Your marriage proposal should express your combined personality as a couple. If you’re a casual and outdoorsy couple, you can plan a picnic and propose on a hike with your loved one. Even if you are the no-frills type, you might want to change it up and make it an event to remember by dining out at a romantic restaurant, at the place you had your first date, or in a scenic outdoor location.

Give it some thought . . . not everyone would be comfortable with a proposal in front of strangers in a restaurant, while others might think that’s the perfect way to do it. Whether you want a private moment or a public celebration, Santa Fe has a variety of beautiful places to help create a memorable proposal.

Best Places to Propose Outdoors in Santa Fe

Santa Fe Plaza

Santa Fe Plaza, in so many ways, is Santa Fe — a place where the old meets the new, where people casually stroll and take in the sights and the beautiful weather. With its shaded areas and park benches, the plaza can also be a bustling place, so you might want to be prepared for spontaneous applause and congratulations.

Brother’s Lane Bridge

In the fall, with its golden foliage, Brother’s Lane Bridge is a secluded spot along the Santa Fe River that could be your perfect spot to pop the big question.

Cross of the Martyrs

For a proposal with reverence and romance, consider the Cross of the Martyrs. Actually, there are two crosses: one is a memorial to Catholic clergy near Old Taos Highway and La Cruz Road, and the other is near Fort Marcy in north downtown Santa Fe.

The Railyard

There’s so much going on in The Railyard that there is bound to be a perfect place for your proposal. There are museums, galleries, shops, trains, breweries (if that’s your thing), and, on certain days, a farmer’s market.

Canyon Road

If you are into art, the galleries along Canyon Road could be the perfect location for you to create your own proposal masterpiece. Canyon Road is known the world over and would serve as an unforgettable proposal location.

Santa Fe Cathedral Park and Monument

Next to Santa Fe’s Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi is a quaint little park with benches that have a peaceful feel. If you’re a history buff, there’s a monument there to the rich Hispanic heritage of Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico.

Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary

Perhaps there’s nothing more romantic than a proposal at sunrise or sunset. If that’s what you’re looking for, visit the Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary.

Santa Fe River Park

In the midst of downtown Santa Fe runs a tree-shaded, lush river park with cascading river falls, lots of grass, and interesting statues. It’s a peaceful, beautiful place for a proposal.

Santa Fe Botanical Gardens

For a romantic, natural setting, this might be your place. Just imagine your proposal surrounded by all that is beautiful in Santa Fe.

Best Places to Propose Indoors in Santa Fe

Loretto Chapel

One of the most iconic sights in Santa Fe is Loretto Chapel, which has an incredible staircase with two 360-degree turns and no visible means of support. It is said that the staircase was built without nails — only wooden pegs. A proposal here will go down in history and in your memories forever.

Bespoke Romantic Dinner at the Anasazi’s Private Living Room

The ambiance of a romantic dinner in a private living room is a choice spot for a proposal. This experience includes a five-course wine pairing menu with foods that will get you in the mood. A candle-lit room, complete with a fireplace and romantic music in the background, completes the setting.

Secreto Lounge

Located across the Santa Fe Plaza from Hotel Chimayo de Santa Fe is the Secreto Lounge with its famous “Garden-to-Glass” cocktails. Make your proposal with a toast . . . ”the clink heard around the world.”

Other Perfect Indoor Spots For a Marriage proposal in Santa Fe

Santa Fe is world-renowned for its culinary excellence. There are dozens of restaurants in the city that will serve as romantic venues for a proposal. One of these restaurants will surely be your best spot.

Put a Ring on It

No matter your style or preference, Santa Fe offers a ton of stunning and intimate locations for your proposal. Whether you choose a quiet spot in nature or an elegant dinner setting, what truly matters is the meaning behind it. With thoughtful planning and the perfect location, your proposal in Santa Fe will be a memory you’ll both cherish for a lifetime.

There’s no place I enjoy hanging out more on Saturday mornings than the bustling Santa Fe Farmers’ Market in the Railyard. Between the vendors and the shoppers, the downtown market attracts a kaleidoscopic cross-section of everyone in our urban and rural communities. You see neighbors, long-lost friends, and brand-new acquaintances engaged in conversation over rows of produce, all surrounded by lilting music, and the arrivals and departures of the Railrunner and Sky Railroad trains. Tuesdays at the market are almost as lively and get started for the season next week.

The market spills out of a pavilion by the tracks on Paseo de Peralta near Guadalupe. The building allows the market to run year-round, but it blossoms fully as the weather warms. More than 100 vendors will be selling their produce and other locally grown or produced goods by the height of the season. While the market brings fresh food and fun to our community, it promotes small farms and sustainable agriculture throughout Northern New Mexico.

You will find no pineapples here. Unlike many so-called farmers’ markets in the US, ours assures that all products — vegetables, fruits, nuts, meats, nursery plants — sold by its vendors, are locally raised by the same smiling folks who sell them. Even the crafts and processed items — baked goods, salsas, vinegars, herbal tinctures, and soaps — have to be made of at least 70 percent local ingredients.

Those high standards have helped make this market one of the most respected in the country. It’s also one of the older markets, having started in the mid-1970s in a west side parking lot. There were only a handful of vendors back then. It was open just the few weeks when zucchini and green chile were overflowing gardens and fields. It’s been a delight to watch the market mature, find a permanent home, and see farm kids grow up to take over booths from parents and grandparents.

VEGGING OUT

You find the market at its most vibrant when the high summer crops, that afore-mentioned zucchini and green chile, are supplemented by sweet corn, tomatoes, melons, berries, stone fruits, and so much more. Those will be here before long.

Right now, though, you can find loads of spring green things — lettuces, chard, kale, and asparagus. Nursery plants are at their best over the next month. Strawberries and rhubarb will show up soon. There’s still a wealth of dried items from last season’s harvest — toasty Floriani cornmeal from the Fresquez family’s Monte Vista Organic Farm, charming sage-and-floral animals from Gonzalez Farm, or the Trujillo family’s multi-colored posole. You can also choose among luscious lamb, beef, and other meat, cheese, eggs, flowers, French breakfast radishes and tiny turnips, fermented foods like pickles and kimchi, and bread and other great bakery items.

FRESH HAPPENINGS

Have you seen the construction in the back end of the market hall? Big things are afoot with the market’s petite Café Fresh. Currently tucked into a back corner, the café is getting a larger, more prominent spot, with garage doors to roll open during warm weather. The menu will be expanding, with salads, sandwiches, grain bowls, and other items emphasizing area ingredients. The taste-testing of the new dishes is underway right now. The Taos Cow ice cream and broad menu of Aroma coffee drinks, made with organic locally roasted beans, will continue. Instead of only having hours during market mornings, the café will be open six days a week. That will help accommodate the growing number of workers and visitors in the Railyard neighborhood. Expect the opening in June of 2022.

MARKET GIFT SHOP

The market’s gift shop carries the most delightful array of merchandise, some local, some from around the world. From Albuquerque, the Kei and Molly natural cotton dishtowels, with colorful silk-screened local images, are one of my go-to “hostess” gifts. New Mexican Irene Newlon’s patchwork aprons have become another of my favorites. Check out the handsome cutting boards from Joshua Ortega, too. The shop carries a variety of cookbooks by local authors, as well as books on food-related topics, such as market farmer Stan Crawford’s Mayordomo and Garlic Testament. Much of the shop’s merchandise can be purchased online now, as well.

AG BAGS

A recently added agricultural subscription service lets you acquire a weekly bag of the best market produce and other goodies for a season. It couldn’t be easier. You pay in advance, then simply drive through the market pavilion’s alley each Wednesday afternoon and have the bag handed off to you. A couple of days ahead of the bag pick-up, you get an email telling you about the contents, along with recipes and ideas for how to use what will be coming your way. The bags offer six to nine items of produce, but can be supplemented with eggs, bread, or other market items.

DOUBLE UP ON SNAP

This isn’t a new market project but is one important to mention. Everyone in our community deserves access to local foods. The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, once known as Food Stamps, helps the 14 percent of Santa Feans who live below the poverty line and are classified as food insecure. The market oversees the Double Up Food Bucks program, which matches the face value of SNAP credits. When a recipient qualifies for $25 in credits, for example, the market doubles the amount, to make it worth $50. Not only does this help the shopper stretch their family’s food dollars, but also puts more money into the pockets of the market farmers. It’s a great service.

I’ll be at the market next week, and just about every other market day. I hope to see you there.

WHERE’S THE Santa Fe Farmers’ MARKET?

Santa Fe Farmers’ Market
Saturdays and, starting May 3, Tuesdays, both 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Market Pavilion
1607 Paseo de Peralta near Guadalupe

Del Sur Southside Market
Starting July 5, Tuesday 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Presbyterian Medical Center
4801 Beckner Rd.

Santafefarmersmarket.com
505-983-4098

Story and photos by Cheryl Alters Jamison

Four-time James Beard Foundation Book Award-winning author Cheryl Alters Jamison is the host of Heating It Up on KTRC and is now the “queen of culinary content” for SantaFe.com. Find new stories about the Santa Fe food scene each week on SantaFe.com.

Read Cheryl Alters Jamison’s bio here!

Art collectors and enthusiasts looking to explore the treasures that abound in Santa Fe, the U.S.’s third largest art market behind New York and Los Angeles, need look no further than Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe, an enchanting luxury boutique retreat comprised of 65 intimate casitas surrounded by rugged mountainous beauty, as it today launches the country’s first Art Concierge Program.

Imagine their delight when Pat gave us the pickle to hang on our tree while regaling us with stories both tall and true about how the green gherkin became a Christmas icon. A grain of truth in his story was the fact that cucumbers were probably among shipments of glass fruit and vegetable ornaments that arrived decades ago from Germany. They proved to be more popular than broccoli, for instance.

PLENTY OF PICKLES

The re-discovery of the pickle ornament, now dangling from a spruce branch, inspired a trip that day to Barrio Brinery. I was intent on stocking up for the holidays ahead. The brinery deals in all kinds of fermented foods, with everything other than the Korean-style kimchi made in-house. Pickles here are made in small batches by the lacto-fermentation process. It involves a salt brine, rather than vinegar, and—over a slower process—develops a much more complex flavor. Fermented foods are rich in probiotics too. Research continues showing that healthy gut bacteria created by this fermentation process create anti-inflammatory and immune system-boosting properties.

At the heart of the pickle line-up is the New York kosher-style dill, with a quartet of variations. I most prefer the classic, but other options include crisp half-sours, sometimes referred to as “new” dills because of their shorter stay in brine. A bread-and-butter pickle has an added touch of honey for sweetness. Two other variations include heftier quantities of garlic along with some New Mexico chile heat.

I like picking up a few containers of escabeche for hostess gifts, too. A festive mix of sliced jalapeños, carrots, onions, and spices, the escabeche is great accompanying a roast beef or grilled cheese sandwich or quesadilla, or topping nachos. Speaking of nachos, Primo Nacho’s Pickled Jalapeños, are made especially for dotting the melted cheese and chip treat. The name’s a cute play on owner Pat’s cousin, who really is named Nacho. Jars of Dilly Beans make a good present, perfect for standing tall in a holiday Bloody Mary or Maria. I think the sauerkraut, perfumed with caraway seeds, is spectacular. Use it on a pastrami Ruben sandwich or as a side with a grilled brat or pork chop.

BECAUSE…PICKLES

Pat created his “Because…pickles” tagline when he opened eight years ago. By complete coincidence, it just happened to turn out to be on National Pickle Day. Not only is his shop full of the foods just described, but he has a selection of delightfully goofy pickle gifts. Surely you know someone who needs pickle-shaped bandages. Or how about a motion-activated yodeling pickle, or a bendy Gumby-like sour pickle? There’s even a Santa Pickle.

And of course, there are the delightful pickle ornaments that initially captivated my grands. I can’t wait until they visit later in December to hear their laughter once again.

Barrio Brinery

1413-B West Alameda
Barriobrinery.com
505-699-9812
Closed Sunday and Monday

Story and photos by Cheryl Alters Jamison

Four-time James Beard Foundation Book Award-winning author Cheryl Alters Jamison is the host of Heating It Up on KTRC and is now the “queen of culinary content” for SantaFe.com. Find new stories about the Santa Fe food scene each week on SantaFe.com.

Read Cheryl Alters Jamison’s bio here!

Adventures for Father’s Day

Let’s plan around the main event: what to do with dear ol’ Dad? One big event that kicks off Father’s Day weekend is Currents Santa Fe. This 10-day celebration explores the intersection of science and aesthetics in locations around the city.

If Dad is an art aficionado, how about a visit to Glenn Green Galleries in Tesuque? Explore the beautiful five-acre sculpture garden and visit the indoor galleries for art by greats like Allan Houser.

Up for a day trip on Father’s Day weekend? How about boarding the Sky Railway? On Father’s Day, you can choose from the Lamy Brunch Run, the Acoma Lamy Brunch Run, the Santa Fe Scenic, and the Acoma Cocktails & Rails. If you take him the day before Father’s Day, your Saturday options include the Santa Fe Scenic, New Mexico Ale Trail, and The Stargazer.

Another getaway is heading to Angel Fire for the three-day Balloons Over Angel Fire high mountain hot air balloon event. Admission is free and there’s more going on than balloon launches. If you get there early and volunteer to crew for a balloon, you may even score Dad a free balloon ride!

Places to Eat & Unwind for Father’s Day

If your Father’s Day adventure doesn’t already include a meal out, we have some of Santa Fe’s favorite restaurants to recommend!

How about Joe’s Dining for diner food made from fresh, local ingredients? Or Tomasita’s, famous for traditional New Mexican cuisine since 1974? You can’t miss by taking him to either of the Pantry restaurants, which opened in 1948 and serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Another Santa Fe staple is Posa’s Tamale Factory & Restaurant, serving breakfast burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, and their traditional tamales. Read more about Posa’s in our Heating It Up story.

Escondido is the place to try for upscale Northern Mexican options like succulent chicken mole, barbacoa, al pastor, and carne asada, sourced locally for brunch and dinner.

If Dad prefers to pile his plate high, take him to Del Charro, where the lunch special and dinner plates are stacked high with Santa Fe flavors.

You can also make an evening of it with Dad at Rio Chama Sunday evening where you can enjoy dinner. Check the Tumbleroot schedule for live entertainment and cold drinks to share with Dad on his special day.

Where to Shop for Dad

Well, it all depends on what your dad enjoys! If he’d appreciate a special bottle of wine or spirits, you can’t go wrong by asking the experts at Susan’s Fine Wine & Spirits for advice. Their selection is the best in Santa Fe and you’re sure to find something he’ll enjoy sipping.

If you want to give Dad something he can wear to remind him of your love every day, how about a visit to Santa Fe Goldworks on the plaza? They offer a beautiful selection of very New Mexico rings and pendants for men.

For antiques, collectibles, art, and more, visit Stephen’s, A Consignment Gallery, to find something uniquely him. They’re holding an Antiques Roadshow Buying Event June 16 – 18 and have two estate sales scheduled those days, so be sure to click over to their website for details.

If he’s into fishing, stop by High Desert Angler. It’s a full-service fly shop, school, and guide service, so you can get Dad some fishing gear or gift him a trip he’ll never forget!

Envisioning some relaxation time with the family? How about a spa day for Dad (and everyone else!)?

Finally, Big Jo True Value is the place to go if your dad is a DIY kind of guy and nothing would make him happier than a new power tool!

Wherever you go, we at SantaFe.com hope you and the dads in your life have a great Father’s Day weekend!

Santa Fe is blessed with a variety of sweet choices in the world of chocolate. We have Chocolate Maven in midtown, Sweet Santa Fe at the Fashion Outlets of Santa Fe, and Señor Murphy, with multiple locations around town. There’s even an elegant women’s store near the plaza, called Chocolate & Cashmere, that sells two things — yes, chocolate and cashmere!

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, I thought I’d focus on a pair of places that I love to visit for their deep dark versions of the purported aphrodisiac. Just stopping in at either The Chocolate Smith or Kakawa Chocolate House puts me in a great mood. There’s plenty to buy for significant others in your life, with dozens of heart boxes, bags, and other fun packaging to tuck the treasures into. It’s easy to select any price point to tell someone you care about them. If you lack a certain someone in your life right now, you can choose to treat yourself. In fact, The Chocolate Smith even has a box tagged “Fall in Love with Yourself.” It could be the best advice ever!

THE CHOCOLATE SMITH

The Chocolate Smith is on Cerrillos Road across from the Railyard Park. Kari and Jeff Keenan created this take-out shop that has a vaguely vintage feel. They specialize in a proprietary blend of two Guittard dark chocolates. I particularly like the red and green chile barks here. The green comes plain or in a version topped with dried cranberries to make it especially festive. Try some of the white chocolate and lavender bark too, an inspired combination.

I find it hard to resist the piñon caramels, or the peanut butter bars bathed in dark chocolate with a silky peanut butter ganache center. One of the treasures here is the dark chocolate sauce. You’ll find doily-topped Mason jars of it inside a 1950s-era refrigerator in a corner of the store. I buy this regularly, always planning to use it to top ice cream or pound cake, or maybe to dunk strawberries. However, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten farther than eating it by the spoonful straight out of the fridge. Speaking of strawberries, for the holiday, the staff will be slathering big plump berries with chocolate, to pick up between February 11 and 14.

If milk chocolate is your deal, The Chocolate Smith offers some charmingly packaged milk chocolate fondue that you simply heat up to enjoy. By the way, the Keenans own Whoo’s Donuts next door, so you might want to pick up a few of those tasty specialties on your way out too.

KAKAWA CHOCOLATE HOUSE

Another couple, Bonnie and Tony Bennett, operates Kakawa Chocolate House, a charming adobe along Paseo de Peralta. (Two branches are mentioned below, as well.) Their truffles come in classic flavors and in more exotic combinations like mezcal, or prickly pear, or goat cheese with sage. Little chocolate disks called mediants are an option, along with the most sensuous “peppermint patties” I’ve ever found. The caramels are a deeply flavored buttery indulgence too.

Perhaps even more special here are the chocolate elixirs. Some are based on recipes from Mesoamerica, where chocolate was first consumed as a beverage. Others use later European formulas, the kind of blends that Thomas Jefferson or perhaps Marie Antoinette might have enjoyed. In either case, you can find out the full backstory on each blend.

Sweetened lightly with coconut sugar, and sometimes scented with chile, mixed spices, or even rose petals, these are hot chocolates of the highest order. The elixirs can be enjoyed on site, served up in striking cobalt and white Mexican ceramics, at one of a handful of Mexican equipale tables and chairs. The elixirs are also packaged, to take home, if you prefer.

Kakawa Chocolate House is also involved with a special V-Day event at Susan’s Fine Wine & Spirits. “Champagne & Truffles” takes place Monday, February 13, at 5 p.m. You’ll need a reservation for this intimate seminar on sparkling wine accompanied by a pair of Kakawa chocolate truffles. Call Susan’s at 505-984-1582 for details.

Wishing you a passionate week ahead.

The Chocolate Smith

851B Cerrillos Road
Chocolatesmith.com
505-473-2111

Kakawa Chocolate House

Kakawachocolates.com

1050 Paseo de Peralta (Flagship)
505-982-0388

851 West San Mateo
505-930-5968

1300 Rufina #A4 (around the curve from Meow Wolf)
505-930-5460

Story by Cheryl Alters Jamison.

Four-time James Beard Foundation Book Award-winning author Cheryl Alters Jamison is the host of Heating It Up on KTRC and is now the “queen of culinary content” for SantaFe.com. Find new stories about the Santa Fe food scene each week on SantaFe.com.

Read Cheryl Alters Jamison’s bio here.

In addition to the exceptional assortment of cookware, Las Cosas offers a monthly schedule of cooking classes. The cooking school was established about 25 years ago and is run by John Vollertsen, known as Johnny Vee. Johnny is a talented chef, creator, and super-fun cooking teacher. When you sign up for a class, bring your appetite, because Johnny believes in feeding his students — it’s a hands-on class!

I’ve taken six classes with Johnny: He is very entertaining, and I always learn something new. (While you’re there, treat yourself to Johnny’s cookbook, Cooking with Johnny Vee: International Cuisine with a Modern Flair, and have him sign it for you.)

Classes are set up with a theme. A few that I have attended are Tasty Tacos & Edgy Enchiladas, New Mexico Combination Plate, Chile Rellenos Master Class, and Southwest Flavors Hot Off the Grill. Classes are held in the morning from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or in the evening from 6 to 9 p.m.

Each theme is broken down into no fewer than seven different recipes. There are dishes for every palate, with vegetarian and vegan options provided. Classes are kept on the small side, usually fewer than 10 people. Everyone preps and cooks a recipe or two, and everyone walks around to see what others are doing! Participants get to taste test and discuss the finished products. Johnny’s classes are truly interactive, and you certainly won’t walk away hungry.

You will, however, walk away with additional cooking knowledge, recipes to try back home, and a coupon for 10 percent off in Las Cosas that is good for one week.

I spoke with Johnny Vee about his career and how he came to be at Las Cosas Kitchen Shoppe.

When did you first become interested in cooking?

My mom was not a very good cook, but I hung out with my maternal grandmother who was a terrific cook. She was a Methodist minister’s wife, and if you know anything about Methodists, we have a lot of potluck dinners at the church. From the time I could reach a table I would help at the dinners.

Did you go to school to study cooking, or did you get into cooking by another route?

I have a two-year degree in restaurant management. I then went out and worked in a huge variety of restaurants and got most of my great training there.

How did you gain experience in cooking different styles/types of food?

It is such a good experience working in all kinds of ethnic eateries. French, Italian, Spanish, and others really train and educate your palate. I recommend that to all young chefs.

What brought you to Santa Fe and Las Cosas?

I moved from Rochester, New York, where I grew up, to New York City after college. I lived in New York City for eight years and then got hired to go to Sydney, Australia, in 1985 to work for a company that wanted to do American cooking as their cuisine. I was the front-of-house manager. First we featured Cajun, so I hired a chef from New Orleans to do the cooking. We decided to try Tex-Mex and Southwestern cooking as our next venture. So, I came to Santa Fe from Sydney to research the cuisine. I fell in love with beautiful New Mexico where I knew someday I would end up living. I moved to Santa Fe in 1993.

How long have you been the head of the cooking school at Las Cosas?

I began teaching cooking in Sydney and heard that the new owners of Las Cosas wanted to offer a cooking school in the store. I reached out to them, and they hired me to run the school. So, I came up with the whole concept and created all of the topics and recipes. We opened in March 1998!

How do you come up with the dishes/recipes and themes for each class?

I get recipes and topic ideas from a variety of sources: cookbooks, food magazines, food I have in restaurants, and also meeting other chefs. We also have been lucky to have customers in the store request certain topics that I am always happy to try.

Do you use locally sourced ingredients?

Yes, as much as possible. We are also lucky to have a great market on Market Street that brings in local produce/products, etc. Especially chiles.

Do you have a lot of repeat students?

Yes, we are lucky to have a huge group of repeat students . . . haha! . . . my groupies.

Did you write your cookbook, Cooking with Johnny Vee: International Cuisine with a Modern Flair, as a response to students in your cooking classes?

Yes. It was relatively easy to test recipes because I could take notes during class on recipes I planned to include in the book. I was approached by my initial publisher, Gibbs Smith, who had a second home here. He reached out to me knowing we had a built-in market with students and shoppers in the store.

Is it convenient to hold the cooking classes in a cookware shop? There is so much to choose from there.

It’s the best. My kitchen has all the best and latest cookware and equipment, and folks get to cook with the best and see why good equipment makes cooking a joy. We also will come to folks’ homes or rental units and do the class there: That accounts for 40 percent of my business.

Las Cosas Kitchen Shoppe and Cooking School
DeVargas Center
181 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe
Lascosascooking.com
505-988-3394

Story and photography by Carol Witham

Originally published in Neighbors magazine.

ROOTED IN HISTORY

Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm is among the most special spots in New Mexico. The entrance allée of cottonwoods, the backdrop of the Sandias, the gardens surrounding the John Gaw Meem main building — it’s simply magic. Add in peacocks strutting their stuff, the towering vintage silos, and the outstanding Campo restaurant for even more charm. The farm’s lavender fields are legendary, in the summer season, but the whole property stands as a sterling example of historic preservation coupled with an imaginative enterprise. Its Farm Shop has been — for more than a decade — one of my go-to stops for food and well-selected merchandise for the home and table.

The Rembe family, the stewards of the property, have undertaken a couple of recent extensions to Los Poblanos. One is a shop called Town & Ranch located in downtown Albuquerque. The other is the newly opened Farm Shop Norte, at the corner of Washington and Marcy Streets in Santa Fe.

The Santa Fe Farm Shop occupies a 1935 Sinclair station and farm supply store that has been used for many purposes over the years. The renovation is exquisite, sharing the rustically light and airy aesthetic of the original shop in Los Ranchos.

PLANTING SEEDS FOR THE FUTURE

Among the new enterprises of the farm is a new pair of Los Poblanos Botanical Spirits. The farm has used its two decades of experience growing and distilling lavender and other botanicals to create two varieties of gins. One is an aromatic lavender gin. The other combines a blend of piñon, rose, hawthorn, and chamomile. Both express the aroma and flavor of the Rio Grande Valley. The farm shops in both Santa Fe and Albuquerque are designed to highlight the new spirits. Buy the gins retail, or taste them on their own, or in mixed drinks, in the shop’s cozy bar. If gin’s not your game, they have a selection of teas for sipping. Light nibbles are available to accompany your choice of beverages too.

Norte’s front rooms are devoted to all manner of merchandise connected to the farm, including the full line of their body care and food products. Supplementing their own merchandise are pieces for the table or pantry designed by local artisans and craftspeople, cheeses, and other delectables for a winter picnic.

You can even find Celina’s biscochitos, to save you the effort of Christmas baking. Made in Albuquerque, these are among the best renditions of our state cookie that you can buy commercially. The cookies come in sleeves of a dozen, each thin anise-scented disk showered with cinnamon sugar.

Stop in soon to enjoy a delicious taste of New Mexico.

Read this story for Los Poblanos’ Pound Cake French Toast recipe. Yum!

Los Poblanos Farm Shop Norte
201 Washington at Marcy, Santa Fe

Lospoblanos.com
505-808-1713

Open Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day

Story and photos by Cheryl Alters Jamison

Four-time James Beard Foundation Book Award-winning author Cheryl Alters Jamison is the host of Heating It Up on KTRC and is now the “queen of culinary content” for SantaFe.com. Find new stories about the Santa Fe food scene each week on SantaFe.com.

Read Cheryl Alters Jamison’s bio here!

This year, the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market celebrates its 50th anniversary with an array of festive events, including a weekly giveaway of a birthday basket filled with market goodies. And while you can purchase all kinds of delectable, locally grown food by visiting the market, you can also savor creative fare featuring farmer’s market ingredients served in many of our local restaurants. Here’s a look at just some of the dishes on current menus around town.

Boxcar couldn’t have a better location for shopping the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, because it takes place just outside the restaurant’s back door. This makes it easy for the chef to highlight fresh local ingredients—including organic, as much as possible—and to live up to the eatery’s promise to never use anything frozen. In fact, the market’s ingredients played a big role when Boxcar’s menu was in development.

The Farmers’ Market Beet & Arugula Salad is named for the farmers’ market, a combo of beets, arugula and a goat cheese croquette, all drizzled in roasted balsamic vinaigrette. The Mixed Greens Salad also features farmer’s market ingredients—mixed greens, shaved carrots, watermelon radishes, cucumbers and a choice of dressings. These dishes are delicious and fresh, a reminder that the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market takes place just outside the door, as is the braised short rib, made with New Mexico grass-fed beef, fire-roasted salsa pico de gallo and guacamole. The famous Boxcar Mac’n’Cheese features New Mexico Hatch green chile along with Kyzer pork belly, crispy bacon, chicken, spinach and roasted red peppers, all smothered in Tucumcari cheddar and mozzarella. Even the signature chicken and waffles are served with New Mexico red chile butter.

These are but a few of the local restaurants serving fresh, seasonal fare from the farmer’s market. You never know which ingredient on your plate has been lovingly nurtured by an area farmer from seed to sprout to blossom, a journey that ends with a memorable flavor for you to savor.  But you can always ask, and the chef who’s working with farm-grown ingredients will likely be happy to tell you precisely where your food came from.

Small Batch Coffee

Know someone who’s cuckoo for coffee? A gift from Ohori’s Coffee Roasters will get you a hug, and hopefully a cup of small batch, fresh roasted gourmet arabica coffee as thanks. Ohori’s offers original dark, medium and light roasts with beans from around the world—Africa and the Arabian Peninsula as well as the Americas, Indonesia and the Pacific Rim. so you can choose the perfect blend for your gift recipient.

You might select the Aged Indonesian Blend, a signature Ohori’s coffee bearing a complex earthy flavor, or the Moka Java Blend, a malty, berry-toned flavor with beans from Java, Indonesia and North Eastern Africa. French Roast is Ohori’s top choice for brewed coffee, and the smooth, balanced Santa Fe Blend provides the perfect end to any meal. You can shop responsibly here, as Ohori’s offers a selection of certified organic and shade grown coffee. Not sure what your coffee-lover would like? Ask for assistance as the folks at Ohori’s are happy to help and they know their beans. After all, they’ve been roasting gourmet coffee since 1984.

Tea to Treasure

The Teahouse has a wonderful menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner fare, but it’s best known for its impressive menu of exceptional teas—some 150 of them—from around the globe, including China, Japan, India and Sri Lanka. Choose from green tea, white tea, black tea and oolong, along with mate, rooibbo, pu erh and flowering teas. Lupsang Suchang? Yup. Russian Earl Grey? You’ll find that, too, along with English Breakfast, Scottish Breakfast and Himalayan Darjeeling. You’ll also find exotic offerings such as Himalayan Snowflake, one of the world’s rarest teas, as well as the malt-flavored Golden Monkey; Yunan Black Gold, with hints of chocolate and flowers; and Sencha Sakura, made with ground fragrant cherry blossoms. You’ll have fun tasting a variety of different teas so you can put together the ideal gift for your tea-drinker.

The Best Balsamics and Olive Oils

The chef on your list will love anything you give them from the Santa Fe Olive Oil & Balsamic Co., which offers carefully curated selection of extra virgin olive oil and balsamics from around the world. Choose from 20 flavored extra virgin olive oils, including New Mexico Green Chile, New Mexico Red Chile, Mesquite Smoked and Tuscan Herb. You could opt for the Santa Fe Blend, a combo of Hojiblanca and Arbequina varietals that will make a perfect staple in any kitchen. Or select the award-winning Tierra Callada, one of the leading extra virgin olive oils from Spain.

The balsamic selection includes vinegars that can be used in salad dressings as well as marinades for poultry, meat and more. The smooth and satisfying 18-Year Balsamic from Modena could almost double as a digestif. There’s also Black Truffle Balsamic, Chocolate Balsamic, Lavender Balsamic and that’s only the beginning of all that’s available. White balsamics include Honey Ginger, Sicilian Lemon and Apricot, while fruit and wine vinegar selections run the gamut, from Cranberry Pear to Grapefruit Rosé.

After you’re done tasting all these tantalizing flavor combos, put together a gift basket of your favorites. You can add some gourmet specialties, too, such as Ghost Pepper sea salt, green chile mustard and artisanal Italian pasta, including Rainbow Linguine, Zebra Farfalle and Olive Leaf Pasta.

Chocolate Joy

If a chocolate-lover is on your list, then Kakawa Chocolate House is your destination. This specialty chocolate shop offers a treasure trove of treats, from truffles and dark chocolates to caramels and an impressive range of drinking chocolate elixirs made with historic recipes. Who wouldn’t love a box of handcrafted truffles—Earl Grey, Espresso, Classic French Dark and seasonal specialties—or agave-sweetened caramels—Rose, Piñon, Chile, Smoked Salt, Himalayan Sea Salt and other flavors?

Kakawa is famous for its historic drinking chocolate elixirs, made from recipes that date back to Pre-Columbian, Mayan and Aztec eras as well as to 17th-century Europe, Colonial America and Colonial Mexico. Contemporary elixirs showcase exciting flavors such as mescal, pomegranate and hibiscus flower. Choose a gift set of Kakawa’s most popular elixirs, a trio of MesoAmerican, classic and contemporary favorites—American Elixir, Tzul Elixir and Chile Elixir.

Or opt for the Chocolate Lover’s Set, a sampler of caramels—Sea Salt Chocolate as well as New Mexican Piñon—along with seasonal truffles and an American elixir. Kakawa’s Signature Truffle Sampler showcases regional ingredients and seasonal favorites in eight truffles, including Horchata, Prickly Pear, Cherry Chile and Mescal.

Everything here is made in small batches by chocolatiers who are passionate about what they do and the result is so delectable, you just may have to buy two of everything you choose so you can indulge, too.