Local Flavor June 2013

JUNE 2013 S A N TA F E | A L BUQUE R QUE | TAOS A TAST E O F LI FE I N NEW MEXI CO

Farm Raised in Moriarty Grana Para Manana Feelin’ Good at Field Goods !

Viva Vintage Albuquerque!

LAURA SHEPPHERD ATELIER

Rio Chama’s Patio is Open Kick Back and Enjoy Summer on the patio!

It’s also the perfect venue for a Private Party or Reception!

For large party information call 505-955-0765.

Are you ready for all your summer events?

Opera jackets starting at $750 Accessories starting at $25

photosantagto.com

65 w. marcy street santa fe, nm 87501 505.986.1444 laurasheppherd.com •

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Open Daily from 11:00am till closing 414 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501 955-0765 | RioChamaSteakhouse.com FOllOw uS ON FaCEBOOK

schedule of events 4 days of wine, food & fun wed

6.19

opening night gala dinner zinc wine bar & bistro featuring honoraray guest chair harry peterson-nedry chehalem vineyards & award winning chef cathy whims nostrani, portland

thurs

6.20

va trade tasting @ casa esencia for the restaurant & retail trade only

fri

6.21

grand food & wine tasting fiesta national hispanic cultural center

sat

6.22

the big event: wine auction & dinner prairie star

4 perfect evenings of fine wine, food, art & fun

vintage albuquerque • june 19 - 22 for 22 years, the third week in June has been the time to eat drink and be merry at albuquerque’s biggest wine & food festival and the southwest’s largest wine auction charity event. with dozens of albuquerque’s finest restaurants serving, and almost a hundred fine wines being poured, vintage albuquerque is not to be missed. four days of dinners, tastings, silent and live auctions and other surprises make this the event of the season. and a portion of the proceeds support arts education programs for new mexico children.

for more information, tickets, sponsorships and donations please visit

v i n tag e a l B u q u e rq u e .o rg or call

505.323.3915

magnum sponsor

partcipating restaurants artichoke cafe Bien shur @ sandia casino Blades Bistro chama river Brewing co. cocina azul corn maiden @ tamaya farina pizzeria & wine Bar forque kitchen garduño’s @ hotel alBuquerque grove café & market indulgence cafe & catering le café miche los poBlanos lucia @ hotel andaluz marcello’s chophouse nicky v’s pizzeria noB hill Bar and grill ranchers cluB range cafe savoy Bar and grill season’s rotisserie & grill slate street cafe standard diner st. clair winery & Bistro vinaigrette zacatecas zinc wine Bar and Bistro partcipating wineries adelsheim vineyard au Bon climat ca’momi carmel road casa rondeña chehalem davis Bynum d.h. lescomBes domaine serene ferrari-carano gekkeikan saké gruet winery kendall-Jackson kenwood vineyards maJestic fine wines matanzas creek pago de vellegarcia r&B cellars roBert keenan winery roBert sinskey vineyards rodney strong vineyards sineann southwest wines

Photo: Gabriella Marks

Photo: Kitty Leaken

Inside Buzz | 08

by Kelly Koepke

What’s in, what’s out, what’s hot, what’s not … that’s the buzz!

Farm Raised | 13

by Gail Snyder

Sixth-generation farmer Dean Schwebach has created a true Garden of Eden in the sparse landscape of Moriarty. Together he, his wife, Ivellise, and their four children bring a very poignant meaning to the term “farm-raised.”

Dr. Field Goods | 24

by John Vollertsen

This month, Chef Johnny Vee checks out that brand-new “hotter-than-hot storefront eatery,” Dr. Field Goods. Chef Josh Gerwin certainly brought some down-home sass and swagger to Santa Fe.

Grana Para Mañana | 28

by Kelly Koepke

¡Viva Vintage Albuquerque! | 17

by Kate Gerwin

Raise your glasses high to the chefs of the Duke City as they celebrate their biggest culinary event of the year, Vintage Albuquerque. It serves up four days of feasting, but what caught our eye were the Showcase Wine Dinners, complete with celebrity vintners and fabulous food.

Taos Hum | 22

by Tania Casselle

Kirry Nelson and Nan Fischer are the Taoseños that we highlight this month––and seeds, blossoms and sprouts are what they’re all about.

Grana Para Mañana translates to “farm for tomorrow.” It’s the name that Jedrek Lamb has chosen for his farm—and for his life.

Buckin’ Bee Honey | 32

by Barry Fields

The story starts, “Steve Wall, beekeeper and owner of Buckin’ Bee in Santa Fe, is explaining the mechanics and mysteries of bee colonies while pollenbearing insects swarm around us like fighter pilots.” There’s a bit of a sting at the end … but it’s all wonderfully sweet.

Still Hungry? | 36

by Melyssa Holik

The variety of diverse goods at our farmers’ markets is enormous. This month, we bring you four recipes, each highlighting different market offerings—beef, honey, mushrooms and lavender.

ON OUR COVER:

Adelaida and Ellysia of Schwebach Farm in Moriarity Photo by Kitty Leaken JUNE

2013 ~ Publishers: Patty & Peter Karlovitz Editor: Patty Karlovitz Web Editor: Melyssa Holik Art Director: Jasmine Quinsier Cover photo: Kitty Leaken Advertising: Santa Fe: Mary Brophy 505.231.3181. Lianne Aponte 505.629.6544. Margaret Henkels 505.501.2290 . Albuquerque: Ashley Schutte 505.604.2547.

Prepress: Scott Edwards Ad Design: Alex Hanna Distribution: Southwest Circulation Local Flavor Magazine 223 North Guadalupe #442, Santa Fe, NM 87501 Tel: 505.988.7560 Fax: 988.9663 E-mail: patty@localflavormagazine.com www.localflavormagazine.com Subscriptions $24 per year. Mail check to above address.

© Edible Adventure Co.‘96. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used without the permission of Edible Adventure Co. localflavor accepts advertisements from advertisers believed to be reputable, but can’t guarantee it. All editorial information is gathered from sources understood to be reliable, but printed without responsibility for erroneous, incorrect, or omitted information.

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DATING by J Pankey in The Gallery Collection at La Posada

The A rT of ouTdoor dining

Kick Back and Enjoy

Fuego at La Posada

Breakfast ~ Lunch ~ Dinner Live Entertainment Wednesday – Sunday Evenings Pa t i o Ou r en w Op i s No

&

BO TWIN

e y e s

EY E

GRO U P

o p t i c s S A N TA

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DR. MARK BOTWIN DR. JONATHAN BOTWIN DR. JEREMY BOTWIN

For more information call 505-954-9670 or 855-274-LAPO (5276) 330 E. Palace Avenue, Santa Fe • lasposadadesantafe.com

444 St Michaels Drive

Optometric Physicians 505.954.4442 BotwinEyeGroup.com

Come on in and check out our new summer menu & amazing daily specials...

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’ n i k mo

2571 Cristo’s Road, Santa Fe ~ across from the Auto Park near Kohls 505-424-8900 • theranchhousesantafe.com • Like us on

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

JUNE 2013

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Transport yourself across the pond at New Mexico’s most authentic Irish Pub!

19 beers of integrity and the Southwests’s most extensive selection of fine and rare scotch whiskies, served alongside our perfectly-executed traditional menu of fine pub fare. Featuring our Famous Fish and Chips.

Food Served Daily, 11am-11pm Fridays and Saturdays until 12am

www.2foolstavern.com

505.265.7447 • 3211 Central Ave • In Historic Nob Hill

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letter

where the Craic is Mighty!

We’ve been devoting an entire issue solely to the farmers and ranchers of our region for over ten years now, and from the start the issue has been a sentimental favorite with our readers. June has also generated some of my favorite covers, and looking through them, I understand why. For me, it’s not just about what farmers and ranchers do for a living, it’s always been about who they are because of what they do—and how it’s etched on their faces and ingrained in their every gesture.

The two sweet young girls on our cover this June are the Schwebach sisters, from Moriarty. Along with their two brothers and Mom and Dad, they share the work, the fun and the heritage of being sixth-generation farmers. Our writer Gail Snyder and photographer Kitty Leaken came back from assignment with a quiet glow that spoke volumes about how touched they were by spending a very special day with this family.

Equally inspiring was writer Kelly Koepke’s experience of meeting Jedrek Lamb at his farm by the bosque. He named his place Grana Para Mañana––farm for tomorrow. Jedrek is first and foremost a farmer, but his experience as a community activist and his dedication to the mission of the Agri-Cultura Network brings a different dimension to the term “grassroots organizing.” It is with young farmers like Jedrek Lamb that the true future of our state lies.

We bring you tips from the Southwest Grassfed Livestock Allliance, recipes from lavender and mushroom farmers, plus profiles of the visionary behind the Taos Seed Exchange and the beekeeper who holds the reins on those Buckin’ Bees from Santa Fe. It’s a lively group of stories that you’ll want to share with farmers, ranchers and just plain folks who love their farmers’ markets and the people who make it all possible.

There’s plenty on the food and wine side, as well, with complete coverage of the Showcase Dinners of Vintage Albuquerque and an introduction to Santa Fe’s newest dining hot spot, Dr. Field Goods.

A review of a restaurant named Dr. Field Goods—how’s that for a perfect fit in the Farm Issue!

INVISIBLE CITY DESIGNS g rap hic de s ign

c lie n ts ARTs ma r t/ ART fe a st Co r n e r sto n e s T h e E sse n tia l G u id e Inn & S p a a t L o r e tto J L H M e d ia L o c a l F la vo r Mus eum of New Mex ic o Fo u n d a tio n Ned ra Ma tte u c c i G a lle r ie s New Mex ico Munic ip a l L e a g u e Santa Fe Pr o p e r tie s T h e S a n ta Fe O p e r a South wes t C ARE C e n te r Z a c a te c a s w ww.i nvi sibl ecity d es igns .co m

Serving Lunch Monday – Saturday 11:00 a.m. -2:30 p.m. • Dinner Monday-Saturday 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

Brunch Sunday 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. • Join us for brunch on our patio!

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BUZZ b y K E L LY K O E P K E

ALBUQUERQUE This month, we’ve got lots of hellos and one sad goodbye. First, a warm welcome to The Saucy Italian Bistro at Juan Tabo and Candelaria. Maria Manjoros Constantine, the former chef at Mykonos Cafe and Taverna, has opened Albuquerque’s latest addition to the Italian scene. The menu features traditional northern Italian recipes passed down through the family and a focus on fresh ingredients. Signature dishes include rolled lasagna with creamy ricotta cheese and fresh spinach topped with béchamel. Stop in for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Visit them online at www.thesaucyitalian.com.

as savories like pizza and lasagna for eat-in, take-out, delivery or catering. Owner Vangie Alderete developed her gluten-free recipes as an attempt to heal herself after her celiac (gluten intolerance) diagnosis three years ago. Visit www.gfgourmetfood.com for the complete menu and call 505.363.1761 for hours and orders.

Albuquerque’s African restaurant scene just got bigger now that Rafiki Cafe has joined Talking Drums and Caribbean Temptation.

A restaurant and lounge in the old Sergio’s Bakery spot at 4300 Lomas NE, Rafiki offers delicious Kenyan specialties like ugali (a cornmeal dough), choma (barbecued meat), chapatis, samosas and chai. Owner Gladys Wetende has been treating friends (rafiki in Swahili) for years, and her storefront opened in May. Call 505.688.8577 for details.

The Daily Grind coffee shop has a case of the seven-year itch. It will reopen in July, having moved from its spot on Central Avenue, next to Artichoke Café, to the Calibers Center, at 4340 Cutler Avenue NE. Dinner, crab cakes every day, beer and wine, and an awesome patio are planned. Owners Mike and Nancy Rogers opened the business in 1996, and the muffins and scones are to die for. Let’s hope they can make this move as successful as the one from their previous location, at San Pedro and Candelaria. Call 505.883.8310 or visit their Facebook page for progress on the new space.

Hello to Hacienda del Rio, open in the Old Town space that housed now-shuttered La Hacienda. Andres Rosales and partner David Rosales brought in a new staff and transformed the Cancun-meets–spring break décor to an understated New Mexico feel with brick floors, vigas and a subdued color scheme. The menu is traditional New Mexican, too, with stacked blue corn enchiladas, homemade sopaipillas, steak and ribs. A full liquor license is coming, and the patio promises to woo locals as well as tourists. Find out more at www.haciendadelriocantina.com.

Welcome back, Joe Prinzivalli, bicycle racer and cofounder/former owner of Cafe Giuseppe. Nob Hill’s coffee impresario has a new café in the works. I guarantee that Mimmo Espresso, named after his cat, will soon become a coffee nirvana and a hub for cycling activity (buy a tee shirt). Look for a soft opening in the next month on Aliso between Central and Copper.

Nob Hill Shopping Center anchor The A Store is moving around the corner to a smaller space on Amherst. A downsizing’s in the works, but all your favorite furniture, housewares and quirky products will still be available. Watch for the grand reopening this month.

In more Nob Hill news, hurrah for La Provence Brasserie’s newly remodeled Parisian patio and the start of the restaurant’s new summer music series. On June 7-8 and 15-16, listen to free live music from local performers. Head to www.laprovencenobhill. com for details and schedule.

Gluten Free Gourmet Foods has opened its doors at at 1111 Carlisle SE, next to Michael Thomas Coffee. As the name suggests, GFGF (GF2?) creates sweets and baked goods, as well

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been in food in Albuquerque most of their lives. (Ben cooked at Korean BBQ House, Pastrami & Things and Mr. Sushi, while Alicia worked at Seasons as lead banquet server. They even met at Model Pharmacy, where Ben was cooking and Alicia jerking soda!) Your old favorites from The Daily Grind will still be here, with some additions of family recipe baked goods, like chocolate chip–sour cream pound cake, and customer favorites like the Caprese sandwich with fresh tomatoes, basil aioli and balsamic reduction.

No gap in service either, with the same breakfast and lunch hours for the new place.

Welcome to the neighborhood, Alicia and Ben! Find A & B’s Lunch Box on Facebook.

Now, finally, for that goodbye I mentioned earlier. So long and thanks to the folks at Desert Fish; the seafood eatery shut its doors in May. There’s no word on what’s next for them and no explanation for the closure. I’ll miss the cioppino, so if anyone knows of a great cioppino in the Duke City, do tell.

In other news, kudos to Claudia Mathes, recipient of The American Association of Community Theatre Spotlight Award. The Albuquerque Theatre Guild nominated Mathes for her over 25 years of tireless work to promote local theater, much of it behind the scenes as a board member, volunteer organizer, props coordinator and stage manager for a variety of theater groups and venues. Congrats, Claudia, and keep up the great work.

And more congrats are due, this time to Hotel Andaluz for being named one of the 10 Innovative Green Hotels in the US by AOL Travel. Then, Details Magazine featured the hotel in its article “11 Luxury Destinations with an Eco-Conscience.” Andaluz used salvaged building materials, has a geothermal water-heating system and rooftop rainwatercapturing system and is one of only two hotels to earn LEED Gold certification.

I love hearing about enterprising women.

Two of them, Linda Hayon and Marina Arbetman-Rabinowitz, launched Nada but Empanadas, a catering and take-out business dedicated to putting those tasty tidbits on the menu in more local homes. They have become national celebrities since being featured on NBC Latino’s recent segment on National Empanada Day. The ladies were inspired to launch their business after a trip to Argentina. Whenever they were hungry, they looked for a ubiquitous empanada shop.

Their own version of the pocket pastries are oven-baked, not fried, and filled with sweet or savory ingredients. Visit www. nadabutempanadas.com and sign up for a cooking class (try the green chile version ), or get the Nada but Empanada cookbook. Over 10,000 empanadas sold!

TA & B’s Lunch Box took over The Daily Grind spot in EDo on June 1, bringing to the neighborhood the culinarily adventuresome spirits of Alicia and Ben Webb. The couple’s

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| Corrales Garden Tour Watch where you park at the Corrales Garden Tour, June 9. This event draws thousands for views of veggies growing in xeric spaces, marvelous sculptures and generally magnificent gardens. Proceeds go toward a landscaping project along Corrales Road. For info, call 505.350.3955 or head to www.corrales-gardentour.com. Then spend time at Art in the Park events the third Sunday of each month through October.

Sponsored by Corrales Society of Artists, Art in the Park’s ninth year promises local and visiting painters, sculptors, photographers, potters, metalworkers and other artisans at La Entrada Park. Visit www.corralesartists.org.

| Giancarlo Esposito of Breaking Bad Film enthusiasts await the Albuquerque Film & Media Experience, June 3-9 , showcasing diversity, innovation and creative achievement in film, media, arts and entertainment.

Robert Redford, world-renowned artist Sibylle Szaggars-Redford and Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito will be on hand for conversations, panels, food and more.

This year’s program spotlights filmmakers from Ireland. The full list of events is at www. abqfilmexperience.com.

SANTA FE Here’s a list we’re proud to be on: Santa Fe has been named one of Livability.com’s Top 10 Foodie Cities for 2013. Santa Fe’s chefs landed in eighth place, heralded for creating “dishes that often look too good to eat.” (Um, really? No, it’s all exactly good enough to eat!)

Noted are our wide variety of cuisines, red and green chile, Santa Fe Farmers’ Market and three cooking schools. This is the second time Santa Fe earned the site’s mention; we ranked second on the Top 10 list focused on smaller towns.

By now, we’ve all heard the sad news about Bobcat Bite and the strange kerfuffle about ownership. The bottom line? No more juicy, hand-ground and -formed burgers from the 50-year-old Santa Fe institution. But take heart, burger lovers! John and Bonnie Eckre are heading to a new location (several reports name a spot at the Garrett’s Desert Inn on Old Santa Fe Trail). Bow your heads on June 9 as the last burgers are served and a historic chapter in the City Different’s history ends.

And pray for the speedy return of the Eckres.

Closing? Not closing? “Closing for now with a possibility of reopening under new management” appears to be the answer regarding The Legal Tender at the Lamy Railroad & History Museum. You think the Bobcat Bite controversy is odd? Try this one: the museum owns the building, but the restaurant/music venue’s success prevents the museum from operating? Yeah, we don’t get it either, but the latest is that the museum will search for new operators of the Legal Tender; John and Cindy Jednak departed at the end of May. If you go, call 505.466.1650 to be absolutely sure someone will be there to feed you.

Tia’s Cocina Restaurant in the Hotel Chimayó is now under new ownership.

Buena suerte to Miguel Quintana of Cafe San Estevan and Tabla de Los Santos in the Hotel St. Francis. He and wife, Mary, are the new owners of the traditional New Mexican restaurant above the Low ‘n Slow Lowrider Bar. Serving red chile made from heirloom Chimayó chiles and authentic New Mexican cuisine made from fresh New Mexican ingredients, this under-appreciated eatery

is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I can vouch that the chile is delish and the service friendly.

The Teahouse on Canyon Road has a spiffed-up outdoor patio and a liquor license, just in time for summer’s tourist season. They’ve also started intimate Saturday evening dinner parties (for eight to 12 diners) to enjoy a five-course Italian feast, wine and good company. No two dinners are the same, so bring a friend or two—or come alone. Reservations are required and seating is limited, so call at 505.992.0972 for dates and updates on the changing menu.

Joe’s welcomes Executive Chef Lester Cisneros! Already this tornado of creativity has whipped up new dishes and specials and become part of a formidable team. Between owner Roland Richter’s experience as guiding force and Cisneros’ unbridled enthusiasm, the eatery is churning out plates as fast as local farmers can deliver the ingredients. The new chef ’s résumé boasts stints at several Santa Fe kitchens, Geronimo and Santacafe being two. There’s new energy at Joe’s—a restaurant that, as always, honors and emphasizes local products for delicious results.

Teach a man to fish and he’ll feed himself for life, right? That’s the idea behind Lynn Walters’ non-profit, Cooking with Kids.

And the International Association of Culinary Professionals thinks it’s pretty awesome, crowning the organization with its 2013 Award of Excellence. The organization partners with schools, families and the community to teach youngsters about healthy eating, hands-on cooking and nutrition. Farmers provide the fruits and veggies for the tasting and cooking programs, and Santa Fe chefs donate their skills and passion to elementary schools to create delicious, kid-friendly meals. For more info, visit www.cookingwithkids.net.

Hip, hip, hurrah for the Cowgirl, which celebrates 20 years of mouth-watering barbecue and more. Toss your Stetson in the air! Publications from The New York Times to Outside magazine have all raved about the Cowgirl’s menu, atmosphere and service. And locals know that you don’t last 20 years without doing something right!

| Cowgirl Hall of Fame Need a caffeine fix? Buzz on over to Iconik Coffee Roasters in the old Tree House location, at 1600 Lena Street. We hear that the coffee importing, roasting, wholesale,

retail and cafe concept created by Darren Berry, Todd Spitzer and Natalie Slade serves up great coffee and light gourmet food items to quality-conscious Santa Feans. Of special note is their direct-trade coffee buying practices and latte art. (Plus the cool vintage 1927 Otto Swadlo coffee roaster!) The website is barebones, so head to the company’s Facebook page for hours, specials and photos.

A sure thing on Sunday, June 2, is the delicious Savor the Flavor food festival at the Museum of International Folk Art. The collaboration between Delicious New Mexico and the museum features a book fair with local authors, outdoor bread baking and lots of samples from locally owned New Mexico food businesses, like Lusty Monk Mustard, Choco Canyon Chocolates, Heidi’s Raspberry Farms, Mamu Dipping Sauces, Señor Murphy Candymaker and Celina’s Biscochitos.

Executive Chef Rocky Durham of Santa Fe Culinary Academy will demonstrate cooking techniques and offer tasty tidbits in the outdoor classroom, too. Admission is free for New Mexico residents, kids age 16 and younger and museum members.

| Santa Fe Greek Festival Another culinary festival has us getting our Greek on: June 21-22 is the 16th annual Santa Fe Greek Festival at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. Of course, the highlights include Greek food, pastries, music, dancing and general revelry.

This year’s new a la carte menu features delicacies from Leonardo Razatos of the Plaza Café Southside, Dean Alexis of Upper Crust Pizza and Tortilla Flats, Ignatios Patsalis of Tomasita’s, and the folks at Pyramid Cafe. Who knew there were so many Greek chefs in Santa Fe? Will there be my favorite koulourakia cookies?

Opa! Head to www.santafegreekfestival.com for details on admission, a complete menu and schedule for dancing, dining and more.

The wildly popular Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner event returns this year on Saturday, June 22, to raise funds for the Santa Fe Community Foundation.

The location’s a secret until hours before the event. Guests are assigned to private dinner parties held in homes, gardens and studios, followed by dessert at the historic Scottish Rite Temple, whipped up by the city’s finest chefs. This event consistently sells out (if it hasn’t already), so be sure to get your tickets in advance at www. guesswhoinsantafe.org. What a fun way to meet new people and dine on stupendous food, all for a good cause!

An Idyllic Fare

at the Old House Restaurant

Indulge in a dining experience that begins with appetizers such as fresh Nidah Spa Tuna and Lobster Bisque then continues with enticing entrèes such as Filet of Beef Tenderloin au Poivre or tantalizing Pan Roasted Salmon. Finish with an amazing dessert.

Reservations Recommended 505.995.4530

Eldorado Hotel & Spa 309 W. San Francisco Street EldoradoHotel.com

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Lik O eW y d o Dad Cool Cats w!

Be Cool!

Real Cool!

June is Martini Month!

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All Gins & All Vodkas 10% off With this Ad! 750ml & larger Offer good until June 29, 2013

BUZZ Continued from page 9

Father’s Day is June 16 St Francis at Cerrillos in the Crossroads Center Mon-Sat 10am-8pm • (505) 984-1582

ENJOY GREEK FOOD, PASTRIES, MUSIC & DANCING! BEER & WINE TOO!

A little love to our neighbors on the hill: Smithsonian Magazine named Los Alamos as one of America’s Best Small Towns to Visit in 2013. We know that Los Alamos is within easy reach of many activities—skiing at Pajarito, hiking in the Valles Caldera, and visiting Georgia O’Keeffe’s house, in Abiquiú, as well as the ancient pueblo dwellings at Bandelier National Monument. Now the smartypants who read Smithsonian know, too.

Oh, and there’s sciency stuff that happens there, too, which you can learn about at the Los Alamos Historical Society, which offers lectures on subjects as diverse as modern Nagasaki and hiking trails in Bandelier. Go to www.losalamoshistory.org for more details.

www.santafegreekfestival.com Friday, June 21 & Saturday, June 22 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Santa Fe Community Convention Center 201 W. Marcy St. ~ All tickets sold at the door Hosted by St. Elias the Prophet Greek Orthodox Church

Enjoy Santa’s Fe best Patio Open Daily 11am – 10pm 1 hour validation for parking

The Pablita Velarde Museum of Indian Women in the Arts is reopening June 1, and its latest exhibition is Helen Hardin: A Straight Line Curved.

Founded by Margarete Bagshaw (Pablita’s granddaughter and Helen’s daughter) and her husband, Dan McGuinness, this national museum honors the work of Native women from North America. It’s located just steps from the plaza, at 213 Cathedral Place. Call 505.988.8900 for hours.

Experience our new summer cocktail menu and wines with chef Gharrity’s new american west cuisine.

live Music On The Patio Tuesday and wednesday nights 5:30 -7:30pm

Open Daily 11:00am until 10:00pm 125 East Palace, Santa Fe | Telephone (505) 988-9232 see our complete menu at www.lacasasena.com FOllOw uS On FacEbOOk

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| Pablita Velarde’s Eagle Dancer

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The Railyard is getting a lot of attention these days. Plans for the Ringside Bowling Lounge include a July opening with block party, music and food. Then there’s the announcement that Santa Fe’s geekiest son, Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, bought the defunct Jean Cocteau Cinema on Montezuma Avenue and will be turning it back into an art house cinema. And there’s the impending construction on Violet Crown Cinema, next to Flying Star Cafe. Violet Crown’s plans for a multiscreen theater focused on Hollywood-backed arty films proceed apace.

Apologies from this editor for not catching the April Fool’s joke that appeared in the April 1 newsletter from Ten Thousand Waves--which I then passed on to you, dear readers. Sorry, folks, no cat massages. They got me good.

TAOS Summer is here, and the patio is now open at El Meze Restaurant in El Prado, featuring the best view of Taos Mountain.

The garden beds are planted, and fresh, simple ingredients (some local) mean that you can expect well-prepared farm-to-table dishes. It still gets chilly at night, so don’t forget your jacket. Call 575.751.3337 for details.

A crackerjack exhibition at the Harwood Museum of Art titled Third Chapter Of Taos Art Colony features four artists: Jim Wagner, R.C. Gorman, Fritz Scholder and Woody Crumbo. All are celebrated as legends. The “third chapter” refers to the wave of young, relatively unknown Taos artists and smart art dealers representing them, which created a powerful aesthetic and commercial vitality that was new to Taos—and unique to the U.S. Unlike the Taos Founders (the first chapter) and Taos Moderns (the second), third chapter artists made a living in Taos. With galleries came art publications, frame shops, shippers and art supply stores. Art, for the first time, was a major contributor to the economy of Northern New Mexico. Visit www. harwoodmuseum.org for museum info and lodging deals.

Taos School of Music may be summer’s best music bargain because of its lineup of international talent: Borromeo String Quartet, Brentano String Quartet, and Shanghai Quartet, all in a season that runs June 16-August 4. In addition, renowned pianists Robert McDonald and Thomas Sauer, as well as violist Michael Tree, founding member of Guarneri String Quartet, are on tap. Visit www. taosschoolofmusic.com for the complete schedule (including free concerts) and dining suggestions (like the Taos Ski Valley’s Hotel St. Bernard’s prix fixe dinners).

More kudos for Taos, as it earns a spot as one of America’s Top Small Town Art Places by ArtPlace, an initiative of national and regional foundations and major banks to accelerate creative place-making across the US. The top communities were chosen because they had the highest concentrations per capita of arts-related non-profits, artsrelated businesses and people working in creative occupations among smaller towns in America. Yep, that’s Taos.

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SOUTHWESTERN SUMMER The Anasazi Patio

Al fresco drinks & casual dining on the Plaza New small plate dinner menu with full bar & wine selections

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The Anasazi Restaurant & Bar

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Unique American cuisine in a sophisticated setting

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Live music every Friday night & Sunday brunch

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Jacqueline’s Place

Private dining available

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113 Washington Avenue Santa Fe, NM 87501 (505) 988-3030 innof theanasazi.com

VISIT ABQ…

SHARE ALBUQUERQUE WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY Street

Now is the time for all good men to come the aid of their country. Now is the time for all good men to come the aid of their country. Now is the time for all good men to come the aid of their country.

Caffe Greco Open Daily 7:30AM – 8PM

As residents, we all have a list of things we love about Albuquerque…the food, the people, the Sandias, the sunsets, the arts…the list goes on. But did you know that Albuquerque is one of the Top 25 Places to Go in 2013?

Or, that we were recently named the #1 City for Nature Lovers?

SHARE TO WIN! Share your love of the Duke City this summer and invite your friends and family to come visit you! Every time you share one of the ePostcards, you will be entered to win exclusive behind-the-scenes Albuquerque adventures.

Prizes will be awarded throughout the summer months, so get busy and invite your friends and family to come see you in Albuquerque right away!

www.VisitMeInABQ.com

P laza de S uenos y M ilagros JEWEL MARK 505.820.6304 • JACQUELINE’S PLACE 505.820.6542 CAFFE GRECO 505.820.7996

once you have stepped into our world you won’t want to leave 233 Canyon Road • Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 • JewelMark.net

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The best in world, folk & eclectic music

www.ampconcerts.org JunE daVid Emmylou 4 FranCEy

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420 Catron St (at Guadalupe) 505-982-8900

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4056 Cerrillos Rd (at Airport) 505-424-1200

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In Concert and Conversation

NYDeliSF.com

Harris & rodnEy CrowEll

The Downs oF sanTa Fe

painting by Ellen Barbara Segner photograph by Fred Seibert

fresh from the farm!

Birds oF CHiCago

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ouTPosT PerFormanCe sPaCe from Po’Girl and JT & The Clouds

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European-influenced American comfort food

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Santa Fe’s leading Farmers Market buyer

CHEryl wHEElEr

7:30am to 9pm daily | 505-471-3800 See menus and events at joesdining.com Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Sunday Brunch

ouTPosT PerFormanCe sPaCe

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THE sandra wong, dominiCk lEsliE, Ty BurHoE Trio ouTPosT PerFormanCe sPaCe

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ViEux Farka TourE The DirTy bourbon

“The Hendrix of the Sahara”

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riCHard THompson Kimo TheaTre

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benefit for: Cash and food donations will be collected at the show.

Also Coming: FesTival au DeserT: Caravan For PeaCe ConCerT (at The Lensic, Santa Fe) • TraDison (Cuba) • FanFare CioCarlia (Romania) • sTeve PolTz • Tom russell • ¡Globalquerque! • ozomaTli Free ConCerts Sandra Wong and Ty Burhoe Thurs. June. 13 @ 12 pm • Main Library / Fri. June 14 @ 12 pm • Cherry Hills Library Tickets: Hold My Ticket (112 2nd St SW), 505-886-1251 and ampconcerts.org, 505-232-9868 12

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W

hen a family passes down its skills and innate love for working the land through many generations, is there an alchemical-like distillation taking place in the process? Farming anywhere is hard work. In the Southwest, with its wind, its heat and its short growing season, farming is especially challenging.

And this spring, the very landscape crackles as northern New Mexico struggles under prolonged drought conditions experts now say is ten on the one to ten scale. Moriarty’s Dean Schwebach, however, remains undaunted. More than that, this sixth generation farmer remains optimistic. With his passion for growing, his enthusiasm for experimenting with alternatives and his faith that, no matter what, it will all work out, he’s indefatigable.

Dean’s father learned farming in the Estancia Valley from his own father. Dean grew up on Schwebach Farm; his parents leased-to-purchase the land when he was almost three. Using traditional methods, the farm grew grain crops, potatoes, pinto beans and corn. “My dad gave me OJT— that’s on the job training,” Dean says. After high school, Dean left Moriarty, graduated from college and began a career in public accounting. His heart, however, had other plans for him, and when, after 35 years, his father announced he was ready to retire, Dean felt himself irresistibly drawn back home. With no regrets, he left city and career behind and, with his wife, Ivellise, and their two young children, he jumped back into farming with both feet.

That was about ten years ago.

There are four kids now, and everybody participates in the family business. A typical summer day starts at 5 a.m. Dean and almost 16-year-old Nathan go outside, Dean to check the irrigation, Nathan to feed and milk the cow. Ellysia, 15, heads into the kitchen to prepare the family | Nathan and Dominic story by GAIL SNYDER photos by KITTY LEAKEN

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breakfast. Ivellise gets Dominic, seven, and Adelaida, four, up and dressed, then shepherds them down for breakfast. “We get out while it’s still cool to pick the crops—everything’s fresh picked to sell that day—and then we’re done by noon,” says Dean. “After lunch, the kids help out in the farm store while Ivy and I have bookkeeping to do or calls to return.” At the height of harvest season, the family hires 15 to 20 workers, everyone out picking feverishly—kids, too—all day and into the evening. “We don’t stop for dinner till eight, and we don’t get to bed till around ten.”

But right now, in late spring, things are relatively calm. “In April,” reads one of Ivy’s 2012 entries on the farm’s blog, “we plant onions, carrots and the first plantings of corn. Through the month of May, more corn, garden vegetables and potatoes are put into the ground. Pinto beans and more corn through the month of June. The last planting of corn went into the ground two days ago [in mid-July].” This April, Nathan and Ellysia did the planting. Dominic helped run the drip tapes for irrigation. And four-year-old Addie? “When she helps us pick things, we find bites taken out of everything,” says her mom, smiling fondly.

“Addie’s in charge of quality control!” Dean adds.

Most plants at this point are in the seedling stage. The hoop house, which is portable so crops can be rotated from year to year, is empty now, its skins having just been replaced. Soon crops will be planted there, as well.

In addition to selling produce at their farm store, which is located on the property, the family participates in farmers’ markets from Santa Fe to Socorro, with others in the East Mountains and about ten roadside markets in Albuquerque. Schwebach Farm’s prodigious array of produce includes boleta beans, apples, blackberries, raspberries, summer and winter squash, watermelon, broccoli, chiles, jalapeños, cabbage, cantaloupe, cucumbers, pinto beans and peas. They guarantee everything is local, high-quality, nutritious, and nonGMO. But is it organic? Not all of it is, strictly speaking, at this point. “We practice organic techniques in our big garden,” Ivellise says, “and on the farm, we experiment. Every year we try something different in a test plot, using natural growing practices. But we want to be a source of food for our community, and Torrance County is economically depressed. So we grow in ways we consider are affordable and good. And, since our children are out hand-picking and handweeding, we want to ensure that our farm is safe.”

“As we become food safety compliant,” Dean goes on, “we’ll be that much closer” to being organic, and at that point, he says, it will likely be feasible for Schwebach Farms to make the change.

“We want to encourage and educate people to grow their own food,” Ivellise adds. “So we teach a class here and one in Edgewood, helping people see how they can get a lot of food out of a little space. We want to help a generation of our neighbors become self-sufficient.” They also give farm tours to groups of school kids, many of whom have never eaten food fresh-picked.

With 145 cultivatable acres, the Schwebachs typically planted 100 acres as few as five years ago, watering with flood irrigation. Now, says Dean, “it’s more like 85 acres, most of it watered by subsurface drip. It’s more intensive. We’re getting more products with less water, and we’re saving 30 percent or more water than before.”

When questioned further about drought and other risks, Dean describes an accident he had in 2003, in which his vehicle was rear-ended and he was thrown out, burning his face and breaking his neck in two places. “OK, now fast forward to June 27, 2006,” he says, “when we had that severe hailstorm. I had never experienced devastation like that.” After going out to assess the damage, he came back feeling utterly dejected and defeated—not to mention scared. “Dominic was only a few months old then. When he saw me, he said, ‘Dada!’ That lifted my countenance. And then my wife said, ‘We’ll be OK. It’s not a broken neck.’”

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| Dean and Ivellise and the kids

He pauses, letting the sheer strength of Ivellise’s faith sink in.“That was the hardest season,” Dean goes on, “and it taught us so much. We couldn’t have learned what we did if the conditions had been perfect. Perspective is really a wonderful thing. It helps you appreciate the hard times, as well—maybe the hard times even more!”

Dean and Ivellise home school their four kids. Alongside the regular curriculum, there are lots of extras. Each child plays the violin (Nathan performs as the youngest member of the Symphony Orchestra of Albuquerque). “Music is something they can do together,” says Ivelisse. “It builds their relationship as siblings. They all work with a regular teacher, but the older two also give the younger two daily lessons.”

Home schooling at Schwebach Farm is year-round. “Nathan and Ellysia were little etymologists from a very young age,” says Dean.

“So much is hands-on,” agrees Ivelisse.

In the farm store, for instance, the kids figure customers’ change without a calculator and count it back to them. All the children participate in processing vegetables and can make their own kraut. Last year, Ellysia submitted canned peaches and raspberry jam at the state and county fairs. The older two are very nurturing of their younger siblings, carrying Addie around, helping build a playhouse.

“We’re thankful to be good stewards,” Dean says. Their main concern for their children is that they grow up with strong characters, good work ethics, contributing to their community.

Whether they decide to become farmers is up to them. “They know it’s a hard life, but it’s good,” says Dean. “But we don’t want to push them into a corner.”

Ivellise, born in Puerto Rico and raised in Los Angeles and Albuquerque, feels fortunate to be able to give their kids this opportunity. “As a city girl, I didn’t get to experience my childhood this way, out playing in the dirt.” And there are such good stories, she adds, happening every day around a farm. Like the bear cub up in a tree, right over there, which Dominic thrills to tell. Addie, eyes wide, describes a bull snake winding its way around the living room as she was putting her violin away. Ellysia describes getting to sit with a friend, bushel baskets at their sides, visiting for hours as together they pick vegetables, laugh and sing.

Nathan loves running the tractor for cultivation. And weeding.

“It’s like a reward,” he says with all sincerity, “getting to see the plants emerge from the forest of weeds.”

Dominic, not to be outdone, enthuses about driving and steering the tractor, “and learning how to make stuff. I’m making a tow truck out of wood, with a hammer and nails and saws and a drill. Tuesdays I get to make stuff—Wednesdays is driving hour!”

Addie, asked what she loves about the farm, yells out, “Eating!”

These responses—lusty, full of enthusiasm, originality and joy—clearly illustrate a honing of not just skills and passion for the land, as handed down by the Schwebach ancestors, but a widening and deepening sense of purpose, as well. From dad to four-year-old daughter, this family acknowledges the hard work, drought and other inescapable setbacks of farming; they’re a given.

But from their perspective, one steeped in appreciation, those very obstacles, and the unshakable faith that they will inevitably not just survive but thrive, nonetheless, are what make the overall experience exhilarating.

The Schwebach Farm Stand is located at 807 Martinez Road in Moriarty. Go to www.schwebachfarm.com to see their time schedule and schedule of farmers’ markets that they are at.

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VINTAGE Albuquerque

Chef Chris Pope Zinc Wine Bar and Bistro

s t o r y b y K AT E G E RW I N

Every year Zinc Wine Bar and Bistro hosts the opening night festivities of Vintage Albuquerque with a wine dinner featuring the Honorary Wine Chair of the festival and a visiting guest chef. This year is no different, and Chef Chris Pope is preparing for the dinner with Harry Peterson-Nedry, founder of world-renowned Chehalem Vineyards, and guest Cathy Whims, chef at Nostrana, in Portland, Oregon. Chef Cathy, a five-time consecutive James Beard Award finalist, whose quest is to offer historically-based, authentic dishes that celebrate a sense of place and a local producer’s passion, is the perfect pairing for the Oregon-based vineyard.

No stranger to the region’s wines, Chef Cathy is clearly qualified to handle the task of blowing the local Albuquerque food community’s minds by taking them on a trip to Oregon, via the marriage of the food and wine. With Chef Chris Pope at her side, she is executing a menu she designed to showcase the wines of Chehalem, a winery known for its unconventional philosophy. “We do not always follow the industry norms or market trends, comments Peterson-Nedry.

“We look for deftness and elegance in Pinot Noirs at a time when black, opaque, extracted and heavily wooded wines are the norm. That we crop-thin Pinot Gris as aggressively as Pinot Noir and look for optimal ripeness, such that it is harvested after Pinot Noir, indicates an almost obsessive attention to detail.”

When many wineries shy away from varietals like Riesling, which is (unfortunately) known for the overly ripe and sweet wines they can produce in warmer climates, Chehalem recognizes the noble varietal for the complexity and acidity it produces when cultivated in a cool climate. The resulting white wine reflects the site and climate, just as Pinot Noir does for red.

As the kickoff event for Vintage Albuquerque, this particular dinner is always sold out early, and this year, no doubt, Duke City food lovers will be scrambling to enjoy a night of magic, boasting artisanal wines paired with the cuisine of a famous guest chef.

Zinc Wine Bar and Bistro is located at 3009 Central Avenue NE in Albuquerque. 505.254.9462.

Chef Ryan Hallum Marcello’s Chophouse A step outside what you would expect from a steakhouse, Marcello’s Chophouse has chosen to pair up with Adelsheim Vineyards, one of Oregon’s founding wineries known for its elegant Old World –style Pinot Noirs. Ryan Hallum, executive chef at the Chophouse, is up to the task of pairing the bright, graceful wines with the typically rich and fullflavored dishes that emerge from his kitchen.

“The fun, —and most challenging —part for me is comparing and contrasting flavors to really fine-tune both the wine and the food. “We really want them both to shine, [for] the sum to be greater than each part.” Chef Ryan has nailed the concept when it comes to food-and-wine pairing. A chef must design a dish that enhances the wine and the food, forming the perfect marriage; one is not better without the other.

Adelsheim Vineyards is located in the Chehalem Mountains, a highly respected and sought-after winemaking region of Oregon (also at the highest point within the Willamette Valley region), producing wines with a backbone of acidity, which when combined with round structural tannins gives the wines liveliness and ageability. Ryan plans to “take the growing region into consideration,” adding that “the theme of this dinner is compare and contrast, pairing each dish to the lighter reds and slightly acidic whites of this region.”

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VINTAGE Albuquerque

Chef Ryan Hallum has been nominated for the New Mexico Restaurant Association’s Best Chef honors and loves to speak through his food. When asked to tell something unique about himself he simply replied “Come to the dinner; hopefully, there you will find a multi-coursed answer.”

Marcello’s Chophouse is at 2201 Q Street in Albuquerque. 505.837.2467.

Chef Chris Olsen Prairie Star Restaurant and Wine Bar Chef Chris Olsen, of Prairie Star Restaurant and Wine Bar, says he has “a personal connection with every bottle of wine I open.” Chris comes from a from a line of farmers and home cooks, and the pairing of his style of cuisine with the wines of Robert Keenan Winery—a handcrafted, solar-powered, sustainably farmed property of small production award-winning wines—was a natural combination. The Napa Valley Winery nestled in the highelevation Mayacamas Mountains, focuses on three varietals: Chardonnay, Cabernet and Merlot. An impressive 47 wines in the last nine vintages were awarded 90-97 points by Robert Parker.

With his menu still in the works, Chris has decided on a safari theme for the dinner. Beyond that, what’s to come is a surprise. He’ll be tasting and learning about the flavor profiles of the Keenan wines, then sourcing fresh ingredients to enhance the enjoyment of each one, while adding a safari twist.

“I started cooking in restaurants at age 15. “I continue to learn every day, so I didn’t just magically learn to cook. It’s all about learning and growing your palate. The more you taste and the more you play and have fun in the kitchen, the more you learn. It’s an ongoing process.” And this lighthearted chef from Sioux City, Iowa, takes play very seriously, indeed. He isn’t even embarrassed that he sings in the shower. He is, however, embarrassed by the songs he sings, which he declined to share with us. Perhaps by attending Prairie Star’s Vintage Albuquerque wine dinner, we can persuade him to change his tune!

Prairie Star Restaurant is located at 288 Prairie Star Road in Santa Ana Pueblo. 505.867.3327.

Chef Paul Mandigo Seasons The laid-back style with which Paul Mandigo of Season’s Rotisserie and Grill approaches his life and work stands in sharp contrast to the intense demeanor of most chefs. The self-proclaimed hippie rolls with the punches and says he rarely wears shoes outside of work; in fact, he once spent an entire summer barefoot, due in part to his tendency to lose his shoes and sandals. “My spirit animal is a manatee,” says Paul. “It’s a good fit for me, nice and mellow.”

But when it comes to his passion, Chef Paul is on top of the game. The executive chef has been with Seasons for six years and has a reputation for producing rustic and classic cuisine allowing the individual ingredients to shine. He’s designing a meal to complement the wines of Oregon’s Willamette Valley Vineyards, named one of the Top 100 Wineries in the World by Wine & Spirits Magazine. Willamette Valley Vineyards sustainably grows coolclimate varietals and crafts smooth, graceful wines. The match between Seasons’ and Willamette Valley Vineyards is a fitting one; like Chef Paul, winemaker Don Crank is also known for his easygoing nature and deep passion for sustainability.

The soothing energy of both of these artists is conveyed through the food and wine they create, and the pairing of Chef Paul’s food and Don’s wines is highly anticipated. As a resident Albuquerque foodie told me, “Season’s Rotisserie is one of my favorite restaurants for great food without pretentiousness, and Willamette Valley Vineyards is one of my go-to wines. This is the dinner that made the top of my list.” No surprise there, I have a feeling he’s not the only one.

Seasons Restaurant is located at 2031 Mountain Road NW in Albuquerque. 505.766.5100.

Chef Jonathan Perno Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm It’s no surprise that Chef Jonathan Perno of Los Poblanos is a strong advocate of the farm -to -table philosophy and the Slow Food movement—the Historic Inn and Organic Farm is known for it’s lavender and produce farm located off Rio Grande Boulevard in Albuquerque. Chef Jonathan, a native New Mexican chef, studied at the

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California Culinary Academy, worked under world famous chefs such as Wolfgang Puck and Alain Rondelli, and has even studied organic raised-bed farming techniques. Now he is scouring local farms for the perfect match of ingredients to pair with the wines of Kenwood Vineyards. This sustainability focused winery has been growing grapes on their land for over 140 years, making it an ideal match for the restaurant at Los Poblanos, which grows the majority of the ingredients used in their cuisine.

Chef Jonathan hasn’t finish the menu planning for his dinner, due to his “whatever looks best at the time” approach to hand-selecting his ingredients. The best ingredients create the best meals and Chef Jonathan looks to stay local and fresh, accomplished with the on-property organic farming of Los Poblanos and its relationships with other local farmers.

Kenwood Vineyards is a certified green winery, and, along with the multitude of recognition they have received for their conscious effort to reduce their carbon footprint, they are also known for producing classic wine varietals. Their Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon has earned the reputation of producing consistent, quality wines. of consistent quality. Chef Jonathan Perno’s approach and passion for food is sure to make the Kenwood wines shine.

Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm is located at 4803 Rio Grande Boulevard NW in Albuquerque. 505.344.9297.

Chef Myles Lucero Savoy Bar and Grill Chef Myles Lucero, of Savoy Bar and Grill is like a kid in a candy store. He will be choosing wines from Majestic Fine Wines, which boasts a portfolio featuring wines from both New World and Old World growing regions. This will enable him to focus on his philosophy of food and find the wines that will harmonize with the dishes. “I try to form some sort of connection to each wine,” Chef Myles explains, “whether that be a winery I have visited, that the wine itself has triggered a memory, or even as little as it having a flavor profile or smell of something I have eaten before. Creating a connection with the wine helps in the menu planning process.”

Chef Myles has the opportunity to hand-select wines and design dishes using local produce, meat, seeds and grains. He explains the process: “It starts with a little research, some tasting time and planning what will be available from our local purveyors and farmers that we partner with, and finally developing some interesting flavor profiles that may contrast [with] or complement the different wines.”

Myles wants Savoy to be known for its fresh, high-quality products, and he is creating the wine dinner’s theme based on that philosophy.

Especially important to the chef is the garden in the back of Savoy, which not only provides produce but also gives his staff and guests a better understanding of food.

The avid pizza lover and Muay Thai kickboxer loves spending time off in his own garden at home, allowings him to connect more with the food he works with and learning about all the stages of plant growth, from seed to maturity. With his ability to select wines from a wide range of styles and regions, Chef Myles promises to entertain the palates of wine dinner guests across the board.

Savoy Bar and Grill is located at 10601 Montgomery Boulevard NE in Albuquerque. 505 294.9463.

Chef Claus Hjortkjaer Le Café Miche When Le Café Miche reopened in its new downtown Albuquerque location, the popular French country-style eatery happily welcomed back Denmark-born Chef Claus Hjortkjaer after a five-year hiatus. Soon after, Vintage Albuquerque reached out to Claus in hope of securing his talents for a wine dinner. Lucky for all of us, Chef Claus said yes and is now creating a dining experience that showcases the wines of Oregon’s Sineann Winery. This small producer offers highly intense single-vineyard wines made from low crop levels to ensure that the best characteristics of the varietal and terroir shine through.

Winemaker Peter Rosback (who is, incidentally, one of the most entertaining and charismatic winemakers with whom I have had the pleasure of hosting a dinner) produces robust and aggressive red wines, in contrast to most Oregon wineries. Chef Claus, who was the founder and first bailli of the Albuquerque chapter of the Châine des Rôtisseurs (a international gastronomic society founded in Paris in 1950), is well experienced in preparing elegantly matched food-and-wine pairings, and says that his first step “will be to talk to the winemaker.”

“I like to talk to them about how they perceive the wine, then taste it and experiment with specific pairings depending on the tannin levels and flavor profiles of the wine. If the wine has a lot of oak, big tannins and eucalyptus, I look for a big protein and will usually grill it.” The wine lover claims he “loves to cook with wine,” deadpanning that, occasionally, he will “even put it in the food.”

Chef Claus is not at all concerned about being a last-minute addition to the lineup. “To me, all I have to do is taste the wine and prepare a dish to enhance the wines flavors, and the wine will in turn enhance the food,” he says. “They go hand in hand.” Based on his reputation and years of experience, I have no doubt that Chef Claus will more than rise to the occasion.

Le Café Miche is located at 228 Gold Avenue SW in Albuquerque. 505.314.1111.

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Chef Pat Keene Artichoke Cafe

Farm & Table creates seasonal dishes made from scratch with ingredients sourced from our on-site farm and these local farms, growers, ranchers & artisans from across New Mexico

Artichoke Cafe has been part of the backbone of Albuquerque’s food scene since 1989, when it opened under the direction of Pat Keene, who at the time was the only female chef in Albuquerque. “I loved the challenge of being the only woman in the kitchen,” she says, “since in corporate America women were not the ones running the show.” Pat first learned to cook from her Italian mother and grandmother, and after working in corporate offices and having her first child, she decided to embark on a second career path and attend the New York Restaurant School, in Manhattan.

Chef Pat is excited to be paired up with Robert Sinskey Vineyards for the Vintage Albuquerque wine dinner. “We love the fact that they are a family winery (like we are a family restaurant) and they are biodynamic,” she explains. She is designing the menu around fresh local foods that are available at the end of June—and, of course, that complement Sinskey’s wines.

Robert Sinskey Vineyards, which has had the same winemaker for over 20 years (similar to Pat’s own tenure at Artichoke), strongly believes in positioning wine as part of the overall culinary experience. At the winery, all of the wines are, wherever possible, served with food.

Pat, who is inspired by the legendary Alice Waters, is just the right chef to create a dinner for Robert Sinskey Vineyards.

The winery has a Perfect Circle wine program, where five percent of the profit of all qualifying wines goes to nonprofit organizations that either educate youth about organic agriculture, preserve heirloom agricultural ways or develop sustainable farm energy programs. Given that Waters’ Edible Schoolyard Program, which teaches children about the origins of their food, is a regular recipient of proceeds from Perfect Circle, the pairing of Chef Pat Keene and Robert Sinskey Vineyards, itself, forms a perfect circle.

Sol Harvest Farm (Our on-site farm) Agri-Cultura Lemitar Green Chile Farm Akin Farm Losack Farms Amyo Farms Marble Brewery ARCA Organics Milagro Vineyards Beneficial Farms Moore Family Farms Blackstone Ranch Nepantla Farms Honey Farm Old Windmill Dairy B's Hone Carrizozo Orchard Organic Del-Valle Casa Rondeña Preferred Produce Chispas Rasband Dairy East Mountain Organics Rio Grande Community Fair Field Farmer Farms Four Daughters' Ranch Rosales Produce Sabroso Fresh Produce ABQ Sab Fr Gemini Farms Sage bakehouse Granja Para Manana Sangre de Cristo Organic Growing Opportunities Schweback Farm Gruet Winery Simply Honey Heidi’s Raspberry Farm SKarsgard Farms Henry’s Farm St. Francis Farms Hip Chik Farms Sungreen Living Foods Hobo Ranch Swans' Garden King Orchard Sweet Grass Beef Kyzer Farm Talus Wind Ranch La Cumbre Brewing Co. Tamaya La Montanita Co-op Taos Pueblo La Paloma Greenhouse Tucumcari Mountain Cheese Factory Che Le Quiche Vida Verde Farm

The Artichoke Café is located at 424 Central Avenue SE in Albuquerque. 505.243.0200.

to our local farms, growers, ranchers & artisans.

See page 3 for a complete listing of Vintage Albuquerque events.

8917 4th St NW

Albuquerque, NM 87114

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505.503.7124 Farmandtablenm.com

Dinner: Wed-Sat open at 5pm Brunch: sat-sun 9am-2pm

African & Caribbean Cuisine Chef-Owner - Ahmed Obo

So what’s the buzz about? Flavor, to put it simply, the combination of spices, meat and veggies, of sweet and tangly, fiery are subtle.”

– Albuquerque Journal

e m o S t e Come & G

e v o L o b m a J 2010 Cerrillos Road (near Hobby Lobby) Santa Fe (505) 473-1269 www.jambocafe.net Monday - Saturday 11:00 am - 9:00 pm • Closed Sunday

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Taos

In our regular column, Tania Casselle introduces us to the people who make Taos hum. In this issue we meet two gardening gals who put up new shoots this year.

Kirry Nelson Kirry Nelson’s longtime dream came true this spring, but not without a little help from friends. Nelson and her two partners raised more than $21,000 in 30 days, by Indiegogo crowdfunding, to open Blossoms and Sprouts Farm on the site of the former Blossoms garden center. “We had a lot of local support,” says Nelson.

“People were really excited about that old space.”

The farm store is now open on weekend afternoons, and Nelson has plans for summer farm-to-table dinners, with music events, workshops and classes also in the pipeline. “We want it to be a venue for sustainable food growing and an educational center eventually.”

It’s a long way from her childhood home in urban Kansas City. “My grandma always had a garden; we strung a lot of beans with her as kids,” she remembers. But it wasn’t until Nelson was 18, when she visted an off-the-grid Arkansas farm, that she discovered permaculture. She later decided to study it.

“I got really hooked on gardening. It felt like a mission in life to grow good food and share it with others.

It was an avenue for self-discovery too. Having grown up in a city, it was a bridge into wilderness, in a way.”

She came to Taos in 1999 to see a friend at Lama Foundation. “I fell in love with Lama after spending a week there. I was young and free and all that stuff.” A month later she was back at Lama for a permaculture internship. Then she stayed.

In her free time she sometimes sings backup for bands and also enjoys getting out into “the glory of the mountains and the wilderness” for a hike or what she modestly calls “a little rock climbing.” (That means climbing up a 60- to 80-foot rope at Tres Piedras.)

Nelson is the 2013 business manager at Taos Farmers’ Market, and the farm will sell its produce there, too. Although amazed at the response to Blossoms and Sprouts, she believes it’s partly due to a greater understanding of industrial agriculture—”how it’s effecting everything: environmentally, economically, socially. People are more aware of where their food comes from.”

Blossoms and Sprouts Farm’s grand opening event is June 15. 118 State Road 240, Ranchos de Taos. 575-7378028. www.blossomsandsproutsfarm.com. s t o r y b y TA N I A C A S S E L L E

Nan Fischer

photos by LENNY FOSTER

Nan Fischer got the idea to start the Taos Seed Exchange this year from a Facebook post about seed-sharing stations. She thought “This is cool,” and then she did it. Now she’s got five stations in Taos area stores. The seed barter system—take some, leave some—offers gardeners a wide and changing variety of seeds, while helping to support local strains that could otherwise disappear.

“Two hundred hours and $200,” says Fischer. “That’s what it took me to get started on the seed exchange. The big expense is envelopes! I planned to keep it small and manageable, but it just snowballed. I also got seed donations from seed companies—all organic, open-pollinated and non-GMO.” Fischer used to live in New Hampshire. “The winter of ‘87 back there was horrible. It pushed me over the edge.” A friend gave her $500 and said, “Take a road trip!” So she went to Arizona and drove home via Taos. “I just passed through and thought ‘Ah, this is fabulous!’ And I came back later that year. When you’re doing the right thing, it all just comes together.”

At first she stayed at “a little hippie camp on the road to the John Dunn Bridge, with a big community kitchen hidden down by the river.” Then she hung out at New Buffalo, before putting down roots and raising a family. “I’ve done my fair share of hippie stuff!”

Fischer worked as a landscaper then a real estate agent, becoming the first certified EcoBroker in Taos County. “Real estate was a lot of fun,” she says, adding that she mentally redesigns every house she walks into. “The whole home and garden thing was what real estate was about for me. It wasn’t sales, it was home!” Now she writes a blog about green building, gardening and lifestyle for a Canadian company.

“What I’m noticing over the last several years is that people are growing their own food more and more, people you thought would never want to get dirty.” Fischer is inspired by the Taos Seed Exchange success to even bigger ideas for 2014. Be careful what you post on Facebook!

Find information on Taos Seed Exchange and store stations at www.facebook.com/TaosSeedExchange

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A Taste of Life in New Mexico

JUNE 2013

23

Dr.Field

| Chef Josh Gerwin

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Goods

| Homemade Italian goat sausage with house pickled red onions and homemade mozzarella magazine.com

story by JOHN VOLLERTSEN photos by KITTY LEAKEN

I

t takes a certain amount of bravado to go into the restaurant business in these days of economic zaniness.

Chutzpah and big cojones are two other valuable traits that help a chef and restaurateur navigate the crowded waters of our local restaurant scene. Josh Gerwin of Dr. Field Goods proudly displays both in his hotter-than-hot storefront eatery tucked in a nondescript strip mall on Cerrillos Road. Gerwin’s menu and ambience are anything but nondescript, from the rollicking rock and roll on the sound system to standout dishes like carne adovada stuffed egg rolls and patatas bravas--fried potatoes smothered in green chile aioli and gooey Cheddar cheese. If you’re there on the right day, you can watch Gerwin butcher a pig or a goat in the open kitchen.

The talented chef exhibits a take-no-prisoners attitude; he’s putting it all out there and leaving it up to the customers to decide if they like what he’s doing. Judging from the numbers, Gerwin has tapped into something Santa Fe never realized it’s been missing. While downtown restaurants hold their breath to see what the summer season will bring, Dr. Field Goods has been packing them in.

Gerwin certainly looks the part. Tattooed and sporting a reddish elongated soul patch, the 30-something chef exudes cocky selfassurance while maintaining great regard for his clientele and his industry. Although he graduated at the top of his class from the New England Culinary Institute and spent a good portion of his career in the fine dining arena, Gerwin seems equally comfortable in this casual setting—the fun he is having spills over in to his cooking.

Gerwin’s résumé includes a diploma from Santa Fe High, business school in Durango, a culinary degree and cooking gigs in Southern California and Scottsdale. What put him on the New Mexico map was a three-year stint at Casa Vieja in Corrales, which brought him kudos and acclaim, including Albuquerque’s Best Chef award from the Alibi. Sadly, the 300-year-old adobe that housed Casa Vieja suffered crippling structural damage in August of 2011, forcing the young chef to close just as he was hitting his stride. Undeterred, Gerwin packed up his knives and did some consulting. He also joined the rising food-truck craze, building a local following with his Curbside Café.

Fans of his mobile business seem to be providing a good customer base for his stationary endeavor, and judging from the night I first dined there, these devotees are quickly becoming a loyal crowd. After thoroughly enjoying a dinner where I sampled almost the entire menu, I am eager to meet the man behind what felt like a new dining phenomenon. So on a balmy May afternoon I sit down with Gerwin to try to ascertain whence comes this culinary swagger.

“I love that from the patio here you can see the mountains and Baldy,” he begins. “I have a restaurant with mountain views in a strip mall!”

I inquire how he came up with the name; rock and roll fans may recognize the reference to the Mötley Crüe album Dr. Feelgood.

“When I was planning the food truck,” he says, “I went to a designer who took some of my ideas and played with it. We wanted it to be fun and catchy. Another name we kicked around was Gourmet a Go-Go. After having the food truck and continuing to talk about doing another restaurant, my sister finally said, ‘Go do another fricking restaurant.’ My dad works with the company that operates this plaza, so we looked at the space, which needed a lot of work, and started the project. I pretty much built the whole thing—counter, tables, everything.”

I ask Gerwin to explain his eclectic menu. “I call it New Mexico Fusion. Some of the dishes on this menu I had developed for the food truck. The menu is all about who I am and how I cook. We make everything from scratch; anything I can make myself I do. I feel that sustainable is important, maybe even more so than organic. It’s my personal belief. I know my farmers; I know where every ingredient comes from. I do shop at the farmers’ market; our chicken enchiladas are 98% locally sourced products. I bring in a whole pig, which I break down and use every single part of it. I do the same with the goat for the goat torta. It has the roasted meat and goat cheese on it, but I also make an aioli from the rendered goat fat. By using everything, I think you’re helping sustain the food chain.”

What’s his favorite dish? “I wanted to create the perfect New Mexican Sandwich, so I put together pulled pork done with a dry green chile rub, added sharp Cheddar and topped it with an apple-jicama slaw. It’s my favorite on the menu and probably our most popular.”

A few times during our interview, when expounding on certain aspects of his business beliefs, Gerwin notes, “I don’t want to come off as over-confident.” He does exude a definite take-it-or-leave-it assertiveness, but it plays to me as passion rather than bluster.

“My goal here is to be the best. I laugh, because our demographic seems to run from college kids to folks on oxygen. I planned the business to give me more time for my family. I’m a single dad and have a six-and-a-half-year-old daughter named Savannah. I can make the sauces during the day, and, because I have a great sous chef and staff, I can be home evenings. I have to really thank my family for helping me make this happen. I couldn’t do it without them.”

Does he miss the fine dining world? “Fine dining is very stressful—I wanted to have some fun. No more swirling sauces from a squeeze bottle. I want this place to be like the bar in Cheers. I have five beers on tap that no one else has. The music we play is the music I like. It’s sort of a sports bar theme, I guess. I’m going for a younger audience, because I am a younger audience.”

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What does he tell the older downtown crowd that asks for the music to be turned down? “Well, I explain that we do have a good mix of rock and roll streaming, and that it’s part of the scene. I do think we’ve wrapped up a few dinners to go, though!” he says with a mischievous grin.

Any plans to expand his kingdom? “Well, you can be one of the first to know: I’m taking the food truck out to the outlet mall. We should be open by Memorial Day. In other cities, there is a cool late-night dining scene for folks that work in the restaurant industry. I hope to develop that here down the track. I kinda feel like I’ve come full circle.

I actually worked in this exact building in high school, when it was a Blimpies.”

In researching this story I discovered that Dr. Field Goods has a ten-patty burger competition you can arrange with the chef, where winners get a tee shirt that says, “I Beat the Meat.” Losers of the consume-in-an-hour race will wear one home that says, “The Meat Beat Me.” There’s also a customer loyalty program that offers regulars discounts and savings––but no rowdy tee shirts.

Facebook and Yelp are full of praises for Gerwin’s joint.

My favorite is from an enthusiastic blogger who writes, “F-ing epic! Support this guy [Josh]he is doing something well. I’ve been in Santa Fe a long time and this has to be the best meal in years. Will be coming back to see what else he has in store.”

At Dr. Field Goods we are witnessing an energetic new breed of culinarian. I couldn’t put it better myself. F-ing epic indeed!

Dr. Field Goods is located at 2860 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe. 505.471.0043.

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A Taste of Life in New Mexico

JUNE 2013

27

Grana

Para Mañana D

aniel Webster once said, “Let us not forget that the cultivation of the earth is the most important labor of man. When tillage begins, other arts will follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of civilization.” This is the belief lived by Jedrek Lamb, proprietor of Grana Para Mañana (Farm for Tomorrow) in Bosque Farms.

| Jedrek Lamb

s t o r y b y K E L LY K O E P K E photos by GABRIELLA MARKS

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Lamb had a vision of what he wanted to grow on his grandparents’ fallow half-acre in October 2011. And it is that vision that sustains him today. The vision goes beyond that harvest season or this one. It extends into the near and far future. It encompasses more than land. It includes family, friends, high school students and even those of us who simply stand at farmers’ markets or sit at restaurant tables waiting to consume the fruits of his labor. (“That kale was ours,” he notes after I apologize for the wafting odor of anchovy present during our interview, courtesy of a Caesar salad from Vinaigrette.)

The Albuquerque Academy alumnus, formerly a computer geek and political operative, discovered farming about five years ago. Since then, he says, “Everything has fallen into my lap. All I need to do is sweat. It’s my moral obligation, too, as an example to others.”

Disillusionment with the governmental system—and the desire for a more direct connection with the land and people—led him to La Plazita Institute five years ago. This not-for-profit group operates under the idea that culture heals, and all its programs draw from traditional New Mexico values and experiences. Lamb’s introduction to the farming life came from growing vegetables and fruit at the certified organic La Plazita Gardens in Albuquerque’s South Valley and bringing them to the public schools, La Montanita Co-op and local restaurants through the AgriCultura Network (ACN).

| Kimberly Barnett

Or should I say reintroduction? Lamb comes from farm stock. His grandmother grew up farming in Belen, and his grandfather did the same in Virginia. Lamb’s mother is one of three daughters raised with acres of alfalfa and livestock in Bosque Farms, of which Grana Para Mañana is part. It’s the same land he now farms with his fiancée, Kimberly Barnett, her four-year old daughter, Chelsea and his brother Jonathan.

And sweat he does. Not only is Lamb working the earth, he’s the owner/manager of the weekly Northeast Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market at the Albuquerque Academy. He’s a founding member of the Albuquerque Growers’ Market Alliance (the umbrella organization for the Duke City’s markets) and a board member of the New Mexico Farmers’ Market Association.

“If I’m going to do something,” he says, “I get involved all the way.

Plus, I like my focus diverse, and [I] like the many aspects of all these organizations.” So much for everything falling into his lap. Lamb is definitely an example of persistence paying off, of recognizing and taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves.

He and Kimberly met at an organic farming conference. She’s a sustainable studies student at the University of New Mexico who is also actively involved in the growing and sale of Grana’s produce. She and Lamb, who will be married June 22, received a gift of farmland from her parents, which they’ve added to Grana’s acreage.

Though growing food is a far cry from getting out the vote or advising a political campaign, many of the same skills apply, Lamb says.

“What I was doing before, community organizing and voter registration initiatives, even lobbying, are similar to the marketing I’m doing now through the farm, the farmers’ markets and Agri-Cultura Network. But if I was going to sell my soul, which I felt like I was on the brink of doing then, I thought I could always do it later. I was feeling really detached from reality in those jobs. The farm literally attaches me to the earth.”

Earth is attached to Lamb’s person during our interview; the elements have already ingrained themselves in his face and hands in the form of sun and windburn. His faded blue eyes evidence a farmer’s squint under his tattered straw hat.

Agri-Cultura Network plays a big part in the achievement of Lamb’s ultimate goals of employing more friends and family on the farm and continuing to expand the Northeast Market (eventually to be run by the students of Albuquerque Academy). A shade structure is planned in the coming years for the mid-week market to encourage shoppers to hang out the way they do Downtown and in Nob Hill.

Agri-Cultura brokers the produce of 12 local farms (Grana is one) in the Albuquerque area. A project of three non-profits (La Plazita Institute, E-merging Communities and Valle Encantado), ACN recently received a grant from Presbyterian to subsidize it’s CSA program, La Cosecha, so low-income families can get a produce share each week for only $5.

ACN also provides jobs growing, cleaning and processing food.

What else can we expect from Grana this season, besides the aforementioned kale? Several varieties of lettuce and spinach, sorrel, chard, cabbage, carrots, beets, radishes, turnips, cucumbers, eggplant, collards, mustard, garlic, leeks, okra, peas, herbs and sunflowers—not to mention 12 types of tomatoes and 14 kinds of peppers. At peak, about 2000 pounds of vegetables will find their way weekly from Bosque Farms into the local food chain via the farmers’ markets, La Montanita Co-op, La Cosecha and local restaurants.

That is, after Lamb cleans up the debris in his front yard. The drainage ditch levee broke and flooded his and Kimberly’s yard in early May. “We got up one morning and there it was,” he says, laughing.

Strange to think of a flood in our extreme drought conditions–– though Lamb has thoughts on that, too. “I hope the drought inspires others to decrease water waste like lawns. Grow food instead,” he advises.

“At least then you get a benefit from using the little water we have.”

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Grana Para Mañana Clearly, Lamb enjoys challenges, and a drought is one of them, though he also thinks it is an opportunity to learn more about the agricultural methods of those who were here hundreds and thousands of years ago. “Albuquerque [has been] in a historical wet period over the last 400 years, despite this drought.

But we’ve covered the land with concrete and stopped growing food here. So there’s no capturing of the water in the soil. There’s no river flooding, either.”

Another challenge Lamb faces is the aging farmer population of the state. The average age of farmers in New Mexico is 60. Lamb hopes that his passion, hard work and collecting of resources will encourage other young people to see that growing food is a viable career that can support a family.

He says there’s a lot to learn from our elders and from other farmers.

“That’s what I learned at La Plazita and through the Agri-Cultura Network,” he says. “That there is a way to earn a living that reconnects us to nature, that allows us to be part of a system that’s larger than ourselves and that challenges us to adapt. Technology is great, but we’ve gone away from technology being a tool to being an end in itself. We don’t need to abandon technology to be grounded, which is part of why I became a farmer.”

Using technology (such as websites and Facebook) to educate customers is an activity that Lamb does well. Actually talking to them at farmers’ markets— seeing the families involved and sharing wisdom gleaned from years in the field—is what puts a glint into those faded blue eyes.

The folks from Grana Par Manaña are at the Nob Hill market on Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Downtown market Saturdays 7 a.m. to noon, and the NE Heights market on Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

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Buckin’Bee

stor y by BARRY FIELDS photos by AMIEL GERVERS

S

teve Wall, beekeeper and owner of Buckin’ Bee in Santa Fe, is explaining the mechanics and mysteries of bee colonies while pollen-bearing insects swarm around us like fighter pilots. “I’m never relaxed,” he tells me, but he’s pretty laid back in the midst of a dozen bee hives with active colonies. I’m trying to appear nonchalant about the whole thing, but the incessant buzzing of countless bees is disconcerting, especially when they do fly-bys next to my ears. Wall teaches beekeeping and queen-rearing, he continues, and in the past three years, with three classes a year of 15 students each, no one has gotten stung.

Why not? “I keep very gentle bees,” he explains. The key is the queen, who in season lays up to 2000 eggs a day. If the bees are too aggressive, “I change the queen and change the genetics. If she has aggressive genes, then all her offspring will have aggressive genes.”

They don’t look so gentle to me. He approaches a hive that was destroyed in a late-season freeze and begins taking it apart to show me the propolis and the comb made by the former colony. Renegade bees have taken it over, and they surround us as he calmly points out components of the hive and how bees use different sized spaces. I’m nervously taking notes, wondering if we should be wearing protection. Clearly, he’s in his element. I’m not. If there’s someone not relaxed around here, it’s me.

A couple of years after earning a degree in horticulture in his native Oklahoma, Wall moved to Dallas, where he worked in horticulture for some 15 years. Around the time he was getting bored with it, a landscaping client gave him an empty hive, and the client’s friend gave him a hive with a colony in it. “I was ready for something new,” he explains. “I have an insatiable curiosity about nature. I’ve always been interested in biology.” Still, beekeeping was initially just an interesting hobby.

| Steve Wall, beekeeper and owner of Buckin’ Bee

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His first colony was devastated by Varroa mites, a major pest for beekeepers. The following spring he joined a bee raising club and started another two colonies. Next winter they both died again. Undaunted, he bought more bees in the spring, but this time treated them with chemicals to get rid of mites, and the bees survived. He bought another 15 hives from a man who mentored him for a year, adding immensely to his knowledge. “I also read every book I could lay my hands on,” he notes. The bees produced so much honey he began selling it at a Dallas farmers’ market.

Wall and his wife, who was earning a good living with an art frame shop, adopted a child and in 2001 moved to Santa Fe, viewing it as a better environment in which to raise their daughter. By then he had 24 colonies and brought them with him. He figured he’d work in construction or landscaping, but when he began selling his honey at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, he realized there was a demand for hive products. He began making a few taper candles, and every week he’d sell out of them and his honey. He bought stock candle molds of a Buddha and an angel, and when they proved successful, found an artist who taught him how to make silicone molds.

Over the years the number of colonies increased, and Wall now has 100 of them. If that sounds like a lot, he says it still places him in the category of a hobbyist rather than a professional. The largest beekeeper in the United States has some 60,000 colonies.

Wearing an Oklahoma State t-shirt and a wide-brimmed floppy hiking hat, Wall talks with an Oklahoma twang. He has a well-groomed mustache and goatee. It’s a warm spring day, and in the one-acre yard that houses the apiary (bee garden) you wouldn’t think you’re in the heart of Santa Fe. Wall keeps his bees in various places, preferring locations in or near town, since people water their lawns and trees, allowing bees to gather more pollen. In Dallas a hive can produce 120 pounds of honey a year, but in Santa Fe it’s half that. Nonetheless Wall likes northern New Mexican beekeeping. Even if production is lower, killer bees can’t take the cold winters, and for unknown reasons there isn’t much of a mite problem, so he doesn’t have to use chemicals to control them. He shows me a mite, a tiny, shiny oval on a board he’s taken from the renegade colony.

Wall remains captivated by the work “because it’s so challenging. I’m still learning.” He calls bees “fascinating creatures” and claims he’d rather work with bugs than people.

Yet his gentle tone, wide smile and winning manner help make him successful at earning a living by selling his products at the farmers’ market, virtually his only source of income. His bees produce various honeys depending on the season: fruit blossom in the spring, honey locust in early summer, yellow and white clover in June and July, and wildflower, his biggest crop, after that. Each of them has distinct characteristics, and he suggests you think of them as you would singlevineyard wines. The honey he’s selling currently is last season’s wildflower harvest, with deep, rich flavors that linger on the tongue long after you’ve swallowed it.

Honey production may be the cornerstone of Wall’s business, but he’s expanded. He sells propolis, a tree bud resin that bees use to seal up cracks, which is consumed as

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Buckin’Bee an immune booster or for sore throats and fungi like candida. He also sells bee pollen, which is believed to be nutritious and to have positive health benefits. Wall points out that it contains all eight essential amino acids needed for building protein in the human body. He uses beeswax (which bees use to build their honeycombs) to form unscented, naturally colored candles. Mixed with almond oil, beeswax makes a soothing natural lip balm, another product. Although you won’t see them at the farmers’ market, he constructs and sells hives and solar wax melters.

Right now we’re looking at Langstroth hives, named after the man who patented them in 1852, comprised of wood boxes with moveable frames that can be stacked as the colony grows. I’m learning more about bees than I ever thought I’d know, from a master who still considers himself a student, but I feel relief when we finally start walking away.

The bees are following us, however, and continuously fly into us.

“They’re clumsy,” he says. “They don’t see very well.” Which isn’t very comforting. Suddenly, my ears buzzing from the drone of a kamikaze bee and my arms flailing at what seems like a full attack. Whap! I’m stung right in the throat.

“Hold still,” Wall instructs and plucks out the stinger which, he explains, you want to remove as quickly as possible because the venom continues pumping out even after the stinger detaches from the bee.

“People ask if you ever get used to the stings. No, you don’t.” I can see why. After a couple of minutes, my throat is stinging and throbbing as he cheerfully expounds further on the nature of bees and beekeeping.

“It’s not for wimps,” he summarizes.

“You work in 90-degree weather in a bee suit, and there’s plenty of heavy lifting.”

Then, as unruffled as he seems about the assault I’ve just experienced, he adds, “And you have to be able to tolerate the stings.”

+

You can purchase Buckin’ Bee products at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market or go their website, www.buckinbee.com.

>> Bee Keeping Classes

Make a beeline for the web! See what Web Editor Melyssa Holik learned at Steve Wall’s beekeeping class and discover more about beekeeping as a hobby.

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a taste of life in new mexico

Celebrating 20 years of carrying New Mexico’s best selection of natural & organic garden products

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contact Leslie Davis at 505.933.1345 or leslie@localflavomagazine.com

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

JUNE 2013

35

H ungry?

Still s t o r y b y M E LY S S A H O L I K

There is more to farming than soil and seeds. In addition to produce, farmers also bring us milk, honey, eggs, trees, flowers, worms and even fungus! As the Local Flavor staff worked on this year’s Farm and Ranch issue, we reflected on the huge variety of items that are cultivated here. A farmer’s specialty may buzz, wriggle, sprout, walk or swim. We are so blessed in New Mexico to have a thriving agricultural community and markets that offer a dazzling array of fresh produce, as well as more unusual offerings each and every week. With gratitude for those who provide us this bounty, we spoke with growers of a few unique products and got their choice recipes for crisp, fresh and flavorful summertime eats.

Abiquiú Fiesta Spring Salad from Purple Adobe Lavender Farm 4 cups lettuce mix from your favorite farmers’ market ½ cup fresh red peppers, julienned ½ cup fresh gold peppers, julienned ½ cup fresh corn, sliced off the cob 1 cup heirloom tomatoes, cubed 2 cups blue corn crisp tortilla strips ¼ cup roasted pepitas ¼ cup raw cashews ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced 20 medium cooked shrimp Fiesta Salad Dressing juice of ½ fresh lemon juice of ¼ fresh lime olive oil to taste ¼ teaspoon Purple Adobe’s lavender-chile finishing salt In a small bowl whisk together dressing ingredients until it is thoroughly mixed and almost opaque. Add ground black pepper to taste.

Products are available at the Purple Adobe Lavender Farm in Abiquiú, the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market and other area stores. For a complete list of retail locations, visit www. purpleadobelavenderfarm.com. 505.685.0082.

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Photo: Gabriella Marks

Toss dressing with salad ingredients in a large festive bowl. For additional tang finish with a few turns of the lavender-chile finishing salt grinder.

Honey Dijon Dressing from Buckin’ Bee Honey 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar 1/3 cup Dijon mustard 1 cup olive oil ¾ teaspoon salt 3/8 teaspoon curry powder 1 ½ Tablespoons garlic, finely chopped 3 Tablespoons honey (more for a sweeter dressing) Combine all ingredients. Mix well. Store in a salad dressing jar with a tight lid. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Drizzle over green salad or use as a sandwich spread, a topping for chicken or a dipping sauce.

Buckin’ Bee Honey sells honey, pollen, propolis and beeswax products.

They also offer beekeeping classes in Santa Fe and sell top bar hives.

505.989.1197, www.buckinbee.com.

The Ultimate Burger from the Southwest Grassfed Livestock Alliance

Parsley, Lemon and Garlic Mushrooms on Toast from Desert Fungi Farms website 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for spreading 1 medium onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed 12 oz (3 1/2 cups) assorted mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 3 Tablespoons dry sherry 5 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1 Tablespoons lemon juice salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 slices of your favorite bread Melt the butter in a large nonstick pan and gently saute the onion without letting it color. Add the garlic and mushrooms, cover and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the sherry, cook uncovered to evaporate the liquid. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Toast the bread and spread with butter or goat cheese. Spoon the mushrooms over toast and serve.

Recipe from The Practical Mushroom Encyclopedia, by Peter Jordan and Steven Wheeler (Hermes House, 2003). Desert Fungi is a vendor at Santa Fe Farmers’ Market. This recipe and more can be found at www.sites.google.com/site/desertfungi/recipes.

6 oz ground chuck beef per burger oil for brushing grill olives, roasted peppers, caramelized onions (optional) condiments and toppings as desired When you’re using local grassfed beef, the only other thing you need is technique: Be sure that the grill is hot! You should only be able to hold your hand 5 inches above the grill rack for 3 to 5 seconds.

Grassfed beef is naturally low in fat. To avoid a dry burger, add moisture with olives, roasted peppers or caramelized onions Shape the beef into a 4 ½-inch patty. It should be ¾-inch thick on the edges and 1/2-inch thick in the center. Gently press the center to form a small depression.

Grill over medium-high heat for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Flip burgers once and cook for an additional 3 minutes to get a nice crusty exterior and a juicy interior.

Photo: Amiel Gervers

Leave the grill uncovered while the burgers cook. Don’t press on the burgers with your spatula while you are cooking—you’ll squeeze out the juices.

Let it rest! Let the beef sit covered and in a warm place for 8 to 10 minutes after removing from heat to let the juices redistribute.

Ranchers from the Southwest Grassfed Livestock Alliance can be found at most farmers’ markets. www.grassfedlivestock.org.

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

JUNE 2013

37

celebrate the flavor of new mexico!

santa fe ’s premier food event sunday, june 2, 2013 · 10:00 am – 5:00 pm free to new mexico residents at the museum of international folk art

enjoy and explore • Visit the New World Cuisine exhibition • Delicious products for sample and sale • Outdoor horno baking demonstrations • Book fair with New Mexico authors • Cooking demonstrations by Rocky Durham, Executive Chef of the Santa Fe Culinary Academy • Wine and beer tastings at the Museum Hill Café • For more information, visit DeliciousNM.com B y museum admission. New Mexico Residents with i.d. free on Sundays. Youth 16 and under and mnmf members always free.

On Museum Hill in Santa Fe · www.InternationalFolkArt.org · (505) 476-1200

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July 13

&

July 14 | 2013

Join us for the most fragrant event in New Mexico.

Enjoy music, art, antiques, beer and wine garden, winery tours, children’s activities, The Los Ranchos Growers’ Market and so much more.

Serving the Season’s Freshest Ingredients

Los Ranchos de aLbuqueRque | 4920 Rio GRande bLvd.

www.lavenderinthevillage.com Lunch • Dinner • Bar Garden Patio & New Outdoor Bar Lounge Now Open Find us on

and

.

artwork by Ginnie Brown

Reservations 982.4353

653 Canyon Road

compoundrestaurant.com

Receive a 20% discount at the award-winning Spa at Loretto and dining in Luminaria Restaurant & Patio and The Living Room.

505-984-7994 | innatloretto.com/legacyclub

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

JUNE 2013

39

it’s closer than you think..

Local ingredients, served locally. We seek out the freshest, seasonal organic produce, meats and fish.

Then we serve it up with flair and attentive service right in your neighborhood. Join locals supporting locals. Deliciously.

OLD TOWN ALBUQUERQUE 505.766.5100 www.seasonsabq.com

HISTORIC NOB HILL

ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS

505.254.ZINC(9462)

505.294.WINE(9463)

www.zincabq.com

www.savoyabq.com

Cecilia's Organics in Polvadera, NM

ALBUQUERQUE, SANTA FE 505.850.2459 www.tasteabq.com

. .truly local.