting things and thinking about new ideas.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with edible readers?

I’m so grateful for all our crew. They’re really dedicated to working as a team to create the best experience for all of our customers. It’s not the easiest to staff a group of people that care about a place this much. It really makes me proud to see what is happening out here in little Las Vegas.

619 12th Street, Las Vegas, 505-563-0477, giant-skillet.com

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LOCAL HEROES

Charlie’s Bakery and Café AN INTERVIEW WITH CHARLIE SANDOVAL, OWNER/OPERATOR BEST CAFÉ, NORTHERN NEW MEXICO Photos by Stephanie Cameron

Left: Charlie’s famous cream puff. Right: Red chile and beef enchiladas with an egg on top.

Charlie’s Spic & Span Bakery and Café has been a Las Vegas institution since the 1950s. In the early 2000s, the restaurant and bakery was reopened by Charlie and Elizabeth Sandoval. Charlie’s offers New Mexican cuisine, breakfast, and classic pastries. It has been dubbed the “meeting, eating, greeting place of Las Vegas.”

How did you get to where you are now? What’s the backstory, and what was the moment that brought you to your current work?

There were twelve kids in my family; my dad worked for the railroad and my mother raised the kids. I was born in Las Vegas, and I grew up in Rawlins, Wyoming, then moved back to Las Vegas and graduated 16

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from West Las Vegas High School. I worked for KFC for seventeen years and worked my way up to the district manager. I ran about fifteen KFCs and Dairy Queens in greater New Mexico and Arizona.

In 1994, Elizabeth and I had the opportunity to buy our own Dairy Queen in Las Vegas. We worked the Dairy Queen for five years, until I was approached to buy the Spic & Span in August 1998. At the time, the restaurant had been closed for two years, and there was a visible absence on Douglas Avenue. It was a vast undertaking to reopen the restaurant and make it my own. For the last twenty-one years, I have built the restaurant to be what it is today.

To make is to be together Thoughtfully sourced Carefully curated THANK YOU! It is with a heavy heart, that we have come to the decision to shut down L’Olivier.

Natural fabric and fiber, featuring Woolfolk

It has been a great adventure filled with beautiful encounters and friendships. Chef Xavier and I are proud of these past seven years as we worked hard to serve you and to share our French culture.

Let’s get together at hacersantafe.com

From our hearts, we want to thank you for all your support and friendship. It has been a great joy and brought us many rewards to share many evenings and celebrations with our guests.

Wishing you all the very best, Nathalie and Xavier Grenet

311 Montezuma Avenue, Santa Fe

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Charlie Sandoval and his daughter Elizabeth Sandoval in front of paintings by his son, Isaac Sandoval.

Describe your perfect breakfast.

The perfect breakfast would be coffee, fried eggs on top of Christmas enchiladas, diced papitas, beans, and a fresh tortilla. Maybe also a short stack of pancakes.

What is a local food issue that is important to you? Why? Keeping foods traditional, and keeping the way of eating I had growing up as valued in today’s culture. The way people eat has changed over the last twenty years. People want different [ways of cooking], but it is essential to preserve the old ways of cooking. Our food tells the story of northern New Mexico, it shows us who we are and where we come from.

It is important to understand these things so we can continue to share our way of eating with the youth and [so they] know who they are.

What’s your best-selling dessert, and what’s a dessert you wish people would try more often?

Our cream puff is absolutely the best seller. It has that eye-catching appeal in the display case. I think the unsung hero in our display case is the mincemeat empanadita. It is a traditional northern New Mexican dessert made with minced meat, apple, and piñon. People are sometimes apprehensive about trying it, but they are so delicious.

In normal times, Charlie’s is a vibrant, busy hub in the Las Vegas community. How have you stayed connected during the pandemic, and how’s the atmosphere now?

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edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

We are living in crazy times right now. Since reopening after quarantine, we have had to change and adapt to a whole new way of operating. We are still doing dining on a newly built patio and offering take out. My daughter Elizabeth has really stepped up to the plate with the COVID-19 protocol and procedures mandated by the state.

People are really enjoying the new patio. Outdoor eating wasn’t something we ever considered people would enjoy. Now that we see outdoor dining’s potential, it will become a permanent fixture [even when] indoor dining is allowed again.

What do you love about living in Las Vegas?

I like that things are slow, and there is nothing too rushed. There is a nice, slow pace of operation. Vegas is surrounded by a beautiful, mountainous landscape. We have nature at our doorstep, and people cherish it. No rush. I like that I am close to my family. I love that family is important to people here. Vegas is a close-knit community.

You can really see that people care about their town.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with edible readers?

Come visit Las Vegas—great culture, architecture, and nature. There is a lot of comfort in Las Vegas. We are proud to serve you at Charlie’s, and hope to dine with you soon.

715 Douglas Avenue, Las Vegas, 505-426-1921

Come in for breakfast or lunch.

Creative American classics made with local ingredients.

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LOCAL HEROES

Sean Sinclair

EXECUTIVE CHEF/OWNER OF BAR CASTAÑEDA AND KIN AT CASTAÑEDA BEST CHEF, GREATER NEW MEXICO Photos by Stephanie Cameron

Sean Sinclair is executive chef and proprietor at Bar Castañeda and Kin at Castañeda. Born and raised in Tijeras, Sinclair has great pride in his home state. After high school, Sinclair moved to Portland, Oregon, to attend culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu. After several years working in some of the finest kitchens in Portland, Sinclair made the move home and took the executive chef position at Albuquerque’s Farm & Table. Under his leadership, Farm & Table won accolades from many publications, including being ranked the best restaurant in Albuquerque by USA Today. From Farm & Table, Chef Sean took a sous chef position at the renowned Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia.

How did you get to where you are now? What’s the backstory, and what was the moment that brought you to your current work?

The only reason I have gotten to where I am now is I genuinely love working in kitchens. I was lucky to get an early start working in restaurants around Albuquerque; I think by the time I was sixteen I knew I wanted my own someday. I don’t really have one moment because there’s never really been any other option in my mind. My childhood dreams turned from becoming a professional baseball player, as I am sure many fifteen-year-old kids do, to becoming a chef.

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edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

This has been a very difficult year for all restaurants in New Mexico due to the pandemic, and you have had to postpone the opening of Kin at Casteñeda. How have you managed during this crisis?

We were so very close with Kin this past April but, honestly, I am grateful the news of the pandemic didn’t come any later. It would have been much more difficult to get things under control if we had expended all the resources needed to open the doors only to find out we wouldn’t be able to.

As things stand currently, we are just making the best of a bad situation. I want to make it a point to state that we are proudly following all guidelines set by the governor. We are very fortunate to have a large patio for plenty of outdoor dining space. It is not lost on us how lucky we are right now to have eighty seats outside and to still be within compliance of all social distancing rules. We have changed our entire business model, pivoting from full-service to counter-service.

I believe this is the safest way to serve our guests and keep our staff healthy while still offering a nice place to sit and enjoy a quality meal.

You have worked at restaurants around the country, including in the Pacific Northwest and in Virginia. How have those experiences shaped your culinary approaches in New Mexico?

Join us for dinner, farm picnics, and takeout. See website for details.

Left: Red chile glazed chicken wings. Right: Spicy chicken sandwich with onion rings.

I moved to Portland for culinary school. A chef that I was working for at the time said they have a cool restaurant scene up there, so two weeks after he told me that I had enrolled in school and packed my bags. It really was dumb luck that I picked one of the greatest culinary scenes in the United States to utilize as training grounds.

When I made the move to Virginia, my plans were a little more calculated. I wanted to work at one of the best restaurants in the world. After a ton of research I found out that Patrick O’Connell was hiring a sous chef for his restaurant, The Inn at Little Washington, so I applied. I got a call the next day and scheduled a stage [similar to a try-out] and got the job. Working for Chef Patrick changed the way I look at this industry. It was an unexplainable, unbelievable, life-changing experience. I am endlessly grateful for the opportunity.

Is there a local food issue that is important to you? Why? I would like to see more restaurants utilizing local beef. It is so readily available in this state, yet restaurants utilize meat from elsewhere.

I don’t understand that because the quality is great and the pricing is competitive. It would be a very easy switch to make for most restaurateurs.

The Hotel Casteñeda is a historic Fred Harvey hotel, and your menu has several nods to Harvey House days. Why is an engagement with local history important to shaping a menu and the overall dining experience?

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edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

After we signed the lease at the Castañeda, a guest showed up and donated a box full of old Harvey House relics from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Included in that collection were twenty-five menus from the Castañeda, the Southwest Chief [railroad dining car], and various other Harvey Houses. We just had to recreate some of those dishes.

About 30 percent of our menu at any given time is a nod to those classics served all those years ago. The Castañeda dining room was the first fine-dining establishment in the American Southwest and that inspired us to bring it back with Kin, hopefully soon!

What is your favorite meal to cook during a day off?

On the rare occasion, I like to roast a chicken over lump charcoal outside on the grill.

What are your favorite things about living in Las Vegas?

The people. The people of this town have been incredibly supportive and welcoming. I have never moved somewhere that felt like home so quickly.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with edible readers?

We are working on a new project so people in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos don’t have to make the drive out to Las Vegas for one of our green chile smash burgers. We are outfitting a food truck!

Please follow our food-truck journey on our social media accounts @BarcastanedaNM on Instagram and Facebook.

524 Railroad Ave, Las Vegas, 505-434-1005, kinlvnm.com

EST. 1965

We’re Open and Happy to Serve You! Providing authentic New Mexican culinary creations for more than 55 years.

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Half-priced bottles of wine, all day long!

730 St Michaels Dr, Santa Fe, 505.471.0440, loyalhoundpub.com

A Timeless Tradition.

Call for availability for our outdoor terrace seating.

Please note that we are now CLOSED Mondays year-round.

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LOCAL HEROES

The Compound AN INTERVIEW WITH MARK KIFFIN, OWNER BEST RESTAURANT, SANTA FE Photos by Douglas Merriam

Left: Local melon salad with canary melon, cantaloupe, crispy prosciutto, and honey-lime vinaigrette.

Right: Seared diver scallop with non-cream creamed corn, smoked bacon, tomato, baby onion, and vinaigrette.

The Compound restaurant has a heritage rich in history and regional influences. Before its incarnation as a restaurant in 1966, its adobe home was the centerpiece of a group of houses on Canyon Road known as the McComb Compound. In the twentieth century, when Santa Fe was far away from the rest of the world, movie stars, industrialists, and socialites visited to enjoy a secluded getaway. Eventually, Will and Barbara Hooton acquired the main house and converted it into a restaurant. They brought in designer Alexander Girard, who gave The Compound its distinctive look.

Chef Mark Kiffin celebrated his twentieth anniversary as owner of The Compound restaurant on May 30, 2020. Kiffin has developed a signature contemporary American menu, using New World influences combined with the culinary style and flavors of the Mediterranean. Kiffin 24

edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

focuses his seasonally evolving menu on available regional ingredients and local sourcing, making the restaurant truly farm-to-table.

What is The Compound’s backstory, and what was the moment that brought you to your current work?

I came to The Compound in 2000 after leading Stephan Pyles’s multi-restaurant, multi-city corporation, knowing I wanted to get back to Santa Fe after the eight years I was Mark Miller’s partner.

This city felt more like my home, and I treasured my connection to its food scene.

The current pandemic continues to have a profound effect on restaurants throughout New Mexico and the country. How has The Compound adapted to the ongoing crisis?

EsCaPe To WiNtEr WeLlNeSs JaNuArY 17-19, 2020

LuNcH On ThE PoRtAl Faced with daily challenges to keep our kitchen and service teams safe and our business open while maintaining a wonderful hospitality experience for our guests, we are thrilled to announce a new culinary initiative. Los Poblanos and the award-winning culinary team at Campo have introduced a newly crafted Rio Grande Valley dining program, featuring an all-new lunch service which is being served daily by reservation on the stunning La Quinta portal. The brand new menu boasts creative, organic offerings including a refreshing Grilled and Compressed Watermelon Salad and a Seasonal Vegetable Sandwich, served on mouthwatering focaccia bread baked fresh that morning. To highlight the versatility of our kitchen, in-house pastry team and an ongoing partnership with tea.o.graphy, afternoons at La Quinta will also offer our relaxed version of daily tea service.

With a beautiful pot of tea and a stunning selection of savory and sweet bites, we invite you to spend time relaxing in the beauty and serenity of the North Valley.

Lunch, daily 11:30 - 2:30. Reservations only.

Tea & social hour, daily 3:00 - 5:00. No reservations required. lospoblanos.com

Left: Drone shot above The Compound patio. Right: Mark Kiffin, owner of The Compound.

COVID-19 has us changing every day. When the closure happened on March 19, I shut down completely, quarantining the entire restaurant. We then totally cleaned, sanitized, and rebuilt the inside to prepare for a safe reopening. Now we continue to ensure our staff and guests the safest dining experience, using only our three outside dining areas. We have lots of room and lots of spacing to do our job.

This year The Compound celebrates its twentieth anniversary with you as owner. What have been the keys to the restaurant’s longevity?

Longevity means consistency and caring every day to be the best.

There are no days off when you care about what you do.

What are some of the biggest changes in the local food scene that you’ve witnessed over the course of these past two decades?

Locally, we have grown out of just the New Mexico style of food.

There are many more choices than “red, green, or Christmas” now, and the tourist economy has pushed that and benefited from it. The farmers market only gets better every year, producing a better, more extensive product, and has become “the” place to be on Saturday morning.

What is a local food issue that is particularly important to you? Why? Getting food served to kids in schools who don’t have that much to eat at home. We can all be better for our children.

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Tell us about your commitment to seasonality.

The Compound changes its menus seasonally, seriously. That means a major change every ninety days. I have now changed the menu eighty times. Most restaurants can’t say they have changed eighty items, much less eighty seasonal cycles! We are the epitome of seasonality.

What excites you about the future of the restaurant industry in New Mexico? What is most worrisome? What changes would you most like to see across the industry in the years ahead?

Right now with COVID, I hope everyone makes it out of it and to the other side, staying in business. Then I feel most will retool to make their restaurants safer, and also be better in business so they realize that Santa Fe and the USA will take years to come out of this.

We want to continue to be one of the best small cities in America that remains small and unique.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with edible readers?

Buy local, shop local, and EAT local. You can’t say I wish a restaurant was still in business if you don’t go and enjoy it. That will also bring more talent to this area and its food scene, attracting chefs, servers, and somms to our area who no longer want to live in a big, dirty city.

653 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, 505-982-4353 compoundrestaurant.com

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Above: Garduño’s at Old Town in Hotel Albuquerque.

Crafted Cafe (left) and Level 5 (right) at Hotel Chaco in Albuquerque.

HHandR.com/patio

Luminaria Restaurant & Patio at the Inn and Spa at Loretto in Santa Fe.

Left: The courtyard at Market Steer Steakhouse at Hotel St. Francis.

Below Left: The Patio at Eldorado Hotel & Spa in Santa Fe. Rooftop poolside dining is also available.

Above: The new Crafted Cafe at Inn and Spa at Loretto.

Below: The balcony at Estevan Restaurante at Hotel Chimayo de Santa Fe.

WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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EDIBLE ARTISAN

Rude Boy Cookies Takes on Racism in the 505 COOKIE SHOP BANDS WITH OTHER LOCAL BUSINESSES TO RAISE COMMUNITY AWARENESS

By Robin Babb · Photos by Sergio Salvador

Mike Silva and Kristin Dowling, owners of Rude Boy Cookies.

When Mike Silva and Kristin Dowling opened their first Rude Boy Cookies location on Harvard in Albuquerque, they installed a walk-up window with the idea that, since it was near the university, they’d get a lot of pedestrian traffic. Although they didn’t end up using the window as much as they expected in the intervening years, Silva says it’s become a saving grace during the pandemic. “We have a 1,200-square-foot location there, but we haven’t been able to have customers inside for months. Now, the window is how we do practically all of our business.”

been named Best Cookie in Albuquerque The Magazine’s Best in the

Rude Boy Cookies has been serving delicious and award-winning cookies and ice cream sandwiches in Albuquerque since 2014. They’ve

for months. Right now all our locations are open, but with reduced

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edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

City for four years running, and Dowling, co-owner and head baker, won The Food Network’s Christmas Cookie Challenge in 2017. With the city’s only milk bar and gluten-free and vegan cookies available to boot, Rude Boy is a unique gem in Albuquerque’s food scene.

Like many food businesses in Albuquerque, Rude Boy Cookies has been hit hard by the pandemic, Silva says. “We’ve had to open and close, open and close. We have three locations, and two were closed days, reduced hours, and reduced staff.”

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Rude Boy Cookies was founded around the theme of ska music, a lifelong passion of Silva’s. “Ska is rooted in this two-tone theme, black and white—it’s multiracial. Every ska band I’ve been in is multiracial.

It speaks to community, to brotherhood. So when I started the cookie shop with Kristin, we knew we were going to be community-engaged.

We knew we were going to try to make a difference in Albuquerque.”

This commitment has guided the way Rude Boy has done business since the start. Each year they’ve made special cookies for Martin

Luther King Jr. Day and for Pride, and they have frequently donated to local nonprofits. In recent months they’ve created a Black Lives Matter cookie box, donating part of the profits to ACLU New Mexico.

Now, in light of the pandemic and the protests against racist violence, Silva is working with some other members of the Albuquerque business community to expand on his commitment to the people of Albuquerque in this unprecedented moment.

“Myself and my buddy Charles Ashley III [who owns local tech business Cultivating Coders] have always been impacted by systemic racism. But when George Floyd was killed, it was a turning point for the two of us specifically. We decided to use our platforms to make a difference.”

Silva and Ashley III came together to create community events and raise funds for local anti-racist nonprofits. Because of social distancing guidelines, they’ve had to be imaginative with how they organize these events.

“We had a peaceful moment of silence for 8 minutes 46 seconds at Civic Plaza,” Silva says. “We had a peaceful silent march up Route 66.

We had a Black Lives Matter chalk-art event and a virtual community rally with Electric Playhouse. And moving forward, they’re all going to be virtual events in partnership with Electric Playhouse.”

After reaching out to other local business owners and people with significant platforms in the area to join their efforts, Silva and Ashley III quickly expanded their base. Silva realized that managing the events themselves wasn’t going to be sustainable. They took some time away from organizing events and reimagined the impact they could make, and how best to do it. They named their new campaign Burque Against Racism and partnered with the Albuquerque Community Foundation so that, Silva explains, there’s a place for people to donate that’s totally transparent and that will distribute the funds to the Black community.

Burque Against Racism will raise funds for the Albuquerque Community Foundation through donations and sales of their new merchandise that includes yard signs, hats, T-shirts, and a special Black Lives Matter towel designed by Kei & Molly Textiles. He hopes that more local businesspeople will join the campaign and use their platforms to let people know that Albuquerque will fight for Black lives.

Silva says that the way he expects Rude Boy—and other businesses in Albuquerque—can make it through the pandemic and the uncertainty of the present moment is by sticking together. “You have to be willing to check your ego if you want to survive this thing,” he says. “You have to reach out, to ask for help, to partner, to be a part of something bigger than yourself. We did a take-home movie night kit with some other businesses recently: cookies from us, a pizza gift card from Dion’s, popcorn from The Cornivore, and a movie pass from Comcast. Next week we’re doing a collaboration with Tractor Brewing, a cookie and beer pairing.” His message is to work with other businesses that are struggling right now. “We all need each other.”

115 Harvard SE, Albuquerque, 505-200-2235 burqueagainstracism.org, rudeboycookies.com Left: Black Lives Matter cookie box.

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Charlie's Bakery & Cafe' 713

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STREET FOOD

Hot 'n Fast BARBECUE AT ITS BEST IN SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO Words and Photo by Cristina Carreon

Lance Gardner and his son Maurice in front of the Au Jus BBQ food truck.

Southern-style barbecue is not relegated to the Deep South in the United States. After I wrote a story about the best barbecue places in Otero County, several readers sent emails asking why the hands-down best barbecue establishment in the area had not been included in my story.

So I went in search of Au Jus BBQ and owner Lance Gardner.

Au Jus BBQ isn’t a brick-and-mortar restaurant; it’s not a fancy food truck parked near well-traversed roads. Gardner’s barbecue is not made using the same techniques as famous Austin-based barbecue celebrity, Aaron Franklin of Franklin’s Barbecue, or cooked using an expensive smoker, like some of the other BBQ joints in the area.

Gardner’s perfectly smoky brisket and the juiciest barbecue chicken and sausage can be found near the Sacramento Mountains in a quiet Air Force town containing more tumbleweeds than trees, an hour away from any city. Au Jus BBQ is cooked in do-it-yourself smokers made from old gas tanks and has been served out of a hand-built food trailer to the residents of Alamogordo for the last three years.

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Outside an unassuming house in a suburban neighborhood one morning, I ate a plate piled high with mixed meats and beans and chatted with Gardner as he finished smoking up the meats that would later be sold to the lunch crowd somewhere in town. “This is my peace. One of them, anyway,” Gardner said, nodding at smoke rising from the large smoker that takes up a third of his food truck.

Gardner was a truck driver in Florida for fourteen years, but spent his free time honing his smoking and grilling skills. He and his father had plans to start a barbecue business together in Alamogordo, where the family was from originally. Sadly, his father was diagnosed with cancer and passed away three years ago. Gardner then returned to Alamogordo and started his barbecue food truck business in his father’s memory. “So now we’re just doing it. I don’t care what’s going on. I’m going to make sure I do this,” Gardner said.

Gardner had many homegrown influences in learning the barbecue trade, which often stemmed from watching others cook barbecue

during childhood. “I learned a little from [my father] and I learned a lot from the fathers around his neighborhood. I always loved to do it. You know, the pops in the neighborhood would grill and you just wanted to be the man on the grill.” He also learned from Mr. Jackson, his neighbor who lived across the street. Gardner said he and his friends would run around the neighborhood all day long and come back to find that Mr. Jackson’s meats were still on the smoker, not burned at all, but full of flavor.

“A lot of that rubbed off on me, just the technique of having it down pat,” Gardner said. He and his brothers kept the neighborhood tradition going, and he said cooking barbecue was a good way to stay out of trouble. “My dad told me I was crazy when I first started. We were running around the neighborhood all the time.

Who was going to listen to a bunch of knuckleheads? But I kept with it, I just took it really personal and tried to be one of the best.”

Gardner built his original smokers out of old gas tanks when he was living in Florida, and he still uses them today. He cooks his barbecue at a high temperature while paying close attention to the meats as they cook.

“I call my stuff fire-smoked,” Gardner said. “There’s a lot of people that just put a lot of smoke on their barbecue and just let it smolder, there’s no fire in the box, and you can really taste that heavy smoke, but for me, I’m cooking at a high temperature from the start. Maybe in the middle I kind of tone it down a bit.”

“It’s an all-night thing,” he added. “I can’t rush.”

Gardner cut his teeth using mesquite wood, though he contends it is not a popular wood to use for barbecue because oak is more forgiving. “You shouldn’t really taste a lot of wood, you should taste the smoke but not the wood,” Gardner said. He also keeps his seasonings simple, with a hint of heat. “I want to keep the meat at what it really is.”

For Gardner, barbecue is not about using expensive cuts. It is about using technique to transform typically tough cuts of meat, such as brisket, into a quality meal. “Because that’s what it was in the first place; you didn’t have much, you just took this slab of meat and hoped for the best and that it turned into something nice.”

Au Jus BBQ offers barbecue standbys like brisket, sausage, and pork ribs, but at times, Gardner enjoys showing his culinary ambitions by selling barbecue tacos or smoked lamb.

Although businesses were allowed to reopen in June in New Mexico, Gardner said he planned to reopen in August. Even before the pandemic, he did not have plans to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant. “I like being outside,” he said. He has used the time off to have a second truck built with an even bigger smoker. Gardner’s big dreams and his mastery of high heat, warm spices, and no-nonsense advocacy of transforming affordable cuts into buttery meats with crisp skin assures big success for Au Jus BBQ. Located in Alamogordo. facebook.com/lanceaujusbbqgardner

FERMENTI’S PARADOX

Hollow Spirits LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING FULL AGAIN

By Michael Dax · Photos by Stacey M. Adams

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edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

Frank Holloway, co-owner of Hollow Spirits.

When Frank Holloway opened the Hollow Spirits Distillery in 2018, it was the culmination of his life’s work. Holloway has worked in bars and restaurants since he was a teenager. Starting as a busser and moving his way up as bartender and then manager, he immediately took to the fast-paced and social nature of the food and beverage industry.

But the more he worked, the more he realized how little he knew about aspects of the industry he did not experience on a daily basis. So Holloway worked in the distribution side for a few years before becoming the general manager of the Fat Squirrel in Rio Rancho. After that, Holloway was ready to make the jump to ownership, and in 2013, along with four friends, he opened Red Door Brewing Company.

Holloway left Red Door after a year, and at the urging of a friend, looked into the prospects of opening a distillery. He crunched the numbers and used his experience from the previous twenty years to develop a successful business model. “Distilleries around the country are exactly where breweries were, just ten years behind the times,” says Holloway. “And then we’re New Mexico, which is usually five years behind that.”

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In Albuquerque, especially, the craft brew market has become fairly saturated, but there are still relatively few distilleries, and the potential to get in on the ground floor was appealing. In addition, adds Holloway, “I’ve bartended a lot, and mixed drinks are just fun.”

With his mother, Donna Salas, as CFO, Hollow Spirits opened with a full kitchen and inventive drink menu. Relying on his years in the industry, Holloway’s guiding principle was to allow everyone involved to put their creative stamp on their daily work, from the large backsplash that Salas designed and built behind the bar to chef Tristin Rogers’ menu or the bartenders’ and mixologists’ imaginative drinks, like the I Don’t Want No Shrub (vodka, cucumbers, M’tucci’s Strawberry-Basil Shrub, lemon juice, and simple syrup). As Holloway describes it, he’s steering the ship, and as long as it’s going in the right direction, he doesn’t care who or what is on board. “Everyone has free rein on what they want to do,” he says. “If you have a passion and want to create things, customers will get excited by that stuff.”

Enter COVID-19. When closure orders and quarantines first came in mid-March, Hollow Spirits closed for a few weeks, and at that point, Holloway admits that they were happy to take a break from the unrelenting pace of opening and owning a small business. They received a PPP loan that allowed them to keep on staff and eventually reopened for takeout, selling bottles of their juniper-forward gin, rum created from fermented blackstrap molasses, and vodka made with red wheat. Holloway describes this phase as “treading water.”

When they fully reopened in June, customers responded in force and they were as busy as they had ever been. By July, renewed restrictions forced them to cut back to 50 percent of their outdoor capacity, and although they were doing slightly better than treading water, it wasn’t sustainable. “You don’t usually have a business plan that says ‘Hey, let me operate at half of my outside,’” comments Holloway.

The one bright spot was that they were able to continue production, and retail sales have remained steady. Thanks to his experience in distribution, Holloway and Salas have already been able to get their

see you in 2021 Saturday, May 22 AGRI-NATURE CENTER in LOS RANCHOS de ALBUQUERQUE

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Hollow Spirits produces gin, rum, vodka, agave spirits, and liqueurs.

bottles into more than thirty-five retail outlets, including the majority of Smith’s grocery stores in the state. “Distribution was our long-term goal. It just came out a little faster, and now with this, we definitely want to distribute more because, at least, that will be consistent.”

However, as they note, retail sales are not a perfect substitute for a busy taproom. The retail price of a bottle pales in comparison to what that same bottle would generate through mixed drinks.

But in the meantime, they’re doing their best to stay in business while providing a safe environment for employees and customers.

Holloway has been flexible with staff and, for anyone who has not felt comfortable coming to work, he has agreed to hire them back once they do. And like many distilleries, they are producing hand sanitizer, which is available at all the tables at the distillery. But there’s only so long this status can be maintained.

Colin Keegan, owner and founder of Santa Fe Spirits and former president of New Mexico Distillers Guild, who is currently a board member with the American Craft Spirits Association and Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, readily acknowledges the challenges for small distilleries in New Mexico. While he supports the safety orders issued by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, he be38

edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

lieves not enough is being done to support small businesses across the board, especially distilleries.

Due to their size, distilleries haven’t been able to compete with restaurants or even breweries, both of which are bigger industries in the state and have more capacity to lobby the administration and lawmakers. “If you don’t have big pockets, you’re just not going to be able to make it,” he says.

For example, Keegan wants exceptions to be made to allow online sales or to enable distilleries to sell drinks to go, but according to him, this move has been beaten back by distributors and restaurants who view this as competition.

Holloway shares much of this frustration. As of July, he was in regular contact with government officials and other restaurants to ensure they were following the governor’s orders. However, he admits that could change. If going out of business becomes a serious reality, Holloway says that fully opening the taproom will be seriously considered.

“If Hollow Spirits goes under, it’s not as if I’m able to take a two-month vacation and start another business,” says Hollow. “This is it.”

1324 1st Street NW, Albuquerque, 505-433-2766 hollowspirits.com

AT THE CHEF’S TABLE

Chasing Korean Flavor A JOURNEY INSIDE A-RI-RANG

By John Katrinak · Photos by Stephanie Cameron

Left to right: Bulgogi (slices of beef marinated in traditional Korean BBQ sauce); many varieties of kimchi in the A-Ri-Rang market; japchae (vegetables and beef stir-fried with noodles made from sweet potato starch).

Navigating Albuquerque in search of ingredients to create traditional Korean dishes has always been quite the feat. However, my recent discovery of A-Ri-Rang Oriental Market in the eastern part of our city has opened up many more possibilities for crafting the flavors of Korea at home. If a Korean dish calls for a specific ingredient or cooking tool, more than likely you’ll find it at this unassuming market.

To any newcomer in search of A-Ri-Rang, a towering red and gold sign outside marks the destination, but for me, the familiar aromas that greeted me upon entering the market signaled that I was surely at the right place. The scent of slow-cooked fish stock permeating through my face mask brought back fond memories of time spent at my aunt’s house in Seoul, where meals were prepared with care and from scratch daily.

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At first glance, A-Ri-Rang’s overflowing shelves of Korean skincare products, snacks, cooking equipment, and basic essentials teleported me to shopping with my mom in the little Korean markets in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Venturing further inside, I found the restaurant, serving up classic Korean selections.

The market appeared to be just like any Korean market or bodega in New York City, but it became clear from my visit that it is a close-knit family business. The Chong family has run the market since 1987 and opened the restaurant when they moved to their current location about nineteen years ago. One of the daughters of the family, Ivy, answered my call with a friendly greeting, and asked if I would like to place a food order. In this instance, I opted to call in my quintessential Korean feast and was happy to learn of the pandemic guidelines that they have in place, including a mask

requirement and sanitation buckets available next to the register and pick-up table.

DITCH THE STORE AND OPEN YOUR DOOR

I arrived with perfect timing. My order was still being prepared in the kitchen by mother and son, Han and Chanhyeong, giving me the opportunity to peruse the market. I strolled through the aisles, welcomed by the sight of fresh vegetables, rice varieties, Korean pickles, and multiple types of kimchi. The shelves, refrigerators, and freezers were filled with endless possibilities of flavors.

As I scanned the products, I spotted the tiny dried anchovies that are stir-fried for savory, crunchy myulchi bokkeum. My eyes landed on a dosirak plate for a bento lunch full of rice, meat, and sections for different banchans (side dishes) or kimchis. Down the bursting noodle aisle was the ever-familiar japchae noodle made from sweet potatoes—a great gluten-free option with a texture similar to that of a rice noodle. Then, just as I do without fail every time I step into a Korean market, I located my favorite childhood snacks: Korean onion rings, similar to Mexican duros or wagon wheels but packed full of onion flavor, and the irresistible Choco Pie, Korea’s take on the MoonPie. I was reminded of the many times I would sneak these snacks into my mother’s shopping basket as a child, hoping she wouldn’t notice—but they were almost always discovered as soon as they landed.

As the chef of my own Korean-fusion restaurant, I made sure to pick up a few ingredients for a seafood pancake to be served as an upcoming weekend special, and for nostalgia, a bag of the soon-tobe-famous onion rings to be devoured later.

I purchased my items and piled them into the back seat. En route to share the feast of bulgogi, bibimbap, mandu (dumplings), summer noodles, and seafood pancakes with a friend, familiar smells wafted over me. Upon opening the food containers, the room filled with the sweet, salty, and savory scents of any Korean household.

The bulgogi with sautéed carrots and green onions was just the way my aunt made it. The mixed rice bowl, or bibimbap, was topped with a fried egg and four types of kimchi, the smell and flavor of sesame oil in each bite. The best part is breaking the egg to explode the yolk and stirring it into the rice to create a richer dish.

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Overall, my favorite dish from A-Ri-Rang was the bibim naengmyeon. Two versions of this dish are available on the menu, but this was the only one able to be packed up. (The other came with a separate broth.) A heaping pile of buckwheat noodles are tossed in gochujang—a Korean pepper paste—along with vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil. Julienned apples accompany the dish to cool down and balance the spicy, tangy, and chewy noodles.

My takeaway from the experience was how profoundly our cultural and food connections can travel and thus be found in unexpected places, our memories summoned in an instant through familiar sights and scents. Most importantly, especially during this pandemic, is how families are sticking together, helping each other, and finding comfort through food.

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TOUCH AND GROW

(In the Throes of Tomatoes) RESOURCES FOR GARDENING IN NEW MEXICO Words and Photos by Marisa Thompson

Left to right: Tomato harvest; self-pollinating tomato flowers; tomato hornworm.

Nothing says late summer like a tomato. Let’s look at ways to make the most of the harvest, prepare for the inevitable first freeze, and set up for a fruitful 2021 growing season.

Whether you’re growing your own or buying them from local growers, there’s no debating that homegrown tomatoes taste way better than store-bought. That is unless you store them in the refrigerator. The naturally volatile chemicals (aka volatiles) that give tomatoes their bright flavors are prone to breaking down when temperatures drop below 55°F for prolonged periods. This is why we’re told not to store flavorful tomatoes in the refrigerator, which is usually set to around 40°F. As nights get colder, watch for the first frost of the season. Go ahead and harvest green tomatoes before they get bitten by a near-freeze and turn to mush overnight. Last year, many New Mexico gardeners were caught off guard, missed their chance at a final harvest, and were devastated to have come so far and lost so much at the very end. The first freeze in 2019, which some may remember since it crept up so quickly, was October 11 in parts of Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Whether green or red, mature tomatoes, because of the amount of ethylene (a natural plant 42

edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

hormone) that they produce, continue to ripen after they’ve been picked.

If there’s a chance of frost, it’s time to harvest—ready or not.

Once you’ve had your fill of fried green tomatoes and made a batch or two of green tomato salsa (I follow recipes for salsa verde and substitute green tomatoes for the tomatillos), encourage the rest to ripen by storing them with a few red tomatoes. To slow the ripening process and keep them green longer without refrigeration, check them daily and continually pull out the redder ones. The tomatoes that never ripen and turn red weren’t fully mature when picked.

As my NMSU research colleague, Dr. Ivette Guzman, says, “Tomatoes are a gateway vegetable.” Harvest a few ripe fruits from a plant you’ve babied (or tortured) all summer, and you’re hooked, just like the rest of us.

That’s not to say that tomato plants aren’t riddled with problems. If you’ve given up by now, you are not alone. Even the most successful tomato growers are familiar with the usual suspects—curly top virus, blossom end rot, stink bugs, and tomato hornworms, to name a few I’ve personally dealt with this year.

Next year, consider setting up a shade structure of some sort. Completely wrapping caged tomatoes with shade cloth can help in multiple ways. The cloth limits beet leafhopper activity; they’re the only known vector of beet curly top virus, which shows up with a variety of symptoms such as curled leaves (sometimes with purple veins), thickened and stiff leaves, stunted overall plant growth, and plant death (more common in seedlings).

If these symptoms are ringing bells for you, try controlling your winter weed situation to improve next year’s chances. Beet leafhoppers are known to overwinter on mustards, like London rocket (commonly known as mustard weed), and then jump over to the veggies in spring when their winter hosts wimp out. Weed ’em and reap.

Shade cloth may also reduce potential exposure of the plants to thrips that could be carrying tomato spotted wilt virus or aphids carrying alfalfa mosaic virus. All of these viral tomato pathogens are diagnosed every year in New Mexico. In addition to limiting exposure to pests and pathogens, it’s cooler and less stressful under shade. And there’s no need to worry about pollination problems under cover because tomato flowers are self-pollinated, and the yields on disease-free plants can be astounding.

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Leave it to me to uncover one major drawback of covering tomato plants: If tomato hornworms get in there and start chomping away, in one weekend they’ll nibble away most of the leaves so that only the midribs are left, sticking out like sore thumbs. Of course, even tomato hornworms aren’t all bad. If left in peace, they transform into hawk moths, or sphinx moths—important native pollinators.

Have you seen fruits that have split open at the shoulder, exposing black mold? This problem isn’t entirely preventable because the cracking is usually caused by irregular watering during fruit development.

If we’re lucky with a good monsoon season, overwatering is bound to happen. With 51 percent more sunny days than the national average, New Mexicans rarely complain about the rain. The trick is to notice the cracking and harvest early enough before they begin to rot.

Growing a good tomato is a process that can, for many growers, take years. As the saying goes, the best gardeners have killed the most plants. Hopefully, these tips can add to an abundant harvest this year and help bring forth many more to come!

S!

N OW

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The NMSU Plant Diagnostic Clinic analyzes plant material for pathogens and environmental stresses and suggests appropriate control measures when available.

Insect and weed identification services are also offered.

The Plant Diagnostic Clinic accepts physical samples that are submitted and shipped from your county’s NMSU Cooperative Extension office (for free!). aces.nmsu.edu/ces/plantclinic

I T’S

NMSU Tomato Resources: From planting to cooking and every diagnosis in between, visit the Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension tomato page at aces.nmsu.edu/ county/bernalillo/yardgarden/tomatoes.html

MACKD 1S

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RESOURCES

L E-LICI O U

see you in 2021 on SEPTEMBER 11 ediblesmackdown.com WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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o t i h s i h S ith w f e e B n a i l s e o h g s i n o d a M R n o k i a D d n a s r Peppe

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COOKING FRESH

Celebrating Fall with the Galette

By Stephanie Cameron

Imperfect and versatile, galettes are free-form pies that can be made savory or sweet. The flaky, buttery galette is more forgiving than almost any other French pastry, yet makes a stunning, circular centerpiece for any dinner or dessert. Although we provide you with several recipes,

THE DOUGH Prep time 5 minutes, chilling time 30–60 minutes, assembly time 10 minutes, baking time 35 minutes (unless otherwise noted next to recipe) 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2 stick (16 tablespoons) cold, unsalted butter, cubed 1/3–1/2 cup ice water, divided Egg wash 1 egg yolk 1 tablespoon heavy cream

feel free to improvise by adding various root vegetables, greens, cheeses, or any other vegetables found hiding in the fridge. Then fold, bake, and delight in the uneven edges of your rustic homemade meal.

The key to a perfect pastry dough is cold butter and water. Pro tip: Throw the butter in the freezer an hour before making the dough, and always ice your water. Note on preparing the dough: The key to a flaky, supple galette is an all-butter crust. If you’re not accustomed to French pastry, the quantity of butter in this recipe might seem extreme; don’t be surprised to find melted streaks on the parchment.

Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor, fitted with the blade attachment, until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, 7 to 10 pulses. A few larger pieces of butter may remain. Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of ice water and pulse until dough is crumbly in texture but holds together when squeezed, about 4 pulses. If the mixture is dry, pulse in up to 2 more tablespoons of ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

If you don’t have a food processor, you can whisk the dry ingredients and use hands to combine butter and water.

Turn out the dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Shape into a disk, wrap completely in the parchment, and place in a resealable bag. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The dough can be made up to three days in advance and stored in the refrigerator, or frozen for up to three months.

MAKE THE FILLING While your dough is chilling in the refrigerator, prepare the filling. Below we provide several recipes for savory and sweet options. The key to a perfect galette is to allow the filling to cool completely before assembling. When in a hurry, spread the filling on a baking sheet and pop in the freezer for 10–15 minutes.

thick. Slide the parchment and dough onto a baking sheet and remove the top layer.

Pile filling onto the center of the dough, slightly mounding it and leaving a 2-inch border around the edge. Fold the rim of the dough up and partially over the filling, overlapping and pleating the dough as you go around. Beat the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and brush the crust with the egg wash.

ASSEMBLE THE GALETTE

BAKE THE GALETTE

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400°F. of parchment paper. Cover with a second piece of parch-

Bake until the crust is a deep golden-brown, about 30–35 minutes at 400°F. Transfer the parchment with the galette to a wire rack and cool 10 minutes, garnish, and serve.

ment. Roll the dough into a 12-inch round about 1/8-inch

A galette serves 4–6 people.

Unwrap dough, lightly dust with flour, and place it on a piece

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Make first— dough ns on tructio see ins e filling 5. Mak . page 4 chilling ough is d e F il ° h w to 400 t oven Prehea t to roll ou star when y ild ugh. Bu the do ke. and ba

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Sausage with Caramelized Onion and Mushrooms

edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2020

The Fillings: Savory MONGOLIAN BEEF WITH SHISHITO PEPPERS AND DAIKON RADISHES Filling prep time 15 minutes, cook time 15 minutes, baking time 35 minutes at 400°F 1/2 pound ground beef 1/2 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorn, ground (toasting optional) 2 tablespoons cornstarch 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce 3 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon light brown sugar 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 2–3 tablespoons canola oil 1 pint shishito peppers, stems removed 1 small daikon radish, sliced on mandolin; reserve about 1/4 for garnish 1-inch ginger root, cut into matchsticks 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or chopped 3 scallions, trimmed of roots and chopped Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

SAUSAGE WITH CARAMELIZED ONION AND MUSHROOMS Filling prep time 10 minutes, cook time 15 minutes, baking time 35 minutes at 400°F 8 ounces sausage 1 tablespoon butter 1 small sweet onion, diced 2 cups mushrooms (oyster, cremini, portobello), sliced 3–4 sprigs fresh sage, chiffonade 1/2 cup ricotta Sea salt, to taste Black pepper to taste

Ground pork or thinly sliced sirloin can be substituted for ground beef. No daikon? Use a turnip. No shishitos? Use sliced bell peppers.

Prep your veggies. In a small bowl, whisk together hoisin, water, Worcestershire, soy sauce, brown sugar, and toasted sesame oil.

In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil and add the ground beef. Season with salt and Szechuan peppercorns.

Once beef has browned, scatter cornstarch on top and stir. Cook another 2 minutes. Remove beef to a plate.

Keep the cast-iron skillet over medium-high to high heat and add 2 more tablespoons of oil. Add shishito peppers and blister, 2 minutes.

Add ginger, daikon, garlic, and scallions; toss another minute. Add meat, sauce, and toss to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.

Fold pastry and bake.

Garnish the finished galette with remaining daikon and sesame seeds.

For a vegetarian version of this recipe, simply use 2 additional cups of mushrooms in place of the sausage and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Gruyère cheese.

Brown sausage in a large skillet. Remove sausage from pan, reserving fat. In the same skillet, cook onions and mushrooms in the sausage’s rendered fat and butter. Season with salt to taste. Remove from heat, combine with sausage, and let cool.

Follow assembly instructions for galette, layering ricotta, sausage mixture, and sage evenly on the dough. Fold pastry and bake.

Follow galette assembly instructions on page 45.

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Be ugh is sure do fore illed be well ch g has nd fillin a g in ll ro emroom t o t d le coo re re befo peratu g your buildin . galette

Beet and Sweet Potato with Rosemary Ricotta Late Tomato Harvest Caprese with Balsamic

Once your galette is built, be sure to give the edges an egg wash.

See “Assem ble the Galette� inst ructions on page 45.

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The Fillings: Savory BEET AND SWEET POTATO WITH ROSEMARY RICOTTA

For variation, substitute a pound of any fall root vegetable for beets and sweet potatoes. Turnips, parsnips, and butternut squash are all good options.

Adapted from Cookie+Kate

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Filling prep time 10 minutes, cook time 25 minutes, baking time 35 minutes at 400°F

Peel the beets and slice into 1/8-inch slices. Toss with olive oil and salt. Spread out into a single layer on a sheet tray. Roast until tender, 20–25 minutes. Let cool completely.

2 medium beets 1 large sweet potato 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/8 teaspoon sea salt 1 cup ricotta 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1 clove garlic, minced 1 egg 1 teaspoon fresh thyme 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

LATE TOMATO HARVEST CAPRESE WITH BALSAMIC Adapted from Inspired Taste Filling prep time 10 minutes, cook time 35 minutes, baking time 35 minutes at 400°F 2 medium heirloom tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 2 tablespoons butter 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 6 fresh thyme sprigs, stemmed and chopped 8 ounces blue cheese, crumbled 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar Olive oil and balsamic vinegar for drizzling Toasted piñons for topping

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, rosemary, salt, garlic, and egg.

Roll out the dough. Spread ricotta cheese mixture onto dough, leaving a 2-inch border, and layer rounds of cut sweet potato and beets on top of ricotta cheese. Sprinkle top with fresh thyme, goat cheese, and pepper. Fold pastry and bake.

An abundance of green tomatoes can be substituted for ripe heirloom tomatoes. Slice 2 green tomatoes 1/4-inch thick. Place on rack or paper towels and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Let drain for 30 minutes, and then pat dry. Substitute balsamic vinegar for the honey.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place heirloom tomatoes and half the cherry tomatoes (reserving remaining half for topping) on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes to allow juices to escape. Place parchment along with tomatoes on a wire rack to cool.

Add butter to a skillet set over medium-high heat. Add onions, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onions begin to soften, continually stirring, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, frequently scraping browned bits off the pan until the onions are golden brown (about 10 minutes). Remove from the heat and stir in thyme.

Roll out dough and crumble blue cheese over it. Sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella. Spread caramelized onions in an even layer and then layer on basil, sprinkling with salt and pepper. Add the roasted tomato slices and cherry tomatoes. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Fold pastry and bake.

Serve topped with reserved cherry tomatoes, toasted piñons, and a drizzle of balsamic and olive oil, if desired.

Follow galette assembly instructions on page 45.

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Cardamom Apple and Salted Caramel

Save bourbon from pear galette reci pe for cocktail reci pe on page 64 .

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Bourbon-Soaked Pear

The Fillings: Sweet CARDAMOM APPLE AND SALTED CARAMEL Filling prep time 15 minutes, baking time 60 minutes at 400°F Cardamon Apple Filling 2 pounds apples, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick 3 tablespoons sugar 1 lemon, zested and juiced 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/4 cup flour 2 tablespoons butter, melted Salted Caramel Sauce 1 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup cold water 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 3/4 teaspoon sea salt

BOURBON-SOAKED PEAR Filling prep time 30 minutes, baking time 60 minutes at 400°F 1/2 cup bourbon 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 3 to 4 firm Bosc pears, cored and sliced into 1/8-inch slices 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 3 tablespoons brown sugar 1 tablespoon melted butter 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Make caramel sauce while galette is baking.

Cardamon Apple Filling In a large bowl, gently combine apples with sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, cardamom, and flour.

Roll out the dough. Starting in the center, arrange the apples in overlapping rows or circles, leaving a 2-inch border. Brush melted butter over the top of arranged apples.

Pleat the dough, brush with egg mixture, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 30 minutes and then cover with tented foil and bake for 30 minutes longer.

Serve with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce.

Salted Caramel Sauce In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine sugar with cold water and stir to combine. Cook, without stirring, until sugar has turned a deep amber hue, approximately 10–12 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm cream, butter, and salt in a small saucepan. When caramel is ready, slowly whisk in warm cream and continue simmering the mixture until it is smooth (another 2–3 minutes). Remove from heat and serve warm.

Mix bourbon and vanilla extract in a medium bowl and add pear slices, tossing gently to coat. Set aside to soak for about 20 minutes. Combine brown sugar, butter, and flour into small lumps; set aside for topping the galette.

Drain the pears (reserve the bourbon mixture for a cocktail on page 64) and toss with the granulated sugar. Arrange pear slices in overlapping rows on the dough and sprinkle topping over the pears.

Pleat the dough, brush with egg mixture, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 30 minutes and then cover with tented foil and bake for 30 minutes longer.

Follow galette assembly instructions on page 45.

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United States of Anxiety AS THE PANDEMIC SURGES, RESTAURANT WORKERS FACE FEARS ABOUT THE VIRUS AND THEIR LIVELIHOODS

By Joanna Manganaro Toto

“D

Describing some mask-free customers who have visited while she was working, Alyssa Gaiser said, "It’s a political thing for them, so they feel very strongly and passionately about it. They’re fighting for something, so they’ll put up a fight. They’ll argue with you about it. It’s kind of crazy."

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D

onning masks and carrying handwritten signs, restaurant workers gathered around their employers to take photos that would later flood social media and be featured on local news broadcasts.

Some held their young children in their arms. #LetUsServe, some signs demanded. Other signs highlighted the number of employees who were affected by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s mandate to reenact the indoor dining ban in the state after a surge in COVID-19 cases. The protests occurred on the day the mandate went into effect, July 13. The same day, the New Mexico Restaurant Association (NMRA), along with several restaurants, filed a lawsuit against the governor, arguing that her order was “arbitrary and capricious” and suggesting that it amounted to discrimination against restaurants. A handful of restaurants defied the governor’s order and remained open, resulting in the loss of their food and beverage licenses. Other restaurant owners, irked by the NMRA’s stance, made a point of distancing themselves from the organization created to represent them. Some took to social media to express support of the governor’s decision, insisting that the health of their customers and employees was more important than their bottom line.

In a whiplash-inducing turn of events on July 20, an Eddy County judge sided with the NMRA and placed a restraining order on the governor’s mandate due to the failure of the governor’s office to respond to the lawsuit in time. Later that day, New Mexico’s Supreme Court quickly overturned the restraining order, leaving Governor Lujan Grisham’s mandate in place. Local news programs and newspapers featured restaurant owners worrying that shutting down indoor dining, after its brief comeback from June 1 to July 13, would be a death blow to their businesses. Other restaurant owners countered their claims, expressing optimism about their take-out and patio operations and confidence that their customers would continue to support them. In all the cacophony, the voices of the restaurant workers themselves went mostly unheard.

Like the United States as a whole, the state of New Mexico suffers from a deep political divide, which has been thrown into stark relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is not uncommon to see Santa Feans in the state’s progressive north wearing masks even while driving alone in their cars, while many residents of Carlsbad in the conservative southeast angrily protest mask-wearing, both online and in person.

As a group, restaurant workers in New Mexico are a microcosm of the political environment in the state, but what has connected them all during this singular time is an underlying sense of anxiety: anxiety about catching the virus due to facing the public day-in and day-out; anxiety about a patron becoming sick after visiting the restaurants where they work; anxiety about confrontations with patrons who lash out when asked to wear a mask; anxiety about the possibility of their employers going out of business; anxiety about pulling in fewer tips and being unable to support themselves and their families; and, for some, anxiety about the lack of a clear plan from management on how to deal with the new regulations.

Most of the restaurant workers I interviewed expressed admiration for how the owners and managers of their establishments were handling the changes associated with the pandemic. Some shared stories of owners bringing food to their employees and toys to their children during the weeks their restaurants were shut down. However, others dealt with practices by managers and owners that they found disturbing and unsafe. A server at a pub in Albuquerque’s Nob Hill neighborhood, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed dismay at the lack of clear communication and defined standards when it reopened for limited patio and dine-in service in June. They said, “We never had a meeting before we reopened where we got everybody together to go over everything, so one bartender did things differently than the next one.” The pub’s owner never shared the number of people that would constitute 50 percent capacity and never asked servers to count the number of people in the restaurant at any given time, so the server did not know if they were complying with the governor’s orders.

A.J. Woods recalled an employee meeting on the reopening of the North Valley restaurant where he worked. He was shocked to hear the manager say that there would be no effort toward social distancing among restaurant employees and that the restaurant would not explicitly demand that customers wear masks in the establishment. Also present at that meeting was Alyssa Gaiser, who noted, “Something that really struck me was that the manager said, ‘If any of you don’t want to come back because you don’t feel safe, you will be terminated on the spot.’ That just really bothered me. Their reasoning was that they were taking all the precautions, so there should be no reason that we shouldn’t feel safe.”

Though Governor Lujan Grisham enacted a mandate requiring masks in public on May 13, the act of mask-wearing has become a flashpoint during this politicized pandemic. Many have refused to cover their faces in public, despite the governor’s order. This defiance has led to confrontations between restaurant workers and patrons. Describing some mask-free customers who have visited while she was working, Gaiser said, “It’s a political thing for them, so they feel very strongly and passionately about it. They’re fighting for something, so they’ll put up a fight. They’ll argue with you about it. It’s kind of crazy.” Dylan Taylor, a server at the Blue House Bakery & Café in Carlsbad, said, “Where we live, people have been a lot slower to take this seriously, and there are a lot of people who still don’t. At first, there were a lot of people not wearing masks and not taking social distancing seriously, so that was kind of stressful, but as things have played out, most people have been wearing masks and taking precautions.” Of mask requirements in restaurants, Fiona Brown, bartender at O’Niell’s Pub in Albuquerque, said, “It definitely does rub some people the wrong way. There’s a select few that get pissed about it, but what are you gonna do? This is the law.”

In this hyper-political moment, the #LetUsServe protests initially came across as the frustrated response of conservative restaurant owners who would be furious about any move the governor made.

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Photo by M Agency

that their workers would be hurt by layoffs fell flat. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual income for restaurant workers in New Mexico is $22,060, which meant most laid-off workers would make more through unemployment benefits than they made while on the job, and they would not have to risk exposure to the coronavirus at work. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many workers did not support the #LetUsServe protests. Some restaurant workers instead circulated the hashtag #LetUsLive, highlighting the fact that because restaurant workers are ineligible for unemployment benefits if they quit their jobs without medical justification, they essentially must continue working regardless of their discomfort in facing the public during the pandemic.

Brown expressed her frustration with the situation, stating, “If I quit, I would be unemployed but without the benefits because of quitting, so I have to come to work and do the best that I can.”

One major asterisk to this situation is the case of undocumented restaurant workers, who are not eligible for unemployment benefits whether they are laid off or they quit. In their case, they are probably the first to be hurt when restaurants shut down and the last to leave if a restaurant is operating unsafely.

David Allen, assistant general manager at Guadalupe Mountain Brewing Co. in Carlsbad, which took part in the protests, offered a sympathetic perspective on #LetUsServe. He argued that it was not the workers who would be laid off who would be hurt the worst, but rather the tipped workers in restaurants that pivoted back to takeout, delivery, and patio service. Allen said, “These servers 54

edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

live off of tips, and even 50 percent capacity hurts them, so when you take away indoor dining, you take away a big chunk of their paycheck.” In order to supplement lost tip income after switching back to patio service and takeout, Guadalupe Mountain Brewing’s owner gave servers a temporary raise to their hourly wage. Virginia Hilliard, server at Santa Fe’s Arroyo Vino, also called attention to the plight of servers whose restaurants pivot to takeout, saying, “I don’t think people understand that we make $3 an hour and that we rely on tips, even when we’re just doing takeout service.” On several occasions, she has had to gently mention that fact to customers, who are often surprised to hear it.

New Mexico’s tipped employee minimum wage is $2.35 per hour, just $0.22 above the federal limit and one of the lowest in the country. Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and Santa Fe County have enacted increases on that wage, but even the highest, in Albuquerque, is just $5.60 per hour. This leaves employees’ income largely in the hands of customers, which can be a benefit in some cases and a liability in others. Hilliard explained, “Generally speaking, people are tipping on average 20 percent [during the pandemic], but occasionally there are people who tip $100 on every order.

But then there are regular customers who consistently tip $5 on their orders,” which is low for a fine-dining restaurant like Arroyo Vino, whose ticket prices are relatively high. The NMRA does not support major increases in the tipped minimum wage, and it has actively opposed efforts to require restaurants to offer employees paid sick leave.

Photo by DisobeyArt

In order to ease the uncertainty for servers, some New Mexico restaurants, including Vinaigrette and Bosque Brewing, have recently done away with tipping and switched servers to a higher hourly wage meant to provide a livable income. Each of the restaurant workers I interviewed expressed ambivalence about moving away from a tipping system, but overall it was a concept that appealed to them. The most solid stance on the issue came from Brown, the O’Niell’s bartender, who asserted, “Industry workers should be paid a living wage and shouldn’t have to rely on tips.”

The issue that most united the servers interviewed was the concern for their health and that of their customers. Sarah Donoghue, a server at Gecko’s Bar & Tapas in Albuquerque, noted that her asthma and other preexisting conditions put her at a higher risk for COVID-19, which causes her anxiety about her line of work. She said, “My emotions have been all over the place. Whenever I go in to work, I say a prayer and ask God to protect me and my customers.” Having recently recovered from cancer, Taylor in Carlsbad was most worried when the virus first emerged, but his fears have subsided somewhat over time. He said, “In the beginning, there were a lot of unknowns, and I was pretty stressed out about it.” Other workers have felt their anxiety build rather than decrease. Brown said, “With the rise in COVID cases that we’re having in New Mexico now, it’s a lot more scary. Yes, we want to work; we want to be there, but we don’t want to put ourselves and our families at risk.”

For Woods, health and safety concerns caused him to decline to return to work—a decision he supported with medical documentation in accordance with New Mexico Workforce Solutions’ Return to Work guidelines. Despite following the protocols, he has been embroiled in a protracted struggle to receive unemployment.

Woods explained, “For me personally, seven dollars per hour isn’t worth it to risk COVID-19 in a restaurant. I’ve made the decision that it’s just not something I’m going to risk, especially now since things are so slow and there’s no tips.” He added, “Restaurant employees are some of the lowest-paid and lowest-respected people in the economy, so what warrants them risking their lives for other people’s convenience?”

The restaurant workers who have remained on the job note that customers’ actions play an important role in how they feel at work and how well they are able to do their jobs. Alyssa Montoya, counterperson at BoulTawn’s Bagelry, Café & Gallery in Santa Fe and a delivery driver for DoorDash, offered this suggestion to people planning to patronize restaurants: “Wear your mask, follow the rules. Just because we know you personally doesn’t mean the rules don’t apply to you. Also, be aware of your personal items.

As much as you might want to put your purse on the counter to get your credit card, please don’t.” Donoghue said, “Be respectful.

Don’t linger. Don’t spend three hours on the patio when we’re at 50 percent capacity.”

Gaiser put it succinctly: “Tip well and be kind.”

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In the Weeds HEARING FROM THE FRONT LINES OF LOCAL AGRICULTURE

By Anita Ashok Adalja

Grow the Growers program trainees digging a berm at the Gutiérrez-Hubbell House. Photo by Stephanie Cameron.

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edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

T

he coronavirus pandemic has added a new element of uncertainty to the already unpredictable and inherently risky business of farming, testing the resilience and innovation of our local foodshed. Over the course of this year, many of us have mourned for farms that had to till produce back into the soil because their markets dried up. We have celebrated the (re)birth of community supported agriculture (CSA) programs popping up all over the state and supported our local food pantries and assistance programs through emergency funding. We have also applauded our farmers markets, restaurants, and grocery stores as they adapted to curbside pickups, and we have donated to relief efforts such as mutual aid networks. Less visible, but absolutely crucial, has been the work of farmworkers, interns, delivery drivers, farmers market managers, and food hub staff. These essential workers are going above and beyond what they signed up to do as they maintain business as usual during the unusualness of a pandemic.

According to the Food and Environment Reporting Network, since late July more than 47,000 frontline agriculture workers (farmworkers, food processors, and meat packers) have tested positive for COVID-19, and 189 have died. Many workers do not feel safe or supported in their work environments, are not provided with appropriate personal protective gear, have no ability to socially distance from their coworkers, and are often forced to show up to work feeling ill because they do not have sick leave available. The industrial agricultural workers are already part of a food system that is working against them, and they are now risking their lives for this work. Here in New Mexico, I spoke with a few individuals in our local food system to learn how they are faring during this time and how their experience during the pandemic compares with those in the industrial food chain.

“F

For many workers in the agriculture sector, being deemed “essential” doesn’t mean much at the end of the day. Abel Lopez is a full-time crew member and delivery driver at Silver Leaf Farms in Corrales, midway through his second season there. He delivers produce to restaurants, grocery stores, senior centers, and other institutions twice a week, and works on the farm on non-delivery days. His delivery routine has shifted during the pandemic to include masking up, wearing disposable gloves, and wiping down door handles and his steering wheel with bleach at each stop. “As a whole, I think it’s crazy because we are frontline people working for the community,” Lopez says. “We are putting ourselves at risk every day, especially delivery drivers. And as farmers, we’re not treated as highly as we should be by society in general. We hear all this ‘essential workers this’ and ‘essential workers that,’ and we are not being [appropriately] compensated. I barely scratch the surface [on what people make on unemployment] during a whole two weeks, even putting in extra hours, and I’m putting myself at risk. I don’t necessarily feel essential even though they put us in that category. I don’t feel supported that way.”

Georgina Carvajal, a kitchen crew member at the Agri-Cultura Network food hub, agrees. “It’s funny to be called an essential worker,” she says. “I think we are made to look more important than we are treated. I have to work for low wages and risk my health, and still feel like anyone could replace us.”

At the Agri-Cultura Network stationed at Albuquerque’s South Valley Economic Development Center, Carvajal processes and aggregates vegetables that come through the FDA-certified kitchen from dozens of local farms each week. While some businesses like the Agri-Cultura Network and La Montañita Co-op are offering hazard pay for their employees, many are not, and for all frontline agricultural workers, the lack of alternatives can sometimes weigh heavily. “I don’t have a choice not to work,” Lopez says. “I have to provide some sort of income

For local growers who rely on stalwart restaurant buyers and the intimacy of a packed farmers market stand to earn their living, closure of nonessential

businesses, stay-at-home orders, and growing fears about the consequences of being in public places came as a bucket of cold water in the face. For those running farms, local food distribution businesses, CSAs, or small grocery businesses, this also meant pivot or perish.

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Grow the Growers’ farmers, from left to right: Mayam Garris, Jack West, Lynn Dapo, Eli Sánchez, and Shannon Concho.

Photo by Stephanie Cameron.

for my family.” Lopez is currently the sole income provider in his home, and he and his wife recently had their vehicle stolen.

“It would be nice to get more than just the label as essential.

At the end of the day, we are still making the same amount of money, still in hard situations, still in places where you feel like you don’t have a choice. I wish people would recognize farm workers more, and realize that if it wasn’t for us, you wouldn’t have food on the table, you wouldn’t have food in the stores.

People really forget that people grow the food, we’re really behind the scenes.”

Although these frontline workers in the agricultural sector do not always feel supported by society, they do feel supported by their colleagues and crew members, especially during the pandemic. Mayam Garris is a farmer trainee at the Cultivating Bernalillo County Grow the Growers training program for new and beginning farmers. Garris farms alongside about a dozen other trainees on a field at the Gutiérrez-Hubbell House in the South Valley. They shared, “The farm feels like a [good] place to be during this time. It has been doing a lot for me in regard to my mental health, and [it’s] also a place where I can have 58

edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

refuge and safety. I have a lot of trust on the farm.” Garris adds that the farmers at the Grow the Growers program have ongoing conversations around safety on the farm that help foster a feeling of security. “We’ve had to build trust to farm together during the pandemic, to create areas and atmospheres of safety.

If one of us gets sick, then there is a huge risk.”

Kaitlin Innis, a farm intern at Vida Verde Farm in Albuquerque’s North Valley, has had similar experiences around crew solidarity. “We share mutual respect and responsibility toward each other as we all are continuing to work in proximity with one another. I feel connected and like [how] it has brought us closer. We are seeing each other every day through this, and that feels special.” Innis says that the farm owner and crew have open and ongoing discussions about the safety and comfort of the crew and how to work together, and that has supported cohesiveness during uncertain times. “I felt heard and it felt nice to feel safe and that I did have a voice. I think it was a group decision [on how to work safely]. We all talked about it. We kept it very open to express our concerns and share our ideas about what we needed to do—working farther apart, staggering ourselves—it didn’t feel like we were being told, necessarily.”

Left: Abel Lopez of Silver Leaf Farm, photo courtesy of Silver Leaf Farm.

Right: Georgina Carvajal washing beets at Agri-Cultura Network, photo courtesy of Agri-Cultura Network.

Lopez similarly shared feelings of understanding among his farm crew at Silver Leaf Farms. “At the beginning we did have our meetings regarding COVID,” Lopez says. “We talked about how we should try and social distance and be safe outside of work. I feel trust in my coworkers. As a collective, we are pretty aware that this is not a joke.” Carvajal explains that at the Agri-Cultura Network she follows protocols and feels a sense of responsibility toward her coworkers. She has to take and record her temperature and answer a brief health survey each morning when she enters the building. She maintains a six-foot social distance with her coworkers and wears a face mask during her entire shift. She recently held a second job in the food court at a mall in Albuquerque and explains that while she had that job, she worried about exposing her coworkers at Agri-Cultura.

“I feel pretty safe working here,” Carvajal says, “but you never know who other people have been around and you always think about the people you are exposing your coworkers to.”

Beyond feeling the solidarity and closeness to the crews in which they work, these frontline food system workers take immense pride in their work. Danielle Schlobohm, co-manager of Albuquerque’s Downtown Growers’ Market, has had

to develop procedures to make it possible to safely operate a farmers market during a pandemic. Along with her sister, Liz Skinner, and a small team, she instituted the Farm-to-Car market pickup operation that ran from mid-April to June 27, in addition to reopening the market at Robinson Park in July under COVID-19 restrictions. Through it all, Schlobohm has kept the bigger picture in mind. “It’s made me personally feel very dedicated to this kind of work. I have a lot of love for Albuquerque and New Mexico and the people that I work with, especially the downtown community and farming community.”

Lopez describes delivering produce to communities in Gallup and working to distribute food alongside the National Guard: “The amount of people who came to pick up this food was nuts. . . . That was one of the times when I was most scared, but it was also nice to see all these people come out who are in need.

No one is out there helping these people out.” At the Agri-Cultura Network, local produce is being distributed all over the state to senior centers, Meals on Wheels, Bernalillo County Community Health Council’s Healthy Here Mobile Farmers’ Market, and local food banks, in addition to Agri-Cultura’s La Cosecha CSA, which feeds more than three hundred families WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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Left: Jonelle Ewbank and Danielle Schlobohm from the Downtown Growers' Market, photo courtesy of Downtown Growers' Market.

Right: Kaitlin Innis at Vida Verde Farm, photo courtesy of Vida Verde Farm.

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every week and provides subsidized and sponsored produce to qualified low-income families. “This work makes me happy and willing to be here during a pandemic,” Carvajal explains. “It’s food that people need and that has meaning.”

really cool and exciting to see. It’s been a lot of having to deal with things . . . vendors and all of us learning on the fly. It’s been one of the most stressful times of my life, and at the same time, kind of amazing.”

Many are inspired by the innovation and feel hopeful for the future of agriculture in New Mexico. “As trainees and incubators, we are learning to farm amidst something totally new,” Garris says. “I joke, but am serious when I say we are farming for the first time during a pandemic. Just imagine the possibilities afterward.” Garris explains that a lot of collaboration has been taking place, and that among their group, they’ve talked of forming a cooperative. “There is more power in groups of people than to do this alone. Right now there are cooperatives forming . . . and people forming their own CSAs and inspiring us to do so. Marketing and moving food is changing. There are new ways that we can continue to transform the food system.

People are learning to do that in their first year of farming.”

Schlobohm voices a similar sentiment: “It’s pushed a lot of innovation, we have to do things in a shorter time frame, and are learning and growing a lot. I’ve witnessed a coming together of the farming/agriculture and market community. That was

While demands are being made on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Congress to protect our industrial food workers on a national scale, here on a local level, these agricultural leaders are rebuilding our food system with resilience, cooperation, value for the work and each other, and a clear understanding of who is truly essential. Garris summarizes that sentiment best: “At the end of the day, ‘essential’ is termed under capitalism, and I feel like if we are talking about essential, we are talking about who is worthy and who is not.

It’s a very loaded term, it’s dismissive and very dangerous, especially for folks who have been out of work since the pandemic.

I don’t get down with that. Whatever work is to be done and whatever lives are to be lived, that is essential in itself.”

edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

agri-cultura.org, eatsilverleaf.com, downtowngrowers.org

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Y O U R L O C A L S O URCE G UID E South Indian cuisine

TRIFECTA COFFEE COMPANY

413 Montano NE, Albuquerque 505-803-7579, trifectacoffeeco.com We roast coffee, and brew it in unique ways utilizing some of the best methods available. All of our baked goods, sweet, and savory are made in house.

FOOD ARTISANS / RETAILER AlbuKirky Seasonings

AlbuKirky Seasonings specializes in finely crafted rubs, sauces, and jellies featuring red and green chile and other Southwest flavors.

Albuquerque, albukirkyseasonings.com

Barrio Brinery

Bringing fine fermented foods to Santa Fe. We make our products by handcrafting small batches of flavorful goodness using only the finest ingredients.1413-B W Alameda, Santa Fe, 505-699-9812, barriobrinery.com

Bountiful Cow Cheese Company Purveyors of fine cheese, meats, and provisions from around the world.

505-473-7911, B-cow.com

Del Valle Pecans

Fresh and sweet organic pecans. From our southern New Mexico orchards to your kitchen. Order online. 575-524-1867, delvallepecans.com

Eldora Chocolate

Eldora crafts chocolate using natural, organic, and fair trade ingredients.

1909 Bellamah NW and 8114 Edith NE, Albuquerque, 505-433-4076, eldorachocolate.com

Finches

Espresso ground rooibos. Antioxidant-rich.

Coffee alternative. Caffeine-free or caffeinated. finchescafe.com

Heidi's Raspberry Farm

Sumptuous, organic raspberry jams available throughout New Mexico and online!

600 Andrews, Corrales, 505-898-1784, heidisraspberryfarm.com

La Montañita Co-op

La Montañita Co-op is New Mexico's largest community-owned natural and organic food market. Locations in Albuquerque, Gallup, and Santa Fe, lamontanita.coop

Skarsgard Farms

Delivering fresh, local, and organically grown produce and natural groceries to doorsteps

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edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

across New Mexico. 505-681-4060, skarsgardfarms.com

Talin Market

88 Louisiana SE, Albuquerque, 505-268-0206, talinmarket.com

LODGING

Heritage Hotels and Resorts

Hotels in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, and Las Cruces. HHandR.com

Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm

4803 Rio Grande NW, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, 505-344-9297, lospoblanos.com

Osuna Nursery

A family-owned and operated nursery, gardening center, and landscaping company. 501 Osuna NE, Albuquerque, 505-345-6644, osunanursery.com

ORGANIZATIONS & EDUCATION New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs nmculture.org

New Mexico Museum Foundation

116 Lincoln, Santa Fe, 505-982-6366 ext.100, museumfoundation.org

The Nacent Group thenacentgroup.com

Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi

Slow Food Santa Fe

Sarabande B & B

RETAILERS

Sophisticated modern aesthetic celebrating the southwestern spirit. 113 Washington, Santa Fe, 505-988-3030 Comfort, elegance, and simplicity.

5637 Rio Grande NW, Albuquerque, 505-348-5593, sarabandebnb.com

The Historic Taos Inn

125 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte, Taos, 575-758-2233, taosinn.com

The Parador

Our 200-year-old farmhouse, Santa Fe's oldest inn, is located in historic downtown Santa Fe. 220 West Manhattan, Santa Fe, 505-988-1177, elparadero.com

NURSERIES & SERVICES Alameda Greenhouse

Dedicated to growing and maintaining all manner of outdoor plants—veggies, fruit trees, flowers, shrubs, and perennials.

9515 Fourth Street NW, Albuquerque, 505-898-3562, alamedagreenhouseabq.com

deerBrooke

Irrigation and backflow prevention specialists. Repairs, installations, and consulting.

505-319-5730, NMLawnsprinklerexperts.com

Slow Food is about enjoying food and the community it creates. Intrigued? Learn more at slowfoodsantafe.org.

Gallery Ethnica

Live globally! 1301 Cerrillos, Santa Fe, 505-557-6654, galleryethnica.com

Hacer Santa Fe

Thoughtfully sourced, carefully curated, natural fabric and fibers. 311 Montezuma, Santa Fe, hacersantafe.com

Kitchenality

Irresistible and gently used gourmet cooking and entertaining ware. 1222 Siler, Santa Fe, 505-471-7780, kitchenangels.org

Next Best Thing to Being There

An eclectic shop for handmade products.

1315 Mountain NW, Albuquerque, 505-433-3204, beingthereabq.com

Sarabande Home

We have a passion for finding the perfect gift. 4022 Rio Grande NW, Albuquerque, 505-344-1253, sarabandehome.com

Tin-Nee-Ann Trading Co.

Family operated and family friendly since 1973. 923 Cerrillos, Santa Fe, 505-988-1630 facebook.com/TinNeeAnn

E A T & DRI N K LOCAL G UID E Cutbow Coffee

One of the nation's most accomplished artisan coffee roasters, Paul Gallegos.

1208 Rio Grande NW, 505-355-5563, cutbowcoffee.com

Farm & Table

Enjoy delectable seasonal dishes created from scratch, sourced from local farmers and our beautiful on-site farm. 8917 Fourth Street NW, 505-503-7124, farmandtablenm.com

Mata G

Unmistakably comforting, uncompromisingly fresh, and undeniably delicious.

116 Amherst SE, 505-266-6374, mata-g.com

The Grove Cafe & Market

The Grove features a bustling café experience serving breakfast, brunch, and lunch.

600 Central SE, 505-248-9800, thegrovecafemarket.com

The Shop Breakfast & Lunch

Genuine Food & Drink Enchanting, Dusty...

Wild West Style 28 MAIN STREET LOS CERRILLOS 505.438.1821 Thursday - Sunday blackbirdsaloon.com WINE STORES Arroyo Vino

218 Camino La Tierra, Santa Fe, 505-983-2100, arroyovino.com

Black Mesa Winery

Black Mesa Winery is an award-winning New Mexican winery using only New Mexican grapes. 1502 Highway 68, Velarde, 505-852-2820, blackmesawinery.com

Susan’s Fine Wine and Spirits

1005 S St. Francis, Santa Fe, 505-984-1582, sfwineandspirits.com

VARA Winery & Distillery

Serving breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Sunday. 2933 Monte Vista NE, 505-433-2795

Trifecta Coffee Company

We roast coffee and brew it in unique ways utilizing some of the best methods available.

413 Montano NE, 505-803-7579, trifectacoffeeco.com

Urban Cocina

Urban Cocina offers exceptional cuisine scratch-made with locally sourced ingredients. urbancocina.com

SANTA FE RESTAURANTS Arable

Inspired by the bounty of New Mexico, and the small community of Eldorado, Arable was born. 7 Avenida Vista Grande, 505-303-3816, arablesantafe.com

Anasazi Restaurant & Bar

Contemporary American cuisine inspired by locally sourced seasonal ingredients.

113 Washington, 505-988-3030, innoftheanasazi.com

Arroyo Vino

We serve progressive American fare inspired by our on-premise garden and local purveyors. 218 Camino La Tierra, 505-983-2100, arroyovino.com

Dolina

Market Steer Steakhouse

Where refined dining meets fun dining.

210 Don Gaspar in the Hotel St. Francis, 505-992-6354, marketsteersteakhouse.com

Ohori’s Coffee Roasters

The original source for locally roasted coffee beans, gifts, and gathering. 505 Cerrillos and 1098 St. Francis, 505-982-9692, 507 Old Santa Fe Trail, ohoriscoffee.com

Paper Dosa

Bringing fresh, authentic homestyle South Indian dishes to your table. These bright and exciting flavors will leave you wanting more.

551 W Cordova, 505-930-5521, paper-dosa.com

Radish & Rye

Farm-inspired cuisine: simple yet innovative food and drinks sourced locally whenever possible. 505 Cerrillos, 505-930-5325, radishandrye.com

The Compound Restaurant

Chef Mark Kiffin preserves a landmark tradition of elegant food and service at his Canyon Road institution. 653 Canyon Road, 505-982-4353, compoundrestaurant.com

GREATER NEW MEXICO RESTAURANTS Black Bird Saloon

Genuine food and drink, Wild West style.

28 Main Street, Los Cerrillos, 505-438-1821, blackbirdsaloon.com

Michael’s Kitchen Restaurant and Bakery

Regionally inspired eats with a tongue-incheek menu in a casual space decorated with knickknacks. 304-C N Pueblo, Taos, 575-758-4178, michaelskitchen.com

Pajarito Brewpub & Grill

Open for lunch Tuesday–Sunday. Open for dinner every day. Happy hour Tuesday– Sunday 2–5pm. 30 craft beers on tap.

614 Trinity, Los Alamos, 505-662-8877, pajaritobrewpubandgrill.com

Rancho de Chimayó

Famous for its signature dishes of spicy guacamole, hand-rolled tamales, blue corn enchiladas, carne adovada, and chile rellenos. 300 Santa Fe County Road 98, Chimayó, 505-351-4444, ranchodechimayo.com

Spanish and American wines celebrating the origins of the American wine experience.

315 Alameda NE, Albuquerque, 505-898-6280, varawines.com

We serve modern American brunch with Eastern European influences. Open 7 days a week. 402 N Guadalupe, 505-982-9394, dolinasantafe.com

Revel

ALBUQUERQUE RESTAURANTS

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314 S Guadalupe and 1600 Lena, 505-428-0996, iconikcoffee.com

30+ year Wine Spectator Award Winner.

Patio dining, fresh local foods, and live entertainment. 125 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte, 575-758-1977, taosinn.com

Campo at Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm

Rio Grande Valley cuisine rooted in seasonal organic ingredients from our own farm.

4803 Rio Grande NW, 505-344-9297, lospoblanos.com

Iconik Coffee Roasters

Loyal Hound

Locally sourced modern comfort food paired with craft beer, cider, and wine. 730 St. Michaels, 505-471-0440, loyalhoundpub.com

Farm to table, elevated comfort food, in a fast-casual environment. 304 N Bullard, Silver City, 575-388-4920, eatdrinkrevel.com

Doc Martin’s

The Skillet

American, Southwest, vegetarian friendly.

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LAST BITE

Vanilla Old Fashioned 1 sugar cube 2 dashes of bitters Small splash of club soda 1 1/2 ounces bourbon mixture from recipe on page 51 Thin pear slices for garnish 64

edible New Mexico | FALL 2020

In a cocktail glass, combine sugar cube, bitters, and club soda. Using a muddler, crush the sugar cube until it dissolves.

Add bourbon and 1 large ice cube to the glass; stir until well chilled. Garnish with the pear slices and serve immediately.

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Please consider a gift to our Annual Fund. museumfoundation.org/annual-fund 505.982.6366, ext. 100

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