The City Different is known for unbelievably good food— from world-class restaurants to mom-and-pop shops (and of course, the green chile). We Santa Feans love our food and enjoy sharing meals. For locals and visitors alike, Santa Fe has several fantastic options to bring high-quality sit-down meals into your own home. For home chef that needs a little help, the Savory Spice Shop sells seasonings, but will also teach you the best way to incorporate them into your cooking. Classes are demonstration-style (but you do leave with a full belly!) and emphasize the spices used. The Santa Fe branch is managed by Kate Wheeler, who has a culinary arts degree from Johnson & Wales University and is eager to share her knowledge. The Santa Fe School of Cooking offers regularly scheduled cooking classes (some hands-on) and a twiceyearly, hands-on, culinary boot camp. The sessions often focus on local favorites—tamales, tacos, rellenos, green chile, and more. The culinary boot camp is an intensive three-day program that covers everything from knife skills to flavor labs, and culminates in a final exam where you prepare a meal for some of Santa Fe’s most refined palates. If those options don’t quite meet your needs, then how about a class with a celebrity chef? Las Cosas Kitchen Shoppe is a full-fledged cooking mecca, with the added bonus of having Chef Johnny Vee, who teaches approximately 20 classes each month. These classes are hands-on, and you get to take home the food you make. Topics are broad in range, covering everything from kidfriendly options to kitchen skills for adults, and traditional red-chile foods to dishes from the Koreatown cookbook. Sometimes guest chefs stop by to teach classes in their individual specialties.—Amanda Jackson
drew wheeler
classes and culinary boot camp
In any cooking class, trying the results of the day’s work is the best part. Here, students at Las Cosas Kitchen Shoppe assess the final product.
Kitty leaken
creative cooking
Savory Spice Shop 225 Galisteo savoryspiceshop.com/new-mexico/santa-fe.html Santa Fe School of Cooking 125 N Guadalupe santafeschoolofcooking.com
eric swanson
Las Cosas Kitchen Shoppe 181 Paseo de Peralta lascosascooking.com
Above: Classes at Savory Spice Shop are demonstrationstyle, at least until it comes time to taste the results. Left: Students at Santa Fe School of Cooking gather to watch the instructor’s techniques and marvel at her ability to get it right without a measuring spoon. February 2, 2017 NOW 13