Spring 2017: Hidden Treasures

edible

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

SANTA FE ®· ALBUQUERQUE · TAOS THE STORY OF LOCAL FOOD, SEASON BY SEASON IN NEW MEXICO

Hidden Treasures

THE ANNUAL TRAVEL ISSUE ISSUE 49 · SPRING · APRIL / MAY 2017

photo: doug merriam

poured. stirred. smoked. sipped.

abuelito.

radishandrye.com 505.930.5325

BANKING LOCAL Creates Growth.

FINANCING

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MERCHANT SERVICES

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TRUST & INVESTMENTS

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I N T E R N AT I O N A L S E R V I C E S

HIDDEN TREASURES: APRIL / MAY DEPARTMENTS 2

GRIST FOR THE MILL

By Willy Carleton and Candolin Cook

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#EDIBLENM Instagram Round Up

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CONTRIBUTORS

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LOCAL HEROES My Sweet Basil, Loyal Hound, Natalie Bovis, and Carrie Eagle

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EDIBLE COMMUNITY Pick-up Trucks and Coolers by Michael J. Dax

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OFF THE BEATEN PATH Pig + Fig by Sophie Putka

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FERMENTI'S PARADOX

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AT THE CHEF’S TABLE

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LIQUID TOURISM

Brewing Conspiracies in Taos by Sam Hedges A Fresh Start by Seth Matlick The Evolution of New Mexico Wine

by Sam L. Melada

30 COOKING FRESH Road Eats by Stephanie Cameron

72 NOTABLES 76 SOURCE GUIDE / EAT LOCAL GUIDE

ON THE COVER

edible

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

SANTA FE ®· ALBUQUERQUE · TAOS THE STORY OF LOCAL FOOD, SEASON BY SEASON IN NEW MEXICO

80 LAST BITE Heidi’s Hooch by Natalie Bovis

FEATURES 40 THE SAND AND THE STARS

A Short, Strange Trip to Truth or Consequences

by Candolin Cook

48 THE SAN LUIS VALLEY

Exploring a Growing Food Basin at the Top of Our Watershed by Willy Carleton

Hidden Treasures

THE ANNUAL TRAVEL ISSUE ISSUE 49 · SPRING · APRIL / MAY 2017

Butter lettuce from Silver Leaf Farms to celebrate spring! Photo by Stephanie Cameron.

54 HANDMADE IN SILVER CITY

Exploring the Arts and Cultural District

by Stephanie Cameron

64 SAN JUAN SKYWAY Bikes, Brews, and Big Chainrings

by Sarah Wentzel-Fisher

WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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GRIST FOR THE MILL From the Royal Road to the Mother Road, New Mexicans have always been a people on the move. With a state so culturally and ecologically diverse, there is always something new to see, do, and taste. For this issue of edible, we hit the highway in search of hidden treasures from Silver City to Silverton, Colorado, and discovered the ways in which communities throughout New Mexico and southern Colorado use their food, art, and natural wonders to attract visitors and create unique senses of place.

There are many ways to explore a place—on foot, on bike, behind the wheel—but regardless of how you get there, finding the best places to eat often requires putting away the smartphone, walking the streets, and talking to people. Local cuisine can be an important and immediate way to begin to know a place. In southern Colorado, we explored high-elevation valleys with deep agricultural roots, and found vibrant and underspoken local food scenes that have taken strides to make locally produced food accessible. Following the Rio Grande from its headwaters to the shores of Elephant Butte Lake, we found it is (luckily) still easier to find a good local meal in the quirky art town of T or C than to fly beyond the earth’s atmosphere. We continued south to walk the streets of Silver City, where local art and local food come to together to offer inspiration to all the senses. Finally, we traveled west to rural El Morro, where a small organic market is improving local grocery options one kohlrabi at a time.

With summer just around the corner, we hope these destinations—all within a day’s drive of the capital—encourage you to start thinking about your next road trip.

Beyond town limits and across state lines, the road binds us and reminds us how close and connected we really are. So pack a bag with some of our road eats recipes, make pit stops to experience the local flavor, and open yourself up to new experiences, culinary and otherwise.

One last note. While we were lucky enough to travel across New Mexico and Colorado this issue, we know that mobility is a privilege not afforded to all. We at edible Santa Fe would like to extend our support and solidarity with the city of Santa Fe for recently reaffirming itself as a community welcoming to immigrants and refugees. Immigrants are not only vital to our economy and food systems here in New Mexico and across the country, but significantly add to our local culture and strengthen our communities.

We stand with all of our fellow farmers, cooks, neighbors, and travelers.

Willy Carleton and Candolin Cook, Editors

Stephanie and Walt Cameron, Publishers

PUBLISHERS Bite Size Media, LLC Stephanie and Walt Cameron

EDITORS Willy Carleton and Candolin Cook

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Sarah Wentzel-Fisher

PUBLISHING CONSULTANT Jodi L. Vevoda

COPY EDITORS Margaret Marti and Briana Olson

DESIGN AND LAYOUT Stephanie Cameron

PHOTO EDITOR Stephanie Cameron

EVENT COORDINATORS Natalie Donnelly and Gina Riccobono

DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER Joshua Hinte

PUBLISHING ASSISTANT Rhiannon Fraizer

VIDEO PRODUCER Walt Cameron

SALES AND MARKETING Melinda Esquibel and Katie Plaster

CONTACT US 3301-R Coors Boulevard NW #152 Albuquerque, NM 87120 info@ediblesantafe.com www.ediblesantafe.com Phone: 505-375-1329

SUBSCRIBE ∙ BUY AN AD ∙ LETTERS 505-375-1329 WWW.EDIBLESANTAFE.COM We welcome your letters. Write to us at the address above, or email us at INFO@EDIBLESANTAFE.COM Bite Size Media, LLC publishes edible Santa Fe six times a year.

We distribute throughout central and northern New Mexico and nationally by subscription. Subscriptions are $32 annually.

Printed at American Web Denver, Colorado No part of this publication may be used without the written permission of the publisher. © 2017 All rights reserved.

Winner of James Beard Foundation Award 2011 Publication of the Year

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edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2017

#EDIBLENM ediblesantafe TAG us or use #edibleNM and your pics could be featured here. For this issue we had a photo contest and picked our favorite travel shots from around the state. See the winner and honorable mention below.

Watch for details on our next photo contest on our social media channels.

a bed & breakfast with a modern twist

WINNER

sarabande b&b 5637 rio grande blvd. nw sarabandeb&b.com

sarabande HOME 3845 rio grande blvd. nw 505-344-1253

sierra_blanca Perfect fries and shrimp and grits topped with fried okra? I'm way too happy at Freight House Kitchen + Tap @fr8_house #ediblenm #TravelNewMexico

An Adventure f Visits,

A tradition for locals

marzlet Loved our bed and breakfast in Taos, NM! The 2 course homecooked breakfast included steel cut oats brulee topped with creme epaisse and this ham-eggpesto baked goodness! #ediblenm @Dreamcatcher Bed & Breakfast

www.taosinn.com 575.758.2233

CONTRIBUTORS NATALIE BOVIS Natalie Bovis founded TheLiquidMuse.com, Santa Fe Cocktail Week, and the New Mexico Cocktails & Culture festival, and she co-founded OM Organic Mixology Liqueurs. She hosts Digging In: A Recipe for Sustainability, an edible Santa Fe video series. She has authored three cocktail books, including Edible Cocktails: Garden-to-Glass (2012).

A bar consultant and spirits educator, she was named one of four women leading the liquor industry by Bustle.com.

STEPHANIE CAMERON Stephanie Cameron was raised in Albuquerque and received a degree in fine arts at the University of New Mexico. After photographing, testing, and designing a cookbook in 2011, she and her husband Walt began pursuing Edible Communities and they found edible Santa Fe in their backyard.

Today, Cameron is the art director, head photographer, marketing guru, publisher, and owner of edible Santa Fe. WILLY CARLETON Willy Carleton lives in Albuquerque and is an avid vegetable grower, forager, and editor of edible Santa Fe. He is writing a dissertation on the agricultural history of twentieth-century New Mexico in the history department at the University of New Mexico.

CANDOLIN COOK Candolin Cook is a history doctoral student at the University of New Mexico, an associate editor for the New Mexico Historical Review, and editor of edible Santa Fe. She spends much of her free time washing carrots and radishes at her husband’s vegetable farm, Vida Verde Farm, in Albuquerque's North Valley. Come check out their booth at the Downtown Growers Market, and follow her farm life on Instagram: @candolin and @vidaverdefarmabq.

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

SAM HEDGES Sam Hedges lives in Albuquerque and works on Vida Verde Farm, where he manages the farm's CSA program and oversees daily operations.

Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, the West has given Sam a deep appreciation for mountains and radishes.

SETH MATLICK Seth Matlick grew up in Manhattan, far removed from the desert and farming. To his great delight, he found both in New Mexico in 2008, and he has been growing ever since at Vida Verde Farm.

SAM L. MELADA Sam Melada is a local food and wine writer with a strong desire to make the history, language, and culture of wine more accessible and enjoyable to everyone. He is also a neuroscience nurse educator with UNM Hospitals and a graduate student in cognitive linguistics at UNM. SOPHIE PUTKA Sophie Putka is a Massachusetts transplant in love with New Mexico. She writes, studies journalism, and haunts Albuquerque eateries in search of a good bagel. She can usually be found in the kitchen, trying to use up as many leftovers as possible and plotting her next adventure.

SARAH WENTZEL-FISHER Sarah Wentzel-Fisher is the interim executive director at the Quivira Coalition, and wants you (yes, all of you) to consider growing food. In her free time she visits farms (she highly recommends this activity), experiments in her kitchen, and keeps chickens in her backyard.

where do you belong?

Museum of International Folk Art. Photograph by Kitty Leaken

The Cultural Atlas of New Mexico leads you to historic and cultural places throughout the Land of Enchantment.

Organized by region, proximity and interest, the Cultural Atlas will help you find where you belong.

http://atlas.nmculture.org

LOCAL HEROES Edible recognizes this group of amazing individuals and organizations for their work to create healthy, sustainable food systems in New Mexico. We determine these awards through reader nominations and a reader poll. The local food movement is a grassroots effort that often involves late nights, backbreaking work, dirty fingernails, and being a generally good sport. In an effort to showcase these individuals, organizations, and businesses for their work to build a stronger local economy and a robust local food system, each issue this year will spotlight several of the winners with interviews about the work they do.

My Sweet Basil

AN INTERVIEW WITH CASSIE ADAMS AND VERNON PAJARITO BEST FOOD TRUCK

From left to right: Vernon Pajarito, Cassie Adams, Lauren Hines, and Kale Carrillo-Beck. Photo by Stacey Mustard Adams.

Dedicated patrons follow My Sweet Basil food truck to breweries and events across Albuquerque. Owners and chefs Cassie Adams and Vernon Pajarito, who opened My Sweet Basil in 2015, explain: “Aina is a Hawaiian word meaning land. Together we are Soulaina, LLC, ‘taste of the land.’ Our passion is not just in the food we create but what we feel in our soul. My Sweet Basil by Soulaina, LLC, is a harmony of that land and soul. The land provides the gift; our desire is to unwrap it and present you its natural beauty. We are all about freshness, color, and the inspiration for simplicity while being conscious of the environment and reducing our ecological footprint.”

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edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2017

What do you love most about local food?

The flavors and the freshness from the most amazing tomatoes at Silverleaf Farms and the sweetest baby turnips at Vida Verde; we can’t even imagine trying replicating the flavors. At that point, we just love to accompany and highlight. We love being a part of the whole experience, from walking the greenhouse and fields to fermentation halls and talking to the local farmers, brewers, cheese makers, and ranchers. You learn so much and see the love and passion that goes into every seed and leaf. We get to meet some amazing local business

WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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LOCAL HEROES

Cassie Adams says, "The burger is simply called 'Burger' and it is always changing—today it just happened to have bacon, cheddar, Silver Leaf Farms arugula, and tomatoes on a homemade bun." Photo by Stacey Mustard Adams.

owners, who we’ve enjoyed connecting with, and be part of one big family of people who love to produce great products.

Share something unique with us about being a food-truck owner versus a restaurant owner.

After arriving at the destination, you open the refrigerator door, and if nothing falls out from the drive, it is a start to a beautiful day. Bungee cords and tape are your most important tools on a food truck. We have never been restaurant owners; however, we both have a lot of experience running a kitchen. Owning a food truck [presents unique challenges and considerations], such as leveling out the truck to make sure there is even frying, which makes all the difference. You underestimate your use of water. You learn very quickly that water does run out. You also can’t just lock up and leave after your shift; securing hot oil, food, shelves, spices, and making the drive are your top priorities.

In addition, if the weather is below freezing, you must take extra care and caution to secure the pipes and the water.

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

We have worked in big corporations and big restaurants. Their standards, rules, and creative barriers have given us the concept to begin our own adventure to give back to the community, to engage with our customers, and provide a fun mobile restaurant that serves great food.

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edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2017

What’s your favorite menu item?

Our menu changes frequently; however, we have a few items that are constant, based on popularity, like the Cubano and the nachos.

We change the menu based on seasonality and availability, places we visit, themes, holidays, research, and curiosity. We have some amazing regular customers who suggest items based on culture, childhood, or something they have wanted to try. We love knowledge and education, plus it keeps things interesting for us.

What are some of your favorite places to eat and why?

Albuquerque has some amazing restaurants. A few of our favorites are Banh Mi Coda, M’ Tucci’s, The Shop, Burque Bakehouse, and Old Town Pizza Parlor. They are great restaurants and owners who have drive, passion, and love for themselves and their products.

Tell us about your life outside of My Sweet Basil.

Starting this business, we have been so involved in telling our story, we really aren’t involved in much as individuals. As a truck, we love festivals, especially if they benefit the city, communities, groups, education, or fundraisers.

What’s your favorite way to spend a day off?

Taking Basil and Rye (dogs) on long walks and hikes, kayaking, hiking, research, and resting.

Do you have a serendipitous moment?

It may sound cliché, but when we found out that we won the Local Hero vote and were going to be in edible. We are huge fans of the magazine. All moments leading up to this event by having the support of our family and friends and making the decision to create My Sweet Basil, designing the truck and products, creating unique products, finding ways to stand out, and finding amazing people (Chef Scott, Lauren, Barbara, and Kale) to represent us. Knowing our beliefs and practices paid off, and being the people’s choice, is very rewarding.

Fill in the blank: I love collaboration the most when it comes to my work and my passion because we get to converse with people that produce items that they are excited about. Collaborating with brewers and seeing what they’ve created inspires us to develop something that can pair with their vision.

The question people always ask me is: “What’s the quickest thing on your menu?” Or, “You’re just a food truck. Can’t you just give me a pre-rolled (blank)?”

We would like them to know that we take pride in ourselves and our craft, that we do not serve fast food, and that we serve quality food as fast as we can.

They also ask: “Where’s the basil in your menu?” I would like them to know that we named our truck after our dachshund, Basil.

Unfortunately, she is not so sweet.

ROW CANYON CARCHAEOLOGICAL CENTER

If you didn't own My Sweet Basil, what would you be doing?

At this moment, we can not imagine doing anything else.

What are people most surprised to learn about you?

We have degrees and many years of experience working in the restaurant industry. Cassie has a degree in food anthropology and culinary arts, and many years of management experience in the food and hospitality industry. Her passion is to educate customers in culture and food through sharing her Portuguese and Italian roots and her experience in Southern comfort and Caribbean cuisine.

Vernon is a member of the Santo Domingo Pueblo, has many years of management experience in the industry, and has won several awards representing CNM and New Mexico in culinary skills. He trained with the Hyatt Corporation, furthered his experience working under James Beard chefs, and became executive chef at Vernon’s Hidden Valley Steakhouse.

Savor Traditional Pueblo Cuisine at The Feasting Place near Santa Fe JUNE 10–14, 2017 Explore local Pueblo cuisine and culture at The Feasting Place, an American Indian-owned cooking school.

Prepare delicious indigenous foods that will be served at Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo’s Feast Day – a rare honor not to be missed!

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

We love to do beer or wine paired dinners. So, we are not just a food truck. We love the food truck. However, it does not end here.

It’s only our first step. We dream about opening a restaurant and a line of products to feature local artists’ passions and creativity.

Thank you from the deepest of our hearts for voting us into edible.

(Oh, and Basil says thank you!) www.soulaina.com, Facebook, Instagram @mysweetbasil

CST 2059347-50

crowcanyon.org | Cortez, Colorado | 800.422.8975, ext. 457 WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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LOCAL HEROES

Loyal Hound

AN INTERVIEW WITH RENEE FOX, CHEF/OWNER BEST GASTROPUB

Left, Renee Fox; right, tender shredded Kyzer pork in a scratch-made BBQ sauce on top of a chive buttermilk waffle. Photos by Stephanie Cameron.

Chef and owner Renee Fox says Loyal Hound evolved out of a desire to fill a need in the community for moderately priced, locally sourced, and handcrafted food. She chose, in her own words, “to create a gastropub in a location [in a shopping center off St. Michael’s drive] that would cater to locals, offering a feeling of conviviality and inclusiveness. Our guests are an extension of our family, and we enjoy being able to offer them really good food, beer, and wine. It’s an experience of hospitality, community, and appreciation of local people and a local economy. We also offer a monthly Supper Club, bringing people together for dinner, seated community-table style, to experience creative food paired with craft beverages.”

What do you love most about local food?

How it impacts our economy, and knowing where it comes from.

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edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2017

Healthy food can be interpreted in many ways. I consider not just calories but how something was grown or raised and how that affects all of us.

What’s your favorite menu item and why?

Hard to choose, but I’ll say the Pork & Waffles for a few reasons: I’m from Kansas City originally and we eat a lot of BBQ. I love what Robert Kyzer [of Kyzer Farms] does, so I feel good about eating it.

And we pay homage to New Mexico with the green chile coleslaw.

The dish is super tasty!

What are some of your favorite places to eat and why?

I like to eat at like-minded places, especially in other cities. I like to see how the local foods in different parts of this country, as well as other parts of the world, influence the menu.

Tell us about your life outside of Loyal Hound.

I run with my two hounds, occasionally sign up for races with my partner and husband Dave, and try to be a good mom to my seventeen-year-old daughter, Chloe!

What’s your favorite way to spend a day off?

Running, biking, reading, playing with my dogs, and eating someone else’s lovingly prepared food.

Do you have a serendipitous moment?

I don’t have just one. Every time a guest takes the time to say how much they enjoyed the food, it is truly serendipitous. I don’t ever expect it, so it always means something special to me.

LOCALLY BREWED BELGIAN-STYLE BEER AND RUSTIC DELI SERVED WITH ARTFUL HOSPITALITY FROM THE OLD WORLD

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

I’ve loved cooking since I was a child. I decided at twenty-six, while living in Chicago, to enroll in culinary school. While finishing my degree, I worked with some incredible restaurant professionals in Chicago, both in front and back of house. Fast forward to 2002, when I moved to New Mexico on a whim, worked at Geronimo for four years, developed a passion for wine, and then, in 2006, became a certified sommelier. In 2009, I left the restaurant business, so to speak, to work for Fiasco Fine Wine. That was how I met Dave, my partner—selling him wine. It was our love for restaurants and combined decades of experience that inspired us to create Loyal Hound.

YOU DOWN R ROOF TOWN O P E N T O P P AT I O S THI AT T H S A P R I L EA TA P R B Q OOM

1228 PARKWAY DR, SANTA FE, 505-474-5301 606 CENTRAL AVE SW, ALBUQUERQUE, 505-508-3330 DUELBREWING.COM

What gets you fired up?

Buying random stuff from local farmers that isn’t on the menu, so I can come up with a new dish to feature it.

Fill in the blank: I love creativity the most when it comes to my work and my passion because it is a way to express what is unique about me.

The question people always ask me is: “Are you from New Orleans?”

But I wish they'd ask me" “Where does your inspiration come from?”

If I had the chance, I would have lunch with Dave at Noma. I'd like to ask him why do you put up with me?

If I weren't doing what I’m doing now, I'd be drinking wine in Austria.

Most people are surprised to learn I named Loyal Hound after my dog Lola.

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

I would like to say thanks to each and every person who is supporting us with their patronage. Owning a restaurant is a labor of love, and an extremely challenging one. It’s our guests and staff that make it all worth the effort! www.loyalhoundpub.com WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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LOCAL HEROES

Natalie Bovis

THE LIQUID MUSE, OWNER NM COCKTAILS & CULTURE FESTIVAL, CREATOR AND PRODUCER BEST MIXOLOGIST

Photo by Claire Barrett.

Natalie Bovis is the author of three books about cocktails; co-creator and owner of OM Liqueurs; a spirits and mixology teacher; and a video, podcast, and live-event host. Her company, The Liquid Muse, provides educational and catering resources for both businesses and individuals. Another of her projects, Santa Fe’s Cocktails & Culture Festival, will be held this June. Despite her many titles and accomplishments, Bovis describes herself simply as a “bartender cheerleader; nature and animal lover; and a proud Santa Fean.”

What do you love most about local food? Why? I love food that reflects culture. Here, we have traces of many cultures—including Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and various other European traditions—all rolled into each delicious bite. Whether delving into our red or green chile, sopaipillas, or calabacitas, we taste the unique reflection of what grows in our area and how it has been used, literally, over centuries. Generally speaking, I am a huge fan of chefs. (Kind of a groupie, really.) So when I travel, or have lived in large cities, I always budget for special meals. Over the years, as a food and cocktail writer, I’ve met some of the people I admire and dined in their restaurants: Ferran Adria at El Bulli, Wolfgang Puck at Spago, José Andrés at Café Atlantico, to name a few. Successful chefs present some part of themselves, and the kaleidoscope through which they experi12

edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2017

ence their surroundings, on the plate. I think our chefs in New Mexico are masters of that art form. And, the local family farms that fuel their kitchens are our link to the land. No one can visit this state and leave without some understanding of what and why and how we eat.

Share something unique about your profession as a mixologist.

Unlike most professions, I am expected to drink on the job! Because much of my work is creating cocktails, leading tasting events or attending them, some form of sipping happens. Over the eleven years I have had The Liquid Muse, my pro tips to newcomers are: (1) sip, don’t drink; (2) never finish the glass; and (3) don’t stay until the end of the party.

Do you have a favorite cocktail?

Cocktails are like food. The mood, time of year, and occasion will guide me. My favorite style of drink is simple, classic, and stirred. I love vermouth, port, sherry, whiskey, rum, and cognac. I do not like sweet drinks. I do not want ten million random things in the glass just because the bartender thinks that’s what mixology is. A bartender can make a Manhattan and I’ll know immediately whether they are trained in mixology or not. If they offer me rye whiskey, reach for refrigerated vermouth, give a healthy dash of bitters, stir it, and have good quality cherries, I will leave all further drink choices in the hands of that bar-

tender. If they add simple syrup, muddle oranges and fluorescent red cherries, and shake it, I know they have no idea what a true Manhattan is, and I’ll stick to beer or wine. If you don’t know why or how I make this assessment, come to a classic cocktail class and I’ll tell you!

It’s not snobbery. It’s learning the basics. So, I guess the short answer to the question is no, but I like Manhattans a lot.

Do you have a favorite spirit?

I like my spirits as I like my coffee: strong and dark. So we’re talking aged rum, scotch, cognac.

Tell us about your life outside of mixology.

I’m on the fundraising committee for Cooking With Kids because starting children out with good nutrition knowledge and cooking skills sets them up for a healthier life. In my limited free time, I indulge my passions by writing poetry and stories, and painting. I love yoga and hiking with my dog. I am passionate about animal welfare—domestic, farmed, or endangered. For the most part, I avoid eating mammals because I just don’t see the difference between a dog and a pig, or a cat and a rabbit. One day, I’d like to have a large piece of land with a huge garden, do health and cooking and mixology retreats there, and form my own animal rescue center.

What’s your favorite way to spend a day off?

After growing up in Santa Fe but living in Los Angeles most of my adult life, spending time with my parents nowadays is precious. I love sipping wine with my mom on her patio, and going to cultural events with my dad. I am blessed with wonderful friends. So time off is split between quiet alone time to recharge, and hanging out with the people I love.

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

Apart from working in my parents’ Indian trading post in Santa Fe, my first high school job was as a busser, until I graduated to server.

After college at UNM, I moved to L.A. where I cocktailed and bartended to support my acting aspirations through my twenties.

I’ve always loved the culinary arts so—long story, short—I became a restaurant publicist in 2004 while living in Washington D.C. By 2006, I was passionate about mixology and started studying and blogging about spirits, cocktails, and bars. Soon, I was hired to judge competitions around the world, write articles for Rachel Ray’s magazine, do drink demos on TV all over the country, train bar staff and create signature cocktails. I realized that being paid for what I loved to do meant I had a little business on my hands.

Eleven years later, I still love it.

What are most people surprised to learn about your profession?

That “bartender” and “mixologist” are not the same thing. Bartending is the job of serving drinks and being hospitable. Mixology is the study of spirits and history of cocktails, training the way a chef does. I have been both. Some people are one or the other. But a good mixologist knows how to be a great bartender. Anyone who is snobby or rude behind the bar is not a mixologist.

TheLiquidMuse.com, NMCocktailCulture.com WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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LOCAL HEROES

Carrie Eagle

FARM & TABLE, EXECUTIVE CHEF BEST CHEF, ALBUQUERQUE culinary team that works with local farmers and food artisans throughout the state to provide fresh organic seasonal cuisine. “I am honored to be a part of such an innovative and important effort here in Albuquerque,” Eagle says of her work with Farm & Table. “We are continually pushing the envelope and looking for fun, new ways to enhance our guests’ culinary experiences. It’s wonderful to have yearround access to the freshest food in the region.” Chef Eagle recently competed on an episode of Food Network’s Chopped, and won!

What do you love most about local food?

What I love the most about the local food community in Albuquerque is all the unique personalities I get to deal with on a weekly basis.

The farmers in our community are creative, insightful, so hard working, and, in many cases, adorable! These people are passionate across the board; their food is special and grown with love. Local produce is more wholesome and usually far more intense in flavor than commodity produce purchased at your grocery store.

What are some of your favorite places to eat and why?

Cervantes on Gibson has long been a favorite food spot for me. The owners decorate the place with unparalleled flair for holidays. Some of the staff have been there for over a decade. Whenever I have lived out of state for an extended period, I've gotten Cervantes red chile and their hot jalapeño salsa shipped by the case. The cheese enchilada plate with green on it, red on the side, and a fried egg on top could very possibly be my death row meal.

Do you have a favorite menu item and why?

Photo by Sergio Salvador.

Chef Carrie Eagle brings more than fourteen years of experience to Albuquerque’s culinary scene as the executive chef of Farm & Table, located on a ten-acre farm in the city’s North Valley. Chef Eagle began her career by helping to open one of Albuquerque’s most popular pizza establishments, JC’s New York Pizza Department. In 2005, she took her culinary passions to the kitchens of Season’s, Zinc, and Savoy, where she specialized in party execution, which led to her first role as executive chef for the local catering company, Taste. In 2010, Chef Eagle opened Albuquerque’s first premium fish and seafood restaurant, Desert Fish, which was recognized by the Alibi as Albuquerque’s Best New Restaurant and Best Fish Restaurant in its first year of operation. In 2011, the famed Dunton Hot Springs Resort in southwestern Colorado hired Eagle to lead their kitchen. While there, she and her team were recognized by Condé Nast Traveler, Bon Appétit, and Travel + Leisure magazines. In 2015, Chef Eagle returned to New Mexico to work for Farm & Table, where she leads an innovative 14

edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2017

Currently my favorite menu item at Farm & Table is the rainbow trout. Skin, head, and tail on. We dredge it lightly in cornmeal, pan sear it, and finish it in the broiler. It's served with a simple roasted pepper crema, shaved radishes, sautéed winter greens, and sprouts.

I can get all that year-round, locally. The plate is gluten-free, light, healthy, and straightforward. I think it's a dish that genuinely surprises people. What it lacks in complicated method and preparation, it makes up for in mouthfeel and flavor. This is a dish that represents my culinary point of view at the moment.

What’s your favorite way to spend a day off?

My favorite way to spend a day off starts with sleeping in as late as my brain will allow, then easing into the day with hot tea, coffee, and a decadent breakfast, in that order. Riding the Bosque trail with friends, if it’s sunny and not too windy, then throwing a hand of cards at one of the local breweries, rounds out my idea of a perfect afternoon.

Maybe another short bike ride if the conditions are right, maybe a soak at Betty's, then a good movie in a dark theater with my love and my own smuggled-in snacks—perfection!

Do you have a serendipitous moment?

Serendipitous moment. There have been so many. I've been fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time too many times to mention. In one of my more aimless states of post-adolescent convalescence, I found myself slinging fresh-squeezed juices and homemade cookies behind the La Montañita Co-op deli counter in the mid-nineties. There was a magic I discovered there, making a new cookie or a soup of the day that really lit people up. Something started smoldering in me then around this connection between food and people and happiness. Food is something we all have in common, and when it's artfully, lovingly fabricated, a true connection can be made. Good food brings people together in a special way when it's deeply satisfying. That's a key motivating factor for me.

Tell us about your life outside of Farm & Table.

When I’m not at F&T, I’m usually obsessing over what's going on at F&T. Lately I've been taking a lot of road trips to northern New Mexico and Colorado. I love road trips, visiting friends, and eating out everywhere I travel. I participate in nearly every special event that crosses my desk. Too many to mention here. Damn, I really need to follow through on some other projects/hobbies!

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

There was a moment after I left JC's NYPD when I contemplated going back to school full-time. Owning and operating such an enormous project with virtually no culinary or restaurant business background left me bereft of any sense of focus or direction. I dipped my toes back into education, taking two courses at CNM, just to feel out being a student again. It was during this time that I took a part-time position as a line cook at Savoy, just after they had opened. That first week, wearing fresh-pressed chef linens and holding a heavy, full tang knife in my hand for the first time, grabbed me like nothing else had before. The sensory experience of figuring out how to dance among talented, fast-moving young chefs in an incredibly efficiently designed kitchen within this atmosphere of friendly, constant competitiveness engaged my soul so singularly and clearly, I knew I had found my path. And this was long before I really knew anything about eating or creating what some folks consider to be elevated cuisine. I learned how to properly butcher and sear fish, how to break down poultry and beef, and how to prepare fluffy citrus buerre blanc and a threeday veal glace. I trained in production and support through all the line positions in this restaurant and still use some of the recipes I learned there today. Cristina Martinez and Darcy Rocheau were part of that crew. Julien Griego of Street Food Institute was there, too. It was hands down the best crew I've ever worked with. I learned so much, so fast. And every one of us from that core has moved on to sous chef, executive chef, and owner positions. farmandtablenm.com

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15

EDIBLE COMMUNITY

Pick-up Trucks and Coolers EL MORRO MARKET BRINGS FRESH FOOD TO RURAL NEW MEXICO

By Michael J. Dax · Photos by Stephanie Cameron

Top left, clockwise: Jaye Wilkinson, proud proprietor of El Morro Market; entrance to the market; produce and organic products line the shelves.

On a Saturday afternoon in mid-February, a steady stream of customers files in and out of El Morro Market—located on a hillcrest one mile east of El Morro National Monument—stocking up on organic pro16

edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2017

duce, fresh bread, and other local and organic foods. Jaye Wilkinson, who has owned and operated the store since the summer of 2015, greets each customer. “Do you have spinach?” asks one woman peering into the

back cooler. “No,” replies Wilkinson, “But you might like the tatsoi.”

A storm is coming the following day, and for Wilkinson’s customers, many of whom live miles back on clay roads that can be-

come impassable after even modest precipitation, this might mean not being able to leave home for a few days. This is part of life in the sparsely populated El Morro Valley, where many residents have lived off the grid for decades.

Despite the countless natural amenities, living amid the open expanses of rabbitbrush steppes, ponderosa forest, and sandstone buttes has long meant not having easy access to the kinds of ingredients Wilkinson had used in Albuquerque as a sous chef at Los Poblanos and, later, as the executive chef at Farm & Table.

After leaving the restaurant scene, she and her partner bought a twenty-two-acre farm in the valley in early 2015. Her plan was to grow food and make the rounds on the local farmers market circuit, but after meeting Kate Brown, who was looking to sell the market she had opened in 2007, Wilkinson found a new direction.

For Brown, the market had begun as a livestock and pet feed store, but shifted toward groceries and, eventually, fresh produce as she grew impatient waiting for a nearby co-op that never materialized. “The more that I thought about it, the more convinced I was we needed it,” says Brown, who has lived in the area since 1992.

The store did not do enough business for distributors, like La Montañita’s Coop Distribution Center, to make the fourhour round-trip drive to El Morro. Instead, Brown would make a weekly trip to Albuquerque in her pick-up truck, loaded with coolers, making eight different stops to get everything she needed to keep the store stocked. She also made occasional trips to Gallup to fill gaps. After five years, she needed a break.

Wilkinson had worked in kitchens in Seattle for twelve years before returning home to New Mexico at about the same time that Brown started making her long food runs to Albuquerque. After five years in the back of the house, she, too, was ready for something different. “One of the reasons I moved out here was to get away from fine dining and be in a community where my knowledge and skills are more

impactful,” says Wilkinson. “I’m face-toface, not back in the kitchen.”

This has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the market as well as its most challenging. “It’s fun introducing these guys to all different things,” she says. Wilkinson often tutors customers on how to cook certain vegetables, and she’s learned who is willing to experiment and who is more apt to buy the same items on each visit. With limited shelf space and even smaller margins, this has meant having to carry only the items her customers are willing to purchase. “Why isn’t anyone buying the fennel?!” she hollers, joking.

Wilkinson picked up where Brown left off, making the weekly run to Albuquerque and two trips to Gallup. But, leveraging her connections to Albuquerque’s restaurant scene, she has streamlined the process, relying more on local farms and ranches, including ones from the El Morro area. Also, whereas Brown bought organic as much as possible, under Wilkinson, the store sells exclusively organic. “I think it’s important for people to have access to really good food,” says Wilkinson.

The store, smaller than an average living room, doesn’t have much room to grow, but with a commercial kitchen slated to be built a few miles down the road, Wilkinson hopes to host cooking classes and make prepared frozen stews, stocks, hummus, and pesto to sell in the store. Even with the long drives and small profits, Wilkinson has no regrets. She misses cooking, but is happy that the stressful sixteenhour, back-of-the-house days are behind her. “Everyone knows me and gives me hugs,” she says about her new life.

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On this Saturday afternoon, Deb Baxter, who has lived in the valley for thirtyfive years, cannot help but express her gratitude. “We used to live sixty miles from the nearest mediocre whole-wheat bread,” she says emphatically. El Morro Market “has changed our community and our diet.”

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17

OFF THE BEATEN PATH

Pig + Fig

LAURA HAMILTON'S CASUAL WHITE ROCK CAFÉ

By Sophie Putka · Photos by Ashlie Hughes

Left, Laura Hamilton, proprietor and chef of pig + fig in White Rock. Right, freshly baked pastries made daily.

A mom recently came into pig + fig café, located in White Rock, just southeast of Los Alamos, looking for treats for her daughter’s fourth birthday party. Instead of cupcakes, the little girl had requested thirty-six almond croissants from pig + fig. As chef Laura Hamilton will attest, that’s just the effect her 18

edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2017

café has on people. After only a year, pig + fig has ignited the White Rock community’s enthusiasm for a casual breakfast and lunch spot dishing out upscale fare.

Hamilton got her start after friends noted her knack for finding excuses to cook for them. She dropped her job as a paralegal to

pursue culinary arts full time, got a job at a Houston restaurant, and from there saved up to study at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

Hamilton’s career took her back to Houston, and all over the country, working in top-tier restaurants and as an award-winning pastry chef. Most recently, she served as executive

chef for her friend Lana Crochet’s Rosebud Café in White Rock.

Pig + fig opened its doors in January 2016. Hamilton combined her love of French cooking with her knowledge of the White Rock community to create the menu. From her year cooking at the Rosebud, she knew patrons wanted ethically sourced dishes that were also hearty and substantial. In an eclectic town populated mostly by transplants to New Mexico, Hamilton says, “I knew I had to make comfort food for everyone from a little old lady to a construction worker.”

Pig + fig’s menu contains fresh takes on breakfast and lunch favorites. The Triple Pig breakfast burrito, featuring ham, bacon, and sausage, is a morning best-seller.

Another favorite is the bacon-arugula ravioli, which marries candied pork belly with roasted Brussels sprouts, pine nuts, and parmesan beurre blanc. The seasonal menu offers both vegetarian and vegan options along with a host of freshly baked quiches and pastries. From giant chocolate chip cookies to lemon tarts, there’s something for everyone.

Hamilton says the area is home to more than the typical picture of a scientist one associates with the historical Los Alamos National Lab. “Very few people are from here,” she says. Because the lab draws researchers and scientists from around the world, “what’s comfortable to somebody who’s from the Midwest may not be comfortable to somebody from Austria, or somebody from California—it’s just so diverse.” So far, she’s happily explained everything from gnocchi to creme brûlée to interested customers, urging them to get out of their culinary comfort zones.

In one particularly gratifying moment, a construction worker in a neon vest from the lab’s training center came in for a box of macaroons, saying that his wife had insisted he buy them for her.

Hamilton strikes a delicate balance at pig + fig, meeting the needs of a community that is at once hyperdiscerning but also curious about unfamiliar foods.

As she puts it, “We have to have absolute transparency. That’s why we have an open

kitchen, and as much information as we can about our products and where they come from.” Hamilton procures produce from Just The Best, a locally owned food vendor; buys Kyzer Farm pork from La Montañita Co-op; and grows her own herbs in planters on the storefront patio.

When any of her vendors have a new local item, Hamilton is the first to know.

In addition to pig + fig, Hamilton has organized a series of regular wine and beer dinners, which often sell out in as little as fifteen minutes. Hamilton seeks out single wineries or distributors to serve wines paired with her own carefully crafted small plates. So far, some of her favorite collaborators have been Tablas Creek, Forlorn Hope, and Limerick Lane.

Despite Los Alamos County’s reputation as a nexus for the well-heeled and highly educated, Hamilton says many community members still struggle to get by. “Not everybody has a six-figure salary and works for the lab,” she said. Because of this, Hamilton and her staff raise money for community causes through wine dinners or sponsorships at least once a month.

At one such dinner to benefit Self Help, a local nonprofit that helps working families, Hamilton says they raised over seven thousand dollars. “I’m so excited that we’ve been able to make such a big impact on our little community,” she said.

And the place the Los Alamos Daily Post has called a “White Rock institution” isn’t slowing down. Plans are underway to remodel pig + fig to make space for a wine counter and additional seating. This April, pig + fig will launch a tapas menu with hours from 5pm to 8pm for wine, beer, and small plates. Hamilton says it will allow for couples who “want to go out and have a nice casual dinner, but [won’t be] so froufrou that if you had kids you’d be afraid to go in there.” It’s an environment where Hamilton herself would want to grab a glass of wine and a bite to eat. She’ll meet you there.

35 Rover Blvd, White Rock 505-672-2742, www.pigandfigcafe.com

FERMENTI'S PARADOX

Brewing Conspiracies in Taos DISCOVER TAOS MESA BREWING THROUGH MUSIC AND MALTS

By Sam Hedges · Photos by Stephanie Cameron

Top left, clockwise: The Mothership; Dan Irion sipping beer in front of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and future Airstream rental; the entryway to Taos Mesa Brewing; a flight of beer; and one of the outdoor stages.

Taos Mesa Brewing’s informal motto is “A conspiracy’s brewing.” But while conspiracies are usually veiled, Taos Mesa Brewing’s mission is open and obvious: link enterprise with social consciousness to enrich New Mexico. Craft beer plays a central role in this sinister plot.

In its short lifespan, Taos Mesa Brewing has greatly transformed its already unique town.

Since building their home base, the Mothership, on the northwestern outskirts of Taos, the brewery’s team has added an upscale, artisanal taproom to the heart of downtown and 20

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an intimate clubhouse to the Taos Ski Valley.

The Mothership hovers due west of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, a quasi-industrial Quonset hut jutting up from the desert scrub against a vast horizon. You’re likely to see it long before you pull into its dirt drive, but you’re just as likely to hear it first.

salvaged materials and heated almost entirely by passive solar energy. It houses three performance stages, including an outdoor amphitheatre, and hosts three annual music festivals. Although the Mothership can hold five hundred concert-goers, more often it offers a quiet daytime retreat for gregarious locals.

In almost every way, the Mothership is more than it seems. From a distance it’s a simple airport hangar, but closer inspection reveals a structure of environmental ingenuity and sustainable design, built primarily from

If you focus on one element, you’ll likely miss the myriad others: the snarky beer names (Party Guy IPA or Knight Train Imperial Stout, which is brewed with twenty-five pounds of local clover honey per batch), the

stage floor built of recycled tires for greater bounce, the Tectum-lined walls arranged for acoustic perfection, or the Thai Chile Chicken Poppers on special. Perhaps all of this is why Travel + Leisure magazine voted it “One of America’s Coolest Breweries.”

Music is the beating heart of Taos Mesa Brewing. From 2005 to 2007, co-founder Dan Irion’s band Last to Know turned a local warehouse into an underground music venue, a place where huge, impromptu parties sprung up from the earth. More than a decade later, Irion's eyes still light up when he speaks of that warehouse. “It was a creative space that gave the illusion of limitless possibilities,” says Irion. Eventually the warehouse was shut down, but the seed had been planted for a business that housed the power of music.

In the following years, Irion and his partners found the perfect location for their brewery and new music venue, just a quarter-mile down the road from the warehouse.

In business for more than five years, Taos Mesa Brewing has been at the core of a Taos music revolution. They’ve hosted indie star Devendra Banhart, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, The Weeks, Lucinda Williams, and Steve Earle. Visit their online calendar and behold the Southwest’s growing musical diversity, with descriptors such as “multi-dimensional soul punk,” “live from the Ukraine,” “9-piece power-funk,” and “horn-driven Southern soul band.” You can easily imagine ending every night of a Taos vacation with a Taos Mesa brew in your hand and melodic beauty in your ears.

Before the brewery, the town had few venues for musicians. Irion has made great strides working with area promoters to bring more music to Taos, but he says there is an even greater conspiracy afoot. Taos’s strategic position, just south of the musical jet stream running from Denver to the Golden Coast, makes it a natural tour stop. “Musicians love Taos,” Irion says. Devendra Banhart visited it first on vacation and liked it so much that he brought his band back and played three shows. For traveling artists, Irion explains, every town starts to feel the same, but Taos feels unique. Irion points to the artistic history, the ancient pueblo, and the mountains. But to him, there is also something intangible about

Taos: “An unnamed spirit that you can't put your finger on, something about the quality of light, the angles, that makes Taos special.”

This spirit, Irion claims, inspires musicians to give better performances. Taos Mesa Brewing is both capitalizing on Taos’s offbeat nature and enriching it. Plans are also in the works for an Airstream trailer hotel adjacent to the Mothership, with more acreage for campgrounds to support bigger music festivals.

Festivals, such as Taos Mesa Brewing’s annual Music on the Mesa, are a key part of turning Taos into a music-lover’s destination.

While bringing more musicians to New Mexico is a part of Taos Mesa Brewing’s multifaceted mission, its greater goal is local sourcing. The brewery provides a market for aspiring regional musicians and local farmers.

In Taos Mesa Brewing’s future, the Grains to Glass program is of particular interest. Funded through Los Alamos National Laboratory, the program has partnered with four farmers out of Arroyo Seco to grow barley, a grain that once covered northern New Mexico and is essential to brewing. Last year, the farmers harvested seven thousand pounds of barley, which was featured months later in Taos Mesa’s Rosetta Comet SMaSH IPA. After its successful first year, Irion hopes that, with continued funding and hard work, the program can broaden the scope of New Mexico’s exploding craft beer industry.

While Grains to Glass works to help reinvigorate northern New Mexico’s ailing economy, Irion and his friends hope to sweeten the deal by building a boutique malt house.

Malted barley is the primary ingredient in almost all beer, and New Mexico breweries currently source it out of state. With its own malt house, New Mexico farmers would have a guaranteed market for their barley, and New Mexico breweries could source all of their malted barley from their own community, effectively closing the economic loop.

Beer, music, food, and festivals are all seeds in a field of germination, unfolding through jazz fusion, smoked-brisket tacos, and chocolate stouts. Irion’s little dream for a good stage is materializing into a better future for all of us.

A conspiracy, it seems, is indeed brewing.

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AT THE CHEF'S TABLE

A Fresh Start AN INTERVIEW WITH EL MONTE SAGRADO’S NEW EXECUTIVE CHEF

By Seth Matlick · Photos by Stephanie Cameron

Chef Cristina Martinez in the De La Tierra dining room at El Monte Sagrado.

With its immaculate grounds, spacious rooms, and salt-water pool inside a tropical biolarium, Heritage Hotel’s El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa is one of the most luxurious and acclaimed destinations for tourists in Taos. But the hotel’s new executive chef, Cristina Martinez, hopes to make the resort’s De La Tierra restaurant a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. Toward that goal, Martinez’s new menu combines familiar local flavors and traditional ingredients with more unconventional preparations. At a recent event unveiling De La Tierra’s new menu, guests sampled some of Martinez’s creations, such as Taos Lightning Gin-cured salmon with juniper berry cream, fried oysters served in the half shell with red chile corn sauce, and sous vide charcoal-rubbed rack of lamb.

As a farmer in Albuquerque, I got to know Chef Martinez at her previous position as head chef at the Artichoke Café. I recently caught up with her to hear about her new restaurant and life in Taos.

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An Albuquerque native, Martinez has always loved food and cooking. “I was obsessed with food since I was a child,” she says.

“I was worried about every meal, bothering my mom about what we were going to eat next.” Growing up, Martinez’s home often hosted meals for their family’s church community. She and her mother would regularly cook for twenty to thirty people. So it seemed only natural when, at age eighteen, Martinez started her own catering business, then a year later moved to Los Angeles to attend culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu. After several influential years developing her skills as a restaurant cook, Martinez returned home to New Mexico and began cooking at Hotel Albuquerque, another Heritage Hotel business. She has since earned her place as a top New Mexico chef, working in and running some of Albuquerque’s best kitchens, including the Artichoke Café, for the last four years.

Returning to the Heritage brand has been a homecoming for Martinez, who says they remembered hiring her right out of culinary school. She interviewed and eventually collaborated on De La Tierra’s new menu with consulting chef Mark Miller, owner of the celebrated Coyote Café in Santa Fe. Martinez describes Miller, whom she affectionately calls “Uncle Mark,” as a “super genius” when it comes to cooking and management. Miller’s wealth of knowledge and experience has been invaluable to Martinez. Originally, she says, “Mark wrote a menu [for De La Tierra] that I was inspired by. After I wrote my menu, he came in and critiqued it, offering advice about ingredients and layering flavors, which is something I’ve been focusing on. When I create new dishes I really think about layers of flavors and textures. He has a really amazing palette so was able to offer great advice.”

Even as a chef of her caliber, Martinez humbly recognizes how much more there is for her to learn. She likens her love of cooking and desire to learn to being in a great relationship. “It keeps me going, knowing that I’ve barely scratched the surface. It’s like a marriage, when you feel like this is amazing, we finally found each other, but we haven’t done everything that we want to do yet.

There’s so much more to experience!” Martinez says she wants to impart this sentiment in her kitchen. She wishes there had been more peer support and encouragement when she was coming up in the culinary world, and now, as a leader, she aspires to educate and motivate her crew and cohort. “Teaching, influencing, and molding people are some of my favorite things. The more experience I get, the more I want to work with people who are open, willing, and smart. I absolutely welcome those people who really want to be chefs, and will take them under my wing and show them everything I’ve learned.”

Martinez’s openness to growth and change has made her a perfect fit to help El Monte Sagrado realize its goal of rebooting the restaurant and reconnecting with the community. Before accepting the job, Martinez had only been to Taos once. Though more than familiar with the cuisine of her home state, she admits to having to acquaint herself with the unique flavors and style of northern New Mexico. “I did tons of market research since I’ve been here. I’ve gone out to eat, talked to people, seen what they liked about this place in the past, what they would like to see in the future.” There was a time when De la Tierra’s restaurant was a favorite among Taoseños, but “something about the corporate element of the last [hotel] ownership pushed some people away,” says Martinez. “Heritage is a really great brand because they really do focus on the local culture, which you can feel at each of their properties because they are all unique. It’s not just about what I can bring, but also about what the community wants to see here.”

One of the ways Martinez hopes to show that the local community is welcome is by working closely with farmers and producers from the local foodshed. The restaurant is currently using microgreens, beets, and goat cheese from the area, and Martinez is hoping to connect and build relationships with more growers this season. The team behind El Monte Sagrado also has big

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AT THE CHEF'S TABLE

Top left, clockwise: Taos Lightning Gin-cured salmon with juniper berry cream; fried oysters served in the half shell with red chile corn sauce; pear tartine; and sous vide charcoal-rubbed rack of lamb.

plans for the future. The hotel recently broke ground for an on-site farm, where Martinez will be working directly with the head farmer to decide what crops to grow for her kitchen. When asked about the importance of eating locally, Martinez said, “It shows a chef ’s knowledge of the area, of the people. Chefs can sometimes get lost without connecting to the local growers and farmers and eating seasonally. Developing those relationships is extremely important.

Your customers can sense when people care enough to source lo24

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cal ingredients. They can taste the environment and connect with where the food is from.”

With her positive attitude, passion for learning, and plan to source seasonal, local products, Taos residents and travelers should keep their eyes on Martinez’s kitchen and expect a constantly evolving but always delicious menu.

317 Kit Carson, Taos, 575-758-3502, www.elmontesagrado.com

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25

LIQUID TOURISM

Liquid Tourism THE EVOLUTION OF NEW MEXICO WINE

By Sam L. Melada · Photos by Gabriella Marks

During the past year, New Mexico Wine (formerly known as the New Mexico Wine and Grape Growers Association) has developed a variety of initiatives to support our burgeoning New Mexico wine industry. The association has developed one particularly innovative concept they call Liquid Tourism. Curious about their vision, I interviewed executive director Chris Goblet to learn about the association’s origins and what it could mean for people who are eager to explore the wine, beer, and spirits made in New Mexico. Goblet took the reins of New Mexico Wine in 2016, after five years with the New Mexico Brewer's Guild. He says that “by looking at what was working and what wasn’t working for the New Mexico wineries and wine festivals, we have been able to develop new plans that will help bring wine to the people, and people to the wine.” While all our wineries certainly want to see more visitors in their tasting rooms, Goblet has recognized that cultivating smaller wine festivals in a variety of regions will not only help New Mexico wineries reach a larger audience, but help other businesses within those regions reach that audience as well.

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edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2017

While it is impressive that we have so many award-winning beers, wines, and spirits in New Mexico, Goblet recognizes that engaging with the people who make the beverages, as well as the regions in which they live and work, can really make a difference to the consumer. By moving away from an industry-based focus, which promotes New Mexico’s successes in New York wine festivals or national beer competitions, Goblet envisions something like “agritourism with a glass of wine.”

“Instead of spending money and resources on brochures that are too big and trying to cover the whole state at once,” Goblet explains, “we can focus on wine regions or ‘wine trails’ instead.” If you are curious about wineries or breweries in New Mexico, and what to do in the areas surrounding those wineries and breweries, the New Mexico Department of Tourism offers recommendations. However, as Goblet argues, “If you ask the Padbergs, who own Vivác Winery in Dixon, what they would do while you’re visiting, you’ll get a much different, more personalized response about what the area between

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27

LIQUID TOURISM

Left: Black Mesa Winery in Velarde. Right: Vivác Winery grounds in Dixon.

Santa Fe and Taos has to offer.” You might also get a recommendation for white-water rafting or tubing along with some shopping spots or favorite art galleries.

So what can we expect to see manifest in 2017? “We will see the creation of a series of boutique wine festivals and regional events,” Goblet says. “By partnering with not only the beverage makers, but also with hotel and restaurant partners within those regions, ‘liquid tourists’ will be able to have a more comprehensive and enriching experience.” In southern New Mexico, New Mexico Wine will be partnering with VIP Southwest Services to develop a regional wine tour around Las Cruces. As they develop tours in northern New Mexico, they will be partnering with New Mexico Wine Tours.

Moving forward, edible readers can look forward to finding out about new opportunities to travel and explore New Mexico wines through this column. For now, keep your calendars open for the Albuquerque Wine Festival, which takes place Memorial Day Weekend, May 27 to 29, at Balloon Fiesta Park. If you’re going to be in southern New Mexico, the Las Cruces Wine Festival is held on the 28

edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2017

same dates as the Albuquerque Wine Festival at the Southern New Mexico State Fair Grounds. What else does Goblet and his team have in store? “We do not have any of our boutique events for the summer, but we will be launching the New Mexico Cider & Wine Festival this year as a new way to showcase hard cider.” So keep your ear to the ground.

New Mexico Wine will also soon be introducing self-guided liquid tours, where visitors can download and bring along tour recommendations from the New Mexico Wine website. If visitors would prefer professional-guided tours, they can work with New Mexico Wine’s partners, such as VIP Southwest or New Mexico Wine Tours. Edible readers should anticipate valuable personalized guidance for traveling between such areas as Deming and Silver City, Taos and Santa Fe, as well as opportunities to attend boutique regional festivals in order to make the most of the desire to explore and learn about all that New Mexico has to offer to the liquid tourist. www.winecountrynm.com www.vipswservices.com/package/southwest-wine-country www.newmexicowinetour.com

ORGANIC FARM Unique finds at

Farm Shop Find local treasures like Old Monticello Farm’s line of traditonal balsamic vinegars. Hand-crafted from just organic grapes and aged in rare wood casks.

Visit Farm Shop Daily 9 – 6 4803 Rio Grande blvd nw farmshop.lospoblanos.com

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COOKING FRESH

Road Eats THE ULTIMATE ROAD TRIP MENU

Recipes and Photos by Stephanie Cameron

Chorizo and egg breakfast muffins

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Who’s to say you can’t be a foodie while behind the wheel of a car? When road tripping around New Mexico, you’re sure to find plenty of vast, rolling vistas, but not as sure to find many food options. A well-planned road trip menu will save your gut from the chips and candy bars in the convenience store. Edible tested all the following recipes in our kitchen and in our car. With these recipes, you will find there is enough variety to please the appetites of all your passengers.

Susan’s Fine Wine and Spirits One of the largest selections of wine, craft beer, and spirits in town!

START YOUR TRIP OFF RIGHT CHORIZO AND EGG BREAKFAST MUFFINS Serves 4 These muffins are the perfect way to begin. Make them up to four days ahead and store them in the fridge. Then just pop them in the microwave for 40 seconds, throw them in a paper bag, and hit the road.

6 ounces chorizo sausage, ground (or your favorite breakfast sausage) 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup buttermilk 5 teaspoons sour cream (full fat) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 5 small eggs 1/2 cup scallions, chopped 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

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Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray jumbo muffin tin with oil (or grease with butter).

Heat a nonstick pan over high heat. Add sausage and fry until lightly browned. Remove onto a paper towel to drain the fat and set aside.

Place all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, vegetable oil, and 1 egg. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix.

Fold in cooked meat, scallions, and cheddar cheese.

Place 3 tablespoons of the batter into each of 4 muffin tin holes. Bang the tin to flatten the batter. Make a divot in the batter (so the egg yolk settles in the middle). Crack an egg into each hole. Divide the remaining batter between each hole to cover the egg.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

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COOKING FRESH

Chile-lime pecans

Beet and sweet potato chips

Spiced cashews

Cheese crackers

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THE SNACKS CHEESE CRACKERS Makes 6 dozen crackers 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour or whole-grain spelt flour 1/4 cup all-purpose or white spelt flour 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces 2 tablespoons whole milk 1/8 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon salt Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade. Pulse to form a ball, 1 to 2 minutes. If the dough appears oily from the cheese, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and roll it to 1/8- to 1/16-inch thickness. Lightly brush the dough with milk. Using a pastry wheel or knife, cut the dough into 1-by-1-inch squares. Prick the center of each cracker with a skewer. Place the crackers on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1/2 inch between crackers.

Bake the crackers, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, just until the crackers are slightly brown at the edges, about 12 minutes. The crackers will crisp up as they cool, so be careful not to overbake—although if you like your crackers extra crunchy, leave them in the oven for 14 to 15 minutes. Transfer the crackers to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

BEET AND SWEET POTATO CHIPS Serves 4 1 large sweet potato, skin on 2 medium-sized beets, skin on 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange the racks to divide the oven into thirds.

Use a mandolin to slice sweet potatoes and beets with skins on. Place slices in a medium bowl; add the oil, salt, and pepper to taste; and toss with your hands until thoroughly coated. Toss red beets separately to avoid staining other veggies.

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COOKING FRESH Place the veggies in a single layer on 2 large baking sheets— the strips can be touching but should not overlap.

Bake for 15 minutes, then flip veggies over and rotate pans.

Bake for 10–15 minutes more. They are done when the edges are lightly browned and the chips are stiff and no longer bend. Note: all chips do not cook evenly, so monitoring your chips toward the end and removing them in batches will yield the best results. Place on wire racks and let the chips cool until crisp, about 10 minutes. Store in an airtight container after chips have completely crisped up. Keep for up to 5 days.

CHILE-LIME PECANS Makes 4 cups 4 cups pecans 15 dried chiles de árbol 20 makrut lime leaves, crumbled 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ancho chiles 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons lime zest, finely grated Preheat oven to 325°F.

Combine pecans with all dry ingredients, butter, and vegetable oil in a large bowl; toss to coat. Spread nut mixture in an even layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet.

Roast, stirring occasionally, until pecans are evenly toasted and fragrant, about 20 minutes. Let nut mixture cool completely on sheet on a wire rack. Transfer nuts to a large bowl and toss with lime zest, making sure to evenly distribute spices and zest. Store airtight at room temperature.

Note: Savory Spice Shop in Santa Fe is a great source for the spices in this recipe and they offer free shipping within New Mexico.

SPICED CASHEWS 5 large egg whites 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon red chile 4 dashes of Angostura bitters 1 pound cashews, raw (or use any raw nut in this recipe) Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk egg whites, sugar, thyme leaves, allspice, ginger, red chile, and 4 dashes of Angostura bitters in a medium bowl to blend. Fold in cashews. Strain off any excess liquid. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet brushed with vegetable oil. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown and beginning to crisp, 25–30 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack (nuts will crisp as they cool). Store airtight at room temperature.

PIMENTO-CHEESE SANDWICHES Makes 6 sandwiches 1/2 pound sharp Tucumcari Mountain cheddar cheese 1/2 teaspoon red chile powder 2 teaspoons horseradish 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 5 tablespoons mayonnaise 3 tablespoons chopped marinated roasted red pepper 12 slices firm white bread (Fano rustic bread would be a great and easily accessible option) Stir together cheese, cayenne pepper, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, and mayonnaise in a medium bowl. Blend half the mixture in a food processor until smooth. Transfer back to bowl, add roasted red pepper, and stir to combine.

Spread pimento cheese among 6 slices. Top with remaining bread. Cut sandwiches into quarters, slicing on the diagonal.

You can make the pimento spread a day ahead and store in refrigerator in airtight container. Keep in ice chest for travel.

TIJUANA TORTA Makes 2–4 sandwiches 1 15-ounce can black beans or pinto beans, rinsed 3 tablespoons prepared salsa 1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapeño 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1 ripe avocado, pitted 2 tablespoons minced onion 1 tablespoon lime juice 1 16–20 inch baguette 1 1/3 cups shredded green cabbage Mash beans, salsa, jalapeño, and cumin in a small bowl.

Mash avocado, onion, and lime juice in another small bowl.

Cut baguette into 4 equal lengths. Split each piece in half horizontally. Pull out most of the soft bread from the center so mostly crust is left. Divide the bean paste, avocado mixture, and cabbage evenly among the sandwiches.

Cut each in half and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. These can be made the day before your trip and stored in the refrigerator. Keep in ice chest for travel.

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LUNCH • DINNER • BAR

Reservations: 505.982.4353 653 Canyon Road compoundrestaurant.com

A Mark Kiffin Restaurant featuring Chef De Cuisine Josh Kalmus preparing The Compound Beef Tenderloin. Photo by Kate Russell.

COOKING FRESH

Butternut squash and goat cheese hand pies NOT A SANDWICH BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND GOAT CHEESE HAND PIES Makes 8–10 pies For the flaky pie dough: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 cup unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small cubes 8 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed For the filling: 2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander Kosher salt to taste Red pepper flakes to taste Olive oil 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon warm water 6 ounces chèvre (fresh goat cheese), crumbled To make the dough: In the bowl of a food processor, stir together the flour and salt. Sprinkle the butter over the top and pulse for a few seconds, or just until the butter is slightly broken up but still in visible pieces. Evenly sprinkle the water over the flour mixture, then process just until the mixture starts to come together.

Dump the dough onto a work surface, press it together, then divide it in half. Press each half into a disk, then place the disks in a large zipper-top plastic bag. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes or as long as 1 day.

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To make the filling: Heat the oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the middle.

Place the butternut squash cubes on a large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with the cumin, coriander, a large pinch of salt, and red pepper flakes to taste. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Toss to coat evenly, then spread in a single layer. Roast until tender and caramelized, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely before using.

To assemble and bake: Reduce the oven heat to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Divide the chilled dough into 8 to 10 pieces. On a floured work surface, roll out each piece of dough into a circle about 1/8-inch thick. Place the circles on the baking sheet and refrigerate for about 10 minutes.

Brush a thin layer of the egg mixture across half of each circle. Divide the roasted squash among the dough circles, placing it in the middle of the circle. Sprinkle each with some of the goat cheese, dividing it evenly. Fold the dough over the filling to make a half moon. Trim off any excess dough, making sure to leave enough of a margin (at least half an inch) to seal. Press the edges with a fork to seal.

Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

The filling can be prepared up to 2 days before assembling the pies. The dough can be made 1 day before use and refrigerated, or stored in the freezer for up to a month. If frozen, transfer it to the fridge for thawing the day before making the pies. Keep in ice chest during travel, and let them come to room temperature before eating.

Summer Events

Red River

Memorial Day Motorcycle Rally

4th of July Parade & Celebration

May 25-29 Get ready for the rumble as 20,000 bikers from all different backgrounds line Main Street for one crazy party. Live music and vendors carrying everything from leather and lace, to food and fun.

July 4 Red River is the perfect place for families during the annual 4th of July Parade & Celebration! It’s a full day of familyfriendly activities.

Classic Car show

August 5-6 A day filled with workshops, concerts, singing, and jamming at the Red River Community House! Don’t know what a dulcimer is? Sign up for a workshop and you’ll be playing in no time.

Fun for all! Call (575)754-2349 for more information.

June 3 Classic, hot rod, and show cars cruise into Red River for this exciting Car Show. With classic trucks, restored antique cars, American muscle cars, low riders, hot rods and much more.

Art & Wine festival June 16-18 The annual Art & Wine Festival is presented by the Red River Chamber of Commerce every Father’s Day weekend.

RedRiver1895 @Red_River_NM @RedRiverNM

Dulcimer Festival

Hot Chili Days, Cool Mountain Nights Music Festival August 17-20 Red River’s rousing music scene can trace its roots back to Texas, mostly centered around Austin’s “red dirt rock”. This means visitors to this small mountain community can find some of the best music anywhere, anytime!

RedRiver.org

COOKING FRESH

Browned-butter blue corn muffins with seasonal berries and fruit

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edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2017

ON THE SWEET SIDE BROWNED-BUTTER BLUE CORN MUFFINS WITH SEASONAL BERRIES AND FRUIT Makes 12–15 muffins The muffins can work with any seasonal fruit, depending on what you can find at the market. A mix of berries and stone fruit makes for a nice balance, but you can use any combination, following the measurements below.

1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup cornmeal, medium grind 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 egg 1 cup sour cream 1/3 cup milk 1/4 cup butter, melted until lightly brown 2 tablespoons honey 1/3 cup blueberries or raspberries, roughly chopped (or other seasonal berry) 1/2 cup fresh apricots, diced (or other seasonal stone fruit)

Preheat oven to 400° F. On a stove top in a skillet, melt 3/4 of a stick of butter over medium-high heat, keeping an eye on the pan and occasionally swirling the butter until the crackling stops and the butter is a light amber color, about 5 minutes. Measure about 1/4 cup of melted butter and set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, combine egg, sour cream, milk, and honey. Stir until no lumps remain in the sour cream. Pour browned butter into the egg mixture and stir to incorporate.

Stir wet ingredients into dry until just moistened. Fold in berries and diced apricots.

Spoon batter into lined muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Make a day before travel and store in airtight container at room temperature.

These also freeze very well and defrost in the microwave in 15 seconds.

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39

The Sand and the Stars A SHORT, STRANGE TRIP TO TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES

By Candolin Cook · Photos by Stephanie Cameron

A red crescent sculpture is the gateway to Spaceport America.

Taking a side trip from our explorations of the region’s food scene to search for Spaceport America, I had just begun to nervously eye the gas gauge when we saw it: a towering red crescent sculpture, welcoming us to the Spaceport America security gate.

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D

wight Yoakam’s “A Thousand Miles from Nowhere” played on repeat in my head as edible owner and publisher Stephanie Cameron and I drove down County Road AO13 in the desert basin known as Jornada del Muerto or “Journey of the Dead Man.” Yucca, creosote bushes, and the occasional cow dot the rust-colored landscape that surrounds this stretch of empty two-lane blacktop.

We were taking a side trip from our explorations of the region’s food scene to search for Spaceport America, the “world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport.” Typically, if you want to visit the spaceport, you need to book a bus tour that leaves from nearby Truth or Consequences (T or C), which will take you on a multihour exploration of the terminal hangar. The spaceport website explicitly discourages visitors from driving out to the facility. Due to safety and privacy concerns, you will not be allowed to park or enter the property on your own. The concerns are valid; the spaceport is in the middle of the desert, and there are no service stations, amenities, or cell service. However, at the time of our visit in early February, it was temporarily closed to visitors, and we were determined to see it.

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For several miles, we were unsure whether or not we were even close. The only road signs were hand-painted markers signaling distant cattle ranches and private residences (Marv & Sue’s: this way).

I had just begun to nervously eye the gas gauge when we saw it, a towering red crescent sculpture, welcoming us to the Spaceport America security gate. A friendly security guard—who I’m convinced has the loneliest job in America—met us as we approached the fence and informed us that we’d reached the end of the line.

The terminal hangar facility stood about half a mile in the distance.

It is futuristic-looking, a cross between the Millennium Falcon and a robotic beetle. The guard said we were welcome to snap a few photos before heading on our way. As I focused on 110,000 square feet of concrete, glass, and steel gleaming in the desert sun, I wondered if spacecrafts would ever really launch there.

Construction on the spaceport began over a decade ago. After several setbacks—most significantly a fatal spaceship crash in 2014—Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides insists commercial spaceflight will begin “pretty soon.” But locals are skeptical. This socalled “billion-dollar boondoggle” has already cost New Mexican taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, and Sierra County residents continue to fund the facility through a sales tax levy. Although the long-promised boon to the local economy has yet to materialize, you might consider Cameron and me “space tourists.” Driving toward our hotel in T or C, we passed a small herd of cattle. I imagined the cows watching spaceships blast off from their dusty backyard. It’s an odd image, but over the course of my visit I came to appreciate the many oddities this area has to offer.

The citizens of T or C have embraced the unusual for decades, from electing to change the town’s original name (Hot Springs) as part of a promotional stunt by the radio program Truth or Consequences to favoring colorful mid-century architecture to reinventing the town as a haven for bohemian artists in the mid-nineties.

WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES

A blend of washed out and neon colors accent Truth or Consequences's mid-century architecture.

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In fact, the very foundation of the town is based on something unusual: hot mineral springs running below its surface. Health spas proliferated here in the twenties and thirties, and downtown T or C currently boasts ten unique bathhouses.

The small town is also filled with galleries and art studios. From internationally known artists to hobbyists, it seems like everyone in T or C is creating something. According to Susan and Moe Koenick, owners of gallery and boutique Dust & Glitter, the art scene has faced challenges in recent years, but things are looking up. “The recession had really hurt all of us—less tourists and less interest in buying art. But like the rest of the country, the town is recovering.

We feel we are currently on a slow incline.” To bring in more shoppers, downtown galleries host an Art Hop on the second Saturday of each month, in which stores stay open late and feature live music, artist demonstrations, and wine tastings.

On the Saturday morning Cameron and I walked around, downtown proved decidedly less hoppin’. The streets were virtually empty and every fine art studio or quirky gift store we tried was dark. I finally found a local and asked if many shops were closed this time of year. “Oh, I’m sure they’ll be open later in the afternoon,” she said. “You can’t always pay attention to the hours on the door. In this town, lots of people will open up when they feel like it.” Luckily, we happened upon the welcoming Black Cat Books & Coffee, located on North Broadway. Black Cat is basically everything I want in an independent bookstore.

Its multicolored rooms are jam-packed with secondhand books and vintage chrome tables with mid-century chairs. Offerings of fresh coffee, tea, and pastries sit atop a long counter. The shop even hosts poetry readings on the second Sunday of the month.

Most of the patrons present on our visit seemed content to sit and chat for the entire morning. Owner Rhonda Brittan told me she decided to visit T or C in the late nineties after reading about it in John Villani's 100 Best Small Art Towns in America. She loved how funky and affordable it was, and soon relocated with her husband and their vintage Airstream trailer. Vacation-turned-relocation is a common story in Truth or Consequences.

As promised, many stores opened in the afternoon, and we worked up an appetite rifling through antiques, cowboy boots, and the kind of tie-dye and incense items synonymous with hippie towns. When we stopped by the Passion Pie Café for lunch, we discovered where the sleepy city’s residents had been hiding. Diners stood in front of the vibrant eatery’s bakery case and pointed to their decadent selections: blueberry ricotta cake, French coconut pie, date-pecan Wonder Bites. Cameron suggested I try one of their multiple quiche offerings, proclaiming them the best she’s ever had.

The miraculously fluffy green chile, corn, and feta egg dish did not disappoint. Other tempting menu items included an egg salad sandwich with in-house pickled veggies; BLT tacos; “Fat Elvis” waffles topped with peanut butter sauce, banana slices, and whipped cream with bacon; and organic fair trade coffee. Like many businesses in town, Passion Pie’s walls are covered in purchasable local art. Even the café’s funky one-of-a-kind tabletops are for sale.

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TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES

Top left to right: Bedroxx Bowling Alley; Black Cat Books & Coffee; Marv and Sue's place this way. Bottom: middle of nowhere speckled with cattle.

Passion Pie, opened in 2012, represents a relatively recent upswing in the quality and diversity of dining options in T or C. Asian-fusion restaurant Latitude 33 has been delighting locals for the past three years with dishes like flash-fried shishito peppers in ponzu sauce, Fire Water Shrimp and Noodles, and a host of vegan options. And Bella Luca Café Italiano has received four Wine Spectator awards of excellence since opening in 2008. Sourcing local, organic produce isn’t easy for Sierra County restaurants. T or C hosts a Saturday farmers market in Ralph Edwards Park from Memorial Day to Halloween, but most market vendors are not producing the volume necessary to supply local restaurants and grocery stores.

One exception is Las Palomas Heirloom Farm in nearby Williamsburg. Owner Jessica Murphy told me Passion Pie has been a great CSA customer to her one-acre produce farm, and even provides her with spent coffee grounds to cultivate oyster mushrooms. Bella Luca purchases every squash blossom she can grow. Murphy started Las Palomas five years ago, after moving to the area with her husband Jed, a hunting guide. Besides selling to restaurants on a small scale, she occasionally sets up renegade farm stands, alerting her Facebook followers that she’ll be in the “parking lot across from McDonald’s” with a truck-full of watermelons. She says T or C’s Saturday farmers market is also a great outlet to feed the community. “There’s a lot of poverty here. With the farmers market’s [Double Up] program, cus44

edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2017

tomers are able to get double the monetary value on WIC and food stamps,” Murphy explained. “Whether you’re in a big city or small town like T or C, we all just want what’s best and healthiest for our families. It’s important to keep people empowered and independent [with their food choices].”

After lunch, Cameron and I checked into a simple but elegant room at the Sierra Grande Lodge and Spa. Built in 1929, the Spanish Colonial Revival lodge has an old Hollywood feel. It’s easy to picture Bogart and Bacall clinking martinis out on the palm tree-lined patio in the town’s heyday. Media mogul and philanthropist Ted Turner bought the historic hotel after a stay in 2012, partly as a lodging option for his ecotourism outfit, Ted Turner Expeditions. These guided tours take guests on various hiking, biking, hot air ballooning, wildlife, and sightseeing adventures throughout Turner’s nearby Ladder and Armendaris ranches, which encompass over half a million acres.

In 2015, Turner opened the hotel’s Restaurant at Sierra Grande under the direction of internationally acclaimed chef Tatsu Miyazaki.

The menu offers a mix of Southwestern and global influences, an appropriate homage to the establishment’s worldly cowboy owner. I joined Cameron for dinner in the upscale-casual dining room, where a stained-glass mural of Elephant Butte Dam—commissioned for the dam’s dedication in 1917—hangs over the bar. We ordered bison steak and noodle salad and the cherry port duck, which came with

julienned asparagus and a generous portion of mushroom risotto— surprisingly sophisticated dishes for small-town New Mexico.

After dinner, we hit the town in search of some Saturday nightlife. What we found was Bedroxx Bowling Alley—yes, made to resemble the Flintstones’ town of Bedrock—and its adjoining Point Blanc Winery and Tap Room. The bowling alley had leopard print carpet and the winery had a drink special named the Blake Shelton.

It was my kind of place. We took a seat at the bar next to a lone cowboy sipping a pale lager. Point Blanc had the largest local beer and wine assortment we encountered in town, with twenty-two New Mexico craft beers on tap, half a dozen wine selections from Deming’s St. Clair, a chardonnay from Gruet, and Point Blanc’s own sangria. The Blake Shelton (sangria mixed with Tractor Brewery’s hard apple cider) was tempting, but I opted for the D.H. Lescombes pinot noir instead. A long narrow window separates the bar from the bowling alley, and we enjoyed some tenpin and people watching while we sipped our drinks. Locals rave about the taproom’s pizzas, but the tater tots that come by the pound really piqued my interest. Saturday night in Truth or Consequences isn’t exactly The Last Picture Show, but there’s no denying entertainment options are limited. That said, I would happily visit a Bedroxx and Point Blanc in any city.

The next morning we received an exceptional complimentary breakfast from Sierra Grande’s restaurant: blue corn and piñon pancakes with whipped cinnamon honey butter and maple syrup, and bison and eggs with potatoes and fresh fruit drizzled with lavender honey. This was followed by a half-hour private soak in the spa’s outdoor mineral bath (each guest receives one per day of their stay). T or C’s hot springs are odorless, geothermally heated to 98–104 degrees, and contain high concentrations of thirty-eight minerals, including magnesium, lithium, and sodium. With our muscles relaxed from the soothing waters, we headed inside for a luxurious hour-long massage. By checkout time, I was already planning a return trip.

As we headed north on I-25 that evening, Cameron and I marveled at how radiant the stars looked out in the Chihuahuan Desert, and my thoughts returned to the spaceport and to T or C’s ambiguous economic outlook. Despite being sandwiched between the properties of two billionaires—Ted Turner and Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson—Truth or Consequences is one of the poorest cities in New Mexico. Census reports on population decline rank Sierra County as eighth in the nation, with T or C’s population decreasing by six percent in the past five years. The town’s many empty and dilapidated buildings are juxtaposed with a championship golf course, high-end nature expeditions, and a potential gateway to suborbital space. Yet, I’d wager Truth or Consequences’s future economic viability lies less with wealthy businessmen and more with its creative citizens, who are slowly but surely improving food and drink options, expanding their vibrant art scene, and providing tourists with one-of-a-kind experiences. Whether Truth or Consequences becomes a space oddity or just remains a New Mexican one, I’ll be back to soak my bones, try an eco-tour, and drink a Blake Shelton.

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45

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES

Left: Latitude 33. Middle and right: Casa Taco in Elephant Butte.

Truth or Consequences Brewing Company: Currently under

Geronimo Springs Museum: Probably the weirdest his-

construction, this much-anticipated addition to downtown Truth or Consequences is set for a summer 2017 opening. Co-owners John Masterson and Marianne Blaue say they visited T or C in 2015 and couldn't find a place downtown to enjoy a cold beer. Within a few months they “made the leap” and bought a building downtown.

They hope the brewery will be “a place for locals to unwind after work…relax with friends, and sample delicious New Mexico beers and wines, as well as a place for visitors to have a night out after soaking or hiking, and mingle with our community.” www.torc.beer

tory museum you’ll ever visit. Geronimo Springs is filled with interesting artifacts, ranging from mastodon heads to incredible Mimbres and Hohokam pottery, and includes headshots of every Miss Fiesta crowned at T or C’s annual Fiesta since 1950.

Shattuck Vineyard: Located in Caballo, about fourteen miles south of T or C, Shattuck Vineyard offers a small, homey tasting room and a patio with great views of the Caballo Mountains and Caballo Lake State Park. Owner Brad Shattuck personally serves his wines while educating guests on his process.

Dust & Glitter: Fun, eclectic shop featuring handmade clothes,

accessories, gifts, and art. Owners Susan Morrongiello-Koenick and Moe Koenick sell their own photography and jewelry as well as metal and yarn work by other New Mexico artists. Standouts include a working fireplace that resembles R2D2 and a knitted five-foot octopus. www.facebook.com/DustGlitter Spaceport America spaceportamerica.com

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Black Cat Books & Coffee blackcatbooksandcoffee.com

Casa Taco: Even if you’re not planning to visit the lake, go out

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of your way for the brisket or Yucatan pork tacos at Casa Taco in Elephant Butte. www.casa-taco.com Riverbend Hot Springs: One of T or C’s coolest bathhouses,

Riverbend has a dozen common and private pools butting up against the Rio Grande and offers serene views of Turtleback Mountain, river wildlife, and inner-tubers floating by in the summertime. www.riverbendhotsprings.com

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www.geronimospringsmuseum.com

edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2017

Passion Pie Café www.deepwaterfarm.com

Las Palomas Heirloom Farm www.palomasfarm.com Bella Luca Café www.cafebellaluca.com Sierra Grande Lodge and Spa www.sierragrandelodge.com Bedroxx Bowling Alley www.bedroxxbowling.com Point Blanc Winery and Tap Room www.pointblancwinery.com

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The San Luis Valley EXPLORING A GROWING FOOD BASIN AT THE TOP OF OUR WATERSHED

By Willy Carleton

A winter storm approaches the Great Sand Dunes National Park on the eastern edge of the San Luis Valley. Photo by Willy Carleton.

Over the course of a February weekend exploring the San Luis Valley, we discovered that it is not only a geologic wonder, but a humble culinary wonder as well.

Accessibility, more than pushing the boundaries of culinary creative expression, seems to drive the philosophy surrounding local food.

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W

e set out for the San Luis Valley of Colorado, following the path of the long-gone Chili Line railway, in search of some warm waters, seed potatoes, and a few good meals. Entering the valley, my friend Josh and I were greeted with expansive scenes of flat farm fields, dotted with center-pivot irrigation equipment and large potato harvesters, stretching in all directions to distant white-capped peaks.

The valley, which up until half a million years ago contained a massive lake, forms a partial basin characterized by dramatic juxtapositions of industrial agriculture, grasslands, mountains, hot springs, and even the Sahara-like sands of the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Over the course of a February weekend exploring the San Luis Valley, we discovered that it is not only a geologic wonder, but a humble culinary wonder as well. We stumbled upon few fancy, high-priced restaurants advertising farm-to-table credentials, but we also found many small, relatively inexpensive establishments that featured delicious local food options. Accessibility, more than pushing the boundaries of culinary creative expression, seem to drive the philosophy surrounding local food. With its base of industrial agriculture focusing on potatoes, alfalfa, and wheat, as well as a growing number of small, diversified market farmers, the valley has begun to develop a local food system that incorporates producers of various scales to keep a sizable portion of locally-raised products in the valley and provide healthier food at affordable prices. Just as the partial basin retains much of its water, the San Luis Valley has taken steps to retain much of the food it produces.

One reason for the growth of the San Luis Valley’s local food system is the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition. Started in 2008, the non-profit coalition runs several programs, such as the Valley Roots Food Hub that coordinates food sales and distribution between local farms and local buyers; cooking classes in both English and Spanish that emphasize healthy, local ingredients; a local food guide with lists and maps of local producers; and the establishment of a Rio Grande Farm Park in Alamosa. Yet the coalition would not work if it were not for the growers that populate the valley, raising a diversity of products at varying scales.

As a first stop in our culinary tour, we’d arranged to meet with one of these farmers, Ernie New of White Mountain Farm. We found New at the Pit Stop, a tiny gas station and convenience store in Mosca, Colorado, where he has his office. Sporting jeans, a tucked-in plaid shirt, a baseball cap with the US presidential seal, and heavy-duty orthopedic sneakers, the seventy-four-year-old farmer greeted us with a firm handshake and wry grin. “What can I help you with?” he asked as he pointed us to our chairs.

Chances are good that if you have bought a local, organic potato from La Montañita Co-op anytime in recent years, you have tasted a product from one of New’s large, center-pivot irrigated fields. Like many growers in the region, White Mountain has relied on potatoes, which are well-suited for the valley’s isolation and short growing season. Yet, unlike other farmers in the valley, New has also worked hard over roughly three decades to introduce an entirely new staple of the Andes to southern Colorado and to the

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SAN LUIS VALLEY

Top left, clockwise: The taps of Three Barrel Brewing (photo courtesy of Three Barrel Brewing); the newly opened Crestone Brewing Co. (photo by Willy Carleton); Three Barrel Brewing Co. (photo courtesy of Three Barrel Brewing); one of three pools at Joyful Journey Hot Springs and Spa; and White Mountain Farms’ quinoa (photo by Willy Carleton).

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rest of the country—quinoa. A third-generation organic farmer in the valley with an eye on the future, New is one of the first largescale quinoa growers in the country, and remains one of the few growers to successfully raise a commercial crop. I asked him how he started with quinoa and why quinoa makes sense as a crop for the San Luis Valley.

“When we got started with quinoa, we didn’t know how to grow it, how to clean it, or how to cook it. Nothing,” New reminisced.

“We had to learn it all from scratch.” He explained that his relationship with quinoa began in 1984, when Dave Cusack, an idealist with a PhD in history whose father had raised potatoes in the San Luis Valley, approached him about growing organic quinoa.

Cusack, along with two partners, had brought a small amount of quinoa from Bolivian and Chilean markets several years earlier. He had grown a handful of seed two years prior, but remnant herbicide residue in the field doomed the crop. (In an incredibly sad and mysterious turn of events, shortly after his meeting with New, Cusack was shot in the back near some ruins outside of La Paz. Though declared by local police to be a victim of a botched robbery, theories remain, as the The Atlantic reported in 2010, that Cusack’s leftist goals of helping empower Bolivian farmers by developing a market for quinoa may explain the tragic murder.)

In his first foray with the grain, New grew out “Dave’s 407,” seed named after the slain idealist, on thirty acres. The crop did well in the organic fields, and Ernie added it into his rotations with potatoes and alfalfa. In 1987, he helped found White Mountain Farm and thus began his thirty-year breeding project to adapt seed to the climate of the San Luis Valley. New explained that he has worked with over two hundred strains of quinoa on a one-acre research plot and has developed several new varieties, including a “black quinoa” that New believes is a mix of quinoa and local chenopod (Lamb’s quarters) varieties.

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Quinoa has proven a tricky crop for White Mountain Farm over the years, but New has remained convinced of its potential benefits for his farm and for others in the valley. One obvious incentive to continue experimenting with the crop is the growing market for the grain. “There’s a wide open market for it,” New explained as he rattled off orders, large and small, from all parts of the country and globe. Most of the orders, he explained, he simply cannot fill.

Another prime reason to focus on quinoa is the crop’s relatively low water needs. Requiring much less water than potatoes or alfalfa, quinoa has gained attention from other farmers throughout the valley. “We need a crop that takes less water,” New explained, “so a lot of people are wanting to go the quinoa route.” Quinoa production is on the rise in the valley, according to New. Currently, New raises about one hundred thirty acres of quinoa annually, and he works with eight neighboring farmers who produce an additional two hundred seventy acres per year, on average.

The easiest way to find White Mountain Farm’s quinoa is to either order it online or stop by the Pit Stop, where you can purchase it in one-, five-, or twenty-five pound bags. And, as I was soon to learn, the unique locally grown grain is prevalent in restaurants and WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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SAN LUIS VALLEY

Locavores restaurant in Alamosa. Photos by Willy Carleton.

breweries throughout the valley. I opted for a five-pound bag, along with a few larger bags of organic seed potatoes for my garden at home, and thanked the long-time farmer for his time and the many grains of thought he had planted in my head.

After leaving Mosca, and taking a quick detour to scramble up the rolling slopes of sand towering on the town’s horizon, we continued north to the small community of Crestone in quest of a good dinner. Perched at the base of the Sangre de Cristos and overlooking the vastness of the valley floor, this small but thriving former mining town supports several spiritual retreat centers, galleries, a community center, and a food co-op well-stocked with locally produced organic vegetables, meats, and dairy products. A leisurely walk across the entirety of the town takes approximately two minutes, so it didn’t take long to settle on the best, and only, food option we could find: the newly opened Crestone Brewing Co. The brewery, which opened as a taproom in May and started brewing this past October, offers a wide variety of beer and locally sourced barroom fare including french fries from local potatoes, burgers from local beef and yak, local lettuce from Brightwater Farms in Monte Vista, and, of course, a side of White Mountain Farms quinoa. The warm atmosphere, hearty food, complex beer, and homemade kombucha make the brewery a great place to refuel after spending a few hours exploring the sweeping, windy dunes.

We hung our hats that night at the Joyful Journey Hot Springs, which contains three pools of geothermic waters to soak in and offers rooms in its main lodge, as well as private yurts, tipis, and camping sites. Soaking in any of the resort’s three pools is a great way to finish off a day of exploring the valley, and the rooms (we opted for a yurt) provide all you need for a restful sleep. If you stay the night, however, you might consider skipping the complimentary continental breakfast. The food at the 4th Street Diner and Bakery in the nearby town of Saguache is well worth the short drive.

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4th Street Diner and Bakery, which master baker Esther Mae Last opened six years ago, sits along a main street populated with a food co-op, art galleries, two theatres, and a large county courthouse. The restaurant's building, built in 1892, features a wood floor and ceiling, a plethora of Americana on the walls, and a large wood stove near the center of the dining area. A steady stream of locals poured in for coffee, a hearty home-style breakfast, and good conversation with friends and neighbors.

A waitress approached our table to take our order. “Are any of these dishes made with local ingredients?” I asked. “They’re all local,” she replied with a quizzical smile. She took a kettle off the wood-fired stove and refilled my cup of tea. She quickly, almost impatiently, explained which farms had produced the meat, eggs, chile, and potatoes that made up the bulk of the menu. Her reaction to my question made me wonder if, similar to being in certain parts of France and asking if the local wine is organic, perhaps asking if the potatoes or chile were local was a slight insult. I am, unfortunately, more accustomed to the opposite experience of seeing local farms on a menu, only to ask and learn that few ingredients are actually sourced from those farms on any given day. Whether or not I read the server correctly, I found refreshing the restaurant’s underlying and unpretentious assumption that using primarily locally sourced food was normal and to be expected. I ordered the huevos rancheros, which along with the wood stove and hot tea, warmed me to my bones and set me up for another day of exploring the valley.

Back on the road, we drove toward the headwaters of the Rio Grande in the San Juan Mountains, watching the flatlands of the valley slowly begin to swell and roll. An approaching winter storm eventually sent pockets of low-flying clouds through the grassy hills, revealing only brief glimpses of the scattered trees, black Angus cattle, and old wooden barns that seemed to populate most of the landscape.

With a light rain turning into flurries of thick snowflakes, we decided to make the town of Del Norte our furthest destination. Luckily for

us, the weekend theme of good food and drink continued as we stumbled across Three Barrel Brewing.

Local ingredients pervade the food menu, and especially the beer list, at the brewery. The brewers rely entirely on San Luis Valley-grown barley, wheat, and rye malt, all from the Colorado Malting Company in Alamosa; honey from Haefeli’s Honey Farm in Del Norte; and, for certain beers, wild hops from Colorado and New Mexico. The brewery is even planning to begin brewing a quinoa beer, based on White Mountain Farms quinoa that the Colorado Malting Company is currently malting.

I noticed distinct signs of New Mexico in the brewery—a Chimayó sour ale, for example, in their Penitente Canyon series— and asked owner Will Kreutzer about New Mexico’s influence on the brewery, and the valley more broadly. “The influence here in the valley from New Mexico is everywhere,” he replied without hesitation. “The San Luis Valley is just an extension of northern New Mexico.” He explained that while some ingredients, such as wild hops, come from New Mexico, the main influence is cultural. He cited a deep camaraderie among brewers in the valley and those in New Mexico: “It’s really an untold brotherhood.”

Before descending from the valley plateau back into New Mexico, we made a final stop at Locavores in Alamosa. Located in what looks like an old bank building near the Walmart, the small sandwich shop started in 2016 by local farmers Matt and Wendi Segar caters squarely to locals. The restaurant applies a fast-food eating experience to a slow-food, ingredient-sourcing philosophy. A large map of the valley, filled with stars that mark the location of ingredientproviding farms, covers the wall to the right as you enter. Whether a gyro, banh mi, Cubano, or cheese steak, nearly every component of the sandwich you order will contain local ingredients, will arrive to you fairly quickly, and will cost somewhere between $7.50 and $12.

With house-made sauces and optional sides of fingerling potatoes, the simple sandwiches are packed with flavor and leave little room for hunger. On a small blackboard in the corner of the restaurant, as I meditated on the final bites of my gyro, I noticed words that seemed to articulate the attitude I had encountered throughout my weekend trip: “We think a community that grows most of the region’s food should have access to that good food.” My weekend tour can attest that the restaurant, along with several others in the valley, have taken a small but inspiring stride toward attaining that simple and worthy goal.

White Mountain Farm www.whitemountainfarm.com Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve www.nps.gov/grsa Crestone Brewing Co. www.crestonebrewingco.com Joyful Journey Hot Springs www.joyfuljourneyhotsprings.com 4th Street Diner and Bakery www.facebook.com/4thStreetDinerBakery Three Barrel Brewing www.threebarrelbrew.com Locavores www.eatlocavores.com

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Handmade in Silver City EXPLORING THE ARTS AND CULTURAL DISTRICT

By Stephanie Cameron

Light streaming in at the Syzygy Tile Factory. Photo by Stephanie Cameron.

On our forty-eight-hour trip, this special community welcomed us with open arms. Our guides consisted of natives and transplants, and each one of them took extreme pride in what Silver City offers visitors. Despite a population of just ten thousand, this bustling town sparkles with its artistic, culinary, and historical offerings.

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T

his past February, I set off on a journey with Amy Tischler and Caitlin Jenkins, founders of @TravelNewMexico™ on Instagram, to explore Silver City. @TravelNewMexico documents New Mexico road trips by giving guest instagrammers a chance to take over the account to share their unique experiences through imagery and stories. I approached Tischler and Jenkins about collaborating on our travel issue and having edible do a takeover of @TravelNewMexico to share our experiences putting the issue together. When we met to discuss the details, it took them only about five seconds to identify Silver City as the place they wanted to visit. They had previously organized a Silver City InstaMeet (an event where people gather in a predetermined place, at a set time, to take photos and upload them to Instagram), so they knew they could curate a fantastic trip for us utilizing the contacts they had made earlier.

I had traveled to Silver City for business before, but had never had the time to uncover all the magical things it has to offer. On our forty-eight-hour trip, this special community welcomed us with open arms. Our guides consisted of natives and transplants, and each one of them took extreme pride in what Silver City offers visitors.

After a long morning on the road, a hiking tour of Boston Hill and historic mining sites sounded like a great start to our exploration of the area. Tischler, Jenkins, and I enlisted local rockhound Sylveen Cook, owner of the gem and mineral shop The Royal Scepter, to guide us. The hike up Boston Hill was moderately strenuous and provided great vistas of the town below. Cook entertained us with stories of the bygone claim days and the mining history that gave Silver City its name. Although Silver City is home to the first operating and fifth-largest copper mine in the United States, its name is from the silver ore deposits that were discovered just before its founding.

After our hike, Kitty Stolzenbach, the digital media coordinator for Silver City Arts and Cultural District, took us to see La Capilla (little chapel), an adobe church that sits alone atop another of the town’s many hills, Chihuahua Hill. The chapel was the first of many examples we would see on our tour of the community’s work to preserve and celebrate the culture of this region. Built in 1885, the chapel fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1914. The hill sat vacant until 2004, when the city came together to rebuild La Capilla and to develop a twenty-one-acre heritage park.

Famished from hitting our ten thousand steps (according to Jenkins’s Fitbit), we found a good taco at Mi Mexico Viejo to tide us over until dinner. The unassuming trailer with a drive-thru on the backside is run by sisters from Mexico, and offers a large menu that ranges from breakfast burritos to a variety of well-dressed burgers and tacos. The barbacoa tacos called to me, but alas, we had arrived too late in the afternoon to get the crowd favorite, so we went with the carne asada taco plate, which comes with beans, rice, and salad. One plate was enough for the three of us to share.

Meal in hand, we enjoyed our take-out on some 1960s lawn furniture under the cottonwood trees behind the trailer.

SILVER CITY

Top Left (Clockwise): Silver City is famous for red dots on the sidewalks and windows, marking the way to art (photo by Stephanie Cameron); touring Boston Hill with Sylveen Cook (photo by @TravelNewMexico); Zia detail at La Capilla (Cameron); La Capilla overlooking downtown Silver City (@TravelNewMexico).

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After lunch, we checked into the Murray Hotel, located in the heart of historic downtown. First opened for business in 1938, the Murray Hotel has maintained its original Streamline Moderne Art Deco style. As we entered through the front door, I felt I was walking into a Wes Anderson movie; even the concierge in his dark brown tweed suit seemed to have stepped out of a bygone era. The refurbished mint-green rooms also recall the style of yesteryear.

Our next stop was Power and Light Press. Run by Kyle Durrie, Power and Light produces greeting cards, signs, coasters, and notepads on letterpresses from the early twentieth century. Being in the print business myself, this was a big geek-out moment for me. Durrie started her printmaking business with Bad Cards for Good People, a line of greeting cards created in 2009 in Portland.

She moved to Silver City in 2013 to form Power and Light Press, which is owned and operated by a fleet of all-female letterpress printers. In late December, Durrie launched a new totebag that said “I Went To Planned Parenthood And All I Got Was A Breast Exam, A Pap Smear, Physical Exam, STD Testing And Treatment, Information And Counseling About My Sexual And Reproductive Health, Cancer Screenings, A Pregnancy Test, Prenatal Services, And Access To Affordable Birth Control.” She posted a picture on Instagram, noting all proceeds would go to Planned Parenthood.

Seventeen thousand bags and seventy thousand dollars in donations later, she has gone viral. Shipping seventeen thousand bags is no small task—and much more business than the Power and Light Press does on average. In the true community spirit of Silver City, more than seventy locals have volunteered to help with the overwhelming task of readying the bags for shipment.

We left Power and Light Press inspired and headed to Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery for a pre-dinner drink. This would be the first of three visits to the Little Toad as it was the perfect spot to gather with locals and out-of-towners. The brewery had an impressive list of Little Toad-produced craft beers and spirits to choose from, including green chile infused vodka and the house favorite, Sapo Grande Whiskey. I opted for one of their specialty cocktails, the Gila Rita, made with one of the few agave spirits produced in the United States. Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery moved from Mimbres Valley to downtown Silver City in 2013, and coowners Theresa Dahl-Bredine and her husband David Crosley have been building momentum ever since. The Toad brew crew will begin brewing beer and distilling spirits inside an old skating rink in downtown Silver City in March, allowing them to increase their capacity from three hundred barrels to nine thousand barrels a year.

Little Toad puts on community events throughout the year, including Oktoaderfest, Halloween costume contests, a New Year’s Eve party, and a Mardi Gras carnival. They also throw an annual Spring Toad Fest: New Mexico Brewer's Guild Tap Takeover. The brewery’s food is pretty darn good as well—the locals we spoke to all raved about the burgers, and the Cowboy Irish Nachos are a musttry. As if the brewing and distilling weren’t enough to keep her busy, Dahl-Bredine’s nonprofit Virus Theater recently purchased El Sol Theater, where they plan to create a performing arts center for local and traveling acts.

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SILVER CITY

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Researching where we’d eat on this trip, I’d discovered this description on the website for 1zero6: “We are a small cafe, six tables, and we are by reservation. Our menu is shopped local and prepared fresh daily…from scratch.” I was sold. Chef and proprietor Jake Politte changes the menu nightly and is open only Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Politte spends his week sourcing his ingredients and cultivating inspiration for the next set of meals.

The menu changes nightly and can be traditional or fusion, with strong influences from the Pacific Rim, Southeast Asia, Oaxaca, and Politte's Italian roots. He makes many trips every year to Mexico and Central America to source exotic ingredients, and friends from Thailand and Singapore often send him spices and other delicacies to try with his customers.

The dining room reflects Politte’s international tastes, with a big canvas theater sign from Jakarta on one wall and a Buddhist shrine in the corner, and only has a half dozen tables. The night we visited, the room buzzed with locals, and the only other person on the line was the waiter, Roger, who provided stellar service.

After savoring the chicken satay and the Heavenly Beef, marinated in hóisīn, garlic, soy, and Vietnamese smoked black pepper, I was convinced Politte knew his stuff—ingredients and technique shined through. Then came the Oaxacan chocolate and avocado cake, hands down the best take on chocolate cake I’d ever had.

I asked Politte how he runs a restaurant that requires so much time sourcing ingredients and creating new menus, especially in a small town like Silver City. “Seventy percent of my customers are the same customers every week,” he answered. “I listen to my customers, and I make my restaurant feel like the living room of my home.” Staying creative and pushing the envelope are what drives Politte. As of this story’s writing, his website reads, “I will be heading to Oaxaca March 6 through March 15. The cafe will reopen Friday the 17th with all kinds of goodies and new recipes.”

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Sunday morning we headed to brunch at Revel, the new kid on the block, with Callie Kennington, executive director of the Silver City Arts and Cultural District. Revel opened just two weeks before our visit, and we could tell the locals were excited to have a new brunch option. Owners Jesse Westenberger and Brian and Kelsey Patterson moved 1,500 miles from Minneapolis in November to open their dream restaurant. The clever menu, filled with elevated comfort food, made selection difficult, but I went with the Truck-Stop Biscuits with wilted greens, poached eggs, parmesan fondue, and pickled red onion. As we finished up our last bites, Kendra Milligan, a Silver City native, invited us on a tour of Silver City’s graffiti.

Fiesta Pequeña Del Grafito (Tiny Festival of Graffiti) is in its second year in Silver City. Milligan told us that they bring the region’s graffiti artists together to tag the town. Usually, graffiti artists work beneath the radar of police, city officials, and property Opposite, left column: Power and Light Press entrance; letterpress from the early twentieth century; sample printing blocks (Cameron). Opposite, right column: Bad Cards for Good People; infamous Planned Parenthood bags; drawers of various sizes of letterpress blocks (@TravelNewMexico).

WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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SILVER CITY

Left column: French toast at Revel; coffee at The Jumping Cactus; beer marks the spot at Little Toad Creek Brewery (@TravelNewMexico). Middle column: Murray Hotel (Cameron). Right column: tacos from Mi Mexico Viejo; Asian beef at 1zero6 (Cameron). Bottom: front of 1zero6 restaurant (Cameron).

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Left column: A Space Gallery (Cameron and @TravelNewMexico). Middle column: Silver Skate, the future home of Little Toad Creek Brewery; Fiesta PequeĂąa Del Grafito (Cameron). Right column: Syzygy Tile Factory and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of handcrafted tiles (@TravelNewMexico).Burque

Bakehouse flakey croissant.

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SILVER CITY owners, but in Silver City, public spaces are becoming condoned canvases for muralists and graffiti artists to express themselves.

During Grafito, the city designates two closed sites that artists apply to use, as well as several sites where anyone can participate in creating graffiti on legal spaces. Some of the artists use stencils and compose works in a fine-art style, while others freehand graffiti reminiscent of old school tagging. Graffiti is just one more form of artistic expression that adds to the charm of Silver City.

Next on our tour of the town’s art was A Space Studio Art Gallery. The space features the work of local artists in addition to owner Jean-Robert Béffort’s mixed-media constructions with surreal juxtapositions of recycled found objects. Like Santa Fe’s Meow Wolf, the four-thousand-square-foot space allows visitors to wander and discover off-the-wall art—and even to create their own. For twelve dollars, visitors can dive into the bins of found objects and make their own piece to take home or to leave behind for others to find.

The last stop on our tour of local art was Syzygy Tile Factory, where twenty artisans collaborate to produce an exquisite line of handmade tiles. Each tile is cut, pressed, and glazed by hand.

Owners Lee Gruber and David del Junco say, “Our goal is to keep the handmade craftsman tradition alive in the production of our beautiful tile.” To my surprise, touring the operation was one of the highlights of our trip. I watched with amazement as the craftsmen worked through every step of the process, dreaming of my next kitchen remodel.

Despite a population of just ten thousand, this bustling town sparkles with its artistic, culinary, and historical offerings. As we hit the road for home, I buzzed with anticipation of discoveries to be made on my next trip to this magical town.

We would like to thank @TravelNewMexico for a great road trip collaboration and suggest you to follow them on Instagram as they post more about our Silver City trip!

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edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2017

Silver City Arts and Cultural District www.silvercitytourism.org/acd Boston Hill and La Capilla www.silvercitytourism.org Mi Mexico Viejo 204 E Broadway Street Murray Hotel www.murray-hotel.com Power and Light Press www.powerandlightpress.com Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery www.littletoadcreek.com 1zero6 www.1zero6.com Revel www.eatdrinkrevel.com Fiesta Pequeña Del Grafito www.facebook.com/FiestaGrafito A Space Studio Art Gallery www.aspacestudioartgallery.com Syzygy Tile Factory www.syzygytile.com

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world, great food from Albuquerque’s best chefs, and beautiful art donated by our most gifted New Mexico artists. Five days of wine and food fun. Tickets are on sale now, and they’re going fast. Find out more, and order your tickets now! vintagealbuquerque.org

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San Juan Skyway BIKES, BREWS, AND BIG CHAINRINGS

By Sarah Wentzel-Fisher

Alta Lakes near Telluride. Photo by Tim Fulton.

The sun emerged and a rainbow bloomed over Mesa Verde—an auspicious beginning to our week-long bike tour along the San Juan Skyway. Most choose automobiles, rather than the much slower two-wheel option, to navigate the 235 miles of high mountain passes (about 16,900 feet of total elevation change) on what is arguably one of the most scenic routes in the country.

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David Johnson standing in sesbania cover crop.

O

n a drizzly July morning last year, I sipped coffee with my sweetheart Zac Fulton and his father, Tim Fulton, at the Laughing Wolf Farm in Mancos, Colorado, as we loaded provisions and camping gear onto bicycles. The sun emerged and a rainbow bloomed over Mesa Verde—an auspicious beginning to our week-long bike tour along the San Juan Skyway.

Most tourists start their journeys on this All-American Road (designated as such in 1996) in Durango, about thirty miles to the east.

Most choose automobiles, rather than the much slower two-wheel option, to navigate the 235 miles of high mountain passes (about 16,900 feet of total elevation change) on what is arguably one of the most scenic routes in the country. But the Skyway is also a frequently cycled route, and biking allows for a deeper, more visceral appreciation of the changes in elevation and landscape along the way.

Tourist guides often skip Mancos when describing destinations along the Skyway. This sleepy farm town offers a few decent restaurants and some of the best beer in the region at the local brewery, Mancos Brewing Company. But the real treasures of this place are the farms and the Southwest Farm Fresh Co-op (SWFF), a farmerowned regional distributor of fresh produce. I mention this at the beginning of this story because it’s where we started and ended our ride, and also as a travel tip—if you really want to eat where local food is served, small food hubs like SWFF offer good insight on where to dine and shop. Often, they will list the restaurants and grocery stores they sell to on their websites, or will happily share this info if you give them a call.

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On the first day of our ride, we biked fifty miles. Riding east from Mancos, by mid-morning we had completed our first climb of the journey. A glance back rewarded us with a view of the verdant Mancos Valley perfected by the iconic profile of Mesa Verde. This vista, from a culinary perspective, captures the true beauty and abundance of the region. With high-mountain peaks to store snowpack in cold months, the valley’s fertile soil holds the promise of food.

After a short snack, we mounted up for the speedy descent into Durango. As novice touring cyclists, our food planning was less than perfect. In retrospect, we could have packed less and purchased more along the way, as the route offers a number of great grocery stores, roadside markets, and eateries. In warm months, Durango hosts a sizeable farmers market on Saturday mornings, but year- and week-round, the Durango Natural Food Co-op is an excellent choice to prevent a mid-ride energy crash. Durango also offers a host of great eateries and watering holes, but we still had more than twenty miles, all uphill, before we would set up camp for the night, so our stay in town was brief.

The next stretch of the ride provides one of my favorite places to stop in the area: the James Ranch. The ranch, at the top of the irrigation system along the Animas River, is home to beef and dairy cows; a farmstead cheese-making operation; heritage pigs and chickens; a large market garden growing vegetables, flowers, and fruits; a tree farm; an outdoor music venue; a farm market WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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Top left: Guests picnicking at James Ranch. Top right: Veggie burger made with with seasoned, grilled squash and tomatoes. Bottom: James Ranch cows grazing in the valley. Photos courtesy of James Ranch.

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and harvest grill; and three generations of James family members collaborating to manage their four hundred acres of contiguous farmland. For a hungry cyclist in search of local food, this is an ideal stop because both the market and the grill are open every day except Sunday, from 11am to 7pm, in summer months. The grill serves burgers and salads sourced primarily from the ranch, filling any gaps with products from other local farms. The market offers eggs and packaged pork and beef raised right on the ranch; a nice selection of seasonal fresh vegetables; and, the best reason to stop, the family’s award-winning artisanal cheese.

I purchased a half pound each of sweet cherries and mature Belford (my favorite of the five cheeses made by Dan James), and a small bag of mixed salad greens. I hesitated to buy more, knowing that every ounce would make the next ten miles to Haviland Lake, where we would camp for the night, a little more taxing. We reached our campsite at dusk, strolled around the small, streamfed lake for a change of pace, and watched an ominous bank of clouds roll up the valley. That evening, as we dined on a combination of pre-packaged noodles, delicious cheese, and an undressed pile of greens, I was reminded of two of the tenets of long bike trips: First, when you’ve ridden your bike all day, everything you eat tastes really good; second, sleep comes quickly and easily (especially if rain is pattering against your tent).

Our second day was both the shortest in distance and the most challenging. We had planned to ride past Silverton, just over thirty miles to the Sultan and Anvil Campground, but as we crested Molas Pass at just over ten thousand feet with water bottles emptied and food supplies exhausted, we knew our day had ended. At this point, you may be asking yourself, why didn’t they just stay at a nice B&B? Perhaps it was a point of pride to be able to ride our bikes for a week in a relatively self-sufficient way, carrying our food and camping gear, but even given two easier choices—having our gear waiting for us at a campsite at the end of each day or stopping at inns along the way—I think I would still choose the outdoor option.

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Molas Lake campground, operated by the City of Silverton, surrounds a small alpine lake encircled by 14,000-foot snow-capped peaks. We wearily rode into the campground to inquire about a site with little hope that space would be available—during the summer, campers will reserve months in advance. The campground attendants took pity and offered us the last site in the campground, which we gratefully accepted, expecting, perhaps, a view of the outhouse. Instead, our site was nestled along the lake’s edge, with a number of shrubs protecting the space. In the morning, we awoke to a purple dawn mist rising off the lake’s surface and a nearly full moon setting behind it. Even if you drove up on a whim and slept in your back seat, the experience of waking up in this place would be spectacular. Along the Skyway, undesirable campgrounds just don’t exist. Some have more amenities than others—hot showers, wifi, lean-tos—but even the most rudimentary offer stunning and peaceful places to sleep under the stars.

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Southwest Farm Fresh Co-op getting deliveries out, rain or shine. Photo by Ole Bye.

Day three proved to be one of the longest, but most scenic, taking us seventy-five miles through Silverton, over Red Mountain Pass, through Ouray, over the Dallas Divide, and finally to a campground along the south fork of the San Miguel River. In this part of the San Juans, all abundance and beauty comes from the intense mineralization that inspired gold and silver rushes in the late 1800s and that still inspires some mining when metal prices are high. The stretch of the Skyway between Red Mountain Pass and Ouray, known as the Million Dollar Road, is thirteen miles of tight hairpin turns. Steep rocky walls cut by waterfalls and mining blasts dwarf everything. This area has probably never been nor ever will be known for its cuisine or ingredients. The rocky soil is not the only challenge for gardeners; Ouray has ninety-seven frost-free days, Silverton about ninety, and Telluride just forty-seven. While the high-mountain environment offers some fishing, hunting, and foraging, area mining periodically pollutes the water that supports wildlife in the alpine reaches as well as downstream agriculture.

In spite of an innate inability to grow food, Telluride has no lack of appreciation for good food. A four-season tourist town catering primarily to an affluent clientele, Telluride restaurants import a significant amount of food from distributors like SWFF and area farmers to the north in Norwood, Montrose, and Olathe. When I asked Ole Bye, the director of SWFF, who he sells to in Telluride, he mentioned a number of places, but gave a special nod to La Cocina de Luz. Lucas Price opened the establishment, serving affordable and delicious Southwestern fare, in 1997 after a short stint running a taco 68

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cart and studying with Mark Miller at Coyote Café in Santa Fe. From La Cocina’s inception, Price has had good ingredients at the top of his priority list. Today, that means working with Bye to source as many ingredients as possible from local farms sustainably raising fruit, veggies, meat, and more.

When we rode into Telluride on our fourth day, we arrived to flocks of spandex-adorned men and women, a large teepee with artsy furniture in the city park, and a lot of activity. This town often thrums with hubbub, offering one, and sometimes two, festivals a weekend over the summer months (in this case, a yoga festival was ending while the Telluride Art + Architecture Weekend began). For food lovers, I recommend scheduling a visit to coincide with one of the annual Mushroom, Blues and Brews, or Wine festivals, or during their annual Top Chef Competition.

We got a late start out of Telluride, and didn’t know exactly where we would stay that night. We didn’t have the daylight or the energy to make it as far as we’d mapped for the day, but by this point in the trip, we’d learned that the right place would present itself when we needed to stop. We made it to Priest Lake, a rudimentary campground nestled in a valley just three miles from Lizard Head Pass, the point after which the entire trip would be downhill. On a bike tour, day four is when you hit a rhythm. Packing your gear becomes methodical, you realize all the things you shouldn’t have packed because you won’t use them, and your body feels more acclimated to the constant level of activity. Bicycle touring isn’t only for the extremely fit—it’s about

balance and pacing. It does not require the kind of endurance and stamina that running does, and on this journey, we saw cyclists of all ages and body types. Climbs take a long time, but if you put your bike in low gear, stop when you need water or a snack, and give yourself plenty of time to get where you’re going, I really believe almost anyone could ride some or all of the San Juan Skyway.

After the short three miles to the summit of Lizard Head Pass, the rest of our day was downhill. Alpine peaks take the breath away, but the scenery of this day’s ride, for me, took the prize. The descent from the pass essentially follows the course of the Dolores River, a mighty sculptress of the canyons of southeastern Utah who terminates at her confluence with the Colorado River, just north of Arches National Park. As the miles passed, the color of the earth shifted to red, the vegetation grew shorter and sparser, and we reached the point where mountains meet canyons and turn into desert.

Our day ended in the town of Dolores, where we stopped to soothe our hot, dry skin in the river. Dolores is an often overlooked destination along the Skyway, but offers much to the curious traveller. In addition to a beautiful river running the course of the town, Dolores is the gateway to several ancient Puebloan ruins, a large reservoir great for fishing and swimming, and, like many stops along the way, home to a fantastic local brewery—the Dolores River Brewery. The brewery offered us a lovely respite from the day with delicious wood-oven pizza and, of course, well-crafted beer.

Beer is an important part of Colorado culture, and the small towns along the Skyway are no exception. Beer and biking complement one another, and can provide for just the right mix of libation and activity.

While you could plan your own bike adventure along the Skyway, a supported ride might be a good way to take a first tour. A number of companies, like Lizard Head Cycling Guides, Adventure Cycling, and Beer and Bike Tours, offer supported tours for cyclists. Beer and Bike Tours will take riders’ belongings to destination towns, reserve rooms and provide breakfast, and coordinate tastings at nine breweries over the course of seven days.

Our last stop along the Skyway was in Cortez. Both Mancos and Cortez function as gateways to Mesa Verde, which can be a great additional stop on the ride if you have a few extra days. Cortez clearly came of age during the golden age of the road trip; the main street is filled with 1950s and ‘60s era road motels and diners. While the town mostly caters to nostalgia seekers, it offers a few gems for the cycling locavore like myself. In particular, the Farm Bistro is not to be missed.

Opened in 2009 with a farm-to-table mission, the Farm Bistro serves up “comfort food with style.” We stopped for lunch on our last day, as our food stores had dwindled to some dried fruit, oatmeal, and cracker crumbs. Enjoying large salads, and particularly relishing the fresh vegetables after several days without many greens, we read about the restaurant’s commitment to local producers. Their menu boasts that over fifty-five percent of their purchases are made with

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purveyors in a seventy-five-mile radius. The food is local, and so are the diners. The Farm Bistro offers affordable fare tailored for unpretentious eaters.

Traveling by bicycle through dramatic landscapes like those along the San Juan Skyway can impress you with the necessity of food and water, and their relationship to the land, in immediate and tangible ways. While driving allows you to experience elevation change and to pass through beauty, it doesn’t allow the kind of immediacy, or the direct exposure to the elements, that cycling provides. Traveling across hundreds of miles at a human-powered pace, it's easier to imagine the decision-making process of ancient and historic people as they migrated to and through these places. Where is there water and shelter? What routes enable safe and navigable passage? And which places will grow or provide food?

On well-traveled routes like the San Juan Skyway, local food provides a different perspective and pleasant surprises. Part of the intrigue of travel is happening upon the unexpected—a great restaurant not mentioned in the travel guide, a community event, a view in a moment of perfect weather and perfect light. In an era when Internet research and online reviews can help you plan a trip in extreme detail, visiting tourist destinations with enough pre-planning for a smooth trip, but not so much that you feel you’ve already seen a place before you get there, can be a hard balance to strike. I often seek out not just the restaurants that source local food or offer regional cuisine, but also the farms that grow it, the distributors who get it there, and the markets where locals shop for ingredients. In the case of this story, both food and the mode of transit made for an unusual and breathtaking experience of the southwestern corner of Colorado.

Beer and Bike Tours beerandbiketours.com/san-juan-skyway-colorado-adventure Laughing Wolf Farm www.laughingwolffarm.com Mancos Brewing Company www.mancosbrewingcompany.com Southwest Farm Fresh www.southwestfarmfresh.com James Ranch www.jamesranch.net The Farm Bistro www.thefarmbistrocortez.com Dolores River Brewery www.doloresriverbrewery.com Durango Natural Foods www.durangonaturalfoods.coop Molas Lake www.molaslake.com La Cocina www.lacocinatelluride.com Festivals www.telluride.com/telluride-mushroom-festival www.telluride.com/telluride-blues-brews-festival www.telluride.com/telluride-wine-festival www.telluride.com/taste-telluride-and-top-chef-competition

Top to bottom: Zac and Sarah riding into Silverton (photo by Tim Fulton); Laughing Wolf Farm (photo by Ole Bye); Lizard Head Pass-It’s all downhill from here (photo courtesy of Tim Fulton).

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OUTSTANDING IN HIS FIELD:

APRIL 21 THRU NOVEMBER 6, 2017 National Hispanic Cultural Center

ART MUSEUM

Patron Saint of Farmers This exhibit, in the NHCC Art Museum’s Community Art Gallery, will feature about 65 works by New Mexican artists. It will run through the growing season and will include a celebration of San Ysidro’s Feast Day. Check nhccnm.org for dates of educational programming related to this exhibit.

VISIT US Tuesday–Sunday, 10 am–5 pm 1701 4th Street SW Albuquerque, NM 87102 (505) 246-2261 • www.nhccnm.org

EDIBLE NOTABLES

Luis Tapia San Ysidro – A Hole in the Bucket 2 carved and painted wood, 2000 19 1/8” x 17” x3/4” Gift of Judy and Ray Dewey Photo by Addison Doty

OUTSTANDING IN HIS FIELD: SAN YSIDRO—PATRON SAINT OF FARMERS Each spring, New Mexico communities celebrate San Ysidro (a.k.a.

San Isidro or Saint Isidore), the patron saint of farmers. San Ysidro blesses the fields and encourages a successful and healthy growing season for local crops such as chile, beans, corn, and squash.

In classic depictions throughout Spain, Latin America, and the US Southwest, San Ysidro, an eleventh- and twelfth-century farmer from outside Madrid, Spain, would pray while his oxen plowed his fields.

Sometimes an angel would help so that the devout saint could continue praying. Dressed as a laborer, San Ysidro has appealed to the religious and the secular as a relatable neighbor. San Ysidro’s wife, María Torribia, also a saint, is venerated as Santa María de la Cabeza in Spain. In the past, she wasn’t commonly depicted, but more recently she appears frequently as an equal partner in the miraculous story and in the fields.

New Mexican artists revere San Ysidro. He is significant to farming, agriculture, culture, and visual practice. Artists who embrace traditional styles and media have depicted him for centuries. The National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) exhibition, Outstanding in His Field: San Ysidro—Patron Saint of Farmers, examines both traditional 72

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and contemporary depictions of San Ysidro to reveal cultural complexities, an affinity for the earth and nature, and a sense of place.

With land so integral to New Mexican culture, some artists play on the traditional image and position of San Ysidro in contemporary times, where he can be seen dealing with drought, golf courses, and other water issues. Sometimes San Ysidro even drives a tractor!

Outstanding in His Field: San Ysidro—Patron Saint of Farmers will feature approximately sixty-five works of art by both traditional and contemporary artists. It will be installed in the museum’s community gallery, which is solely devoted to highlighting and nurturing New Mexican artists. It opens April 21, 2017, and includes a celebration of San Ysidro’s Feast Day on May 15. The show will run through the planting and harvest seasons, closing Sunday, November 6, 2017.

In addition, the NHCC is collaborating with numerous community members and organizations, including Lorenzo Candelaria of Cornelio Candelaria Organics and Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm, to develop the exhibit's accompanying educational programming, which will address the history and artists’ interpretations of each image, along with food and nutrition topics such as gardening, farm-to-table cuisine, and farmers markets. www.NHCCnm.org

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EDIBLE NOTABLES TWENTY-SIXTH ANNUAL ELDORADO STUDIO TOUR Opening Reception: Friday, May 19, 5pm–7pm; Open Studio Tour: Saturday–Sunday, May 20–21, 10am–5pm Do you ever wonder about the inspiration behind a piece of art or how it was created? Are you looking for a unique art experience? Visit the Twenty-Sixth Annual Eldorado Studio Tour—the largest in New Mexico. One hundred three Eldorado artists will show their artwork and answer questions from the public in sixty-eight open studios.

Artwork includes paintings, ceramics, sculptures, glass, jewelry, photography, digital images, furniture, and fiber and wearable art, as well as woodworking, mixed media, and recycled art.

The Preview Gallery kicks off the Studio Tour on Friday, May 19, from 5pm to 7pm at 16 Avenida Torreon, in Santa Fe. You can meet and talk with the artists and enjoy music and light refreshments. The Preview Gallery is also open Saturday and Sunday, May 20–21, from 9am to 5pm. View a representative piece of each participating artist’s work and pick up a brochure and a map to each artist’s studio. www.eldoradostudiotour.org

HOPI WEEKEND AT THE CENTER FOR NEW MEXICO ARCHAEOLOGY May 20–21, 2017, 9am–4pm The Lalo family from the village of Hotevilla on Third Mesa (Hopi Reservation, Arizona) will give an extended presentation on Hopi culture, farming, and art during this two-day event at the Center for New Mexico Archaeology in Santa Fe. Dorleen Gashweseoma, Raynard Lalo, and Gene Lalo belong to the Spider Clan, and Valjean Lalo belongs to the Roadrunner Clan from Bacavi village. All four participate in ceremonial duties at Hotevilla, raise staple crops using the Hopi dry-farming method in the sand dunes and gardens below Third Mesa, and create and market artwork.

Raynard is an award-winning kachina carver who sells his work at the Heard Museum Fair in Phoenix and the Santa Fe Indian Market; Gene also carves kachinas and has won awards at the Hopi Festival at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff; Dorleen has won numerous awards for her woven wicker plaques and large willow burden baskets; and Valjean has earned several awards for his ceremonial clothing, including the very complex technique of diamond twill weaving.

On Saturday, May 20, the family will demonstrate and discuss Hopi dry-farming techniques, and on Sunday, May 21, they will give presentations on weaving, kachina carving, and basketry. The Lalo family’s arts and crafts will be on display throughout the event and available for purchase. The Feasting Place will provide a catered meal on both Saturday and Sunday, from 12pm to 1pm. This is a unique opportunity to share culture, knowledge, and creative inspiration. www.nmarchaeology.org www.museumfoundation.org/friends-archaeology

Rustic Modern pottery by Cynthia Inson 74

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Bean kachina carving by Gene Lalo (photograph by Scott Jaquith)

Photographer: Janson S. Ordaz

MAKE NEW FRIENDS A new circle of friends is waiting for you at the Museum of New Mexico Foundation.

Join our CIRCLES membership program and experience: • The four state museums in Santa Fe and seven historic sites statewide for just one membership • A full year of exclusive benefits including exhibition previews and international travel • The opportunity to support the art, culture, and history of New Mexico For more information: call Cara O’Brien at 505.982.6366, ext 118 circles@museumfoundation.org • museumfoundation.org

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Source Guide WHERE TO FIND

Your support for the advertisers listed here allows us to offer this magazine free of charge to readers. Thank you!

BANKING

experts, cocktail parties, a celebrity chef, and shaker challenge. nmcocktailculture.com

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EDUCATION & EVENTS

26th Annual Eldorado Studio Tour

26th Annual Eldorado Studio Tour, May 20-21, 10am to 5pm. Visit 103 artists as they offer their art for sale in their Eldorado studios.

Preview gallery located at 16 Avenida Torreon, Santa Fe. eldoradostudiotour.org

New Mexico Farmers’ Marketing Association

The New Mexico Farmers’ Marketing Association is devoted to supporting farming and locally produced foods in every New Mexico community. 1219 Luisa #1, Santa Fe, 505-9834010, farmersmarketsnm.org

New Mexico Cocktails and Culture

June 2-4, 2017 Cocktails and Culture is Santa Fe’s most spirited festival, featuring interactive spirited seminars and tastings by globally recognized

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For the past twenty-five years, Vintage Albuquerque has presented the city's premiere multiday food and wine event to raise funds and awareness for arts education and its role in early childhood development. As the largest charitable wine auction in the Southwest, Vintage Albuquerque has raised more than $3 million to date. June 21–25, vintagealbuquerque.org

National Hispanic Cultural Center

From the familiar to the unexpected, fall in love with Hispanic cultures through our exhibits and more than seven hundred annual events. 1701 4th Street, SW, Albuquerque, 505-246-2261, nhccnm.org

FOOD ARTISANS / RETAILERS Barrio Brinery

Santa Fe's source for fine fermented foods.

Our lacto-fermented pickles, sauerkraut, and escabeche are handcrafted in small batches.

1413-B West Alameda, Santa Fe, 505-699-9812, barriobrinery.com

Heidi's Raspberry Farm

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

The Kombucha Project

New Mexico's first craft kombucha company.

Find us in locations throughout Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Los Alamos, 575-425-1460, KombuchaProject.com

La Montañita Coop

3500 Central SE, Albuquerque, 505-265-4631; 913 West Alameda, Santa Fe, 505-984-2852; 2400 Rio Grande NW, Albuquerque, 505-2428800; 3601 Old Airport NW, Albuquerque, 505-503-2550, lamontanita.coop

Santa Fe Olive Oil & Balsamic Company

116 Don Gaspar, Santa Fe, 505-992-1601; 109 Carlisle SE Albuquerque, 505-266-6043; 103 East Plaza Taos, 575-758-4136; santafeoliveoil.com

Skarsgard Farms

3435 Stanford NE, Albuquerque, 505-681-4060, skarsgardfarms.com

Talin Market

88 Louisiana SE, Albuquerque, 505-268-0206; 505 Cerrillos, Santa Fe, 505-780-5073; talinmarket.com

LODGING

company. 501 Osuna NE, Albuquerque, 505-345-6644, osunanursery.com

OTHER SERVICES

Casa Gallina

304 Camino Alire, Santa Fe, 505-988-8011; 715 St. Michael’s, 505-988-9626; Payne’s Organic Soil Yard, 6037 Agua Fria, 505-424-0336, paynes.com

3216 NM-47, Los Lunas, 505-865-8813, nmagelessliving.com

Inn on the Paseo

ORGANIZATIONS

Buffalo Thunder, Hilton Santa Fe

20 Buffalo Thunder Trail, Santa Fe, 505-455-5555, buffalothunderresort.com 613 Callejon, Taos, 575-758-2306, casagallina.net A charming bed and breakfast located within walking distance to the downtown Santa Fe plaza. 630 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe, 505984-8200, innonthepaseo.com

Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm

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

Sarabande B & B

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

Sunrise Springs

If you are looking to simply refresh and recharge or immerse in a transformative experience, we invite you to come rest, relax, and rejuvenate at our tranquil oasis in Santa Fe. 242 Los Pinos, Santa Fe, 877-977-8212, sunrisesprings.com

The Historic Taos Inn

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

NURSERIES & SERVICES Baca Trees

7933 Edith NW, Albuquerque, 505-899-6666, bacastrees.com

Grow Y'Own

505-466-0393, raisedbed.biz

Osuna Nursery

A family-owned and operated nursery, gardening center, and landscaping

Payne's Nurseries

City of Santa Fe Water Conservation Office

200 Lincoln, Santa Fe, 505-955-6949, santafenm.gov/water_conservation

Crow Canyon

800-422-8975, crowcanyon.org

Museum New Mexico Foundation 505-982-6366, museumfoundation.org

New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs

505-827-6364, newmexicoculture.org

New Mexico Wine

Artichoke Café

Fresh, local, seasonal ingredients, classic French techniques, extensive wine list, private dining, catering, and great atmosphere. 424 Central SE, 505-243-0200, artichokecafe.com

RETAILERS Durans Central Pharmacy

Unique compounding pharmacy, eclectic gifts, and great New Mexican food. 1815 Central NW, Albuquerque, 505-247-4141, durancentralpharmacy.com

Next Best Thing to Being There 1315 Mountain NW, Albuquerque, beingthereabq.com

Sarabande Home

Red River Chamber of Commerce

WINE STORES

Santa Fe Botanical Garden

Arroyo Vino

101 W River, Red River, 575-754-3030, redriver.org 101 W River, Red River, 575-754-2366

The Santa Fe Botanical Garden celebrates, cultivates, and conserves the rich botanical heritage and biodiversity of our region.

715 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe, 505-471-9103, santafebotanicalgarden.org

Silver City Arts & Cultural District

The downtown Historic District in particular is home to more than a dozen restaurants, murals, and some thirty-plus galleries and artist studios​. ​Murray Ryan Visitor Center, 201 N. Hudson, Silver City, 575-538-5555, visitsilvercity.org

Duel Brewery and Taproom

Located in the heart of Albuquerque’s Downtown, Duel Brewing is the largest taproom in New Mexico. Serving locally brewed Belgian-style beer and a wide variety of freshly made European dishes. ​ 610 Central NW, 505-508-3330, duelbrewing.com

Durans Central Pharmacy

Unique compounding pharmacy, eclectic gifts, and great New Mexican food.

1815 Central NW, 505-247-4141, durancentralpharmacy.com

Farina

Starting with the finest organic flour, our pizza crusts are made by hand and topped

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

Medley.

100 NM-150, El Prado, 575-776-8787, medleyinelprado.com

Parcht

103 East Plaza, Taos, 575-758-1994, parcht.com

Susan's Fine Wine and Spirits

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

PREMIUM

Authentic

EAT LOCAL GUIDE LO

Ajiaco’s varied Colombian cuisine is influenced by the diverse flora and fauna found around Colombia. Cultural traditions of different Colombian ethnic groups play a role in our choice of ingredients. 3216 Silver SE, 505-266-2305, ajiacobistro.com

8449 Lomas NE, Albuquerque, garciacars.com

Red River Visitors Center

LOCAL GUIDE

Ajiaco Colombian Bistro

Garcia Auto Group

Sarabande Home provides one-of-a-kind contemporary gifts, home decor, furniture, and personal accessories.

3845 Rio Grande NW, Albuquerque, 505-344-1253, sarabandehome.com

winecountrynm.com

Eat and Drink ALBUQUERQUE

Center for Ageless Living

CA

Delicious

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with the freshest ingredients, including artisan cured meats. 510 Central SE, 505243-0130, farinapizzeria.com

Farina Alto

Farina Alto offers fresh, creative fare. Gather over a glass of wine, a good story, and a phenomenal plate of food.

10721 Montgomery NE, 505-298-0035, farinaalto.com WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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colombian bistro

now open

Creative Casual Cuisine

tuesday-saturday 11am-8pm

2933 Monte Vista NE, Albuquerque 505-433-2795 theshopbreakfastandlunch.com Come in for breakfast or lunch, creative American classics with Latin and creole influences, made from local and organic ingredients.

Farm & Table

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

Five Star Burgers

Fresh beef, free of hormones or antibiotics. Best burger in New Mexico says USA TODAY. A wide selection of sandwiches, entrées, salads, a kids menu, beer and wine.

Happy hour 4–6pm every day. 1710 Central SW; 5901 Wyoming NE, 505-821-1909, 5starburgers.com

Il Vicino Brewery

A contemporary Italian trattoria offering authentic Italian wood-oven pizza, entrées, salads, sandwiches, baked lasagna, and more. Enjoy our own micro-brewed ales and home-brewed root beer. 11225 Montgomery NE, 505-271-0882; 3403 Central NE, 505-266-7855; 10701 Corrales NW, 505-899-7500, ilvicino.com

Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm

Rooted in organic ingredients from our own farm and the Rio Grande Valley. Join us at our restaurant, Wed–Sun 5–9pm, by reservation only. 4803 Rio Grande NW, 505-344-9297, lospoblanos.com

Piatanzi

Our fabulous small-plate Italian creations are crafted from the finest, freshest ingredients: organic, farm-raised, and locally sourced.

Featuring a beer and wine bar. 1403 Girard NE, 505-792-1700, piatanzi.com

Savoy Bar & Grill

California wine country in the Northeast Heights. Farm-to-table dining from the area's best farms. Wine tastings and happy hour. 10601 Montgomery NE, 505-294-9463, savoyabq.com

Seasons Rotisserie & Grill

Oak-fired grill, local ingredients, and the best patio dining in Old Town! 2031 Mountain NW, 505-766-5100, seasonsabq.com

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edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2017

3216 Silver SE, Albuquerque 505-266-2305, www.ajiacobistro.com

221 Highway 165, Placitas 505-771-0695, www.bladesbistro.com

Ajiaco’s varied Colombian cuisine is influenced by a diverse flora and fauna found around Colombia. Cultural traditions of different Colombian ethnic groups play a role in our choice of ingredients.

Chef and owner Kevin Bladegroen brings together fine and fresh ingredients, artistic vision, and European flair in every dish.

Sunday brunch, fabulous cocktails, and an award-winning wine list.

The Grove Cafe & Market

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

Local, seasonal, organic foods, Intelligentsia coffee and tea, beer, wine, and signature sweets. 600 Central SE, 505-248-9800, thegrovecafemarket.com

The Shop Breakfast & Lunch

Come in for breakfast or lunch, creative American classics with Latin and creole influences, made from local and organic ingredients. 2933 Monte Vista NE, 505-433-2795, theshopbreakfastandlunch.com

Trifecta Coffee Company

We roast coffee and brew it in unique ways utilizing some of the best methods available. All of our baked goods, sweet and savory, are made in house.

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

Vibrance

Art gallery, vegetarian cuisine, and live music. Open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays 11am–7pm. Sunday buffet 11am– 3pm, $20. 4500 Silver SE, 505-639-3401, vibranceabq.com

Zacatecas

Zacatecas, a real taquería, features recipes handed down from generation to generation with flavors that are true to the history and culture of Mexico. 3423 Central NE, 505-255-8226, zacatecastacos.com

Zinc Restaurant & Wine Bar

A three-level bistro featuring contemporary cuisine with a French flair. Dinner daily, weekend brunch, fabulous cocktails, and tasty bar bites! 3009 Central NE, 505-254-9462, zincabq.com

SANTA FE Arroyo Vino

Arroyo Vino, voted a top 100 restaurant in America by OpenTable reviewers, serves progressive American fare inspired by our on-premise garden and local purveyors.

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

Blue Heron Restaurant

Dining at Sunrise Springs is a unique experience that may change the way you think and feel about food. Lunch, dinner, and Sunday Brunch are now open to the public in the newly-restored, historic Blue Heron Restaurant overlooking the spring-fed pond.

242 Los Pinos, Santa Fe, 877-977-8212, sunrisesprings.com

Duel Brewery and Taproom

New Mexico’s only Belgian-style brewery offering a diverse selection of specialized locally made craft beer, a curated menu of beer-friendly eats and a warm, friendly environment. 1228 Parkway Drive, 505-474-5301, duelbrewing.com

Five Star Burgers

Fresh beef, free of hormones or antibiotics. Best burger in New Mexico says USA TODAY. A wide selection of entrées, sandwiches, salads, a kids menu, beer, and wine.

Happy hour 4–6pm every day. 604 N Guadalupe, 505-983-8977, 5starburgers.com

Il Piatto

A local favorite since 1996, boasting an authentic Italian farmhouse experience, sourcing its ingredients directly from local farms, dairies, and ranches. Extensive wine list. 95 W Marcy, 505-984-1091, ilpiattosantafe.com

Il Vicino Brewery

A contemporary Italian trattoria offering authentic Italian wood-oven pizza, entrées, salads, sandwiches, baked lasagna, and more. Enjoy our own micro-brewed ales and home-brewed root beer. 321 W San Francisco, 505-986-8700, ilvicino.com

La Boca & Taberna

With the feel of a lively European wine bar, La Boca offers modern Spanish tapas, unique international wine selections, and an extensive list of Spanish sherries.

72 W Marcy, 505-982-3433, labocasf.com

Loyal Hound

Locally sourced modern comfort food paired with craft beer, cider, and wine.

730 St. Michaels, 505-471-0440, loyalhoundpub.com

TAOS

908 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, 575-758-2374 216 B Paseo del Pueblo Sur, 575-751-1989 www.taosdinner.com Home to New Mexican and American homemade, homegrown, and organic breakfast, lunch, and dinners. Gluten-free choices. Beer and wine.

Five Star Burgers

Fresh beef, free of hormones or antibiotics.

Best burger in New Mexico says USA TODAY. A wide selection of entrées, sandwiches, salads, a kids menu, beer, and wine. Happy hour 4–6pm every day. 1032 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur, 575-758-8484, 5starburgers.com

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TAOS DINER I & II

Serving lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.

Patio dining, fresh local foods, award-winning wines, and margaritas. Try our signature chile rellenos. 125 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte, 575-758-1977, taosinn.com

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Doc Martin’s

Medley New Mexico Hard Cider

505 Cerrillos, 505-231-0632, nmcider.com

Ohori's Coffee Roasters

The original specialty, local micro-roasted coffee source since 1984. Along with our fresh beans, we serve espresso, pour-over, teas, pastries, donuts, burritos, chocolates, and more. 505 Cerrillos and 1098 St. Francis, 505-982-9692, ohoriscoffee.com

Radish & Rye

Farm-inspired cuisine: simple yet innovative food and drinks sourced locally whenever possible. We work closely with local farmers and ranchers to build our menu. 548 Agua Fria, 505-930-5325, radishandrye.com

Rasa Juice + Kitchen

An organic juice bar and café committed to offering delicious plant-based foods, coldpressed juices, and innovative cleansing and detox programs. 815 Early, 505-989-1288, rasajuice.com

Red Sage

Red Sage at Buffalo Thunder is perfect for your next romantic night out. Fare rotates seasonally. Enjoy the extensive wine list.

20 Buffalo Thunder, 505-819-2056, buffalothunderresort.com

TerraCotta

A smart, casual restaurant located in a charming one-hundred-year-old adobe.

Seasonally changing, globally inspired cuisine and an extensive, value-priced wine list.

304 Johnson, 505-989-1166, terracottawinebistro.com

The Compound Restaurant

The Compound Restaurant has a heritage rich in history and regional influences. Chef Mark Kiffin preserves a landmark tradition of elegant food and service at his Canyon Road institution. 653 Canyon, 505-982-4353, compoundrestaurant.com

The Palace Restaurant

Santa Fe's premier dining club.

142 W Palace, 505-428-0690, palacesantafe.com

A casual yet refined dining experience featuring world class wines and culinary delights inspired by regional American cuisines with a touch of international flair.

100 State Highway 150, El Prado, 575-776-8787, medleyinelprado.com

Parcht

/pärCHt/= the physical condition resulting from the need to drink wine, eat good food, and shop…in Taos. 103 E Plaza, 575-758-1994, parcht.com

Taos Diner I & II

Home to New Mexican and American homemade, homegrown, and organic breakfast, lunch, and dinners. Gluten-free choices.

Beer and wine. 908 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, 575-758-2374; 216 B Paseo del Pueblo Sur, 575-751-1989, taosdinner.com

The Gorge: Bar and Grill

Our menu is straightforward yet eclectic, and chock full of favorites made from scratch using as many fresh and local ingredients as possible. 103 E Plaza, 575-758-8866, thegorgebarandgrill.com

The is a celebration of local dining destinations and the bounty of seasonal ingredients grown in New Mexico. Select restaurants in Santa Fe and Albuquerque will prepare a prix-fixe dinner featuring sixty percent or more local ingredients this October.

moveablefeastnm.com

OCTOBER 2017 brought to you by

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GREATER NEW MEXICO Ancient Way Cafe / El Morro RV Park and Cabins

A unique outpost offering great meals from scratch and fresh baked goods. The park offers cozy cabins and 16 RV sites. Located 1 mile east of El Morro National Monument.

4018 Ice Caves Road, Ramah, 505-783-4612, elmorro-nm.com

Blades’ Bistro

Chef and owner Kevin Bladegroen brings together fine and fresh ingredients, artistic vision, and European flair in every dish. Sunday brunch, fabulous cocktails, and an awardwinning wine list. 221 Highway 165, Placitas, 505-771-0695, bladesbistro.com

Greenhouse Bistro

Good food always puts you in a good mood!

Fresh, seasonal ingredients provide the basis for a meal that promotes healthy living.

5 Thomas, Los Lunas, 505-866-1936, greenhousebistro.com

NURTURING COLLABORATIVE CONNECTIONS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.

Farmers, food & beverage artisans, food trucks, and restaurants can participate in the Moveable Feast by taking the Best for NM Challange at thoughtfullyproduced.org A free, online tool to help you see your business’s impact on New Mexico.

LAST BITE

HEIDI’S HOOCH

By Natalie Bovis, The Liquid Muse Serves 1 3/4 ounce Heidi’s Raspberry Red Chile Ginger Raspberry Jam 1/2 ounce hibiscus tea 1 1/2 ounces Hacienda Gin 3/4 ounce OM Meyer Lemon & Ginger Liqueur 3/4 ounce blood orange juice 1/2 ounce lemon juice Make a syrup by combining Heidi’s jam and hibiscus tea in a pan. Gently heat, stir, and strain.

Combine gin, liqueur, orange juice, lemon juice, and syrup; shake with ice; and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with raspberry or candied ginger on a pick.

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edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2017

NEW MEXICO COCKTAILS & CULTURE

Chef & Shaker Challenge

MAY 26 – JUNE 3 • New Mexico Cocktail Week • JUNE 1, 2017 • Cocktail Pairing Dinner • JUNE 2, 2017 • Mind Body Spirits • • The Hustle: Bars to Dream Gig • • Margarita Trail Taco Wars •

Featuring local chefs pairing cocktails with their own spirited dishes, and Dale DeGroff’s “On The Town” show.

SATURDAY, JUNE 3 5–10 pm Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple

media sponsor

edible

JUNE 3, 2017 • Fundraising Bike Ride • • Gin Academy • • Chef & Shaker Challenge • JUNE 4, 2017 • Whiskeys of the World • • Craft Collective Tasting • • Bar Awards •

GET YOUR COCKTAILS & CULTURE FESTIVAL PASS Tickets to all parties, tastings, seminars at

NMCocktailCulture.com

5 Y E A R S I N S A N TA F E

BEST CHEF S A N T A

DINNER BEGINS IN OUR GARDEN 505.983.2100

ARROYOVINO.COM

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