Late Winter: Livelihoods

edible NEW MEXICO

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THE STORY OF LOCAL FOOD, SEASON BY SEASON

Livelihoods

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

ISSUE 89 · LATE WINTER 2024 JANUARY / FEBRUARY

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JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2024 DEPARTMENTS 2

GRIST FOR THE MILL

By Briana Olson and Susanna Space

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CONTRIBUTORS

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LOCAL HEROES Root 66 Food Truck, Chispas Farm, Rosa Zamora, and Horno Restaurant

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COOKING FRESH Game Night

by Stephanie Cameron

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EDIBLE INGREDIENT Lamb

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CHEF’S TABLE

An Extraordinary Chef ’s Life

by Lynn Cline

ARTISANS

60 PORTRAIT OF A FARM Farming, Nizhoni Style

by Ungelbah Dávila

ON THE COVER

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80 LAST BITE

NEW MEXICO

Queso Fundido

®

THE STORY OF LOCAL FOOD, SEASON BY SEASON

FEATURES 28 CHEERS?

Livelihoods

New Liquor Laws Provide Opportunity but Leave Some Restaurateurs Underserved

by Candolin Cook

66 CHICKEN’S CHICKEN, OR IS IT? In Search of Local Poultry

by Briana Olson

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

ISSUE 89 · LATE WINTER 2024 JANUARY / FEBRUARY

Livelihoods. Photo by Stephanie Cameron.

74 WHERE THE WATER LANDS

by Shahid Mustafa

Las Golondrinas Pie Company Takes Flight

by Joanna Manganaro Toto

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GRIST FOR THE MILL

Livelihoods Why do people do the work they do? A report on job growth or inflation implies that it’s all a numbers game. And any business owner knows this is partially true—the printers and the landlords, the lenders and the vendors must be paid. The staff and writers too. A livelihood is, by definition, a means of subsistence, the way a living is earned. But the word circles back through the Middle English liflihed, meaning energy and vigor, to the Old English līf. Life!

“They’re a joy,” farmer Tom Delehanty told Deborah Madison nearly eighteen years ago for a story printed in the very first issue of this magazine, then called edible Santa Fe. He was speaking of his new chickens, a breed closely related to those featured—along with a new generation of New Mexico chicken farmers—in this, our eighty-ninth issue.

For these winter months, when the drinks are warm and the ground is cold, when restaurant business is notoriously slow and many growers lean into their off-farm jobs, we offer stories that twine living with living, earning with breath. One feature explores the complications of the state’s new liquor laws, another begins to untangle the matter of water rights. Writing of this resource more vital even than rent, Shahid Mustafa points to the need for collective accountability in the management of what we cannot live without.

At Nizhoni Farms with Ungelbah Dávila, we learn that the farm’s reason for being is our own health. This idea of reciprocity, tying human health to land health, business to community, gift to responsibility, recurs again and again in the conversations we share in these pages.

For every dollar spent at a small business, it’s been found, sixty-seven cents stays local, engendering another fifty cents in local spending. There is no available data about the corresponding joy that results from buying local chicken or pie, but in reflecting on a long career as chef and restaurateur, Joseph Wrede says there’s a reward: the people.

From the care of these writers to the care of farmers and producers in sharing their work and their words, we hope to kindle a parallel return, a chain of joy whose energy and drive are grounded in the intersection not only of our livelihoods but our lives.

PUBLISHERS Bite Size Media, LLC Stephanie and Walt Cameron

EDITOR Briana Olson

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Susanna Space

COPY EDITORS Marie Landau and Margaret Marti

DESIGN AND LAYOUT Stephanie Cameron

PHOTO EDITOR Stephanie Cameron

EVENT COORDINATOR Natalie Donnelly

SALES AND MARKETING Kate Collins, Melinda Esquibel, and Karen Wine

PUBLISHING ASSISTANT Cristina Grumblatt

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Write to us at the address above or email us at info@ediblenm.com Bite Size Media, LLC publishes edible New Mexico six times a year.

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CONTRIBUTORS

Turkeys at Sile Pasture. Photo by Stephanie Cameron.

STEPHANIE CAMERON was raised in Albuquerque and earned a degree in fine arts at the University of New Mexico. She is the art director, head photographer, recipe tester, marketing guru, publisher, and owner of edible New Mexico and The Bite.

LYNN CLINE is the award-winning author of The Maverick Cookbook: Iconic Recipes and Tales from New Mexico. She’s written for Bon Appétit, the New York Times, New Mexico Magazine, and many other publications. She also hosts Cline’s Corner, a weekly talk show on public radio’s KSFR 101.1 FM. CANDOLIN COOK is a historian, writer, editor, and former coeditor of edible New Mexico. She recently received her doctorate in history from the University of New Mexico and is working on her first book.

UNGELBAH DÁVILA lives in Valencia County with her daughter, animals, and flowers. She is a writer, photographer, and Indigenous digital storyteller.

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edible New Mexico | LATE WINTER 2024

JOANNA MANGANARO TOTO is a freelance writer, jewelry designer, and personal stylist based in Albuquerque. Born and raised in New Mexico, Joanna spent years in New York City, Dallas, Phoenix, and the LA area before gratefully returning to her home state, where she lives with her husband, son, and senior pets.

SHAHID MUSTAFA owns and runs Taylor Hood Farms, practicing regenerative organic agriculture on two acres in La Union and offering a CSA with home delivery. Through his nonprofit DYGUP/Sustain (DYGUP stands for Developing Youth from the Ground Up), he has worked with staff at Las Cruces High School to implement an environmental literacy curriculum and establish a one-acre plot where students receive credit for helping with all stages of vegetable production.

BRIANA OLSON is a writer and the editor of edible New Mexico and The Bite. She lives in Albuquerque.

SUSANNA SPACE is a writer and the associate editor of edible New Mexico and The Bite. Her essays have appeared in Guernica, Longreads, The Rumpus, the Los Angeles Review, and many other literary outlets. She lives in Santa Fe.

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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. (Winners of the Olla and Spotlight Awards are nominated by readers and selected by the edible team.) 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.

ROOT 66 FOOD TRUCK FOOD TRUCK

AN INTERVIEW WITH VICTOR FLORES, OWNER Photos by Stephanie Cameron

Adrian Jesus Flores, Victor Jesus Flores, and Adriana Vanessa Flores.

Have you seen their logo? It says, “The beet goes on” and is punctuated with a deep-red beet. The Root 66 Food Truck logo says vegan succinctly. Since 2019, Victor Flores and his family have been using traditional recipes to bring out the flavor in their amazing, unexpected, and always vegan dishes. Born to immigrants in Texas, with family originating 6

edible New Mexico | LATE WINTER 2024

from Chihuahua, Mexico, they have created plant-based versions of classics like tamales and barbecue, seeking to open diners to a world of vegan cuisine that even the most devout meat eater can enjoy. Victor has also worked with various Native and Mexican American communities to educate people on the health and environmental benefits of veganism. He

is the community outreach specialist for the Southwest with the nonprofit Vegan Outreach and a cofounder of Plant Powered Events, and he runs the Vegan Village Pop-Up Market in Albuquerque. With the Root 66 Food Truck, the Flores family seeks to undo stereotypes about plant-based food, serving diverse eaters with their Mexican-inspired vegan dishes.

ICONIC

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Left: Vegan burrito with brisket. Right: Vegan brisket nachos.

You’ve called your dishes “vegan comfort food.” Why comfort food? What does that mean to you?

Comfort food is just that—something that brings you comfort when you eat it. That could be happiness, nostalgia, or deliciousness. Sometimes all of that, all at once.

Almost everyone knows what comfort food is and can relate to it. With our dishes being vegan, we want people to relate to the food.

Most of us don’t eat an animal-based burger because we like to specifically eat a part of an animal, but because we like the texture, the marinade, and the seasoning. If we can re-create that in a plant-based version and cause less harm all around, why not?

Your family became vegan together not long ago, and soon after that, you opened Root 66. What moved you to start not only eating vegan but building a business around vegan food?

There are usually three reasons someone decides to go vegan: ethics, environment, 8

edible New Mexico | LATE WINTER 2024

and health. We did it for ethical reasons. We really never thought we would be getting into the food business. Some friends of ours had a vegan food truck in Santa Fe that was no longer in operation, and we just wanted to borrow it to give away free vegan tacos at Central New Mexico Community College. They made us an offer we couldn’t refuse and we decided to give it a shot. When we took over the truck, continuing to sell vegan food was never in question, but we wanted to put our own spin on traditional Mexican street dishes.

It has always been our side job, but now we are looking to be out there more often to give people our dishes they have come to enjoy.

Many of your menu items, like brisket nachos and ceviche tostadas, mimic carnivore fare. Is part of your mission to convert meat eaters?

Some people might ask, Why eat plantbased products that look and feel like animal-based products? Well, if I can have flavors and textures similar to foods I grew up eating, but in a plant-based version, why

not? Especially without all the negatives of eating animals. I do feel our food is really a continuation of our activism. Food is a very powerful thing. If you try our food and we make you totally change everything you thought you knew about vegan eating, then we have accomplished our mission.

What kind of food did you grow up eating?

Mexican. My favorite was always mole and chile colorado guisados. And of course chilaquiles and menudo! Growing up in the Panhandle of Texas and surrounded usually by family members from Chihuahua, carne asada was always around to make tacos or burritos. I probably have been a foodie since way back then!

What are some of the ingredients you rely on to create the flavors in your vegan meat and other signature dishes? Where do you source them?

Our base vegan meat consists of only a few ingredients, which include non-GMO soy

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Single origin chocolate is made from cacao beans grown in a single farm or region. It uniquely exhibits the specific flavors of its source. Industrialized chocolate makers, by contrast, homogenize the flavors by combining all regions into one flavor that they call “chocolate.” By doing this, the subtleties of micro lot flavors is lost, as well as the pleasure of eating Fine Chocolate. Single origin highlights flavors. Note the distinctive flavors shown below base on the origin of the cacao beans.

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Left: Victor Flores serving up vegan goodness. Right: Vegan brisket platter with beans and mac ‘n’ cheese.

and gluten, with some classic spices. We also use pea protein bases and occasionally jackfruit. Our shredded vegan meat is imported from Mexico, and we purchase other proteins from local distributors here in New Mexico. We continue to use most of the same ingredients we used before we went vegan. Most people don’t think about how their marinades or spices are vegan ingredients, despite using them to cook animal products. It’s like having a blank canvas and creating your artwork. Our canvas is just plant based!

When you talk about community, how do you define yours? What other local businesses do you relate to or take inspiration from?

I feel my community is the Mexican community. I can relate and can enjoy the culture, from the food to the music to our struggles.

These are things you have in your blood.

Things that you are born with. Things you really can’t just learn out of the blue. Sharing our cultural dishes with our community in vegan form really brings it home.

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There are a lot of great people and businesses that motivate us to keep going. A huge inspiration is from our friends at El Palote Panadería in Dallas—a Mexican family who really decided to change their life around and become vegan but keep doing what they already were doing. Now they’re baking pan dulce and making traditional Mexican food, but all 100 percent vegan.

Are you still working together as a family? How is that going?

Right now it’s my four children and me.

My oldest and youngest are the ones who are on the truck, and the other two support us with prepping or helping set up at different events. Everything is going great, and each and every one of them takes pride in what they do.

How do you spend family time outside of work? What does a perfect day off look like for all of you?

We like to travel, but most of all, we are all big foodies! Trying new vegan items and visiting new places that offer amazing vegan food is a thing we really enjoy. A perfect few

days off would be visiting Dallas and eating at all our favorites!

What’s ahead for Root 66?

We are seriously considering a storefront and possibly even trying some new concepts we have been working on. A food truck is great, but it also limits what you can put out and how much. I think 2024 will bring some big changes, and these changes will carry us into the future of the business.

Anything else you’d like to share with edible readers?

Why vegan? At Root 66 Food Truck, we feel it is important to serve delicious food that people can relate to. Whether it be our famous Brisket Nachos, BBQ Beast Sandwich, Tacos Chingones, or Chicharron Burrito, we want everyone to be able to come to our truck and have something they can enjoy. Just because we are a vegan establishment does not mean we have to sacrifice flavor. Come and give us a try and we know we will make you change your whole idea of what eating vegan can be!

575-404-1728, root66foodtruck.com

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LOCAL HEROES

CHISPAS FARM SUSTAINABILITY: LABOR PRACTICES

AN INTERVIEW WITH CASEY HOLLAND, FARM MANAGER Photos by Stephanie Cameron

Chispas crew, from left to right: Casey Holland, Ethan Schiller, Lindsey Johnson, Alberto Romero, and Nico Estrada.

With more than 120 varieties of heirloom fruits, vegetables, and grains, in addition to milk goats, laying hens, sheep, rabbits, and geese, Chispas Farm is the embodiment of diversified agriculture. Established in 2001, Chispas is a small, regenerative, community-focused farm in the South Valley of Albuquerque. Casey Holland, Chispas’s farm manager since 2017, is committed to effecting positive social change around small-scale, sustainable agriculture. They strive to make access to nutritious, enriching 12

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food more affordable for all families while providing opportunities for their community to reconnect to the region’s agricultural roots and culture. During the growing season, the farm’s vibrant produce, from fava beans to bok choy to perilla to quince, is on display at the Downtown Growers’ Market in Albuquerque, and those who sign up for their CSA program sometimes find musicians performing when they stop by the farm to pick up their boxes.

Talk about the farm’s path toward worker equity. What does that look like now and what are your goals for the future?

To be honest, when I first came to Chispas, there was quite a negative legacy on the farm around worker exploitation. The first steps toward worker equity came with acknowledging the harm that had come before and committing to positive change and new systems.

First steps were paying more hourly, having farmworkers become official employees and

photo courtesy: Sergio Salvador

JoIn Us At ThE TaBlE.

We are eagerly anticipating this spring’s exciting long table dining events at La Quinta.

SaVoR De LeGuMbReS DiNnEr Thursday, February 1 Our annual vegetarian dinner celebrates a fresh start to the year, favoring cool-season root vegetables and hearty greens. Our culinary team draws inspiration from these seasonal vegetables, heritage grains, and the preservation techniques that keep fresh flavor on the table all year long.

The multi-course menu will be thoughtfully paired with beverages to reflect the alchemy of preservation and fermentation.

MaRtIn WoOdS WiNe DiNnEr Saturday, April 6 Join us for an unmatched culinary experience showcasing one of our favorite winemakers from the Willamette Valley, Martin Woods Winery. Guided by sustainable, holistic principles, Martin Woods’ wines express the voice of the vineyard and an authentic sense of place. This dinner will feature a beautifully crafted menu designed by the Los Poblanos culinary team that will specifically showcase the remarkable selection of fine wines.

Visit lospoblanos.com /events-calendar for more information and tickets.

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Feeding goats at Chispas Farm.

no longer contractors of the farm, and now every farmworker who completes a season gets a profit share. We also offer a paid day off each month and are hoping to be able to offer continued raises, higher profit shares, and more paid leave for farmworkers.

Another way we are building worker equity into the system is by no longer having every logistical component of farm management run by a single person who delegates and tells every person working on the farm what to do. In this way, we are building meaning and professional development into the positions on the farm, empowering our farmworkers to learn new skills and get an inside look at the off-field work that keeps the farm running. By creating opportunities for professional development for our farmworkers, we are also creating more sustainable workloads for the farmers with more experience and creating space for all farmers at Chispas to have more vibrant lives both on and off the 14

edible New Mexico | LATE WINTER 2024

farm. By having enough staff, enough pay, enough time off, and distributed responsibilities, together we are reenvisioning what running a farm looks like.

Sustainability is more often associated with stewardship of the land than with care for the people stewarding the land.

How do sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices intersect with farmworker vitality and the long-term sustainability of a farm?

We firmly believe that sustainability of the land is inseparable from sustainability of the people who steward the land, and that part of healing our food systems will come with the acknowledgement that they are inseparable. Too often during my years of farming, I have seen the most well-meaning, sustainability-minded farmers need to find alternatives to farming or make sacrifices on their growing practices in order to be able to survive under our current economic system.

The more we have farmers who are able to stay in place and work the land without sacrificing themselves and their needs, the more we can collectively envision a future where land and farmers are connected over the long run. Short-term relationships between land and farmers often lead to decision-making that is not always beneficial to the land itself.

When you’re not sure if you will be there the next season or five seasons from now, the kinds of investments that are necessary in order to truly care for the ecology and the more-than-human residents really do not make sense from an economics standpoint.

However, the more that farmers and farmworkers feel that they will be able to take care of themselves, their families, and the land over the long term, the more we are supporting folks in creating the kinds of systems we need for a sustainable food future.

How do your nonhuman farm residents contribute to the work of the farm?

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Chispas crew on a beautiful fall day in Albuquerque’s South Valley.

Our more-than-human farm residents contribute to the farm in ways that are constantly astonishing. Right away when we invited animals and livestock onto the farm as part of our operations, a different kind of vibrancy began to emerge, where visitors were more excited to be here and immediately interacted differently with the space.

Through working with the land, we have also cultivated spaces on the farm where we leave special offerings for the spirits of place that help us feel like we are reconnecting with the heritage of this land and honoring all who have stepped here before us.

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Chispas is known for engaging community, whether through learning opportunities or parties. For you, what’s the mark of a meaningful farm event?

are creating meaning and magic that extends far beyond the boundaries of the farm.

The mark of a meaningful farm event here at Chispas is connection. Whenever folks get to come to the farm and experience the magic of this place, connect with other community members and the more-thanhuman, and learn more about what is possible in our valleys, the better. In whatever ways we work with our community partners to make Chispas a place that feels like anything is possible and everyone is welcome, we

Please reach out and find ways to get involved! We love building new connections, community partnerships, and new ways to engage at Chispas! Email us at chispasfarms@gmail.com or find us on Instagram!

Anything else you’d like to share with edible readers?

229 Saavedra SW, Albuquerque, chispasfarm.com

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LOCAL HEROES

ROSA ZAMORA SPOTLIGHT: FRONT OF HOUSE

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE MANAGER AT FARM & TABLE

Rosa Zamora at Farm & Table. Photo by Stephanie Cameron.

Born and raised in Albuquerque, Rosa Zamora spent her childhood traveling all over the United States and Mexico with her family’s Aztec dance group. That allowed her to sustain a deep connection to her Indigenous roots. With Chicano hippies for parents, she also learned the power of grains, legumes, and vegetables early on. Zamora has been working in restaurants for more 18

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than twenty years and has done pretty much every job in the industry. For a few years before moving into restaurant management in 2015, she was the chef and owner of a vegan café in Albuquerque. Now she stars as guest chef twice a year for vegan dinners at Farm & Table, where she has worked since 2017. “I learn as much as I can from those around me,” she says.

Why Farm & Table, and how has your role there evolved over time?

I wanted to be more intentional in my career after working in corporate restaurants. I had a disconnect with a lot of standard practices in the food industry—in my personal life, I’m committed to animal welfare, eating seasonally, reducing waste, and supporting the local economy. Seeing Farm & Table’s strong

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We can’t be open without functioning toilets or hot water, so you learn how to fix those things as they happen.

You also cook and have past experience as a restaurateur. What is one of your favorite dishes to make during the coldest days of winter, and for whom?

All eleven members of my immediate family get together for dinner every Sunday, and I love to make a big pot of posole. I make it with homegrown corn when I have it. We have vegans, omnivores, picky eaters, and little kids in my family, so I make a Mexico City–style of posole with lots of different toppings on the side. That way, everyone can customize their bowl.

What kind of food did you grow up eating?

Cucumber and compressed radish aguachile served at vegan dinner at Farm & Table. Photo by Joy Godfrey.

dedication to similar values really solidified that I was in the right place. It’s so cool to work somewhere that composts all the food scraps with a local farmer! And now I can help as we constantly work to do even better.

it’s my priority to make sure the guests feel taken care of while maintaining the dignity and humanity of our team. We never dwell on blame; my only concern is finding a solution to steer the experience back on course.

I was hired as the assistant manager and slowly absorbed more jobs as people left; I am constantly expanding my skill set. I am now the general manager, jack of most trades, and moonlight as a guest chef for our biannual vegan wine dinners.

Describe a typical workday. How does it start, and when does it end? Are there aspects of your job that might surprise people, or that never seem to be portrayed in the TV version of restaurant life?

As a manager working front of house, you have to balance the feelings and experiences of customers with those of your staff (not to mention your boss). How do you pull it off?

I’m lucky to have a boss like Cherie [Montoya], who has fostered a work environment where everyone’s personalities and strengths can flourish. By understanding the varied skill sets and personalities of our staff, we avoid a lot of issues and are able to focus on providing a great experience for our guests.

And when mistakes are made, or issues arise, 20

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I get to the restaurant at two in the afternoon and have two hours before front-ofhouse staff arrives. I use this time to work on payroll, scheduling, invoicing, emails, menu updates, and any issues that may arise. At four, it’s time to set up, eat family meal, and run our preshift meeting. During service, I am there to facilitate front and back of house and lend a hand wherever needed. Once it slows down, I’m back in the office working on paperwork. Then we clean up and I get home between eleven and midnight.

I think the part of my job that surprises most people is how much plumbing is involved.

We were macrobiotic for a lot of my upbringing. My family mostly ate a simple diet of legumes, grains, fruits, and vegetables. My mom is a great cook, and she taught me how to feed a lot of people on a little budget. Big batches of beans, enchiladas, brown rice, and lentil soup were our staples.

How do you recharge during your time off?

I spend a lot of time working in my garden. I also love hiking and exploring with my husband and our two rowdy dogs.

What’s a local food or labor issue that’s important to you?

I worry a lot about the rising cost of food and how that is creating deeper inequality in our communities. The more food we can produce locally, the more resilient we become. We can increase our local soil health and grow food to share. If we don’t have a place to grow, we can volunteer at food pantries. If we don’t have time to volunteer, we can financially support direct action organizations that distribute food like ABQ Mutual Aid and ABQ Free Fridge. Anyone and everyone can help increase food security.

Anything else you’d like to share with edible readers?

I just want to say how honored I am to be included in this year’s Local Heroes. And a huge thank-you to the entire Farm & Table team for making my job a joy!

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LOCAL HEROES

HORNO RESTAURANT RESTAURANT, SANTA FE

AN INTERVIEW WITH DAVID AND HEATHER SELLERS, OWNERS Photos by Douglas Merriam

Grilled Duroc pork chop with tarragon spaetzle, brussels sprouts, grain mustard sauce, and sweet-and-sour cabbage.

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Amazing coffee, incredible food.

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Pre-order food and coffee for take-out or dine-in @ Iconikcoffee.com Free parking everywhere

Squid ink cappellini with rock shrimp, lump crab, piquillo peppers, basil, saffron cream, and garlic breadcrumbs.

“Local food is very important to us. We use as much as we can and love to support the local farmers and ranchers,” emphasize David and Heather Sellers, proprietors of Horno in Santa Fe. Having met while working at Santacafé, then running Amavi, the two spent eight years working in social enterprises. Dave launched the Street Food Institute in 2014, a nonprofit culinary entrepreneurship training program that has supported the success of sixteen small food-based businesses. Heather came to New Mexico as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, then earned her master’s degree in social work and joined Communities in Schools at Capital High. It was while working as a baker in an all-organic bakery in New Hampshire that David developed a deep appreciation for sustainable, local, from-scratch cooking. “These pillars became the basis of my cooking philosophy,” he says. In a culinary 24

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career spent moving between San Francisco and Santa Fe, then back to New England, David has delved deeply into Mediterranean food and wine, the world of fish, and farmto-table dining, with regional cuisine and teaching always among his priorities. He has also traveled extensively abroad, all the while researching local cuisines. Despite the rewards of her work supporting countless students at Capital High, Heather missed the restaurant community. Driven by their desire to create their own restaurant at the center of their community, the duo opened Horno in 2021.

Horno has only been open for a couple of years, but already it feels essential to the fabric of Marcy Street and has become a core part of the Santa Fe dining scene.

How do you account for its near-instant success?

David: First, I would say we are so proud of and humbled by the success of the restaurant and want to thank Santa Fe for its fantastic support! I think there are a couple of things that have really helped make Horno so successful. My years of cooking in the community certainly helped, even though it had been a few years since I had been part of the core restaurant scene. I think our work over the years in the nonprofit sector resonates with the Santa Fe community, Heather for Communities in Schools and myself with the Street Food Institute. And most importantly, our concept of cooking good food from the heart that is not too expensive and having it served in a warm, family environment has really earned a solid year-round local following. We absolutely love that our restaurant is filled with so many friends, industry folks, and regulars every night!

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David and Heather Sellers, owners, at Horno Restaurant.

Singapore was so memorable culinarily. My sister was living there, and we visited her for a month so we could really dive in. There is such a depth of all levels of food from all the Southeast Asian cultures in such a small, concentrated area. The foodie culture there is like nothing I have seen anywhere else.

David studied philosophy and Heather has worked in Santa Fe Public Schools as a social worker. How do your interests outside of food inform your approach to cuisine and hospitality?

Before we started the restaurant, we felt very strongly that the core of the concept had to be inclusive to everyone. We wanted a place that people from all walks of life can come in and enjoy without pretense or formality.

We’ve both worked a lot with underserved members of the community over the years and thought it was very important to have everyone feel comfortable in our restaurant. Heather coined the term, which is on our website, “Food for the people.” We are happy to say we have stuck to our guns in that regard.

Are there regions or varietals right now that you find pair well with the cuisine at Horno?

You met working at Santacafé, but you’ve also pursued different career paths while raising a family. Why did you decide to join forces again with Horno?

We both worked for years in the nonprofit community and helped a lot of people in many different ways, but we missed the restaurant business and wanted something we could have as a family. Having a restaurant is like having another child; it is a living thing that is nurtured, and having the whole family participate in creating it really is a magical thing.

Fish, fried chicken, Italian, Asian, Mexican—how do you decide what goes on the menu?

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David: The menu, we say, is a reflection of my culinary journey. Over the years I have learned a lot about regional cooking, both through travel and exploration in the kitchen. I did not want to pigeonhole the restaurant as one type of cuisine since there are so many things I enjoy cooking. I think it is fun for people to see food from different cultures on one menu—it is like a culinary journey for them as well!

You’re known to have traveled the world in search of great food. Can you describe a particularly memorable overseas culinary experience?

David: I am super fortunate to say there have been many. In particular, our entire trip to

Like the menu, we wanted to keep the wine and spirit list reasonably priced, plus we serve very diverse food, which can be a challenge to pair with wine and other drinks. Keeping the wine list small and diverse in a way that matches the food requires a lot of thought and effort. We definitely favor Italian varietals, both red and white, for their foodfriendly acid. Shout out to our bar manager, Xena Waite, who runs with our cocktail and beer list in the most fabulous way!

Anything else you’d like to share with edible readers?

We are committed to providing fair wages for workers and giving back to each community we work with, while continuing to provide a loving atmosphere, inspiring people to have fun and connect with real food.

85 W Marcy, Santa Fe, 505-303-3469, hornorestaurant.com

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CHEERS?

NEW LIQUOR LAWS PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY BUT LEAVE SOME RESTAURATEURS UNDERSERVED

By Candolin Cook

Left: Hibiscus Margarita at Ardovino’s Desert Crossing, photo by Stephanie Cameron. Right: Raja Raja at Paper Dosa, photo courtesy of Paper Dosa.

Odds are, if you’d asked David Gaspar de Alba how he envisioned the grand opening of his Albuquerque restaurant Oni in May 2020, he wouldn’t have said, “With a take-out window.” Unfortunately, with COVID raging and health guidelines ever changing, Oni spent most of its first year in business as a to-go establishment, with some limited patio dining. In addition to the many other hardships the restaurant industry suffered during the pandemic, Gaspar de Alba says the loss of alcoholic beverage sales via on-site dining was hugely detrimental 28

edible New Mexico | LATE WINTER 2024

to Oni’s bottom line. “I’ve always said that you attract people with the food, but you make your money on the drinks,” he says. Once Oni did open its bar, they could only offer beer and wine because there was “no way in hell” the restaurant could afford a full liquor license.

For decades, New Mexico restaurants had to obtain a dispenser license to serve drinks made with liquor. These permits are finite in number (about four hundred), county specific, and incredibly expensive. Buying or leasing one of the in-demand licenses could set a restaurateur—often

already operating on thin margins—back $300,000 to over $500,000 on the resale market. While efforts to reform this system had been underway for years, the pandemic brought new urgency to the needs of local restaurants, as well as breweries, wineries, and the state’s burgeoning craft distillery industry.

Finally, during the spring 2021 legislative session, a silver lining emerged for Oni and many other COVID-impacted restaurants hoping to expand their beverage programs. New Mexico lawmakers passed House Bill 255, a bipartisan effort to change several of the state’s liquor laws. Among other amendments, the bill removed restrictions on Sunday-morning alcohol sales, prohibited the sale of mini booze bottles at liquor and convenience stores, and overhauled existing liquor licensing laws to make it more affordable for New Mexico restaurants to serve spirits.

Under the new system, restaurants holding a wine and beer Restaurant A license ($1,050 a year) could purchase a New Mexico spirituous liquors permit for an additional $500 a year, which would allow them to sell cocktails using hard liquor produced or bottled by New Mexico craft distillers.

Alternatively, restaurants that wanted to serve name-brand and other nonlocal liquors could now buy a Restaurant B license for an annual fee of $10,000, instead of having to obtain one of the original dispenser licenses.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the bill on March 17, 2021, and the laws went into effect that July.

Like Rios, Paper Dosa co-owner Nellie Tishler jumped at the chance to add local spirits to her Santa Fe restaurant’s beverage program. A note at the top of Paper Dosa’s drink menu thanks the new state laws for the opportunity to “feature excellent local spirits from across the state blended with our homemade mixtures.” Although Tishler says she likes the local liquors and the challenge of coming up with unique cocktails, she admits that there are some drawbacks to having the craft spirits license versus a full one. “Local distillers sometimes run out of product, agave spirits (tequila) especially, and that’s what people really want to drink in this town,” she says. “If you want a drink to taste exactly [like one using a certain name-brand spirit], you can forget it. And it’s much more expensive. Local liquors are sometimes twice as expensive, and I can’t really pass that cost on to the customer because no one is going to order a $25 cocktail.” (Paper Dosa’s cocktails generally run $12 to $15.)

Tishler says she currently sells about $300 to $350 worth of cocktails a night, but she sees demand growing.

Rios says similarly that mixed drinks at Restaurant Martín aren’t a huge moneymaker as of yet, but the impetus of offering a cocktail menu is more about providing their guests with a full dining experience. Gaspar de Alba, who also opted for the craft distiller license, points out that not everyone likes beer or wine and calls the $500 fee to add local spirits a “no-brainer” investment.

In addition, all the restaurant owners interviewed say serving New Mexico– made spirits is in line with their broader One of the first people in line for a values of supporting local. “Our philosNew Mexico craft spirits license was ophy is to buy as much local product as Restaurant Martín co-owner and genpossible,” says Patrick Torres, co-owner eral manager Jennifer Rios. Since 2009, of Black Bird Saloon in Cerrillos. He she and her husband, Martín Rios, had says that the craft spirits license has only served beer and wine at their Santa Oh, Sherry Baby at Restaurant Martín. not only benefited his business but has Fe restaurant. Jennifer explains that they Photo by Stephanie Cameron. allowed him to introduce New Mexnever considered buying a dispenser license because of its exorbitant cost and ico spirits to many of his customers. because they “realized buying our restaurant property was a more solid “When someone enjoys a local distiller’s product here, it creates a investment than a piece of paper.” chain where they might then go out and buy a bottle retail or visit [that distillery],” he says.

Rios adds that a full bar setup would not have even fit inside their small dining room. A select assortment of New Mexico spirits works better for their space, she says, and customers are more understanding that they only serve one gin, for example, if there are only local products available. Working within these constraints has led to a more “curated and creative” signature cocktail program, which Rios says her customers genuinely enjoy. “New Mexico products hold their own, liquor to liquor, with what the world produces. We wouldn’t serve them if we didn’t think that was true.”

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Zach Hulme, owner of Still Spirits bar and distillery in Albuquerque, says he’s felt that support from his community, especially since the passage of HB 255. “It’s been good for us. Oni, for instance, is a great account. They buy more [whiskey, gin, and vodka] from us than liquor stores typically do—and more consistently. We’re small potatoes, so if we are the ‘well liquor’ at a restaurant like that, then we’re not jostling to be seen against the competition. Anything we can do to keep the money in New Mexico is good for all of us.”

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However, not everyone is happy about the new licenses or the way their rollout was handled by the state government.

dispensing license available in their county. “There are pros and cons to each of the licenses.”

“It’s been so confusing,” says Robert Ardovino, owner of Ardovino’s Desert Crossing in Sunland Park. “I honestly still don’t know what the benefits or options are for people in my situation.” Ardovino is one of the many restaurant owners who purchased an original dispenser license before HB 255. Having a full bar prior to 2021 not only gave these restaurateurs a leg up on the competition, but many viewed the sometimes $500,000 license itself as an investment or a safety net for their future. When word of the bill got out, lawmakers and business advocacy groups fielded panicked calls inquiring if the dispenser licenses would be rendered virtually worthless overnight.

Another compromise the state agreed to was (what promised to be) a hefty tax deduction for original license holders—up to $50,000 a year for up to four years. Ardovino, however, says he has only received a total of about $12,000 in deductions. After examining the fine print and hearing from license owners, Wight refers to the tax deductions as a “boondoggle,” saying that someone would have to make “so much money” to get the kind of maximum credit the state was offering. She agrees with restaurateurs like Ardovino who say there is a lack of clarity.

“Twenty years ago, I had to pay through the nose [for a license] when I didn’t have the money,” says Ardovino.

“It sort of felt like being forced to buy into the mafia in order to do business . . . and then they just left us to figure out all this stuff on our own.” He says when the bill first passed, he received calls from speculators offering to buy his dispenser license, but he was unsure if a different class of license would work for all aspects of his business. Holding on was likely a wise decision, but he still worries what the market will look like down the road when he’s ready to retire.

Ardovino admits that he needs to do more research to navigate the tax situation and understand what his options are for resale someday, but that as a busy restaurant owner, finding the time or the money to hire someone to explain it all is daunting. “I’m just trying to keep my business going. We’re still down 30 percent in revenue from pre-COVID, and the tax incentives are nowhere near enough to make up for the [license devaluation],” he says.

“Change is not easy, but a lot of that initial fear turned out to be [overblown],” says Carol Wight, CEO of the New Mexico Restaurant Association (NMRA). She estimates that for the older liquor licenses originally purchased for $300,000 to $350,000, the average devaluation has been about $50,000, with some still selling at full value. While that potential loss is not insignificant, it’s much less so than many had feared. This is largely because the NMRA and other advocates negotiated with the state so that the original licenses—still restricted in number and still sold person to person—have fewer restrictions than the new Restaurant B full liquor licenses at $10,000 a year.

For example, restaurants opting for the latter must make 60 percent of their revenue from food sales; must implement a three-drink maximum; cannot have a “bar-like setting”; and cannot serve alcohol after food service stops or after 11 pm, whichever is earlier. While those parameters might work for smaller restaurants, they are a no go for many larger and/or chain restaurants, such as Chili’s or local sports bars. Wight adds, “Ten thousand dollars a year is still a lot of money for a small independent restaurant. You have to really make sure you’re capable of selling a lot of liquor, which may be hard to do while hitting all of those [restrictions].” (When asked why Oni doesn’t apply for a Restaurant B license, Gaspar de Alba said he would have to be open until 2 am to justify the cost—and then, of course, would be in violation of the 11 pm rule.)

At the same time, Wight says the Restaurant B license removes a steep barrier of entry for restaurants, especially in rural areas, who want a full bar but can’t take out a $300,000-plus loan or can’t find a 32

edible New Mexico | LATE WINTER 2024

According to data available on the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Division website, dispenser and Restaurant A licenses still greatly outnumber the new generation of NM Spirits permits and Restaurant B licenses throughout the state. For instance, in Bernalillo County there are currently 193 Restaurant A licenses (allowing beer and wine sales only) versus 27 Restaurant A + NM Spirits (referred to colloquially as a craft spirits license). In many rural counties, the total number of craft spirits and/or Restaurant B licenses that have been issued is zero. Presumably, as the state’s craft distillery business continues to grow and the restaurant industry recovers from pandemic-era closures, those numbers will rise. How these options will ultimately affect the value of dispenser licenses remains to be seen.

Seasonal cocktails at Oni. Photo courtesy of Oni.

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by Stephanie Cameron

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Fuel the competitiveness of an adult game night with these culinary crowdpleasers for snacking and sharing. Whether sitting down for a marathon of Catan or a battle of the teams for Super Bowl Sunday, food is at the center of it all. This edition of Cooking Fresh gives you ideas to create a spread ahead of your guests’ arrival so you can enjoy the evening without being tied to the kitchen. And these recipes travel well to someone else’s shindig to complement their mountains of nachos and piles of wings.

The Dips

All good parties start with dip—cheesy, meaty, creamy, or vegan—that can be made in advance, then served with crudités, crackers, chips, or pretzels.

Caramelized French Onion Dip Makes 2 1/2 cups Level: Easy | Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 50 minutes; Total time: 60 minutes

Sure, you could stir an onion-powder mix into sour cream and call it a day, but once you try this slow-cooked caramelized onion dip, you will never return to that old convenience. You can make the dip in advance and dish it up on game night. Serve with chips, toasted bread, or vegetables.

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 medium sweet onions, diced 2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced 2 large shallots, halved and thinly sliced 1 teaspoon sea salt 2 tablespoons white wine 2 cups full-fat greek yogurt 1 tablespoon fresh thyme 1 teaspoon garlic powder Heat oil and butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until butter melts. Add onions, leeks, shallots, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until barely softened and just starting to brown, about 12 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions caramelize, about 35 minutes. Add wine and cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Transfer onion mixture to a medium mixing bowl and stir in the yogurt, thyme, and garlic powder. Taste for seasoning.

Serve warm or chilled.

Dip can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container.

Carrot Ginger Dip Makes 2 cups Level: Easy | Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes cooling time; Total time: 55 minutes

This dip will kick up your crudité platter and complement the cream-forward dips that occupy the table.

2 cups carrots (about 4 large), cut into 2-inch pieces 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped (about 1 tablespoon) 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup 1/2 garlic clove, chopped (about 1/2 teaspoon) 1/4 teaspoon sea salt Freshly ground black pepper Pickled ginger, for garnish Place carrots and ginger in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover the carrots. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until carrots are tender (10–15 minutes). Drain carrot mixture, reserving cooking liquid.

Transfer the carrot mixture to a blender; add oil, syrup, garlic, salt, and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid.

Process until blended, about 45 seconds; add more reserved cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Garnish with freshly ground pepper and pickled ginger slices.

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Taquitos

New Mexican, patient, woman, and grower owned.

We love taquitos for game night because, with several fillings, we can satisfy everyone’s tastes. Taquitos are so versatile that you can adapt them to whatever you have in the fridge: leftover roasted chicken, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes—the list goes on. For added texture and flavor, you may also incorporate ingredients like diced bell peppers, corn, or black beans.

THE FILLINGS

Find taquito cooking instructions on page 40; the same technique works with any and every filling.

Birria Level: Intermediate | Prep time: 20 minutes; Cook time: 3 hours, 20 minutes; Total time: 3 hours, 40 minutes

In southern Mexico, the most common meat in birria is goat or lamb, but here in New Mexico beef is usually on the menu. This recipe transforms boneless chuck roast into a flavor bomb. The meat is typically stewed in a rich, spicy adobo consomé made with broth, dried chiles, garlic, cumin, cloves, oregano, and other spices.

The consomé imparts a complex and robust flavor to the meat and provides a ready-made dipping sauce. Birria is the perfect makeahead filling because the longer the flavors meld together, the richer the meat tastes. Cook up to 2 days before rolling into taquitos.

Filling 1 tablespoon black peppercorns 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 1 tablespoon coriander seeds 6 whole cloves 4 bay leaves 1/2 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces 6 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed 4 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed 1 chile de árbol, stems and seeds removed 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 3 pounds boneless chuck roast 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 yellow onion, chopped 8 cloves garlic, minced 4 tomatoes, roughly chopped 1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon dried thyme 6 cups beef broth, divided Taquitos 12 ounces Oaxacan or cheddar cheese

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Mushroom Chorizo Adapted from Kathy Carmichael

Level: Easy | Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 25 minutes; Total time: 35 minutes

Meat lovers and vegans alike will find this earthy and savory filling satisfying.

2 cups baby portobello mushrooms or mushrooms of choice, sliced 1 cup raw walnuts (soaked for 20 minutes and drained) 10 sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil) 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1/2 tablespoon chile powder 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons canned adobo sauce Add boiled water to cover sun-dried tomatoes and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain water and set tomatoes aside.

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Add all ingredients and rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes to a food processor. Pulse until you achieve a meaty texture.

Do not over-blend; the texture should be crumbly.

Dry-toast whole spices and chiles in a large skillet over medium heat until evenly toasted, shaking the skillet occasionally; they are done once they smell super fragrant. Transfer to a bowl or plate so they do not continue to cook; set aside.

Pour mixture into a nonstick skillet and cook on mediumlow heat. When the “chorizo” begins to brown and stick to the pan, add 1/4 cup water. Continue cooking until browned, about 15 minutes.

Chop the beef into 4-inch pieces and pat dry. Season all sides with kosher salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, cook the beef in an even layer and sear on all sides until browned; using a slotted spoon, remove to a plate.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the beef drippings in the dutch oven; warm over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until softened. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.

Add toasted spices and chiles to the pot, 3 cups of beef broth, and all the remaining ingredients (excluding the beef).

Simmer for 10–15 minutes, until chiles are soft, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaves.

Transfer mixture to a high-powered blender and puree until smooth.

Return beef to dutch oven, followed by chile sauce and the remaining 3 cups of beef broth. Cover, bring to a simmer, then transfer to the oven. Cook for 3 hours, until the meat is tender and falling apart. Remove meat to a bowl and shred. Reserve liquid for dipping the taquitos.

Note: Leftover birria broth can be used in soups, stews, curry, and more recipes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days or for up to 6 months in the freezer.

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Making the Taquitos Makes 12–16 taquitos Level: Easy | Prep time: 15 minutes; Cook time: 15 minutes; Total time: 30 minutes

Here, we provide the healthier oven-baking instructions, but you can also fry these. They are easy to prepare and can be made ahead, then popped into the oven to reheat when you’re ready to serve.

3 cups filling Cheese, if desired 12–16 corn tortillas (we used Tortilleria Cuauhtemoc tortillas) Olive oil or vegetable cooking spray Preheat oven to 400°F and spray a 13x18-inch baking sheet with oil.

Place the tortillas between two damp paper towels and microwave on high for 30 seconds; this will make them more pliable. Work in batches of 3–4 and roll them up with fillings before moving to another set.

CHICKEN ‘N’ SPINACH Level: Easy | Prep time: 10 minutes

Leftover rotisserie or roasted chicken is put to good use in this recipe, which is reminiscent of creamy chicken enchiladas. Use local and/or organic if you can. Both dark and white meat work well.

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup red or green salsa, your favorite kind (we like Alma’s or El Pinto) 1/4 cup sour cream 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded 1 cup spinach leaves, chopped 1/4 teaspoon cumin 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon chile powder Salt and pepper, to taste Add cream cheese, salsa, and sour cream to a mixing bowl and stir until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Taste and add more seasoning, if needed.

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Fill each corn tortilla with 1/4 cup filling and sprinkle with cheese, if using. Roll tightly and place seam side down on the prepared baking sheet. Toothpicks or kitchen twine may be used to secure the taquitos, preventing them from unraveling during cooking. Once all the taquitos are on the baking sheet, lightly spray each on all sides with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tortillas are crispy. Cool for a couple of minutes and serve.

Make ahead: Let taquitos cool entirely before packaging to prevent them from becoming too soft. Transfer to a large sheet of foil or an airtight container and place them together with a little breathing room. If you need to stack them, place parchment paper between each layer to help prevent them from becoming soggy. Wrap up or enclose completely.

Store taquitos in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

To reheat: Place taquitos on a baking rack inside a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for 10–12 minutes or until warmed through.

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The Sweets Margarita Cookies Makes 2 dozen cookies Level: Easy | Prep time: 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes cooling time; Cook time: 20 minutes; Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Spiked frosting makes these cookies perfect for game night.

Although you won’t get a buzz, the zing from the lime and tequila glaze combined with the salty garnish will surely keep guests returning for more.

Cookies 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup powdered sugar, tightly packed 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 large egg yolks 2 tablespoons lime zest 2 tablespoons lime juice Glaze 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1 1/4 tablespoons tequila reposado 3/4 teaspoons grated lime zest 1 3/4 tablespoons fresh lime juice Optional garnishes Flaky sea salt, white sparkling sugar, lime zest, and Tajín

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Cookies In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed to combine butter and sugar. Add the flour and salt; mix on medium speed. Add egg yolks and lime juice; combine, with mixer on low speed. Fold in lime zest.

Use a cookie scoop or wet hands to form dough into approximately 24 round cookies and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving at least an inch of space between each cookie. Place in freezer to set for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake cookies for 14–16 minutes, until the outer edges start to brown. Allow the cookies to cool completely before adding glaze.

Glaze Whisk together powdered sugar, tequila, lime zest, and lime juice in a medium bowl until smooth and thick. (Don’t be tempted to add more liquid; the glaze will be very thick, but that’s the perfect consistency.)

Scoop glaze evenly onto centers of cookies (about 3/4 teaspoon per cookie). Spread glaze over the cookies using the back of a spoon, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the cookie edge. Garnish with flaky sea salt, sugar, lime zest, and/or Tajín, as desired. Let cookies stand until the glaze hardens, about 30 minutes.

Store cookies in an airtight container; they will last about a week at room temperature, 10 days in the refrigerator, and up to 3 months in the freezer.

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Milk Punch Adapted from Ivy Odom Makes 12 servings Level: Easy | Prep time: 5 minutes, plus 30 minutes chill time

Batched cocktails always make entertaining easy. Although milk punch is sinfully creamy, this version is also refreshing, with a fullness of flavor from the bourbon and brandy. Start or end your game night with this New Orleans classic.

3 cups whole milk 1 1/2 cups bourbon, chilled (we used Left Turn Distilling Blue Corn Whiskey) 1 1/2 cups brandy, chilled (we used Dry Point Distillers Los Pasos immature brandy) 1 1/2 cups whole buttermilk 3/4 cup honey 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 cinnamon sticks 1 medium-sized orange, thinly sliced Freshly grated nutmeg Ice Whisk together the milk, bourbon, brandy, buttermilk, honey, and vanilla in a half-gallon pitcher until combined. Chill at least 30 minutes or up to 1 week in an airtight container.

Pour into a punch bowl. Add cinnamon sticks and orange slices, and garnish with nutmeg. Serve over ice.

In addition to the recipes featured here, check out this issue’s Edible Ingredient and Last Bite for more game night ideas. We have also curated some additional make-ahead-friendly recipes from our archives that you can find by scanning the QR code or visiting ediblenm.com/ game-night.

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Lamb

edible New Mexico | LATE WINTER 2024

SPONSORED BY

These meatballs pack a flavor punch and pair perfectly with a creamy herbaceous sesame sauce. Za’atar seasoning is the star of this recipe, with a blend of its namesake herb, dried oregano, thyme, marjoram, sumac, and toasted sesame seeds. Meatballs are great for entertaining because they can be made ahead of time and warmed in the oven before serving.

Use whatever kind of ground meat you like, but lamb is earthy and works well with the sesame sauce.

Photo by Stephanie Cameron.

ZA’ATAR MEATBALLS WITH GREEN SESAME SAUCE Adapted from Sylvia Fountaine Makes 12–15 meatballs and 1 1/2 cups sauce

Level: Easy | Prep time: 15 minutes; Cook time: 20 minutes; Total time: 35 minutes Meatballs 1 pound ground lamb (we use Talus Wind Ranch Heritage Meats) 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon za’atar spice (we use New York Shuk) 1 teaspoon sumac 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/3 cup onion, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 cup chopped herbs (mint, dill, parsley, or a mix) 1/2 teaspoon chile flakes 2–3 tablespoons sesame seeds Green Tahini Sauce 1/2 cup water 2 tablespoons lemon juice 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic cloves 3/4 cup fresh herbs (cilantro, mint, dill, parsley, or a mix) 1 small jalapeño (optional) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup tahini paste

Add ground meat, salt, and spices to a large bowl and smash with a fork to distribute evenly. Add onion, garlic, herbs, and chile flakes, mixing again with wet hands. Knead the mixture a couple of times. Divide into 4 balls, then form 3 meatballs from each of the larger balls. Place sesame seeds in a shallow dish; coat the meatballs by rolling them in the sesame seeds.

Heat a large skillet with 1–2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat; add the meatballs, turning as each side turns golden; reduce heat to low to continue cooking all the way through. Lamb is fully cooked when it reaches 145°F for medium rare (or 160°F for medium).

While the meatballs are cooking, make the tahini sauce.

Place all the ingredients (except the tahini paste) in a blender or food processor and blend until combined but not overly smooth. Add tahini paste and blend until creamy. Taste, adding more salt if desired. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Serve the meatballs with the green sesame sauce as an appetizer, or pair with side salad and pita bread as a meal. *Sourcing note: La Montañita Co-op carries Talus Wind Ranch Heritage Meat at all their locations.

EDIBLENM.COM

47

CHEF’S TABLE

An Extraordinary Chef’s Life

JOSEPH WREDE’S ARDENT CULINARY ARTISTRY SPANS NEARLY THREE DECADES

By Lynn Cline ∙ Photos by Douglas Merriam

Joseph Wrede, chef and owner of Joseph’s Culinary Pub. 48

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The best steak I ever had was at Joseph Wrede’s celebrated first restaurant, Joseph’s Table in Taos. The pepper-crusted organic beef tenderloin—seared so perfectly I could cut it using just my fork, and served with a rich Madeira mushroom sauce—is etched in my memory, though I have long forgotten exactly when I savored it.

That’s the thing about Wrede’s sublime food. It’s so good, it can make you forget about time. I’m not alone in my enthusiasm. After opening Joseph’s Table in 1995 at age twenty-nine, Wrede was named one of ten Best New Chefs in the country in 2000 by Food & Wine magazine, which praised his use of local, organic foods in “surprising, sensual ways.” The London Times called him “the future voice of modern American cuisine.”

Fifteen years and one James Beard nomination later, in the wake of a recession, Wrede closed Joseph’s Table, only to reinvent it as Joseph’s Culinary Pub (originally called Joseph’s of Santa Fe) in 2013. In the decade since, the warm, welcoming restaurant has drawn locals and food lovers from around the world with extraordinary fare such as Wrede’s signature Duck Fat French Fries and Rabbit Bolognese Lasagna, a unique and delectable combination of house-made pasta and a slow-simmered (and not the least gamy) bolognese dressed up with ricotta and Parmigiano Reggiano. He’s also known for creating inventive veg-forward dishes such as his Vegetable Enchilada, lovingly layered with local mushrooms, acorn squash, corn, red chile, and other hearty ingredients. Regulars have long known to leave room for Cloud Cake, a heavenly slice of towering Italian meringue cake topped with fragrant tarragon leaves and plated with a caramel sauce and refreshing grapefruit supremes.

Pleasure at Joseph’s Culinary Pub extends well beyond the plate, encompassing impeccable yet easygoing service and a laid-back yet refined atmosphere.

“I want energy, I want people to come as they are, and I want the food to be exciting and the service to be friendly, from the heart,” Wrede tells me as we sit in the artful dining room of his revered, rustic restaurant, while around us, his team begins to set the scene for that night’s dinner service.

Exciting food energized Wrede’s life right from the start, thanks to the passion his parents shared for cooking and entertaining while he was growing up in Cincinnati in the 1970s. “Cooking was definitely an activity in my early years in Cincinnati, before my parents got divorced when I was eight,” Wrede recalls. “They were young, in their thirties, and they were artists, working and designing. They were reading French and Italian cookbooks and eating, drinking, and having parties.” They would make cassoulet, lobsters, artichokes, and other gourmet fare of the era to serve to their lively circle of artist friends.

Top: Rabbit Bolognese Lasagna with house-made pasta, long-simmered rabbit bolognese, ricotta, and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Bottom: Wrede in the dining room.

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Many of the copper pots and pans hanging on a dining room wall in Joseph’s Culinary Pub belonged to Wrede’s parents, a tribute to their influence and perhaps a reminder of their vibrant dinner parties, which vividly impressed the young chef. “I loved the world, I loved the noise, the sound of people laughing and gathering,” he says. “How fun it was.

It seemed to me like the best place to be was the cook in the kitchen.”

Fried chicken chronicles.

Chilaquiles and momos.

Glou-glous and food fights.

New Mexico’s Independent Culinary Authority

Enlightened, witty, and a little bit wily, The Bite is edible New Mexico’s unfiltered take on our state’s everevolving food scene. We cover what others don’t, from Albuquerque speakeasies to East Mountains eateries, from za’alook in Santa Fe to Silver City’s must-try barbecue. Vegan to carnivore, hot or cold, fruit stand to velvet curtains, we’re there.

We’re not fussy, but we know our stuff. And we’re always independent.

Oh, and we’re free.

Sign up at thebitenm.com and get our newsletter: once-weekly hot takes on big trends with sides of handselected cool local events, restaurant and café openings, and a dash of foodie gossip. Twice-monthly longerform pieces get the inside story on off-the-radar foodscapes, like bánh xèo in Albuquerque’s International District, Cloudcroft’s breweries, what to order at the old Middle of Nowhere Bar, and the lowdown on that guy making shrubs at Radish & Rye. Hot food, cool people. Get out of your comfort zone with The Bite.

Hamachi Sashimi with crispy kale, grapefruit, and tamari wasabi vinaigrette.

When it came to working in the kitchen, however, Wrede’s first professional restaurant job was as a dishwasher, at age twelve, at the Cincinnati landmark The Blind Lemon. “The daytime shift was serious, but during the nighttime shift, you could hear people laughing and the din of the nightlife,” he says. “There was music on the patio, and it was a Midwestern city so there were bars on every corner.”

Boarding school and college followed, but what captured his heart remained true. After graduating from Regis College (now Regis University) in Denver, Wrede became a line cook at restaurants in the city, including the now-defunct Highland’s Garden Cafe, which served New American cuisine. “I really fell in love with line cooking because I had no resistance to high adrenaline and doing multiple things at once,” he explains. “I fell in love with absolutes, like temperatures are correct or not, and things emulsify or not. Putting together a plate fed the artistic side. Then the physical side was so cerebral. There’s no middle ground. That’s what happened to me with cooking.”

To augment his professional experience, Wrede enrolled in the prestigious Institute of Culinary Education in New York. “I went to trade school because I realized that although I was cooking, I didn’t understand the techniques, like how to make a beurre blanc, and what an emulsifier is,” he says. “And then upon graduation, I was determined that I was ready to be a chef. I moved back to Denver and started working at Aubergine [Cafe], a really cool restaurant. I was starting to not get along with the chefs that I was working with. I was starting to understand the techniques but had no interest in the dishes they were doing. I wanted to do my own.”

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When Wrede told his mother about his desire to open a restaurant, she mentioned that a Cincinnati restaurateur friend owned a mercantile building for lease in Taos, in remote northern New Mexico.

Intrigued, Wrede went to see it and while there, he picked up a newspaper and saw that a Chinese restaurant was for sale on the outskirts of town for $20,000. “I offered the owner $10,000, went back to Denver, sold my car, and bought the Ming Dynasty,” he says.

Over the years, Wrede has juggled the ongoing demands of running a great restaurant with raising his two children, who are now adults. There is a way, he confides, to make it all work. “If you want to go the distance and make this into a career, then you have to find another hobby and most likely it has to be stimulating, either music, or skiing, exercise, or running.” He starts his day with a long run in the mountains. “Your heartbeat gets cranking, you push yourself to go higher. It’s like being a line cook.”

Despite the cash flow problems and other daily stressors that come with the job, there’s a reward that makes everything worth it. “Once you interface with the people, that’s where you get back the energy,” he says. “You get it back interfacing with the customers and with your team members and by being honest with everyone that you’re working with. Sitting in my backyard for five months during the pandemic made me really appreciate what we’re doing and how special everyone is. I’m probably in the fourth quartet of my professional life and I’m appreciating it. I’m not ready to stop.”

428 Agua Fria, Santa Fe, 505-982-1272, josephsculinarypub.com

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SUPPORTING LOCAL GROWERS WITH PIES AND SWEET TREATS

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Las Golondrinas Pie Company crew, from left to right: Lance Bernal, Andrea Bernal, Virginia Villegas, and Diego Villegas.

With the golden arches of McDonald’s looming large across the street, Andrea Bernal of Las Golondrinas Pie Company works toward undoing the damage caused by processed foods and industrial farming in America, one five-inch pie at a time. “How can I change this slowly?” she recalls asking herself when she started her company in 2018. One way, she decided, was by sourcing fresh produce and meats from local purveyors to create better-for-you treats that help support the local growing community. Among those purveyors are Bernal’s parents, who run Los Arboles farm and participate in Albuquerque’s Downtown Growers’ Market. Other partners include Chavez Farms and Polk’s Folly Farm Butcher Shop and Farm Stand.

Though farming runs deep in her roots—in addition to her parents, both sets of grandparents were also farmers—Bernal discovered that the growing gene skipped her. “I can’t grow anything for the life of me!” she says, laughing at the irony. “But I can make pies with what the farmers grow, so I just seek out good produce at the market.”

In its earliest days, Las Golondrinas sold pies by word of mouth.

The response to Bernal’s creations was overwhelmingly positive, which 56

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inspired her to join her parents as a vendor at the Downtown Growers’ Market. Having gained a following for its diminutive pies, Las Golondrinas enrolled in the South Valley Economic Development Center’s celebrated Mixing Bowl program in 2019, through which Bernal received mentorship and discounted commercial kitchen space to grow her business.

Shortly after Bernal joined the Mixing Bowl program, the pandemic hit, leading to the temporary closure of farmers markets and turmoil in food businesses across the country and around the world. Paradoxically, Las Golondrinas flourished during the pandemic, serving up the comfort foods its customers craved during that stressful time. By the time the market pivoted to a farm-to-car model, Bernal had ramped up her website’s online ordering capabilities to arrange for curbside pickups. The site continues to be central to the business.

As its name suggests, Las Golondrinas Pie Company’s core products are its pies, both sweet and savory. Its tiny five-inchers have always been bestsellers, featuring seasonal ingredients from local suppliers.

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One of many empanada offerings at Las Golondrinas Pie Company.

rotation. Spring brings strawberries and rhubarb to the mix. Stone fruits grace the summer pies, while pumpkin is the most popular fall filling. Savory potpies include chicken green chile and a hunter’s pie, featuring local bison, and decorative crusts by Bernal’s brother, Diego Villegas.

Though the pies are always in demand, a later addition to the menu became an instant hit and unexpectedly led to Las Golondrinas finding its new home in 2023. Early on, one of Bernal’s advisors in the Mixing Bowl program suggested that she try selling empanadas, noting that their portability made them a market-friendly option. Bernal initially balked at the idea, recalling bulky, bready empanadas she had sampled in the past. However, the thought of making something that was easier for customers to eat stuck with her, and she began experimenting with her own take on empanadas, featuring delicate, flaky crusts filled with the fresh ingredients she used in her pies.

When Bernal introduced them at the market in April 2021, the empanadas were an instant hit, including with staff members at the South Valley Economic Development Center. A maintenance worker at the center was enjoying an empanada when Mike Gonzales, owner of Barelas Coffee House, a beloved neighborhood diner, was on a tour of the facility. Serendipitously, Gonzales was in the market for an empanada vendor, at the request of his customers, and he was put in touch with Bernal. Soon Las Golondrinas began offering empanadas at Barelas Coffee House on Saturdays.

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While vending at the coffee house, Bernal inquired about a space in the corner of the restaurant that was being used for storage. Her time in the Mixing Bowl program was coming to an end, and she needed a place to continue baking. Bernal brought up the possibility of Las Golondrinas using the space, and after some discussion, Gonzales agreed to allow her to make it her own.

Bernal outfitted the narrow space with the appliances needed to bake her creations and carried on preparing pies for the markets and her online customers, while continuing to supply Barelas Coffee House with the empanadas its patrons craved. When I visited in October, she anticipated that Las Golondrinas’s 2023 holiday season would be its biggest yet and planned to cap orders to be sure she could handle the demand. In addition to her pies and empanadas, Bernal was offering her popular Mexican wedding cookies and biscochitos, made in collaboration with her sister, Virginia Villegas.

Though she is committed to the growth of Las Golondrinas, Bernal is determined to make the evolution sustainable. Citing problems at other businesses, she says, “I’ve seen product change as the demand gets higher, and I really want to keep [Las Golondrinas’s product] the way it is.” Passing a package of five-inch pies across the table, she adds, “I’m OK with small.” Her customers—including this writer— are too.

150 Fourth Street SW, Albuquerque, 970-690-1183, lasgolondrinaspiecompany.com

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PORTRAIT OF A FARM

FARMING, NIZHONI STYLE Words and Photos by Ungelbah Dávila

Nizhoni, Julianna, John, and Nat’aani Reece, the team at Nizhoni Farms.

After a warm fall, winter has finally visited Valencia County, and the animals at Nizhoni Farms greet us at the gate with a dusting of snow on their fuzzy heads. While the vast variety of produce grown here might be past its season, the farm is far from idle.

Located in Los Lunas, Nizhoni Farms is home to the Reece family and their charming collection of critters—a flock of red hens, a few Narragansett turkeys, a special four-horned Navajo-Churro sheep and its many Churro relatives, a herd of Angora goats, a couple Wagyu heifers, some dogs and cats, an ornery alpaca, a big friendly bull named Ferdinand, and twelve-year-old Todd, a therapy goat and the farm ambassador.

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The menagerie chatters at us, bleating, squawking, gobbling, mooing, and batting their big eyes for their breakfast. They seek human affection, and an apple or two, evidence that these animals have only ever known human kindness. Nizhoni, which is the Navajo word for beauty, also means doing things in a good, wholesome way. From their composting method to the care they take in sourcing their seeds, the Reeces practice farming in a Nizhoni way.

The farm first incarnated in 2010 on the Navajo Nation, where Julianna, who is Diné herself, was a physician with the Indian Health Service. Along with creating different community engagement activities, the farm was a way to offer healthy foods to her patients and neighbors.

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Top left: John Reece feeding animals. Bottom left: Julianna Reece with Ferdinand the bull. Right: Todd the therapy goat.

“As a physician, I see the health disparities in Native and underserved communities across the nation. It’s really tied to food and what’s happened to our communities historically,” says Julianna. “In America, there’s not a lot of education about food and what goes into our food. I feel like the Western medical model has failed us in many ways and our food industries are problematic. What I tell my patients is just go back to real food. If it wasn’t around two hundred years ago, you probably wouldn’t want to put it in your mouth. That’s what I’ve done in my career, but it connects to what we’re doing at the farm as well.”

When the farm moved with the family to southern Colorado, John, who also has a background in health care, took a larger role in managing it and getting the produce and meat into local farmers markets.

While they sell their meat and produce online and at local markets, the family’s mission isn’t to make a huge profit off their farm but to use it as a teaching tool. Even when people are trying to make healthy choices at the grocery store, say the Reeces, many don’t realize that the way commercial food is raised, with pesticides for example, is problematic.

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At Nizhoni Farms they start with all organic and heirloom seeds.

They are just as careful about where their animals’ feed comes from as they are about how they harvest their animals. They even mix their own chicken feed, which coincides with John’s mission to know exactly what is going into everything he helps grow. From the mutton chops to the kale, everything that Nizhoni sells is raised on their land.

“I’m encouraging people to shop locally and buy local meat and local veggies,” says John. “And not only that, but being brave enough to ask questions: Asking the farmers how they raise their animals. What kind of seeds are they using for their lettuce and kales? Asking all the right questions and just kind of taking an interest in your own health.”

“I think being on a farm really helps you develop an understanding of the cycle of life, how you’re tied to the earth, and what our responsibility is to kind of do things in a good way, and not use all these chemicals and things that are interfering with our health. And then allowing or supporting other folks in being able to do that to some degree,” says Julianna.

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Top left: Flock of chickens. Bottom left: Navajo Angora goats.

Right: John tending to broccoli.

John, Julianna, and their two children, Nizhoni and Nat’aani, relocated their farm to Los Lunas in 2018, when Julianna took a job with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to oversee community-based programs on chronic disease prevention.

The move was traumatic for the then ten- and twelve-year-old children, who had to say goodbye to their animals and friends—except for Todd, the smiley goat with big horns who has been with the family from their first farm. The family decided they could not part with Todd, and it was a good thing because he became a source of companionship and comfort for Nizhoni when she began experiencing bullying at her new school.

Today Nizhoni is president of the Native American Student Union for Albuquerque Public Schools, and a member of the Career Enrichment Center, where she takes a Navajo-language class. She is working toward bringing her class to the farm next spring to offer 64

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them a butchering demonstration. Keeping their children connected to where their food comes from and how it gets to their plate is also a way that John and Julianna keep them connected to their Diné culture.

In Julianna’s role as director of healthy tribes for the CDC, she works to establish scientific credibility behind the idea that culture is wellness. “Basketmaking, language recognition, all these different types of cultural things that don’t seem like they are directly supporting a health initiative, actually are,” she says. “We’re kind of tying all that into what we do here and making sure that we’re eating healthy and our kids are learning how to eat healthy, so when they go off, they understand what healthy means and are able to share and continue promoting it.” nizhonifarms.com

Come Travel in Our Circles

Siena, Bologna, Modena, Art Journey Through Italy | Florence, Mantua, Padua and Venice

September 27—October 10, 2024 Featuring the 60th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia The Circles is the premier membership program of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation and offers members a wonderful mix of friendship and philanthropy.

Join today and enjoy year-round benefits and unique opportunities, including exclusive access to the Circles International Travel Program.

Our next destination is Northern Italy. Enjoy luxury accommodations and private tours of churches, palaces and museums that illuminate the great medieval, renaissance and baroque eras of Italy, culminating in the Venice Biennale on its 60th anniversary.

To learn more contact Cara O’Brien, Director of The Circles, at 505.216.0848 or email cara@museumfoundation.org or visit museumfoundation.org/the-circles.

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CHICKEN’S CHICKEN, OR IS IT? IN SEARCH OF LOCAL POULTRY

By Briana Olson

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“I

“It’s a different bird grown outside, they’re expressing themselves right till the end,” says Tom Delehanty. “I want young people to realize that they can do this and produce a bird that the industry can’t.”

I

began this story with a simple, if somewhat spurious, question: Where is all the New Mexico–raised chicken?

Embedded in that question was a stack of questions that could be laid out in a diagram not unlike a diagram of the vertically integrated model of production that has come to dominate the chicken market in the United States (and world).

While the answer seems to be about markets and distribution, I found myself returning often to the other end of the spectrum, wondering, as if lost in a Zen koan, Just what is a chicken?

and bugs and seeds, leaving trails of poop that help to fertilize the gently disrupted earth. But commercially raised broiler chickens live in large houses with floors of often manuresoaked litter in the company of thirty to fifty thousand of their peers. If they’re lucky enough to be organic or “free range,” they might have theoretical access to a small porch. As veteran pastured poultry farmer Tom Delehanty comments of such conditions, “People, unless you’re at a Rolling Stones concert, you’ll drive each other crazy. Birds are the same way.”

Having spent years researching the meat industry, I knew about Tyson, the first corporation to take control of chicken production from the feed mills to the hatcheries, the slaughterhouses to the tractor trailers. I knew about Cargill and Perdue and JBS. I knew that an unassuming brand name like NatureRaised Farms often traces back to one of these four, and that many supermarkets slap their name—Trader Joe’s, Simple Truth, even 365—on chicken purchased from those processors. I also knew that, as Merriam Webster’s Visual Dictionary notes, chicken “is cheap” or, at least, expected to be; that an American eats an average of ninety to a hundred pounds of it a year; and that people who keep backyard chickens often name them.

“It’s a different bird grown outside, they’re expressing themselves as a bird, and they’re happy right till the end,” says Delehanty, who raised pastured poultry for about thirty years in Socorro. Now, as he moves out of the business at age seventy-three, he says, “I’m encouraged by the scale of [pastured poultry], the small scale. I do have a lot of passion about it. I want young people to realize that they can do this and produce a bird that the industry can’t.”

A chicken, of course, is a bird, and it is the most populous bird on Earth. Chickens, along with turkeys, belong to the order Galliformes, a ground-dwelling order of birds whose ancestors were the primary survivors of the mass extinction event that concluded the Cretaceous period some sixty-six million years ago. While I knew that the chicken was domesticated long ago—roughly eight thousand years ago in what is now northern Thailand, according to archeological and genomic evidence—I did not know that its wild ancestor, the red junglefowl, still ranges across South and Southeast Asia.

Chickens, like juncos and robins and geese, are omnivores.

Given the opportunity, they peck and dance, digging up grubs

“These guys are awesome,” Sage Hagan tells me, his arms wrapped around a stately Broad Breasted White. “Turkeys are a dinosaur. They’re amazing predators on a pasture—supersmart birds.”

I’m too late in the season to meet any chickens at Sile Pasture, Hagan’s farm outside Peña Blanca, so he’s brought me to this pasture to meet the turkeys. It’s hard not to be dazzled by the beauty of the birds, and the same is true of the landscape.

A canopy of black-eyed Susan seed heads protects a vibrant micro-understory—cattle will come in to graze after the turkeys

Opposite page: Tom Delehanty’s Poulet Nu appeared on the cover of edible Santa Fe’s first issue in fall 2006.

Photo by Carole Topalian.

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Left, top to bottom: Sage Hagan moving turkey tractor; turkey tractors; Hagan with Broad Breasted White.

Top right: Chicken tractors at Sile Pasture. Bottom right: Hagan with adopted hen and turkey tractors.

Photos by Stephanie Cameron. Read story online for full photo essay of Sile Pasture.

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are harvested—and beyond the field, autumnal cottonwoods stand as radiant flags to the Rio Grande. The turkeys live in mobile coops known as tractors, floorless structures that are moved daily, allowing them to forage a new plot. After lifting a tractor from the front end and pulling it forward to show me how it’s done, Hagan says, “You can see them already grazing and hunting that new little section.”

Hagan calls himself a YouTube farmer—“first generation, self taught in a lot of aspects”—and he expresses great appreciation for old-timers, like Delehanty, who have served as mentors and helped out. “I’d always wanted to live off the grid, raise my own food,” he tells me. A culinary school graduate with stints at fine restaurants, including Spago in Beverly Hills and the erstwhile Milagro in Bernalillo, Hagan connects his journey toward recognizing food as art to his journey toward becoming a farmer. Initially deterred by the cost of starting a farm, he came across the concept of a market garden and built seventeen permanent beds at his home in Bernalillo.

“I told my wife that I was going to quit working as an electrician and start growing lettuce. That’s the family joke.”

Why chickens? is one of many questions that Hagan answers without being asked. “My main goal on the farm was to be diversified,” he explains soon after I arrive, standing outside the hoop-house-turned-brooder where chicks spend their first three weeks on the farm. “We didn’t want to just be a poultry farm, we didn’t want to just be a produce farm, we wanted to be diversified. So we have grassfed, grass-finished lamb; we have a herd of sheep that we run on our pastures; we have our turkeys, we have our chickens, but we also have a herd of cattle. We raise heritage hogs.”

En route to the turkey/cattle pasture, we cruise by a spacious pen full of hair sheep and another full of Mangalitsa pigs, then stop at the pasture where, over the course of a long summer, Hagan raised about 1,800 Freedom Rangers and Cornish Cross hens. The Salatin-style chicken tractors, early popularized by Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma, are shorter than the turkey tractors but operate on the same principle of daily movement. “It was really cool to see the effects that the poultry had on the soil health,” he tells me, noting that the fields had been fallow for several years before he and his wife, Andrea Romero, moved their farm up from Bernalillo in 2021. Instead of breathing in the ammonia fumes of the manure of thirty thousand confined birds, these chickens spread their manure across the pasture, delivering nitrogen to the soil they’ve aerated through pecking and grazing.

“You’re not a birder, are you?” I ask upon learning that Megan Lanford was trained as a wildlife biologist. “I am,” she confesses. “I was a waterfowl biologist.” Originally from Phoenix, Megan says she never would’ve guessed that she’d be raising chickens for a living. “I love it here,” she says of the canyon outside Truth or Consequences where she lives with her family, “and I would never want to move back to a big city ever again.”

Megan’s father-in-law, Doc Lanford, has operated Lanford Livestock, primarily a cattle ranch, since 1981. Her involvement began with convincing Doc to let her start selling beef directly to consumers. “He said, ‘Do whatever you want, I don’t want any part of it,’” she recalls. That involved a lot of education in and of itself; she and her husband, Dick Lanford, took butchering workshops and watched YouTube videos to learn about all the cuts. Then they bought a new property adjacent to the ranch that included twenty acres of irrigated pasture.

“The guy had it in alfalfa for seven years,” she says, and “the soil was really bad.” They tried planting it three or four times, and “nothing came up except kochia.” Having listened to some podcasts about poultry and the benefits of rotational grazing to soil health, Megan proposed bringing chickens into the mix.

“So we bought twenty or thirty chickens, sold ’em in half an hour at the farmers market.” And, she says, “the pasture looked really good in the spot where we’d moved them around.” Like Hagan, the Lanfords found a mentor in Delehanty, who sold them chicken tractors and processing equipment and helped them butcher several times. “If we wouldn’t have had him, we would have failed and quit,” she says. Instead, the next year, they raised six hundred Freedom Rangers, a breed they chose based on taste and adaptation to the high-desert climate.

“My husband was like, chicken’s chicken,” she says when I ask what distinguishes theirs. “He was shocked at how good our first chicken was. We’ve had everyone tell us they taste so much better. Obviously at the grocery store, you’re getting chickens that’re cooped up . . . ours are getting sunlight and grass and bugs and a much more well-rounded diet.”

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Top left and bottom right: Freedom Rangers and calves on pasture at Lanford Livestock. Top right and bottom left: Broad Breasted Whites at Lanford Livestock. Photos courtesy of Megan Lanford.

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“I meant to work for the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations],” Chris Loeffler tells me early in my first conversation with her. “My degree was in international ag development with a specialty in soils,” she says, and for a while she worked for a top agricultural consultant in California.

This was in the 1970s, and she describes using “Chris” on her résumés and walking into “a room of dropped jaws” that always concluded with explanations of how a woman couldn’t do the job she’d applied for. Ultimately, she pivoted to teaching.

“I was just gonna have a few,” she says when I ask how she got into chickens. Having started Loeffler Farms at her home in the Zuni Mountains after retiring from a twenty-eightyear career in education, she knew that she wanted to be low impact—on her own body, on the land, and on the wildlife of the surrounding national forest. “I started selling excess eggs to El Morro Feed. They kept asking for more, so I decided to put a second house in.” That led to her first sales of meat birds—layers stop producing enough eggs to cover organic feed costs after a couple years—and even though she now raises about 250 Freedom Rangers every summer, she “can hardly keep those [older layers] in stock once people realize how good they are for stews and things.”

Loeffler also has thirty-five sheep that are rotated from one part of the pasture to the next, and raises organic vegetables.

Talking with her brings home something integral to small-scale chicken farming: it’s personal. I don’t just mean the losses when ravens were getting her birds, leading her to start using electric poultry fences with chicken wire over the top, nor am I thinking of her relief when the spike in egg prices allowed her to raise hers enough to meet her costs. What I mean is her relationships with her customers: she raises soy-free birds for one, let another preorder a turkey from the farmers market so he could pay with SNAP benefits, and sells roosters born to her heritage-breed layers to a local customer from Jamaica who prefers their firmer, darker meat for her recipes.

raised hard red winter wheat and sorghum—commodity crops that mostly went to livestock. But like so much historic ranchland in the West, theirs was overgrazed, with topsoil blowing away in the wind and running off their fields when it rained.

With help from a healthy soils grant, they began a full-scale transition of their operation, planting cover crops like nitrogen-fixing cowpeas and getting comfortable with the accompanying weeds.

“We’ve always had an appreciation for the land,” Kimberly says, “but we didn’t realize we were just stealing from it. Now we’re doing everything we can to take care of it; we see ourselves as stewards rather than users of the land. So it gives us a purpose and responsibility around it. We were contributing to desertification before and now we’re bringing it back to what it used to be.”

Like Loeffler, they first raised chickens for eggs. But their commitment to soil health—and to growing healthy food— led them to slowly expand, first raising enough laying hens to start selling eggs at the farmers market and then adding meat chickens, which they rotate through the pasture with Salatin-style chicken tractors.

“They’re amazing fertilizers. They scratch up the ground.

They eat some of the seeds, but not all of them—enough to allow some of the seeds to get into the soil.” Explaining how Toby studies the impact on the land, tracking the growth of grasses, forbs, and flowering plants after animals are rotated through the pasture, Kimberly says, “The chickens do as well as the sheep; the best has been the chickens following the sheep.” Some of their pastures are enrolled in the federal Conservation Reserve Program, where landowners receive grants in exchange for taking sensitive lands out of commodities production, and they’ve already started seeing the return of native species. “Indian blanket flower is my favorite,” Kimberly says—because the yellow-centered red flowers are beautiful but also because they have long taproots.

When her husband chimes in, he emphasizes that the changes have also made them healthier. Real food, he says, “has kept us out of the doctor’s office. I think when people start realizing that the food they’re eating is directly related to their health, their energy levels, everything about them, I think that will hopefully bring us back into a real food setting.”

“I had never in my life cooked a whole chicken,” Kimberly Bostwick admits when I ask how raising chickens has changed her and her husband Toby’s relationship to the birds. “Before, most of the chicken we ate was boneless, skinless chicken breast, because it was simple and easy.”

The Bostwicks, who own Barnhouse Farms, located between Clovis and Melrose, are recent converts to regenerative farming.

For about twenty-five years, they ran a cow-calf operation and

The chicken industry has been touted as a model for the future of food production in the United States: a streamlined machine that drives down prices while making a few people

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Top: King, a Maremma Sheepdog, with young laying hens at Loeffler Farms, photo courtesy of Chris Loeffler.

Bottom: Laying hens and eggs at Barnhouse Farms and Elevated Eggs, photos courtesy of Kimberly Bostwick.

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very rich. To devalue chicken, this system compartmentalizes each step of production and greatly reduces the birds’ quality of life—and death. A large modern processing plant can slaughter more than two hundred thousand birds a day, at a maximum line speed of 140 bpm (birds per minute).

Poor ventilation and the accumulation of manure does not pose health risks only to birds. To take an example from one area of the “American Broiler Belt,” the Environmental Integrity Project estimates that ammonia air pollution from the poultry industry in bay states contributes twelve million pounds of nitrogen to Chesapeake Bay every year—and that’s not counting the pollution produced by manure washing into streams that feed the bay. Then there are the farmers, also exposed to “poultry dust,” who sign opaque contracts that eliminate most of their choices yet leave them responsible for the outcomes.

“Being a farmer these days, and probably all days—it’s a political act,” Hagan says. He’s talking not about electoral politics but everyday decisions. Whether to use antibiotics (no), what to feed chickens (last year, he used an organic blend from JK Organics out of Kansas; the Bostwicks supplemented pasture with organic grains from Pink Rose Organix in Texas), how to protect birds from predators on the pasture (Great Pyrenees and/or Maremmas)—these are among the carefully considered choices that truly independent farmers make. The harvest of birds is also in these farmers’ hands.

Small-scale poultry processors are few and far between (there are none of any scale in New Mexico), and a federal poultry exemption allows small-scale farmers to process on-farm.

“It’s not for everyone,” Megan Lanford says of the processing. As rancher Matt Skoglund put it while speaking at the Edible Institute in Santa Fe, “there is no bloodless kill.” But as I was able to observe at Sile Pasture, birds harvested on-farm have the benefit of passing in a familiar place, without the stress of travel, and with the care of someone whose livelihood depends on theirs. “Definitely it gives you appreciation for the food—when you’re raising it up, you’re taking that life, it does change your relationship with the food. And the land,” says Kimberly.

Being more connected—emotionally, spiritually, physically—doesn’t make raising chickens easy. “We’re basically married to the poultry game from March until November,” Hagan says. “There’s no breaks, there’s no vacations. If you’ve got birds in the brooder, they need to be checked on daily. You’ve got birds out in the field, they need to be watered, fed, moved. . . .

And you’re processing, once the season peaks.” Yet his energy is equal parts joyous and serious, and he’s quick to encourage others to try it out, even offering tips. (“Start small.”)

That’s another powerful difference I draw from the conversations I’ve had with New Mexico poultry farmers. Where the

corporate tournament system pits farmers against one another, positioning them as competitors, those raising chickens locally are thinking collaboratively, communally. Loeffler offers butchering workshops to anyone in her community who wants to use her equipment to harvest their own birds. Hagan diligently removes the wing and tail feathers from his turkeys before putting them into the plucker, so that he can share the feathers with people on the pueblos and in Taos. These farmers are supporting Earth’s greater community too. There’s the Bostwicks’ extensive work to heal their soils, and the Lanfords have installed bat boxes and built quail habitat—Megan says as many as fifty quail will use a single brush pile of mesquite for shelter and cover.

As for my original question, most of New Mexico’s local chicken is to be found at farmers markets—if it hasn’t already sold out. “We have quite a following for our birds,” Hagan says.

“We’ve had trouble keeping up with the demand.” Getting to market is work, and because chickens, especially those bred for meat, struggle with cold weather at high altitudes, farmers in New Mexico tend to raise them only from spring to fall.

According to Delehanty, who once supplied chickens to Albertson’s and Wild Oats, “Small farmers can’t afford to wholesale.” That’s because organic is so much more widely available, he says, but “organics has really faded in the last ten years. It’s local, and know the producers. You should be able to tell. If you can’t, find out more.” That said, independent shops like Polk’s Folly Butcher Shop and Farm Stand carry local poultry when they can. It might not be cheap—for the farmers or the consumers—but it comes without the peripheral costs of industrial production that Earth’s residents will be paying for years to come.

If farming is a political act, so is eating. And while the deliciousness of locally pastured poultry is one worthy criterion, to be community minded requires that we consider more than our palates. As Delehanty puts it, “Soil is really our life. That’s where we came from and that’s where we’re going back.”

Find Lanford Livestock in T or C year-round at the Sierra County Farmers Market; Barnhouse Farms and Elevated Eggs at the Clovis Farmers’ Market; and Loeffler Farms at the Ramah and Grants Farmers’ Markets. Starting this year, find Sile Pasture (affiliated with Tierra Sagrada Farm) at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market as well as the Corrales and Taos markets.

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WHERE THE WATER LANDS

By Shahid Mustafa

Alfalfa harvesting in Anthony, New Mexico. Photo by Siddiq Mustafa.

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O

n a regular basis, I ask myself, What is going to happen with water? As a farmer in southern New Mexico, this is one of my most challenging questions. I ask knowing that some 80 percent of the state’s water is allocated to agriculture and that, according to the New Mexico Environment Department, 95 percent of the state’s limited rain and snowmelt evaporates or is transpired by vegetation. Whether through agricultural use, natural vegetation, or landscaping, the limited resource necessary for everyone’s survival quenches a lot of thirst; what’s left is available for residential, industrial, or commercial consumption.

How we collectively steward our water will determine the future habitability of our communities. The fact is we live in a desert, but unlike the historic nomadic peoples who once populated this landscape, we have developed a series of fixed living spaces that don’t allow for the transient lifestyle that long-term survival in this environment seems to support. As influx and demand increases, we are also experiencing extended drought conditions that significantly reduce the availability of water. The majority of the water we depend on in the state is drawn from aquifers that are replenished by cumulative rainfall and the surface water running through the Rio Grande (some of which is diverted from the San Juan tributary of the Colorado River). According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, between the years 2020 and 2023, 88 percent of the state experienced drought, with nearly 78 percent of conditions categorized as severe, extreme, or exceptional.

The USDA Census of Agriculture reports that dairy is the top agricultural product in New Mexico, followed by cattle. Together, these two industries account for 85 percent of the state’s total revenue from agriculture. These industries and the animals they raise are very thirsty. Dairy cows consume between 15 and 35 gallons of water per day, more during periods of heat stress. The environmentalist nonprofit Food & Water Watch estimates that the volume required to provide drinking water and produce feed for industrial dairy cows in the state is over 11 billion gallons annually. It’s unclear if that estimate includes any of the surface water and groundwater required to irrigate alfalfa, a predominant New Mexican crop that is produced primarily for livestock feed and that also depends on large amounts of water.

Most dairy producers grow alfalfa and hay both for export and as a

“H

supplemental crop for their animal feed. Because many farmers still practice flood irrigation, many of the gallons of water used to irrigate alfalfa are exposed to the arid conditions and lost in the evaporative cycle. Farmers who pump groundwater for irrigation use metered wells, and the usage rate costs are subject to change from year to year.

In recent years, the cost of watering livestock and producing feed has increased substantially, and these costs have been instrumental in the closure of many of the state’s dairy farms. From its peak in July 2004 through January 2023, New Mexico lost 43 percent of its dairies.

Mike De Smet, a third-generation dairy farmer in Bosque Farms, is not exempt from those challenges, but his operation is an exception to the mega-dairy trend. De Smet Dairy Farms operates on 150 acres with about 60 head of cattle and produces about 150 gallons of whole raw milk daily. De Smet transitioned the farm from “conventional” farming to regenerative farming, and has used no-till practices for about eighteen years. De Smet’s cows are never confined, free to graze, and fed a variety of grasses including but not limited to alfalfa, buckwheat, triticale, and radishes. As a result of his farming methods, which include rotational grazing, De Smet says his farm never has any bare land, has an abundance of earthworms and other microbial activity, and can retain enough moisture to grow for four weeks midsummer without any irrigation. He likes to use alfalfa because of its high nutrient content and its resilience as a crop, but he doesn’t believe monoculture will allow him to achieve the same results he has reached by seasonally planting multiple varieties. From his experience, De Smet believes that the maximum size of his herd will never exceed 60 head of cattle. “I can only milk what the land will allow me to produce,” DeSmet says when asked how much he anticipates his herd can produce in the future. “I’m not willing to sacrifice quality for quantity. We’re a counter to what the big dairies are doing; it’s a different model.” He admits that a lack of water in-season has really affected their practices, as he depends on surface water from the Rio Grande. “My land has surface water rights, and our rights are attached to the land. Other farmers are water banking.” Water banking refers to the act of routing surface water to groundwater storage basins; selling water rights; or, as in this case, leasing water rights to other farmers or commercial operations for usage. De Smet adds, “In my opinion, people that hold the rights to the water should stay on the land.”

How water is regulated moving forward will determine the sustainability of our communities in relation to feeding ourselves, meeting our everyday needs, and preserving one of our most vital resources. The complications surrounding the stewardship, management, and control of water can seem overwhelming.

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Middle Rio Grande Valley. Photo by Stephanie Cameron.

In New Mexico, a water right is held as real property, and can be leased or sold with some restrictions. The right to access water in New Mexico for consumptive, agricultural, commercial, or industrial use is administered by the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer (OSE) through the Water Rights Allocation Program. The application process can be costly, so smaller producers often purchase or lease water from existing owners of water rights. Companies such as WaterBank, which acts as a brokerage and investment bank for water, post national listings of water rights available for lease or purchase.

With many New Mexico dairy farmers struggling to make it or shutting down operations due to decreased demand and overproduction, one viable option for recovering losses or paying off debt is selling their water rights. In fact, some former dairy operations in Doña Ana County are now listing their properties as water rights acquisitions.

As troublesome as the current agricultural management of water may seem, the most likely investors in water in New Mexico are not other farmers but developers and speculators, such as Vidler Water Resources based in Nevada. Vidler’s stated mission is “to help facili76

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tate and support planned economic growth through the development of sustainable and reliable water supplies in geographic areas lacking available water resources.” According to its website, Vidler’s fourphase process for water resource development includes identification and acquisition, permitting, development, and sale. In 2009, Vidler joined with the Campbell Farming Corporation to file an application with the OSE for 717 acre-feet of groundwater to provide water for an 8,000-acre residential and commercial development in the East Mountains called Campbell Ranch. If approved, Vidler would own 95 percent of the developed and permitted water rights for the project, slated to include 4,000 homes and a golf course. Because of the potential impact on the Sandia Underground Water Basin and the community’s water supply, neighboring residents protested the application, launching a fourteen-year battle to protect existing domestic wells from the new appropriation.

“My well is already going down due to development,” says Zach Withers, who, along with his brother Ethan, owns Polk’s Folly Farm in Sandia Park. Polk’s Folly operates on 40 acres, with 7 acre-feet of

De Smet’s cows are never confined, free to graze, and fed a variety of grasses, including alfalfa, buckwheat, triticale, and radishes.

Photos courtesy of De Smet Dairy Farms.

water rights, sourced from the same Sandia Basin aquifer from which Campbell Ranch wanted to appropriate 500 million gallons per year.

Zach and Ethan’s farm breeds around 150 hogs a year along with a few laying hens. He estimates that they use about 150 gallons per day for farming operations. When asked for his opinion on water allocation for agriculture, residents, and business, he offered, “I think that access to affordable potable water should be a right and we should have enough water to feed ourselves. What I see happening is the opposite of that.

How quickly can we turn our water resources into money? Right now, we get twelve to eighteen inches of precipitation [annually]. That’s enough water to support maybe one acre-foot for every two acres.”

Speaking to projects such as Campbell Ranch, sited on historic grazing land, he said, “They’re building homes with no consideration for what happens when the aquifers run dry, and through private utilities replacing agricultural water use with residential. My community is twenty to forty years out from running out of groundwater.” Withers’s comments reflect a growing concern in the East Mountains over how water allocations do or do not benefit the greater community.

The depth of that concern is evident in the role that local opposition has played in stalling the Campbell Ranch development. In December 2022, the New Mexico Court of Appeals affirmed a 2019 district court decision that in turn affirmed the OSE’s determination that the new appropriation was not in line with water conservation and would impair existing wells.

How water is regulated moving forward will determine the sustainability of our communities in relation to feeding ourselves, meeting our everyday needs, and preserving one of our most vital resources.

The complications surrounding the stewardship, management, and control of water can seem overwhelming. But what we are experiencing on a global level due to climate change is a crisis that demands a collaborative, urgent response. There appear to be competing interests for what should be understood as an essential and vital resource necessary for the literal existence of all humans. The quandary lies in the fact that in the case of water, the competing interests of agriculture, housing, and economic development are intertwined in such a way that none can be summarily dismissed.

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Inset: Zach Withers (right) playing in the pond on his property (Polk’s Folly Farm) when he was young. Above: A dead cottonwood on the bank of the long dried out pond. The cottonwood and the willows died off this year after several years without running water in the stream.

Photos courtesy of Zach Withers.

Being a farmer, I exist at the intersection of at least two of those interests. My own concern with water is one reason I practice regenerative agriculture, which emphasizes water conservation. My experience so far has been promising. In three growing seasons I’ve seen my soil transform, resulting in healthier plants and greater moisture retention even through this past summer of extended extreme heat. A level of accounting for conserving water when it comes to new housing developments likely already exists within zoning committees, and it’s time for all of us to demand they and other bodies within residential development be transparent and accountable when it comes to water conservation. As it stands, water on paper is not currently supported by the water in the ground, which means it is a currency very similar to the dollars that circulate through our economy. With that in mind, it seems that we all should have personal and collective accountability when it comes to our most finite and vital resource. A system that incentivizes responsible water stewardship and allows us to “bank” water responsibly would seem appropriate.

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Polk’s Folly pigs. Photo by Stephanie Cameron.

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LAST BITE

QUESO FUNDIDO

8 servings | $15.62 | $1.95 per serving Level: Easy | Prep time: 5 minutes; Cook time: 10 minutes; Total time: 15 minutes This molten-cheese appetizer is easy to make, great for the Super Bowl or any other game night, and feeds loads of people. Queso quesadilla is a sturdy yet creamy, mild, versatile cheese that is great for melting. Mozzarella or other good melting cheeses can be substituted. Queso fundido is best served broiling hot from the oven, but you can do all the prep ahead, then pop it in the oven for a few minutes once your guests arrive. For a vegetarian option, substitute the mushroom chorizo recipe on page 38.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil ($0.04) 1 pound Mexican chorizo, beef or pork, casing removed, if any ($4.58) 8 ounces chopped green chile, mild or hot ($3.04) 20 ounces queso quesadilla, grated ($5.98) Tortilla chips ($1.98) Heat oil in a 10-inch, oven-safe skillet. Cook chorizo for 7–8 minutes at medium heat, until the fat renders and the sausage is bubbly. Turn off heat, add the green chiles to the pan, and stir to combine with chorizo.

Drain fat from the skillet. After draining, place the mixture on a paper towel–lined plate to remove as much fat as possible. Reserve 3 tablespoons of mixture for garnish and return mixture to skillet; spread in an even layer.

Preheat oven broiler with a rack 4 inches from the heating element. Top the chorizo with the grated cheese.

Broil until bubbly and browned in spots, 2–3 minutes.

Garnish with reserved chorizo. Serve immediately with your favorite tortillas or tortilla chips.

Make ahead: Cook chorizo and chiles up to a day ahead; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

When ready to serve, warm the meat mixture in a skillet, top it with cheese, and broil it when your guests arrive.

The Last Bite is brought to you by Rio Grande Credit Union and highlights recipes on a budget. Costs are estimated using online budget calculators or based on purchases for edible’s test kitchen.

Photo by Stephanie Cameron.

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