Local Flavor October 2012

OCTOBER 2012

Balloon Fiesta Mid-Day Jaunts for Tourists Survival Guide for Locals

Sharing the Harvest A Taste of Life in New Mexico

Santa Fe | Albuquerque | Taos

Maize Maze Craze New Age of Farming

photosantagto.com

LAURA SHEPPHERD ATELIER

Silk jackets, perfect for fall!

65 w. marcy street • santa fe 505.986.1444 • laurasheppherd.com

Bring your out-of-town guests and receive a free gift with a $50.00 purchase

Made Locally, Sold Nationally

BALLOON FIESTA STUDIO SALE

Featuring Balloon Fiesta Limited Collectibles All merchandise will be attractively discounted 25%-75% off!

Sale Dates & Hours Friday, October 5 to Sunday, October 14 Monday-Saturday 10-5; Sundays 12-5 6829 Fourth Steet NW (just north of Osuna) • 505-341-2737 •

www.kellyjodesigns.com

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OCTOBER 2012

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Full Bloom Boutique Komarov Biya 3J Workshop Johnny Was Collection Not Your Daughter’s Jeans Comfy...

New Fall Fashions Arriving Daily 70 W Marcy Street Santa Fe 505-988-9648 Open 7 Days

terra at Encantado

a taste of the New Southwest

Inspired by Northern New Mexico and infused with local, organically sourced ingredients and the flavor of the Southwest, the menu blends a sense of balance, place and comfort to create a new twist on Contemporary American Cuisine.

877.262.4666 • fourseasons.com/santafe• 198 state road 592, santa fe

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

OCTOBER 2012

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Buzz

by Kelly Koepke | 8

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

Balloon Fiesta Survival Guide for Locals

by Kelly Koepke | 12

Albuquerque denizens share survival tips for the annual spectacle that turns the Duke City into a tangle of stalled traffic, crowded restaurants and mind-blowingly amazing sights.

Maize Maze

by Gabriella Marks | 16

Get lost in the fun of the Rio Grande Community Farm’s corn maze.

Legal Tender

by Chef Johnny Vee | 20 Photo: Lenny Foster

The legendary Legal Tender in Lamy recently reopened with Chef Charles Thompson in the kitchen. Along the way, proprietors Johnny Law and Cindy Lu discovered the restaurant is more than a place to eat; it’s at the heart of the community.

Quest for Quirky Burque

by Tania Casselle | 24

Culture vulture? Heritage hunter? Fancy a soak? Hot to shop? We cover all the moods for fiesta-goers looking for some local flavor when the balloons are grounded.

by Barry Fields | 26

This Westside restaurant honors the old world craft of pizza making with a signature house-made dough and an instinct for perfectly paired toppings.

It’s All About Hospitality

by Gordon Bunker | 30

Every October, 750,000 people descend on Albuquerque to watch more than 500 balloons ascend to the heavens. Four hotel specialists talk about hospitality -- Duke City style.

Community Harvest

by Daniel E. Brannen Jr. | 33 Photo: Gabriella Marks

Patrice Harrison returns to her farming community with 30 acres of heritage sunflowers in stunning bloom—and a daring plan to introduce a new crop to New Mexico.

The Real Butcher Shop

by Gail Snyder | 37

Pollo Real owners Tom Delehanty and Tracey Hamilton bring in-house butchery, organic meats and a full line of charcuterie to Santa Fe with their newest venture, the Real Butcher Shop.

Taos Hum

by Tania Casselle | 40

Stories from Dori Vinella, executive director of SOMOS, and Ed Smith, president of the October Taos Mountain Balloon Rally.

Harvest Festivals

by Melyssa Holik | 43

Head out for some homegrown fun at harvest festivals throughout Northern New Mexico.

Still Hungry?

Photo: Melyssa Holik

ON OUR COVER: The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta through the lens of Charles Mann

Nicky V’s

by Melyssa Holik | 44

The bounty of produce makes October a food lover’s dream. Local growers and chefs show you how to make the most of the season’s edible delights.

OCTOBER 2012 ~ Publishers Patty & Peter Karlovitz Editor Patty Karlovitz Publisher’s Assistant Melyssa Holik Art Director Jasmine Quinsier Cover photo: Charles Mann Advertising: Santa Fe: Mary Brophy 505.231.3181. Lianne Aponte 505.629.6544. Albuquerque: Leslie Davis 505.933.1345. Chris Romero 505.670.1331.

Prepress: Scott Edwards Ad Design: Alex Hanna Distribution: Southwest Circulation LocalFlavor 223 North Guadalupe #442, Santa Fe, NM 87501 Tel: 505.988.7560 Fax: 988.9663 E-mail: patty@localflavormagazine.com Website: www.localflavormagazine.com localflavor welcomes new writers. Send writing samples to localflavor@earthlink.net localflavor is published 11 times a year: Feb, March, April, May, June, July, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec/Jan. 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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OCTOBER 2012

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More Fish ~ Less Rice

grand opening celebration Saturday, November 10, Noon to 4pm Please join us for an afternoon of fun as we show off our brand new facility at 125 North Guadalupe Street! Enjoy libations, food, and festivities! Local chefs and cookbook authors will be on-hand to discuss recipes and sign cookbooks.

Izmi Sushi

Sake bomb responsibly!

Over 23 years of celebrating the traditions of the culture and cuisine of New Mexico.

Santa Fe School of Cooking & Market 125 North Guadalupe St., Santa Fe 800.982.4688 505.983.4511 santafeschoolofcooking.com

105 E Marcy Street • Santa Fe, NM 87501 505-424-1311 • www.izmisantafe.com

+ Home Boutique

Announcing our new location and our fresh creative team Award-winning World-class Interior Design

•

Lighting Design

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Custom Furniture

428 Sandoval Street Santa Fe, NM 87501 505.820.0239 samueldesigngroup.com

•

Home Accents

•

Unique Gifts

Kelly Stark - Office Manager & Assistant Greg Purdy - Design Consultant & Boutique Curator Zoe - The Design Dog Lisa Samuel - ASID, IIDA, Liscened Interior Designer Les Samuel - Partner & Business Consultant

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

OCTOBER 2012

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r e t t e L

Creating Art & Dinner with Barry Thomas & Chef Sparman

Condé Nast Traveler’s 2012 World’s Best New Mexico’s only Gold List Award recipient

211 Old Santa Fe Trail 505.984.7915 | innatloretto.com

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OCTOBER 2012

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The party never stops. The Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta just wrapped up its final event on the last Saturday of September. The 70-plus restaurants that participated cooked their hearts out and worked their tails off. Anyone who doubts how crazy in love chefs have to be with their work should watch Eric DiStefano grilling 2,200 habanero bbq lamb chops to perfection. Or Mark Kiffin making five different kinds of artisinal pizzas––one with fresh shaved black truffles! Or Cristian Pontiggia gently stirring his wild boar ragù in a massive iron pot. Or Roland Richter patiently stirring curds into whey to make fresh mozzarella (40 pounds of it) on the morning of the event. It will be obvious beyond a doubt that the chefs of Santa Fe know how to throw a party.

And if it’s true that the partying never stops, where does the next one begin? In Albuquerque, of course. It’s time for Balloon Fiesta—and an exclamation point is mandatory! Over 700,000 visitors will descend on the city, rise before dawn and make their way to Balloon Fiesta Park.

There they will witness the breathtaking mass ascensions. At sunset the balloonists reappear, and the enthralled crowds will watch as the magic is repeated, this time enhanced by the drama of early nightfall. Because the city is expecting visitors numbering in the hundreds of thousands, we thought a survival guide for locals might be appreciated. You’ll love Kelly Koepke’s ten practical yet tongue-in-cheek guidelines for keeping your sanity and good humor intact throughout the nine days of craziness.

For out-of-town visitors to Balloon Fiesta, we’ve put an entirely different kind of guide together. We know that you’re here to see the balloons, but what do you have planned between the events that occur at sunrise and sunset? This guide sends you out to discover the spots that locals love and love to show off, the slightly quirky side of Albuquerque.

October is generally a bit of a “show off ” month around here—and not just because our state hosts the largest balloon fiesta in the entire world. It’s also harvest time, and that’s when our vibrant community of farmers and ranchers take center stage. Up and down the Rio Grande Valley and in the shadow of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, farmers’ markets are spilling over with the agricultural riches of New Mexico. It is a community that localflavor has been intimately tied with for nearly 20 years now, so on our cover callouts we did not use the phrase, “new age of farming,” lightly. Fittingly, the three farmers we’re featuring this month are pioneers and innovators; they have always been been creative thinkers and, most of all, true dreamers. Over the years, you’ve read many stories in our magazine about Patrice Harrison-Inglis of Sweetwoods Dairy and Tom Delehanty and Tracey Hamilton of Pollo Real, but you won’t believe what they’re dreaming up now.

We wind up the issue with two great restaurant stories—one on Nicky V’s in Albuquerque and the other on the Legal Tender in Lamy—as well as some scrumptious recipes for all of that farm produce that you can’t resist buying.

As 2012 starts drawing to a close, I find myself getting ready to put together the last two issues of the year. But right now, today, I just want to relish this first glorious and golden day of October.

Photo: Gabriella Marks

An ar t inf luenced six course wine dinner presented with Wiford Gallery Thursday, October 25, 2012

Come Enjoy Our Newly Remodel Dining Room.

Chef Gharrity’s New Menu Features New American West Cuisine.

Anglo American Anne et Valentin Beausoleil Lunettes Dolce & Gabbana Etnia Barcelona FACE a FACE

Ronit Fürst Gotti Switzerland i.c!berlin Lindberg Denmark Oliver Peoples Loree Rodkin 2.5 Eyephorics

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505.954.4442 O p e n Daily 1 1 :0 0 am un til 1 0 :0 0 pm 12 5 Eas t Palac e, San ta Fe, NM 8 75 0 1 (50 5 ) 9 8 8 - 9 2 3 2 | lac asas e n a.c om

 St Michael’s Drive, Santa Fe Monday thru Friday : ‒ : and Saturday : ‒ : by appointment www.BotwinEyeGroup.com

Savor Authentic German Fare during

Oktoberfest 2012

Join us October 22 - October 31 and enjoy a very special menu in the Old House Restaurant

S a n ta F e’S P l ayg r o u n d BooK your HolIday Party today SMall or large 505.819.2028

Celebrate Oktoberfest with the Old House Restaurant and enjoy authentic German fare including: Bratwurst, Weisswurst, Nürmberger sausages, Wiener Schnitzel and Saurbraten.

For a limited time enjoy: Spaten and Santa Fe Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest Beers.

Reservations recommended. Please call 505.995.4530.

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

b u f fa l o t H u n d e r r e s o r t . c o M Management reserves all rights.

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

OCTOBER 2012

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the buzz

ALBUQUERQUE

It’s a celebration 20 years in the making at the Range Cafe. Yep, it’s been two decades since local restaurateurs Matt DiGregory and Tom Fenton opened the original Range Cafe in September 1992 in a funky adobe on the main drag in Bernalillo. Following a devastating fire in 1995, the Range Cafe moved to its current location and has since quadrupled in size, adding a full bar, live music, art gallery and gift shop.

Two more thriving locations were added in Albuquerque, and the same eclectic comfort food—much of its locally sourced—has been nourishing locals and tourists alike ever since. Fenton and DiGregory’s At Home with the Range Cafe cookbook is now in its second printing. Look for another expansion in Bernalillo in 2013 and possible locations in Los Lunas and on Albuquerque’s Westside in 2014. Visit www.rangecafe. com for locations, hours and menu.

From the “new restaurant” file #1: Caryl Cochran has opened Coronado Crossing, a restaurant/brewpub at 4800 Montgomery. Cochran is the former manager of Brasserie La Provence in Nob Hill, and she brings with her Fred Gallegos to head the restaurant’s kitchen.

The space was previously Zea Rotisserie.

Coronado Crossing’s casual dining menu touches on the Southern theme of its predecessor and offers offer ribs, steaks and rotisserie chicken for lunch and dinner every day. Call 505.878.9327.

“New restaurant” file #2: Mean Bao Bakery in Nob Hill serves up Asian fusion pastries, breads, and cakes.

Everything’s made from scratch each day (except Sundays and Mondays, when it is closed), using the freshest and highest quality ingredients. Cocktail cupcakes from 5 to 9 on Friday nights? Yes, please! Call 505-908-9188 or visit www. meanbao.com.

“New restaurant” file #3: Have I mentioned my new love affair with Santa Fe’s Vinaigrette? Best. Cobb. Salad. Ever.

And they’re opening up another one, this time in Albuquerque on Central between Downtown and Old Town. While I think the location’s a bit unconventional, I can’t wait to introduce my Duke City friends to the amazing salad-centric menu.

Yes, salad can be sexy, with plenty of protein add-ons for all you meat eaters.

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OCTOBER 2012

If my husband, the bottomless pit whose dining preferences are more Dawg House than Ore House, can be delighted with Vinaigrette, so can you.

New restaurant file #4: El Patron Restaurant and Cantina is now open at the former Garduño’s site at 10551 Montgomery NE. Impresarios Nick Kapnison and Jimmy Daskalos (of Nick & Jimmy’s fame) have taken authentic New Mexican recipes and new American favorites to one of the largest dining spaces in town; they can accommodate 450 diners inside and another 150 on the patio. And that patio? Awesome views. Wanna bet they’ll be busy during Balloon Fiesta?

There’s a new chef at Standard Diner.

Albuquerque native Saul Paniagua has spent the last ten years perfecting his talents and winning awards, including four years as an executive sous chef aboard Norwegian Cruise Line. In 2004 he won the cruise line’s prestigious Chef of the Year award and oversaw the menus and kitchens for multiple specialty restaurants aboard the line’s newest vessels. He’s also the 2010 and 2012 New Mexico Chef Knockout winner. There’s a whole new standard of yum at the anything but standard diner with Paniagua’s reimagined menu, too. Don’t worry, all your favorites remain, enhanced by new items like piñoncrusted chicken with blue corn, and green chile waffles and syrup made with locally brewed Marble Brewery beer.

Even more new chef news! Farm & Table, a darling of the Albuquerque foodie scene since its debut last year, welcomes Jaye Wilkinson, a Santa Fe native whose kitchen pedigree includes Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm. (It was there that she worked with Chef Jonathan Perno to create the inn’s famous fresh-from-the-field treats for meriendas, the Latin version of high tea.) Since Los Poblanos and F&T share the same ethic of prioritizing fresh, local, seasonal ingredients, the move makes sense. As does her sous chef positions at Seattle’s Blueacre Seafood (which she opened with the James Beard–nominated chef/owner Kevin Davis) and Steelhead Diner. Can’t wait to try her dishes soon.

The Balloon Fiesta just got even more delicious: Take a short walk or free 1-minute shuttle from the International Balloon Fiesta and you’ll find the world’s largest chocolate hot air balloon at The Big Top Chocolate Festival: A Culinary Circus of New Mexico’s Sweets & Treats magazine.com

at the Albuquerque Balloon Museum.

Big Top Chocolate Festival runs the first weekend of the Balloon Fiesta on October 6 and 7 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will feature more than 30 of New Mexico’s finest chocolatiers, coffee roasters, candy makers, bakers, breweries and more, plus family entertainment all day.

Prohibition Era enthusiasts (and really, who isn’t one?) should prepare to enjoy a true glimpse into the life and many loves of Doris Bailey Murphy, as told by her great-niece Julia Park Tracey.

Tracey reads excerpts from her new book, I’ve Got Some Lovin’ to Do: The Diaries of a Roaring Twenties Teen (1925-1926) at Vernon’s Hidden Valley Steakhouse on Friday, October 26. The stories are uncensored and full of period detail and excitement, like the thrill of driving a new Ford. The Vernon’s event includes a special “Rebel Girl” cocktail first mixed in Brooklyn and perfected in San Francisco—a perfect match for the speakeasy-themed joint where diners need the secret password to enter. Visit www.thehiddensteakhouse.com or call 505.341.0831.

This year’s Burque Bioneers event, on October 26 and 27 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, screens a variety of speaker talks from the national Bioneers conference. Of note are talks by (highly entertaining) Bill McKibben of www.350.org, Nikki Henderson of the People’s Coop in Oakland, Carol Jenkins of the Women’s Media Center and Gabor Maté, author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction.

See the full schedule of events at www. burquebioneers.org.

tour, there’s something for everyone!

Visit www.alamedastudiotour.com for a map. You can also score details on the event’s preview night, scheduled for October 12.

Halloween may be more widely celebrated, but New Mexicans know the real day for macabre revelry is Dia de Los Muertos in November, and Albuquerque’s annual Muertos y Marigolds parade is back for its 20th year. The organization hosts several Saturday art workshops leading up to the parade on November 4. This year the parade starts at 2 p.m. at the Bernalillo Sheriff’s Station on Centro Familiar and Isleta, so after you’re doing decorating your sugar skulls and altars, put on your best calavera attire and join the party! https://www. facebook.com/MuertosYMarigolds.

Opera Southwest opens its 40th Anniversary Season with three performances of Rossini’s “Otello” on October 28 with the original tragic ending, followed immediately by the later-composed “happy ending” version. At the other two performances November 2 and 4, audience members will vote on which ending they wish to hear, not knowing until after the curtain rises whether it will be tragic death or joyful reconciliation. Fun! Enhance your opera experience by attending the 25-minute pre-opera presentations with Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Anthony Barrese. Tickets are at 505.243.0591 or www.operasouthwest.org.

And speaking of Gabor Maté, you can hear him speak about his book at the Crossroads for Women seminar on Monday, October 22. Visit www. crossroadsabq.org to register and support this worthy organization’s mission of helping homeless women.

The 2nd Annual Alameda Studio Tour on October 13 and 14 includes over 30 professional artists’ studios showcasing work in a wide range of media, like blown and stained glass, painting, jewelry, recycled art, photography, furniture, mosaics, printmaking, mixed-media, folk art dolls and pottery. The sale of artworks donated by local artists will help provide art instruction to children throughout the city. And with an alpaca farm on the

|| Rodrick Dixon as Otello

SANTA FE Railyard Park is the place on October 6 and 7 for the Pomegranate Studios Mosaic International Dance Festival.

At noon, take a free workshop in flamenco, hooping, belly and ethnic line dancing, or Bollywood—or just watch the performances that showcase

different ethnic dance from all over the globe, as well as traditional and contemporary fusion forms. Stick around for henna application, palm reading, face painting, clothing, jewelry, booths from children’s organizations, food, beverages and more. Visit Facebook (Mosaic International Dance Festival) or www.pomegranatestudio.org, or call 505.986.6164.

More dancing? Try the Harvest Festival at El Rancho de los Golondrinas on the same weekend, October 6 and 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This popular event at the living history museum calls for lots of participation, making it perfect for kids. Stomp grapes for wine, grind sorghum with burros, make (and eat) tortillas on the comal, and string iconic red chile ristras. Eat bread and chile hot from the hornos. Oh yeah, there will also be dancing from the colorful Los Matachines de San Lorenzo. Kids under 12 are free, so load up the brood and head to the festivities. Call 505.471.2261 or visit www.golondrinas.org for directions.

Even more dance from Ballet Folklórico de México on Thursday, October 25, at the Lensic! Watch the lords of heaven and earth come back to life, and witness the Jaguars, the gods born of human flesh, and thirty different cultures blossom and flourish through music, technical perfection, sophisticated wardrobe and original choreographies.

The rich and colorful culture of Mexico comes to life in costume, song and, of course, dance. Tickets can be purchased by calling 505.988.1234 or by going to www.lensic.org.

vinegars, condiments, fermented fare, eggs and cheese, garlic, dried medicinal and culinary herbs, honey, seeds, late-season vegetables and even baked goods will be available. Pre-registration for the swap ($5 fee to charity) is required. Sign up at www.santafeharvestswap.eventbrite.com or by calling 505.474.7998.

The Pablita Velarde Museum of Indian Women in the Arts celebrates the creative powers of North American indigenous women. Named for the painter who opened the door for Native women artists, this museum is dedicated to the painters, potters, sculptors, weavers, actresses, dancers, writers, singers, poets,

|| Pablita Velarde Museum filmmakers and others whose voices have achieved a volume deserving a museum of their own. Women like Velarde, Helen Hardin, Maria Martinez, Margaret Tafoya, Margarete Bagshaw and others.

So far Bagshaw and husband, Dan McGuinness (the museum’s founders), have raised more than $100,000 in cash and commitments from donors inside and outside of New Mexico. They aim eventually to raise enough money to move the museum to a larger building that can host not only exhibitions but also a classroom, media room, library, open studios and resident artist programs.

They are starting bit by bit6, so visit www.pvmiwa.org for hours and days of operation, or call 505.988.8900. Chicks rule!

|| Ballet Folklórico de México On Sunday, October 21, come all to the Railyard Community Room for the Santa Fe Harvest Swap: A Celebration of Community and Local Food. Here’s the drill: Neighbors have always traded garden bounty, and this year Santa Feans can join the national trend of food swapping. Share the abundance of your garden, orchard and backyard barnyard, using it as currency to barter for what you do. Home canners can bring their jams, fruit butters, sauces, chutneys, salsas, whole fruits and pickles to trade, too. Dried chile and fruit, herb

|| Executive Chef Andrew Cooper Andrew Cooper, the new executive chef of The Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado’s Terra restaurant. Cooper should stock up on his body lotion, since he’s joining the resort after working at its Hawaiian sister property, The Four

Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka’upulehu. Cooper’s busy researching local game, farmers’ markets and growers to see what seasonal offerings are unique to this area, putting to use his 20 years of culinary experience, his degree in hospitality management (Culinary Institute of America) and his master’s degree in food service management (Florida International University). Welcome Chef Cooper!

With the days growing shorter and cooler, what better time to hit the soothing waters of Ten Thousand Waves? Add in their Sunset Special— which offers 20%-off spa packages after 5:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays in October—and you’ve got a perfect fall getaway that’s not far away. The offer’s only available on Facebook. I’ll be taking advantage of the Natural, while the visiting in-laws chose the Nippon Nirvana. Whatever you pick, it’ll be blissful. Visit www.facebook. com/10kwaves.

I’m a reading fool, so when there’s an opportunity to add to my book collection, I’m there. Like the Friends of the Santa Fe Library book sale, October 13 and 14 at the Main branch.

I went to the September sale at the Southside branch (gorgeous building) and picked up several books for myself and my husband, plus a very cool book for my dad for Christmas. (Sssh, it’s a surprise.) You never know what you’ll find, and the browsing is part of the fun.

Plus, admission is free. Remember the reading-as-part-of-the-culture thing. Go buy a book or ten. Bring cash.

Quiet on the set? Not for the 2012 Film & TV Industry Mixer on Sunday, October 7 at La Posada de Santa Fe Resort. Sponsored by the New Mexico Women in Film, the 4-7 p.m. event promises a lively and interesting mix of New Mexico film and television industry workers, crew members, directors and actors, including studio personnel and related support business people. NMWIF will present its annual Sage Award to Ana Gallegos y Reinhart, director of Warehouse 21.

Proceeds benefit NMWIF programs and scholarships. Tickets can be found at www.nmwif.com.

October 6 and 7. It’s a family-friendly event featuring a handspun yarn show and contest, garment and home accessory contests, vendors,and live animals whose fur is turned into yarn, like llamas, rabbits, alpacas and goats.

(Um, where do you think cashmere comes from?) There’s a silent auction; demonstrations of shearing, spinning, dyeing and other skills; a fleece show; and lots of workshops on topics from felting to weaving and spinning. Visit www.taoswoolfestival.org or call 800684-0340.

While you’re in Taos, experience the Taos Temporary Yarn Art Installation Project, aka Yarn Bomb Taos. A group of fiber artists who call themselves Taos Craftistas have blasted an array of knitted color onto ordinary objects (light poles, bike racks, benches, etc.). The concept of yarn bombing started as street art, and the idea has spread worldwide. The Taos Craftistas consists of Twilight Kallisti, Teresa Loveless (owner of Weaving Southwest), Merce Mitchell and others. Volunteers will reassemble the yarn into blankets that will be donated to several local charities.

The next weekend, October 13 and 14, is the 26th Annual El Rito Studio Tour, which highlights this small community’s creativity in both traditional and contemporary media. Stop at one of 21 studios and stores, including two on the New Mexico Fiber Arts Trail and one on the New Mexico Potter’s Trail.

Northern New Mexico College hosts a unique mercado open to all ages and communities, and El Rito Library invites you to the scrumptious Death by Chocolate fundraiser. A new addition this year is the El Rito Quilters Guild’s sale, offering quilts and more. Proceeds from the tour go to fund the library’s general operating expenses. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring your appetite. Get the details at www.elritostudiotour.org.

TAOS As a knitter, there’s nothing better (to my mind) than handling fleece or admiring the latest in hand-dyed skeins.

Except maybe adding them to my stash and turning them into socks, sweaters, hat, gloves and scarves. So I’ll be at the 29th Annual Taos Wool Festival, A Taste of Life in New Mexico

|| Jurgen Wilms Chance of Rain

OCTOBER 2012

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OCTOBER 2012

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A Taste of Life in New Mexico

OCTOBER 2012

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Balloon Fiesta Survival Guide

T

he first time I attended the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, two college friends and I drove down from Santa Fe, rented a skeevy motel room off the interstate and shivered our way through the freezing morning ascension. We had the time of our lives.

The first fall after my husband and I moved to Albuquerque, we woke before the break of dawn, joined the masses at the Park & Ride at Coronado Mall to hitch a ride to Balloon Fiesta Park and shivered our way through the freezing morning ascension. I’d forgotten the cold part. My favorite photo that year is the Creamland cow balloon eating my husband. We had the time of our lives.

A few years later, a succession of visiting relatives obligated me to attend two mass ascensions and two evening glows in one week. Though proper attire was worn for those freezing morning ascensions, my patience was worn thin by interminable shuttle waits, freezing fingers fumbling with the origami folds of lukewarm pre-dawn breakfast burritos, dodging hoards of camera wielding tourists and struggling through the mid-afternoon sleepies. I had lost my enthusiasm.

Which is not to say that I don’t enthusiastically recommend the event. Go! Experience! Snap photos! Be amazed! Just don’t ask me to do it with you. Knowing that many locals feel the same way I do, I asked a few other Albuquerque denizens to share with me their survival tips for this spectacular event that turns our humble burg into a tangle of stalled traffic, crowded restaurants and mind-blowingly amazing sights.

1 Welcome your guests with open arms, beds and pantries. For locals it’s just October, but for everyone else it’s Balloon Fiesta! With an exclamation point! Professional organizer Hazel Thornton suggests prepping that guest room, den, office or garage for overnighters with an alarm clock, towels and extra blankets. Also, provide maps, bottled water, brochures for area attractions, lists of your favorite restaurants, and sunscreen.

(Everyone forgets sunscreen.) To that I add: hand over your car keys, stock up on your guests preferred snacks and remember that because it’s not Thanksgiving or Christmas you’re not obligated to cook a big meal!

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2 Be prepared—to attend the event.

Because the first time is always special—for your guests. And they want you to share it with them. If you can’t gracefully back out, buy park-and-ride tickets in advance (no cash sales at the lots). Check the weather and the Balloon Fiesta website daily for changes to the schedule. Don’t shiver through the freezing morning ascensions. Pull out the winter wear—layers are your friend. Buy extra camera batteries and memory cards. All that stuff will be much more expensive on the field.

Wear comfortable shoes. Pre-pack your bag with hats, sunglasses and extra sunscreen. (Everyone forgets sunscreen.)

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3 Know the schedule. Driving? Arrive no later than 6 a.m. to find a good parking spot for morning activities— and earlier is better to join the line of traffic. Leave the lawn chairs, blankets and extra stuff to morning events— they are the most crowded. Friend Kim Gusta advises a return to Balloon Fiesta Park around 4 p.m. (when traffic isn’t bad yet) for the evening glows. Now you can load up the car with chairs, a picnic dinner and Frisbees or balls for the kids and enjoy the afternoon before the fun starts.

Better yet? Take the park-and-ride to all events. There’s a new Westside lot this year at the Lowe’s on Central and Unser. Check the fiesta website for days and hours of shuttles, because the shuttle does not operate every day.

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Locals’ Edition 4

Consider biking instead of driving.

Avoid the parking lots that local roads become by using the fabulous paved Albuquerque bike trails.

They connect every part of the city to Balloon Fiesta Park. They even make great places to watch the ascensions and glows, as long as you don’t block other two-wheeled traffic. The free bike valet (staffed by local bicycle group volunteers) will provide a safe, secure location to store your bike. Just remember that mornings are dark and evenings are dark. Equip yourself with headlights, taillights and rear reflectors. And for heaven’s sake, wear a helmet and safety vest.

5

Be prepared—for life beyond the event. Gird yourself for more traffic on the roads, gawking drivers on the freeway, balloon pilots landing their aircraft in random parking lots and parks, and extra people everywhere.

Make restaurant reservations in advance, especially at popular places and for large parties. Then smile, and remember all the extra money being infused into our coffers.

6 Take a nap. Do it on days you attend morning ascensions so that you’re fresh and perky for the evening glows. You may not have napped since you were a kid (or a college student). Do it anyway.

People who nap are smarter, better looking and make more money.

7

Use the apps. There are at least two apps for smart phones to access up-to-the-minute information and news, view maps, find balloon and pilot data, see pictures and submit your own photos. This is especially helpful if the weather’s iffy (which it will undoubtedly be at least once during the week).

8

Cheat. Watch the early morning ascensions on television, snug in your jammies with a steaming cup and a hot breakfast. Or here’s another great tip from Kim Gusta. She takes her kids to the free balloon launches at local elementary schools the Friday before Balloon Fiesta starts. That way, everyone gets a taste of the up-close balloon experience and doesn’t need attend the fiesta itself. Don’t have kids? Go to the school launches anyway. That’s why it’s called cheating.

9

Embrace the madness and get involved! If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Local Clifton Chadwick thinks the best way to survive the enormity that is Balloon Fiesta is to suck it up and connect to the chaos. “Volunteer!

This is one of the GREATEST events in the world—and WE get to host it! I’m up at least five days of the fiesta greeting strangers from all around the world for one of the companies that helps with bus tours, welcoming them to the heart of the great Southwest! I get on the bus and tell folks how to be careful on the field, apprise them of whether the weather is cooperating (an unpleasant task some days) and generally ‘represent’ Albuquerque! Oh, then I go have a breakfast burrito and coffee and watch the ascension.”

Photo: Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and photographer Paul de Berjeois

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

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story & photos by GABRIELLA MARKS

I

maze

t’s 3 a.m. in a cornfield in Albuquerque. A man sits in the dark on a diminutive tractor with no steering wheel, navigating according to pre-programmed GPS coordinates.

By sunrise, he and his tractor will have cut an intricate design in the form of a footpath meandering through the towering corn stalks of Rio Grande Community Farm. This year’s theme are arabesques that resemble water lilies curving around a gigantic frog.

The man’s name is Shawn Stolworthy, of Maze Play, and he is the man who makes the maze.

And not just this maze, either. Every year at harvest season, he traverses the entire country with his stealth custom-designed tractor, carving acres of mazes into maize fields. The modern American maize maze is a relatively recent development, one that has, over the past few decades, been gaining popularity as a modern incarnation of an ancient human tradition.

According to Minor Morgan, director of the Rio Grande Community Farm, this makes perfect sense. Two or three generations ago, many of us would have been raised on farms and known firsthand the experience of sowing seed and harvests. But urban areas have grown, and family farms have gradually disappeared. As a result, most of us live at both a physical and emotional distance from the land where food is grown. The maze is a step toward closing that gap.

Reconnecting people with the land and providing city dwellers with rural experiences is at the heart of the mission of the annual maize maze at the Rio Grande Community Farm. What began as a small path cut through corn is a large annual event that is now in its fifteenth year. The maze is a landmark fundraising event for the farm, and it generates resources for the incredible range of educational, wildlife and community programs the farm runs.

This year’s maze also represents the second year that the farm has partnered with a local institution—in this case, the Albuquerque Biopark—to expand the educational activities offered in the context of the maze. This year’s theme is “Leapin’ Maze,” and it teaches children young and old about amphibians: the role they play in the environment and how to identify and help protect them.

This year’s theme was selected to promote the new “Amphibians, Life on a Limb” exhibit which opened in August at the zoo, as part of the The art form’s evolutionary path—from the festivities commemorating their 85th anniversary. epic architectural labyrinth to the cathedral topiary Kathrine Venzor, Biopark Education Curator, is hedge maze to impermanent designs cut through thrilled at the opportunity to partner with Rio turf and fields for the entertainment of children— Grande Community Farm as a way to help spread isn’t entirely clear. What does seem clear is that the the word about amphibians, explaining that human psyche is drawn to these adventures and “education is crucial for amphibian conservation.” the endless possibilities presented for playing hide- From the insects they eat, to the prey they become and-seek, for getting lost, for finding our way. for bigger predators, amphibians play a crucial role In the U.S. today, the maize maze has become in the ecology of the Rio Grande. Their moisture an annual fall tradition on farms across the land, sensitivity also means that amphibians are a critical as a form of “agri-tainment,” a source of revenue indicator for the health of the ecosystem. for small and medium-size farms reinventing In addition to the amphibian games in the what it means to maintain economic and cultural maze, the BioPark will have outreach programs at relevance in an age of increasingly industrialized the maze on Sundays throughout October. The agriculture production.

“BioVan” will be at the maze on October 7, and In addition to raising produce and livestock, the “Zoo to You” program with docents and their many a family farm has become something of a “Wildlife Ambassadors” will be at the maze on tourist destination, whether it’s to host a maze October 21 and October 28. or to offer the opportunity to “pick your own.”

In addition to the maze, there is also a The small farm provides a point of access, a place Haybale City––a playground of hay bales on where people who, perhaps, have never set foot in which to climb and play. (And there’s even a a field or seen how rainbow chard arches over its tunnel to crawl through!) Beside the Haybale City row. This is their chance to see where their food are two paddocks, offering visitors the opportunity comes from. to see and pet farm animals. In one paddock, there

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maze

are bantam chickens, baby goats and a duck, all from nearby Los Poblanos Inn and Organic Farm. In the other paddock, there is Annabelle, a pure-bred Navajo-Churro ewe, and her as-yetunnamed baby. Annabelle’s presence on the farm underscores the heritage of the land. The farm itself occupies the original site of Los Poblanos, one of the earliest Spanish Colonial settlements in the Rio Grande Valley. Agricultural land usage dating back over 1700 years marks the farm as one of the oldest parcels of continually farmed land in the United States. Annabelle is a direct descendent of the sheep originally brought to New Spain by the Spanish; Navajo-Churros are considered the first breed of domesticated sheep in the New World.

The farm itself is actually owned by the City of Albuquerque’s Open Space Division. The charter from the Open Space Division includes a mandate for the land usage: 25% of the land must be used for wildlife habitat and conservation.

And therein lies the other fundamental goal of the annual maize maze. Not only is the maze a fundraiser for the farm and a playground for visitors, it is, quite literally, for the birds.

The walls of the maze are composed of tillage corn, and they provide an essential habitat and a high-energy food source for

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the thousands of migrating water birds that use the flyway through the bosque. On my initial stroll through the maze one early morning, the soundtrack was a constant chorus of birds. There were the geese honking in formation overhead, the thrum of late season hummingbirds, seemingly hundreds of small finches flickering and tweeting, and the hushed wing flap of a hawk hunting a mere few feet away through the stalks.

According to Minor Morgan, the birds have come to recognize the farm as a known sanctuary. He has seen sand cranes—birds that are entirely wild—land on the farm and feed in close proximity to people, behavior that seems to reflect a rare instance of successful cohabitation.

The preservation of agricultural land and wildlife is integral to our quality of life.

The Rio Grande Community Farm represents an extraordinary commitment to these values through an array of programs that have a real and lasting impact on the local community. In keeping with the tradition of harvest—a time to celebrate bounty and enjoy the last days of warmth and sunshine before winter’s frost—the maze offers visitors many incredible opportunities: to walk the rows of a working farm, smell hay, pet sheep, see the birds, and (if even just for a little while) get lost for the fun of it.

The Rio Grande Community Farm has a cornucopia of events for the entire family. For more information about hours, location and pricing, go to their website, http://www. riograndefarm.org, or call 505.345.4580. To learn about more harvest festivals in our area, see page 43 in this issue of localflavor.

Join us for dinner or weekend brunch. Reservations are recommended.

8917 4th St NW

Albuquerque, NM 87114

505.503.7124 Farmandtablenm.com

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

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Ebero Art Lab

505.715.5575 eberosan@gmail.com

The best in world, folk & eclectic music www.ampconcerts.org

aMp, Heath concerts & JaW present

Balkan halloween JKLParTyJKL Kabile Bulgarian Wedding Band AND

a Hawk and a Hacksaw

thursday, Oct 4 • 7:30pm Kiva auditorium

CaraVan of ThieVes

Oct 31 • 7:30 pm Las puertas

Coming soon Oct 16 shannOn Mcnally & aMy laVere LoW SpiriTS Bar & STage

Oct 19 rasputina THe LauncHpad

Oct 23 JiM MalcOlM THe cooperage

OctOber 25 thursday • 8 pm Low Spirits Bar & Stage

dOnna the buffalO Oct 29 THe dirTy BourBon

nov 10 taarka & le chat lunatique THe dirTy BourBon

tickets (unless other wise noted): Hold My Ticket (112 2nd St SW), 505-886-1251 and ampconcerts.org, 505-232-9868

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19

At the Table story by CHEF JOHNNY VEE photos by KITTY LEAKEN

S

Legal Tender

ocial networking has become a huge part of restaurant promotion. In fact, I often plan my edible calendar around prompts from assorted sources: Facebook, email bursts and the occasional tweet. So I have been following the development of the Legal Tender Saloon—located at the Lamy Railroad and History Museum—with great curiosity. Through their newsletters over the past eight months, I have been invited to open mic nights, Easter egg hunts, two-step and honky-tonk nights, Western card game nights, ghost hunts, barbecues, pancake breakfasts, numerous concerts and horseshoe tosses, all to inspire a visit and a sampling Chef Charles Thompson’s cooking. I had to hand it to the gal who sent out all the blurbs; she sure had spunk, enthusiasm and tenacity, and I was rooting for her and the business even before we met.

The Legal Tender continues to grows as it searches to find its niche. Over the summer the place started to get a buzz, but much of what I heard was confusing. I heard that the servers were volunteers. (“Hmmm, not necessarily a draw,” I thought.) Apparently, prior to Thompson’s employment, even the kitchen staff was made up of volunteers. More red flags went up. Finally it was time for me to check it out for myself. After a delicious Sunday brunch, where my guests and I gobbled up crab-packed crab cakes; zestily dressed Caesar salad; decadently creamy mac and cheese with green chile; ham and English peas; and a big honking Kobe beef burger, all served by an enthusiastic volunteer in an atmosphere that can only be described as charming, I was eager to meet the team who pulls it all off.

It’s strange to think that the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway never actually pulled into Santa Fe’s station. Early travelers to these parts were shuttled into town by horse and buggy from Lamy. They were probably headed to La Fonda Hotel to be spoiled by the famous Harvey Girls, but they may have stopped at the mercantile that stood in the restaurant’s location circa 1881. My sunny autumn 17-mile drive to Lamy (population 218) was certainly quicker than it would have been in the days of yore—and less bumpy to boot.

The bucolic road into the tiny town winds past an odd Flintstones-looking house on the hill, an abandoned church and a smattering of classic New Mexican dwellings, all making it a postcard-perfect location for a restaurant that doubles as a museum. The vintage train car that was once a café in its own right still sits parked next to the Amtrak station that serves our area to this day. Life-size wooden horse–mounted Native American cutouts welcome you and get you in the mindset for the visit ahead.

The team I interview includes proprietors Johnny (Johnny Law) and Cindy Lu, as well as Chef Charles Thompson. Sous Chef Troy Hays joins us to offer his perspective. We settle in the Fred Harvey Room, which sits in front of the main dining room and is chock full of the Harvey House paraphernalia that makes up a good chunk of the museum. (I love that stuff!) The guys are fairly reserved, but Cindy Lu is candid and outspoken. I immediately like her pluck.

Cindy Lu and Johnny give me a quick history lesson on the property, noting its tenure as a 1950’s saloon called The Pink Garter, and the birth of the current name when, in 1969, the restaurant became a steakhouse. Says Cindy Lu, “The building sat empty for years after the last venture failed, when it tried to be a white- tablecloth, up-market place. After that it became a railroad museum of sorts that was unstaffed, but visitors could be let in to wander around and see the historic relics on display, but the kitchen had become a storage room.” The story of how they came to be running the restaurant is a long and interesting one, but I wanted to focus more about what is happening there now. After taking pages and pages of notes, I warn them that I won’t

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| Grilled Scallops with carrot ginger sauce, parmesan grits and tempura asparagus. (Below) Maryland Crab Cakes with field green tossed salad with lemon. vinaigrette and lemon butter sauce.

| Chef Charles Thompson

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Legal Tender

| Sous chef Troy Hays, Bartender Brian Cassidy (in background), Chef Charles Thompson, owner Cindy Lu and Johnny Vee have room to include it all. Cindy Lu cheerfully remarks, “Tell anyone who wants to hear the whole story to come out. –We’ll tell it to them.”

Suffice it to say that the project is a labor of love and that if it weren’t for the volunteers, the business wouldn’t exist. Long story short, says Cindy Lu, “Johnny and I had taken over the Lamy Station Café (the dining car across the street) when previous owner Michael Gintert left it to go work at the Mine Shaft, in Madrid. He left the keys in my hand, and I used to say, ‘Michael got the Shaft; and we got the Station,’” she continues. “But due to complications with business licenses, we closed the dining car in December 2010. Johnny was pretty frustrated with the whole project, but I wanted to continue to pursue our business here, so I ended up getting on the board of the museum and eventually finagled a deal where we would run the restaurant as a concession. I knew that a place this size would need a beer and wine license to be able to survive, so with that in place we opened late last year.”

Most of the early events held there were fundraisers to get the building up to code so it could function fully. (Think kitchen equipment, sprinkler system, etc.) Johnny chimes in: “It is a restaurant, but it is also a cause. We are considered a non-profit [I know a few chefs that might consider their businesses as such], and we realized early on the only way to make it was to staff it with volunteers.” Initially, volunteers also manned the stoves, but last April they hired Chef Thompson, who had worked for over a decade at Santa Fe’s Geronimo.

Thompson explains, “I had gone to work at the Tamaya Resort after Geronimo and realized that working a corporate chef job takes you farther and farther away from the food aspects of the business. My dad had been a regular customer here, so I feel a certain nostalgia for the area. Coming off a corporate job, it was nice to plan a menu that was respectful to the locals. I wanted to create a menu that had good food, was affordable and not downtown.” I ask Charles if any of the menu items come from Geronimo. “Not really,” he says, adding, “Well, maybe the crab cakes and a few sauces.”

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Sous Chef Hays met Charles at Tamaya and felt the same way about the corporate world. “I followed Charles to this job, because I wanted to continue to work with him.”

“When I first started here the kitchen staff was all volunteers, I thought it was gonna be a nightmare, but it really wasn’t,” Charles says. “The people cooking really wanted to be there. Once my crew was established [they are paid staff ] we still included devoted volunteers as part of the team. I have more fun cooking here than any job I’ve ever had.”

Hays concurs. “The menu is part barbecue, part steakhouse, with lots of seafood specials and a killer green chile stew,” he says. “Our chicken piccata is a big hit. And, of course, the crab cakes.”

Cindy Lu adds, “The food is awesome and so easy to sell.”

Johnny is clearly the business side of the venture, and he offers thoughts here and there on subjects such as his concerns about the heating bill this winter and the cost of propane. This no-nonsense mindset has earned him the nickname “Johnny Law” from his energetic wife.

As for the challenges of staffing a restaurant with volunteers, it is here that Cindy Lu gets passionate. “You know, the people are probably the reason it all seems worthwhile. All the proceeds go right back into the building. We don’t get paid. But the fact that all these folks volunteer their time to make the place a success is the payback. They work for tips. We train them to be able to do everything in the place, all positions. It is a great training for our young people. We have retirees and people that had lost their jobs. They come because they really want to. How great is that for a staff?”

Johnny describes how even local musicians come out and play for whatever pay he can offer. “Steve Rose and Brian McLane and the Legal Tender Tornadoz have been so fantastic, as have all the other bands we have.

I love to see folks get up and dance—we have music every time we’re open.”

This story would not be complete without mention of the fittingly quirky side of the Legal Tender. One of the dining rooms boasts a diorama of Lamy, with a miniature working train set that guests can operate and is maintained by the Santa Fe Model Railroad Club. Rumors of ghosts are rife (“I’ve heard ‘em,” says the chef ) including Ramon, the Man in Black, and the Lady in White.

One of the volunteer waitresses, Avery, a lifelong vegetarian, succumbed to Thompson’s burger talents and devoured one recently. “I had bacon the next week,” she shares with a smile. Hays snuck chicken livers onto the menu while Thompson was on holiday in August. Thompson is a lifelong liver hater. The customers loved them. (They may be back!)

Cindy Lu summarizes, “I think of the place as more historic than a museum. Museums are just things. It’s really more about the people here.

Artisans helped renovate the space. Many were volunteers. We get cowboys that ride up on horseback, chicks, bikers, hippies and artists. The staff is family.”

When I press her and Johnny to tell me why they do it, if not for renumeration, Cindy Lu speaks first. “You know, I don’t know the answer to that. The answer would be different on different days. Because it’s here.

Because I wanted to show the county government that we could do it, and of course for the staff and customers.”

Johnny adds, “While we were doing the fundraising to get the place up and running, I saw this community give a rallying cry, and it brought so many people together. It showed people really cared about the Legal Tender. Anyone that knows Cindy Lu and I know that it is a reflection of who we are. The people who work here and the folks who come here are the reason—and it’s still evolving.”

People coming together for a common cause seems like the true spirit of the West. I can’t wait to mosey on out there again soon.

The Legal Tender is located in Lamy six miles south of Eldorado on US 285.

They are open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from noon to 9 p.m., serving lunch and dinner. Sunday brunch is served from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

505.466.1650. www.legaltender.com.

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r o f t s e u Q

Quirky Burque s t o r y b y TA N I A C A S S E L L E

I

t’s fiesta time! Out-of-towners join locals to sky-gaze as Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta takes off. But between the morning ascensions and evening events, you can take time out to enjoy the rest of the Duke City too. Here are our suggestions on how to spend your day.

| Alice MacDonald

| Dona Echols

Fancy a Soak?

After those early morning starts and tramping around the huge Balloon Fiesta launch field, soak your bones at the stylishly streamlined Albuquerque Baths downtown, complete with hot tub, cedar sauna and Blue Hole cool plunge pool. Or retreat to the peaceful North Valley where Betty’s Bath and Day Spa puts the aaah! into spa for many a local hottubber. Guys, don’t be put off by the name; Betty’s is for men too. Both spas provide robes, sandals, towels, lockers and shower-room necessities. Walkins are fine for soak and sauna, but do book ahead for massages and other spa services. If you’re feeling spontaneous, call and see if they can set you up for some pampering! Hours and details can be found at Albuquerque Baths, www.abqbaths.com, and Betty’s Bath and Day Spa, www.bettysbath.com.

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Arts Aficionado?

More than 280 artists and craftspeople from across the country display their talent and give demonstrations at the family-friendly Rio Grande Arts and Crafts Festival. The juried show presents works from glass to pottery to jewelry, and kids can explore their own budding artistic skills at the Kids’ Creation Station. Live music and magic shows add to the celebration. Grab lunch at the festival, and also visit the culinary arts area to sample specialty foods including sauces, breads, jams and local honey. Rio Grande Arts and Crafts Festival runs over two long weekends, October 5-7 and 12-14. Roll up to the festive big white tent on the southwest corner of I-25 and Paseo del Norte. For more info, go to www.riograndefestivals.com.

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Freewheeling Spirit?

Although Albuquerque is famous among motorists for historic Route 66, with its lowriders and vintage neon signs, you can also cruise the city by bike. The cyclist-friendly Paseo del Bosque Trail is the top pick, stretching 16 miles along the Rio Grande River. Rent a bike (or even a tandem) from Routes Rentals and Tours, where rental includes helmet, locks and bike trail map, or take one of the company’s daily guided bike tours to enjoy the scenery and hear Albuquerque facts and trivia. Routes Rentals and Tours also offers customized self-guided tours, including a winery tour with tastings. If you buy wine while wheeling around, it’ll be ready to collect at the office when you return your bike. Check it out at www. routesrentals.com.

Heritage Hunter?

Head to Old Town to get a glimpse of more than 300 years of Albuquerque history. The traditional heart of the city, pedestrian-friendly Old Town Plaza is surrounded by charming adobe buildings that now house restaurants, shops and galleries. Old Town is photo op central, so take your camera. You’ll see the oldest building in Albuquerque, the 1793 San Felipe de Neri Church with its landmark towers. Culture vultures should also drop into the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, and dinosaur fans can get their fix at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, where they’ll meet residents who lived here way before the city’s founding in 1706. ABQ Trolley Co. tours out of Old Town are a terrific introduction to the city on a very New Mexico open-air trolley. Or keep on your feet with a guided History Legends and Lore walking tour by Tours of Old Town. (They do night-time ghost walks too.

You have been warned.) Or simply glide around the historic district and down to Tingley Beach on a Segway tour. They teach you how to ride the Segway first—it’s easy and addictively fun! Find details on these Old Town venues and tours at www.albuquerqueoldtown.com, and reserve Segway tours at www. segwaynm.com.

Seeking Architectural Splendor?

Can’t Get Enough High Flying?

If you think you’ve seen some spectacular New Mexico scenery already, take a ride up the Sandia Peak Tramway for the best views in town. The aerial tram carries you up the mountain in about 15 minutes to the Sandia Peak observation deck, where you can admire the panorama across 11,000 square miles of the Land of Enchantment. On the ride up, suspended above granite crags and canyons, you pass through four climate zones. Take a jacket; it’s much cooler than the city at this 10,000-plus foot elevation, although you can always warm up at the High Finance restaurant on the peak. Get more information at www.sandiapeak.com.

Peek behind the scenes at one of Albuquerque’s cultural treasures, the flamboyant Pueblo Deco–style KiMo Theatre on historic Route 66. This grand old lady of the arts celebrates its 85th anniversary this year, having entertained New Mexicans since opening in 1927 as a silent movie picture palace and vaudeville house. The lavishly decorated Native American­– meets–Art Deco setting is now home to dance, drama, music and other performances. During the day visitors can tour the KiMo and see the exotic décor, which boasts buffalo skulls with glowing eyes, stylized wrought-iron bird stair railings, murals, chandeliers and Native American symbols. You might even spot Bobby, the friendly theatre ghost! Contact the theater before you come, in case any areas are closed for daytime rehearsals or events: (505) 768-3544 or www. cabq.gov/culturalsevices/kimo.

On a Quest for Quirky Burque?

For an out-of-the-ordinary experience, it’s well worth the drive along the Turquoise Trail to Tinkertown Museum on the “green side of the mountains.” This maze of a museum is jam-packed with carved wooden figures and scenes created by folk artist Ross Ward. In addition to Ward’s eclectic collections of Americana and curiosities, there’s an animated miniature 1880s Western town and circus as well as antique arcade-style games and a fortune teller. The building itself is a marvel, built with more than 50,000 glass bottles studding the concrete walls. Find out more at www.tinkertown.com.

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Nicky

W

hat’s a pizza place on Coors Boulevard doing with a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence? In a land of strip malls and chain stores, how is it that you can order a bottle of high-end Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon for $112 to go with your $10 pizza margherita?

The answers lie in the complex character of Nicole Villareal, owner and operator of Nicky V’s Neighborhood Pizzeria. Originally a contractor by profession, she has more experience working with electricians than with chefs. When she first saw the space in which her restaurant is now located, she was looking it over to bid on a remodeling job. It had already been a restaurant and the building’s owner suggested she take it over rather than redesign it.

Villareal, with little restaurant experience beyond waitressing in her twenties, at first wasn’t interested. However, the real estate market had crashed in 2008, her building business had declined, and her husband Greg encouraged her to consider the alternative.

In January 2010, she signed a lease. In March, she and her husband went to the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she met expert pizza makers from around the world and came home with a head full of ideas. In April she honed her pizza skills. Her husband Greg tracked down and began culturing an 1812 yeast that originated on the Oregon Trail, and the couple developed a pure, simple recipe for pizza dough (no oils or sugars).

In May, Nicky V’s opened its doors.

Villareal is a high-energy, expressive woman with a penetrating gaze. Intensely focused, she spills her words out clearly and fervently. Her inspiration, she tells me, came from two sources. One was Pizzeria Charlie in Orvieto, which serves what some believe is the best pizza in Italy. “We went there three nights in a row,” she recalls, naming specialties like asparagus pizza and pumpkin pizza. She and her husband plan another vacation in Italy with their kids, and they’ll be basing themselves in Orvieto for a month.

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s t o r y b y B A R RY F I E L D S photos by GABRIELLA MARKS

| Nicole and Greg Villareal

Her second source of inspiration was her enthusiasm for wine. “I love wine, and I think wine is the perfect complement to pizza,” she says. “We try to push people outside of their comfort zone with our wine list. I’m trying to get people to try something new. A lot of our wines have these earthy, European tones.” A couple of years ago she went to Napa Valley and had a love affair with Cabernet Sauvignon. As a result, top producers like Heitz Cellars and Silver Oak are on the list as well as many labels in the moderate range. But why go out of her way to earn the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence? “It helped legitimize our wine list, gave us some more credentials.”

When she first opened the restaurant, it consumed her life. “I didn’t sleep the first three months we were open,” she recalls. Her original head chef was an experienced pizza maker, which helped. But Villareal had no experience in managing a restaurant, and the small strip mall in which the restaurant is located had seen a number of restaurants come and go. To guarantee Nicky V’s would stick around, she engaged in “guerilla marketing,” giving out free appetizers and pizzas. The trick was to convince locals to try out the place. “Once they come in I know they’ll come back,” she beams confidently.

Nicky V’s doesn’t skimp on preparation or ingredients. The bakers make their own dough daily, and let it age overnight to give the 1812 yeast time to work its magic. You’ll find extra sauce on the pizza because, Villareal says, that’s the way they do it in Italy. She sources “awesome” fresh basil from the greenhouse program in Cibola High School. “They bring it to me on the stalk to ensure freshness. When it comes in, the whole kitchen smells like basil.”

Mozzarella is special ordered from Wisconsin and fresh chicken stock, made daily, goes into the pasta sauces. An original salad dressing for the Fuji salad (using pear cider vinegar) is so popular customers purchase it to take home, and Nicky V’s may start bottling it. And the restaurant offers an array of pizzas, including some unusual combinations, like the Milan (balsamic-glazed onions, crimini mushrooms, Gorgonzola, Fontina and toasted pine nuts) or the Palermo (cilantro pesto, shrimp, mozzarella, artichokes, and toasted pine nuts).

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Nicky Villareal had contracted with plumbers and roofers, but “jumping to over 30 people was a challenge.” She felt responsible for keeping them employed, and she developed a philosophy that’s worked: “We hire on integrity versus experience.” She’s come to see the staff as the most important element in the eatery’s success.

“They’re happy here,” she says, adding that turnover is low. To show appreciation for them, she and her husband make and serve the staff breakfast once a month.

No one was more surprised than Villareal when a major Albuquerque magazine named Nicky V’s the best new restaurant in 2010, and the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce awarded it the city’s best small business in 2011. But the accolades were welldeserved. Pay a visit and you’ll see why.

You might miss the place, since it is located in one of the many strip malls that line Coors Boulevard. But as soon as you enter, you’ll see the certificate from Wine Spectator hanging on the wall, and next to it you can peek into the 500-bottle, temperature-andhumidity controlled wine cellar. The walls, which were painted loud and garish colors when Villareal first saw them, now have an Old World feel, with earth-colored warmth. You can watch bakers tossing pizza dough and see the brick pizza oven in the open kitchen. Two spacious dining rooms equipped with TV screens let you know there’s nothing pompous here.

A buddy of mine and I had dinner there on a Wednesday night, when wines by the bottle are half off with an order of two entrees (pizza or pasta). We split a Fuji salad, in which the sweetness of candied walnuts, citrus-steeped currants and Fuji apples are nicely offset by Gorgonzola and the tasty vinaigrette. We also split an immensely enjoyable Mediterranean pizza (red sauce, kalamata olives, goat cheese, sautéed spinach, caramelized onions and fresh herbs) and a plate of gnocchi (with roasted chicken, onion confit, artichokes, roasted leeks and spinach in a roasted red pepper cream sauce drizzled lightly with truffle oil). We also ordered a bottle of Conn Creek –“Herrick Red” – a Cabernet Sauvignon blend, that had plenty of up-front, dark fruits and a pleasing finish and was served in large Bordeaux glasses. Food prices were very reasonable, the wine a steal, the service attentive, and the portions plentiful.

Villareal’s next endeavor is to enroll in a wine course in Denver and ultimately to earn her Sommelier certificate–an arduous undertaking for a busy wife, mother and entrepreneur. Then she plans to share her knowledge by offering educational wine tastings, making Nicky V’s as much a wine bar as pizza place.

With ambition and energy that doesn’t quit, Villareal is determined to open a second location. She’s convinced her unique combination–solid, unpretentious Italian cuisine and a selection of wine to satisfy the casual diner and oenophile alike–will make another Nicky V’s as successful as the first.

Nicky V’s is located at 9700 Coors Boulevard NW in Albuquerque.

505.890.9463. www.nickyvs.com.

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A Taste of Life in New Mexico

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29

it’s all about

Hospitality

W

hen we travel, the hotel where we stay is not just our home away from home; it is much more than that. It is a break from home. It is new surroundings and pleasing amenities.

First and foremost, though, it is service.

Oh, room service— breakfast delivered to my room! I don’t know about you, but this hasn’t happened for me at home (hint, hint). How could anything be more luxurious?

This month, the big event in the Duke City is the 41st Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, and with thousands of visitors coming, it is an opportunity for the city’s hospitality industry to shine. We talked with front desk staff and concierges at four top luxury hotels and found each venue possessing its own distinct flavor. For guests, these staff members are a vital link to the surrounding community.

Their work can make all the difference, helping visitors find their way around town and providing custom-tailored suggestions for places to see, making for memories that often last a lifetime.

Erika Padilla of Nativo Lodge Of the hotels we included, the Nativo Lodge is closest to the Balloon Fiesta Park, close enough that guests can get a great view from their room balconies. I meet with Erika Padilla in the lobby, which integrates massive lodge pole timbers into a contemporary space and is decorated with Southwest Native American artwork. Traditional drums serve as coffee tables, and while we talk, kids have some fun playing them. The beats resonate through the space and remind me of the times I’ve attended area Pueblo dances. “We serve Indian tacos in our café and a caldito green chile bowl you just have to try,” says Erika, who is new to the Nativo Lodge but brings to the job a perspective that only a born-and-raised local has. “My parents were married in the San Felipe Church,” she says, “so I’m all about Old Town.” Erika sparkles with pride. “I always direct my guests there because of the shops, the antiques and beautiful Native American jewelry. I go to La Hacienda Restaurant every year for my birthday—it’s that good.”

Nativo Lodge, 6000 Pan American Freeway NE in Albuquerque http://www.nativolodge.com/

Lauren Ertz of Hotel Andaluz For a complete change of scenery I go to Hotel Andaluz, built in 1939 as a Hilton Hotel, and meet with “Front Desk Agent Extraordinaire,” Lauren Ertz. Lauren is new both to New Mexico and the hotel, and it shows it in her enthusiasm. The Andaluz was renovated and reopened in 2009 and is LEED Gold Certified. This means the hotel is environmentally friendly to the highest standard, all the way from finishes on the woodwork to energy and water consumption. That the hotel has accomplished this while being on the National Register of Historic Places is very, very impressive. “I love this hotel and being here,” says Lauren. “It’s very personable. We treat you like you’re at home, and yet there’s so much history behind it.” Lauren enjoys downtown Albuquerque. “The Albuquerque Trolley is a lot of fun, and I like to send people to the Gertrude Zachary Castle.” In terms of authentic New Mexican dining, Lauren says, “My favorite is the Church Street Café, and of course our own Lucia is fabulous.” For getting to Balloon Fiesta, Lauren recommends Routes Rentals & Tours, which is organizing bicycle tours to the event.

Hotel Andaluz, 125 Second Street NW in Albuquerque http://www.hotelandaluz.com/

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story by GORDON BUNKER photos by GABRIELLA MARKS

Mary Lou Jones of the Downtown Hyatt Next stop is the Hyatt Regency. Its contemporary style and peaked highrise roofline make it an Albuquerque landmark. Interestingly, while the tone of the Hyatt is definitely urban, I feel most at home here, and this I attribute to the unique spirit concierge Mary Lou Jones brings to the place. “It was my dream job to be concierge at this Hyatt, and here I am!”

Mary Lou speaks with the enthusiasm of someone who was just hired, but in fact this happened fifteen years ago. “It’s just so wonderful to take care of people and to give them a memorable experience of Albuquerque and New Mexico.” Mary Lou has an encyclopedic knowledge of the local downtown spots: “The Golden Crown Panaderia … biscochitos … delicious! The museums, the Japanese Garden …” She beams. “I’ve been taking calls about the Balloon Fiesta since February,” says Mary Lou. “For the early risers interested in the Mass Ascension, the hotel is staffed 24 hours, but the concierge is not here at 4 a.m.,” she says, laughing, and conspiratorially adds, “I know a secret way to the Balloon Park. But it’s a secret.” Insider tip: You might be able to bribe Mary Lou with chai.

Downtown Hyatt, 330 Tijeras NW, in Albuquerque http://albuquerque.hyatt.com/

Lindsay Joule of Hotel Parq Central Last, and certainly not least, I visit the Hotel Parq Central. Built as the Santa Fe Railroad Hospital in 1926, it was restored and opened as the hotel in 2010. I meet with Lindsay Joule, who, minus a few years at college, is an Albuquerque local. “The Parq Central is a smaller boutique hotel, and I like the resort feel to it. And as Molly, the office dog, can attest, we are pet friendly.” Lindsay loves the outdoors. “This is my absolute favorite time of year. Corrales is a paradise with fall foliage and chile roasting. There’s great biking around Albuquerque and the Sandias, and of course hiking. I direct guests to the Elena Gallegos Open Space and the La Luz Trail, but you have to hit that one right.” For visitors who are here during Balloon Fiesta, Lindsay says, “Parq Central will be offering food and beverage specials at our Apothecary Lounge on the roof. The patio lounge is the only one in town with 360 degree views.” Add the balloons and it should be breathtaking!

Parq Central, 806 Central Ave SE in Albuquerque http://hotelparqcentral.com/

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Haunted Museum Tours by Lilly Whiteswan Oct. 26, 27 & 31 $10 5-7pm

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10-5pm $5/3

505-473-0743

Harvest

A

n almost visible steam hangs in the sunny air on a late August afternoon at the Peña Blanca Community Center, host to the Peña Blanca Sunflower Festival.

Under a big tent, across the road from where horse and tractor-drawn wagons are loading hayrides, a three-piece guitar band plays “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen.” The guitarists’ hands strum heavily in the heat.

Festival organizer Patrice Harrison-Inglis knows a lot about trouble—and a lot about sunflowers. These two elements came together in a remarkable way to transform her life and give it meaning and purpose.

From 1991 until last year, when she sold her goats, Patrice owned and operated Sweetwoods Dairy in Peña Blanca, producing milk and making goat cheese that she sold at local groceries and farmers’ markets. Her husband, Larry, built the farmstead house in which they raised their sons, Ben and Les. In 2006, at age 26, just months shy of the second anniversary of his marriage to

story by DANIEL E. BRANNEN JR. photos by KITTY LEAKEN

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Harvest Leigh Ann, Ben died on a bicycle tour in Colorado as he crossed the road to help a fellow rider with a flat tire.

“He was on a tour between Pagosa Springs and Durango,” Patrice says. “There were 2,200 riders. One of them was hit by a truck.” She pauses. “It was him.”

Patrice could not speak about the event for years. She would answer questions about Ben’s death simply by handing people a newspaper article. She sunk into a deep depression in the wake of the loss of her son, and it was the act of growing sunflowers that began to pull her out of it. Patrice started the Peña Blanca Sunflower Project as a way to begin to revive herself, and in doing so, she began to wonder if it might also engage her community.

Sunflowers, or Helianthus annuus, grow well here in New Mexico, because they are native to the region. (Witness the volunteers blooming brightly along roadsides from late summer onward.) Oil from sunflower seeds supplies vitamin E. Like olive oil, it has a composition of healthy fats, yet it can be heated to high cooking temperatures before smoking.

Sunflower oil does not spoil quickly. Rather, it boasts a long shelf life without vacuum-packing or refrigeration. In contrast to the heavily regulated dairy industry, sunflower oil requires little more than normal food processing sanitation and much less record keeping and product testing. The former Sweetwoods Dairy facility already has a kitchen and bottling machine that Patrice thinks can pass inspection.

Patrice and neighboring farmers now have about 35 acres of sunflowers that will be harvested in October. Her goal? To produce a local supply of sunflower oil to bottle and sell in the region.

Compared with milk, sunflower oil is very attractive for farmers and producers, she says. For one thing, the harvest is only once a year, instead of twice daily. The Sunflower Project has 13 contract growers from the pueblos of Santa Ana, Kewa, and Cochiti, as well as from Peña Blanca itself. (Patrice’s son Les has four acres of sunflower fields at the Sweetwoods Dairy property.) Each grower has agreed to sell to the Sunflower Project for 35 cents per pound, a higher price than the large Midwestern growers will receive on the national commodities market, which last year topped at 22 cents.

If Patrice gets enough seed to process into oil, she’ll be able to sell it to make about one dollar per pound. (Otherwise she’ll find herself in the bird seed business, at 50 cents per pound.) Her harvest goal is 50,000 pounds, the amount that she says will fill an 18-wheeler with a belly-dump trailer. At this quantity, Colorado Mills in Lamar, Colorado, will do a custom job to press oil from the seed, turning the resulting seed pulp, or cake, into pelletized feed for livestock. “If I get 40,000 pounds,” she says with a smile, “I’ll call them and say, ‘How about it?’”

Patrice intends to sell half of the production to grocers by next spring. This will allow her to pay the farmers, which will encourage them to plant again next year. Then she can spend next summer selling the remaining half at farmers’ markets while the next crop grows.

She has strong feelings about small-scale agriculture. High quality human food is where small farmers need to be, she says. And the focus must be on the food. “There’s a danger as we get away from the product, dress it up in pretty bottles, put it on pretty tables, with music and dancing around it,” she says. “Cynicism. Agritourism must be subservient to agriculture.” (Here she unknowingly echoes Thomas Jefferson, who in his first inaugural address said that commerce should be the handmaiden of agriculture.)

In early 2011, Patrice visited Colorado Mills with neighbor Steve Romero (who is a truck driver), his wife, Elaine, and Philip Ortiz, a hay farmer. They were like kids on a field trip. Recently, Patrice and Ortiz joined with Del Jimenez to buy a combine for harvesting the sunflowers, a 1975 John Deere 3300.

Harvest will be a cooperative effort by these folks. Jimenez, an agricultural specialist at New Mexico State University in Alcalde who was instrumental in the Northern New Mexico Organic Wheat Project, will monitor the seeds, looking for the ten percent residual moisture that signals the time for harvest.

Ortiz can operate the combine with instruction from Jimenez. Romero might drive the truck to deliver the seeds to Colorado Mills.

Even with all this in place, Patrice still must solve a few problems that remain this season. She lacks bins into which the combine can dump sunflowers at the end of each harvested row, and a scale for weighing the produce. Rat-proof containers are required to store it under a hay barn near the home she rents in Sile. And the Sunflower Project needs a belly-dump trailer to get the seed up to Colorado. Local young people will need to join the project as sales trainees, and taking the products to local markets.

Success this season might convince more farmers to grow sunflowers for the project next year. Patrice dreams of having enough growers to support a mill right in Peña Blanca. Smude’s Natural Sunflower Oil in Pierz, Minnesota, is a model for that possibility. According to a blog by Adam Czech, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Smude’s has a facility that processes 30,000 bushels of sunflowers annually. The facility presses the seeds at 78 degrees, filters the oil into 7,000-gallon tanks, then bottles and labels it.

Patrice says 30,000 bushels of sunflowers can be grown on 900 acres of land. When asked whether the Sunflower Project can reach that acreage, her eyes widen. “In Sandoval County alone, there are 9,000 acres that are irrigable and fallow!” she says. “There’s enough land here to feed New Mexico!”

Most farmers in the county, she adds, are ranchers raising feed. Alfalfa hay is New Mexico’s number one cash crop. Alfalfa and sunflowers, however, make fine partners for the agricultural practice that uses crop rotation for healthy soil; alfalfa deposits nitrogen into the soil, while sunflowers remove it.

Philip Ortiz is one of the area’s alfalfa farmers. Despite buying the combine, he is skeptical about the Sunflower Project. “Patrice asked me to plant sunflowers, but I decided not to,” Ortiz says. He explains that alfalfa is a perennial crop that he grows for seven or eight years before planting a rotation crop. While his father was alive, they used Sudan or another grass for the rotation, but Ortiz says he might consider sunflowers if the Sunflower Project proves to be profitable. But he thinks the area lacks land and interest; other farmers have had too many problems. “Maybe because they are alfalfa farmers,” says Ortiz. “That’s what we’ve planted forever around here. To change our minds, we’d have to come up with gold or silver.”

Patrice knows from experience just how important profitability is, but community is extremely important to her as well. “Whether I chose it or not, I made my life here,” she says of the area around Peña Blanca. “I really do live here now. My heart lives here. And breaks here.”

Though she left the region for a while after her son’s death, she returned and took a job as elder caregiver in a private home. She sings for her church’s choir. And she dates her interest in community action back to the day of her son’s funeral.

There was much work undone at Sweetwoods Dairy that July morning in 2006. Twice-daily milking and packing a perishable product stopped for nothing. Seeing the disarray, a neighbor offered to help. He was a former employee of the dairy, one whom Patrice had fired years earlier. He had not spoken to her for a long time. Yet that morning he came to her fence and offered to help.

“Community events and churchgoing are fine,” Patrice reflects. “But if you really want to overcome cultural differences, do meaningful work together.”

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| Patrice Harrison-Inglis

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and the Lensic Performing Arts Center present

FUNERAL KINGS Saturday October 20th with Filmmakers in attendance The New Mexico Premiere of TIGER EYES Sunday, October 21st with Judy Blume in attendance

Funeral Kings

For tickets: wwwsantafeiff.com or Lensic Box Office: 505.988.1234 Santa Fe Independent Film Festival in collaboration with Santa Fe County and Farm to Restaurant will present a week of film and food including a screening of the film, Eating Alabama, October 18, with a reception to follow.

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OCTOBER 2012

South Side Rodeo & Cerrillos 505.424.1200

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That’s right, Local Flavor Magazine is getting social!

story by GAIL SNYDER p h o t o s b y M E LY S S A H O L I K

The Real

p o h S r e Butch

I

s there really a discernible difference between grain-fed, factory-farmed animals and those raised free-range, or is it just a political correctness and food snobbery dispute? With grocery prices rising, it’s easy to fall for the seductively cheaper products offered by factory farms. But we diehard Americans may be their last loyal customers. Recently, NPR reported on a paucity of eggs in Mexico as a result of a virus in the country’s chicken population. A Jalisco shopkeeper was asked how people are faring, noting that Mexicans are notorious fanatics about eggs. It’s true, he replied; everybody eats several eggs every morning, so this shortage is hard. “Are you importing eggs from the U.S.?” the interviewer asked. “No, we don’t like U.S. eggs,” the shopkeeper answered dismissively. “They’re bland and tasteless.” In other words, hey, we may be hurting but not that bad!

Of course, there’s more at stake in the argument for natural, organic meat and dairy products than just taste; there are growth hormones, pesticides and quality of the animal’s life, among a growing litany of concerns. And, as more growers enter the fray, the issues can get fairly muddied.

Take, for instance, the term “grass-fed.” We think we know what that means, right? We assume this animal lived a safe, natural life out on the range, grazing for all of its food just as its ancestors did.

“But that term can be misleading,” explains poultry farmer Tom Delehanty. “To qualify as grass-fed, all an animal needs is to have spent some unspecified period of its life grazing. Too often, unscrupulous farmers and ranchers start them off with grass; then, to hurry up the process, they’re loaded up and sent to a feedlot where they spend the remainder of their days being bulked up with grain.

“What you actually want,” he goes on, “is meat that’s labeled ‘grass-finished,’ which means that from birth to processing, this animal was one hundred percent pasture-raised—it actually did eat only grass.”

Tom and his wife, Tracey Hamilton, owners of the Socorro-based Pollo Real, know firsthand the difference a lifetime of pasture grazing makes, not only to birds but also to their eggs. Over the past 18 years, Tom and Tracey’s pasture poultry farm—the largest of its kind in the U.S. and the first in the country to be certified organic—has produced high quality chickens, heritage turkeys, ducks and guinea fowl. The Pollo Real name is familiar to most locals, from Albuquerque all the way up to Taos; it’s been a longtime mainstay of key farmers’ markets across northern and central New Mexico. “I’ve driven a million miles, at least, over the years,” says Tom, “to develop and participate in farmers’ markets.”

Laughing, Tracey adds, “He calls I-25 the Million Mile Drive!”

Both readily, fondly acknowledge it’s been a labor of love. But now they’re ready to leave the freneticism of this lifestyle behind. (Tracey illustrates what it’s been like by jumping up and balancing on one leg while extending both arms and the other leg out as if juggling a dozen chickens and eggs all at once.) Last May, in recognition of the their dedication and hard work, Pollo Real was awarded a prestigious USDA Value Added Producer Grant worth $49,500, enabling them to increase flock sizes and expand their product base. And their next step? Sometime just ahead of this coming Thanksgiving, they plan to open their brand new retail venture, the Real Butcher Shop, right next door to Santa Fe’s La Montanita Co-op, on West Alameda.

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1

2 3

1

Tracey Hamilton and Tom Delehanty

2

The Real Butcher’s Butcher: Molly Kearns

3

Shepherds Lamb: Antonio Manzanares

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The RealButcher Shop “We want it to have a genuine mom-and-pop feel,” Tracey says excitedly. “A neighborhood, Old World kind of butcher shop.”

“Santa Fe is such an ideal place for that,” Tom adds.

The emphasis, the couple says, will be on friendly and knowledgeable service by people who remember your name, get to know what you like and apprise you of daily specials. (“It’s a relationship that keeps developing,” says Tracey.) The shop will offer house-made smoked and cured meats encompassing all parts of the animal, as well as a selection of house-made sausages, head cheese, soups, stocks, ribs, pates, rotisserie chickens, pot pies, sandwiches, bones and raw pet food.

They also plan to offer classes, tastings, daily specials—and a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) membership. With several membership rate plans to choose from, each member’s money is put into a store account. Then, each time the member makes a purchase, a discount rate is applied to it and the price subtracted from their account. Members’ input is invited in special exclusive members-only tastings, and they will also have first opportunity to attend classes and first choice on all in-store specials and new and holiday items, giving them a sense of pride and ownership in the shop. Best of all, members will be invited to sit with the butcher shop’s family farm producers, getting to hear their stories, history, animal husbandry philosophies and production models.

In addition to Pollo Real poultry and eggs, the shop will bring in organic grass-finished heritage breeds of beef, lamb (featuring Shepherd’s Lamb from Tierra Amarilla) and pork from all around New Mexico and Colorado, says Tom. “We’ll maintain a relationship with any farmers and ranchers we buy from, actually going out to visit their farms, not just going along with whatever the rancher says about their practices.” What they’ll be looking for at the Real Butcher Shop are the same quality assurance standards to which they ascribe to themselves at Pollo Real, which are, says Tom, “humane conditions that mimic the animals’ natural conditions.”

Tom and Tracey don’t use any of the practices typically used in factories to accelerate the birds’ growth cycles. “We don’t give them antibiotics—we aren’t breeding them to be junkies,” Tom says. He describes brooding the chicks in trailers with lots of light and heat, and putting their young chicks to bed at night. (“And we always say our birds are educated,” interjects Tracey, “because they listen to NPR!”). After a few weeks in the brooding trailers the birds are transferred out to the pastures where they are moved daily. “That way,” says Tom, “they get as much oats, wheat, ryes—good, clean, organic, non-GMO grains—in their diet as possible, plus things like comfrey, which is full of antioxidants and medicinals, white clover and bindweed. They mow it all down to the ground, including the bugs and larvae! Rotating the birds on the ground helps fertilize the soil, so we can grow more of our own grains, making it a holistic product!”

Pollo Real is a honed-down, small-farm business. “We do the work,” Tom says. “We maintain the health of our birds, because we’re right there. We see any problems as they arise. Each bird is managed and inspected every day.”

The Real Butcher Shop will be full-service, offering customers trust, knowledge and transparency. “We’ll share with them the animal’s background, who the rancher was and even help you get in touch with them if you want to!” says Tom. The Real Butcher Shop butchers will hand cut whole animal carcass to order, “because we’re not talking about a box of meat delivered to us already cut up and that’s what you get,” Tom continues. “We utilize the whole animal, nose to tail. We give value to that animal’s life—and to the farmer and the environment that fed and nurtured it. We can show you how to enjoy some neck meat, some tongue, some oxtail. If someone comes in with ten bucks, we want to show them some shanks and say, ‘Prepare them this way,’ so they get the same pleasure as they would from prime rib or filet for a lot less money. We want you to walk home and cook the most delicious meat you ever had!”

To that end, the shop will feature tastings of different and unusual cuts, in addition to cooking classes taught by local and visiting chefs and classes teaching butchering skills. The store plans to stock American and French chickens as well as heritage turkeys, ducks, guinea hens and eggs from Pollo Real; Angus, Red Devon, Blue Belgian and British White beef; and Berkshire Red Wattles and Mangolista pork. “We know,” says Tom, “that our meat producers have a real passion to develop healthy production models and go on to encourage other ranchers to do it this way. Because, to me, that’s the future of the small farm’s survival— raising that quality product, and getting it out there through a producer-owned outlet.”

Everything’s still in the planning stage—but it’s all coming together at hyper speed. The couple has been busy helping get the plans for the 3,000-square foot space on the ground for their projected November opening date. And recently Tracey was selected to participate with fellow New Mexico Business Leaders and the White House Business Council to discuss jobs and the economy last May in Washington D.C. In addition, earlier in the summer, Pollo Real and the Real Butcher Shop were filmed for the PBS weekly show America’s Heartland which will be aired locally on KNME-TV, Channel 5, this fall’s Season 8 series. (Check with your local listings to find schedule dates and times.)

If you’re getting the idea that Tom and Tracey have crammed many concurrent lifetimes into this one they have together, you’re right. They don’t do couch potato.

To learn more about the Real Butcher Shop’s CSA, email Tom and Tracey at realbutchershop@q.com. Tracey’s cell number is 505.507.3123.

The shop’s website, which will be completed soon, is www.realbutchershop.com.

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

OCTOBER 2012

39

The Taos Hum I

n our regular column, Tania Casselle introduces us to the people who make Taos hum.

This month we hear stories from the high fliers behind two very Taos events in October— the Storytelling Festival and the Balloon Rally. s t o r y b y TA N I A

Dori Vinella

CASSELLE

photos by LENNY FOSTER

Dori Vinella is at the literary hub of Taos as Executive Director of the Society of the Muse of the Southwest—more pithily known as SOMOS. Vinella herself doesn’t write, despite encouragement from author friends to record stories of her life in Taos and back in her L.A. days, where high school classmates included Natalie Wood. “I’m the oldest Valley Girl, I might add!” says Vinella.

Instead, she’s an ally for many Taos writers, including those who frequented the still-legendary Dori’s Bakery & Cafe, which she ran for 24 years until closing its doors in 1997. “At Dori’s I was called the muse,” says Vinella. Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, first dubbed her with the nickname, but literary luminaries such as Natalie Goldberg and John Nichols also wrote at Dori’s, which was located in the building that now houses The Dragonfly Cafe and Bakery. Fans of Nichols used to go in looking for him, even as he wrote quietly away at a table. “They’d come up to the counter and say, ‘Does John still come here?’ And he’d be sitting in the corner.” Vinella would reply that indeed he did.

“And they’d say, ‘What time?’ And I’d say, ‘You never know!’”

All kinds of artsy types hung out at Dori’s. One Sunday, Michael d’Abo from the band Manfred Mann was playing piano at the cafe. “All of a sudden I hear him go into the theme from The Godfather,” says Vinella. “I look out and see Robert Duvall walking up. Duvall said, ‘Can we get him to play a tango?’ and he danced the tango with a lady guest. It was when he was filming Lonesome Dove in Angel Fire and before we knew he was a tango dancer.”

The cafe’s specialty, Hash Brown Heaven (“our claim to fame”), features in a new SOMOS cookbook by local writers, and Vinella still stretches her culinary muscles creating flavors for Seasons of Taos, her retail business that sells gourmet seasonings online and in stores.

Vinella moved to Taos more than 40 years ago “to have a better life … and we got it. This is paradise.” And although her travel bug has taken her all over the globe, she’s always home to spend Christmas Eve at Taos Pueblo. “That’s my Christmas. I love it.”

SOMOS presents the Taos Storytelling Festival, October 19-20, and the SOMOS Storied Recipes cookbook launch at Hotel La Fonda on Taos Plaza, October 5 at 7 p.m. Details at www.somostaos.org. Find Dori Vinella’s seasonings at www.seasonsoftaos.com.

Ed Smith

Hot air balloon pilot Ed Smith is one pretty contented guy. “I have the best job in the state!” he says.

“I dare anybody to try to come up with a better job than mine.” His Pueblo Balloon Company takes people soaring above the Rio Grande Gorge––and floating down below the rim too––and he reports that many visitors cite the experience as the highlight of their vacation. “It’s the coolest flight in the country,” says Smith. “It’s breathtaking. They’re all quite shocked that we actually go into the gorge, not just over it.”

Smith traveled widely before moving to Taos in 2003. “My dad was in the Army, I was in the Air Force, then I did computer and network consulting and that also kept me moving. Then I dropped out of the rat race, moved to Taos, and I get high every morning!” He’d only intended to stay a few years, but as he puts it, “What could I do anywhere else and be as happy?”

When he’s back on the ground, Smith likes riding motorcycles, especially around the Enchanted Circle, and working on his cars, including a rare 1986 Pontiac NASCAR Aerocoupe. “Only a thousand were built. You’ll see me around town in it; it’s a silver car like you’ve never seen before.”

Smith is also vice president of the October Taos Mountain Balloon Rally, and his favorite moments are during the morning mass ascensions. Although the rally’s scale is much smaller than Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, it’s a picturesque sight to behold, with the balloons drifting against the backdrop of Taos Mountain. “The Balloon Rally should be just part of your trip to Taos,” says Smith. “You should come here to do other things: the Pueblo, llama trekking, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, hiking, art galleries, shopping. What I said about dropping out of the rat race is true. When you come here, it’s like the whole world just goes away.”

The Taos Mountain Balloon Rally takes to the skies October 26-28. For more info, go to www. taosballoonrally.com. Pueblo Balloon Company, at www.puebloballoon.com, is the official balloon ride provider at the rally.

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OCTOBER 2012

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A Taste of Life in New Mexico

OCTOBER 2012

41

T

he harvest is not a time of solitude. On the contrary, the sheer labor involved requires cooperation. But it’s about more than that; it’s also about the shared joy when months of hard work and patience finally come to fruition. It’s a golden moment between summer’s nurturing and winter’s fallow, a time when all things seem still full of life and the world feels ripe in every sense. Even for city dwellers and those not working the fields, the harvest—and the festivals they inspire—remain an opportunity to reconnect with the land and with each other.

Festivals

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

Oct 6-14

Madrid Chile Fiesta!

Live music, special chile menu served at the Mine Shaft all week long Mine Shaft Tavern 2846 Hwy 14 in Madrid 505.473.0743 www.themineshafttavern.com

Oct 13-14

Botanic Garden’s Heritage Farm Harvest Festival 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Cider pressing, harvest techniques, educational seminars Admission: $7/adults, $3/seniors & kids Botanic Gardens - ABQ BioPark 2601 Central Ave NW in Abq www.cabq.gov/biopark

Oct14

Rancho Manzana’s Farm Lunch with Chef Joseph Wrede 1-4 p.m.

Gemini Farm celebrates their abundant fall harvest with a lunch at Rancho Manzana featuring guest chef Joseph Wrede. Growers will lead a farm tour of the fields and stroll through the historic Plaza del Cerro. Reservations required. Limited to 20. $75/person. Call 888.505.2227.

Rancho Manzana 26 Camino de Mision in Chimayo www.ranchomanzana.com/cooking_ school.php

Oct 27

Hops and Harvest Festival 1-8 p.m.

An annual fundraiser for Albuquerque Downtown Growers’ Market, featuring live music by the Squash Blossom Boys, Los Radiators and Kubatana Marimba Southwest. marblebrewery.com/music&events.html www.downtowngrowers.com

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Oct 6-7

El Rancho de las Golondrinas 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Villagers crush grapes, string chile ristras, make tortillas, bake fresh bread and much more!

Admission: $8/adults $5/ seniors & teens free for kids 12 and under El Rancho de Las Golondrinas 334 Los Pinos Road in Santa Fe www.golondrinas.org

Oct 12-13

Oct 14

Gruet Winery Harvest Festival Friday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Saturday 12-5 p.m.

Free samples of wine, beer and gourmet food, plus the Gruet Grape Stomp!

Admission: $10 Gruet Winery 8400 Pan American Freeway NE in Abq www.gruetwinery.com

La Viña Harvest Festival 12-7 p.m.

Over 20 wines available for tasting and purchase. Live music and vendors.

Admission: $15/adults 21 & over (includes souvenir glass and tasting) $5/12-20, free/ kids under 12 La Viña Winery 4201 S. Highway 28 in La Union www.lavinawinery.com/events.html

Oct 13-14

Gutierrez-Hubbell House Local Food Festival and Field Day 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

This annual festival highlights our local food and agriculture.Workshops on gardening and farming, music, tastings and chef demos, cycling tours, sack races, seedspitting contests, a petting zoo, storytelling, homesteading workshops and much more.

Admission: Free and open to the public Gutierrez-Hubbell House 6029 Isleta Blvd SW, in Abq www.mrcog-nm.gov/agriculturemainmenu-55/local-food-festivalmainmenu-278

Oct 20

Oct 21

All month

All month

Skarsgard Farms Harvest Festival 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Farm tour at 11:00 am, meals available from the Harvest Truck, pumpkins available for sale for Halloween, entertainment, fun for the whole family.

Admission: Free Skarsgard Farms South Valley Farm 7525 Rays Court SW in Abq www.skarsgardfarms.com

Wagner Farmland Experience Corn mazes, a pumpkin patch, petting zoo, hayrides, Saturday night mazes and harvest bonfire, games and produce and pumpkins for sale.

Sunday-Friday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Saturday 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Admission: $7.50/ adults $5.50/ 3 -11 free/under 3 accompanied by an adult.

2 locations: 6445 Corrales Road in Corrales 1420 Desert Willow road in Los Lunas www.wagnerfarmscorrales.com/

Santa Fe Harvest Swap 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

A swap fest to share the abundance of your gardens, orchards and backyard barnyards!

Seasoned food preservers and newbies alike are welcome to bring fare that is homemade, homegrown or foraged. Organizers hope for a wide range of goods—fresh, dried or fermented; eggs, cheese, medicinal and culinary herbs, seeds, baked goods.

Admission: $5 (fees will be donated to a local food sustainability organization) Pre-registration required. www. santafeharvestswap.eventbrite.com or call 505.

474.7998.

The Railyard Park Community Room at the Railyard Park in Santa Fe

McCall Pumpkin Patch Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Hayrides, 16-acre corn maze, pumpkin picking, pumpkin cannon and slingshot, haunted farm and petting zoo Admission: $11.95/adults, free/ 2 and under www.mccallpumpkinpatch.com

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Join The Food Depot in building a new Food Distribution and Education Center.

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Join Us. Donate to Build Hope TODAY! www.thefooddepot.org (505) 471-1633

Building Hope Qtr. Ad for Local Flavor.indd 1

For more information, contact realbutchershop@q.com

A Taste of Life in New Mexico 8/21/2012 3:24:06 PM

OCTOBER 2012

43

Hungry? l l i St

s t o r y b y M E LY S S A H O L I K photo by GABRIELLA MARKS

F

all can be a season of longing as we bid farewell to long summer days and try to squeeze in just one more dinner al fresco. One more fresh-picked tomato. One more walk in the woods.

But there’s also cause for jubilation. As the daylight wanes, everything seems bathed in golden light, there’s an invigorating nip in the air, and the trees leaves are ablaze in a gorgeous display.

Best of all we can rejoice in the flood of produce appearing on our tables: chile, squash, apples, pumpkins, corn and and so much more. The abundance of the autumn harvest makes it a truly joyful time for food lovers, and in that spirit we asked area growers and farm-to-table chefs how they exalt the bounty of the season. Their picks are warm, cozy and comforting and the perfect celebration of fall’s flavors.

Juniper Lamb Stew From Chef Michael Giese of The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center 2 pounds lamb meat, cubed 3 cups fresh corn cut from the cob 6 green onions 3 bell peppers 1 Tablespoon flour 2 Tablespoons lard ½ cup celery leaves (no stalks) 1/4 cup juniper berries 2 Tablespoons chile powder 6 cups water salt to taste Directions: Mix chile powder and flour to coat meat; brown in lard. Add all other ingredients and water. Simmer until meat is tender.

Yield: 1 gallon Servings: 8 to 10 The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is located at 2401 12th Street NW in Albuquerque. (505) 843-7270, www.indianpueblo.org.

Calabacitas Con Carne Arlene Wagner of Wagner Farms 1 1/2 pounds beef steak, cubed 2 Tablespoons shortening 1/2 cup water 2 cups fresh corn cut from cob 3 medium zucchini, diced 2 medium summer squash, diced 1 medium onion, chopped 2 Tablespoons shortening 1/2 cup chopped green chile 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese Directions: Brown beef in shortening in a large skillet at medium-high heat. Lower heat and add water to beef. Cover and simmer at low heat until tender. Add more water if needed. Add remaining ingredients, except cheese, to beef and cook at medium heat until squash is tender. Add cheese, stir lightly and enjoy!

Wagner Farms is located at 5000 Corrales Road in Corrales. 505.459.0719, www. wagnerfarmscorrales.com.

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Farmers’ Market Soup From Chef Novak of the Hollar Restaurant in Madrid 6 oz olive oil 8 oz spinach 2 large carrots, finely chopped 1 large onion, large dice 6 cloves garlic, finely diced 3 medium shallots, finely diced 1 large leek, trimmed, sliced and rinsed 4 medium zucchini, sliced thick Optional: Add either one large butternut squash, large chopped; pumpkin meat, large chopped; or beets, peeled and chopped. (Chef Novak’s favorite is the squash.)

3 cups white wine parsley, finely chopped 1 Tablespoon dried oregano 1/2 Tablespoon coriander or to taste 5 whole bay leaves 1/2 Tablespoon tarragon or to taste kosher salt to taste fresh ground pepper to taste water (enough to cover vegetables)

Directions: In a large pot, add olive oil on medium heat. Sauté carrots, onions, garlic, shallots, leeks and zucchini until they are soft. Pour in white wine and add enough water to cover the vegetables; bring to a boil.

Turn off heat and, using a potato masher, roughly mash vegetables.

After vegetables are mashed, turn heat on to medium and add your choice of squash, pumpkin or beets. Add water to cover all vegetables and add all herbs and spices. Bring to a boil, put heat on simmer (or as low as possible) and let cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste; add more tarragon or coriander if desired. If you want to add some fresh local goat cheese to the bowl when the dish is served, it will really put this recipe over the top.

Variations: Add some ham or grilled and shredded chicken. And please try to get as much produce as possible from your local farmers’ market.

Savory Baked Apples with Green Chile From Chef Jonathan Perno of Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm 4 Arkansas Black* apples, cored 1 cup water ¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice ½ cup maple syrup ¼ to ½ cup green chile, finely chopped ½ cup butter ½ cup toasted pecans, chopped Directions: Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash and core the apples. Set them aside. In a mixing bowl, add the water, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and maple syrup. Mix until combined. Place the apples in a baking dish with room to spare. Pour the liquid mixture over the apples.

In a separate bowl, mix together the green chile, the pecans and half the butter. Stuff the apples with this mixture. Divide the remaining butter into small pieces and place them around the pan. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 45 to 60 minutes.

Check the apples with a skewer; if the skewer is removed easily, then remove the apples from the oven and allow them to cool.

Serves 4 * The Arkansas Black is a medium-size apple good for long storage (up to six months). It has thick dark skin and flesh that is tart, sweet and very juicy. Can’t find Arkansas Black apples? You can substitute Rome, Pink Lady, Jonathan or Granny Smith.

Los Poblanos is located at 4803 Rio Grande Blvd NW in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. 505.344.9297, www.lospoblanos.com.

The Hollar is located at 2849 State Highway 14 in Madrid.

505.471.4821 www.thehollarrestaurant.com.

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

JUNE 2012

45

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OCTOBER 2012

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505.490.2653 • houseofancestors @ gmail.com Monday through Saturday 10:30 – 5:30 pm or by Appointment

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A Taste of Life in New Mexico

OCTOBER 2012

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