Chef’s Journey From Africa To Taos

Photo: Tina Larkin

Originally published in Taos News

South African chef participates in Annual Taos Winter Wine Festival

Shane Alexander, the chef at the Snakedance Condominiums’ restaurant and a South African native, ended up in Taos because of—love.

“I was supposed to go to culinary school in 2007,” he said, “but I put it off to come here and learn to ski and snowboard.” He began to work as a bellman at Alpine Village Suites. There he met his wife, Sydna, who managed the property at the time. “Deciding to come back and stay was easy,” he said. “Sydna was here!”

Before coming to Taos, Alexander spent 2 years traveling between The Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Arizona, and The Tides Inn in Irvington, Virginia, where he worked as a server. “Then I began to develop an interest in the Food and Beverage industry,” he said. “I researched many culinary institutes, both in South Africa and America, and finally settled on Warwick’s Chef School in Hermanus Cape Town because I wanted to receive the best possible training.”

After finishing culinary school, he returned to Taos in 2009 and was hired at Lambert’s of Taos by Ky Quintanilla. “He helped me develop and refine what I had learned at school,” Alexander said. “I still appreciate his patience and hold on to his words of knowledge.”

He started working as the chef at the Snakedance Condominiums’ restaurant in the winter of 2009. “I truly count myself blessed to have been surrounded by such passionate and skilled chefs as I have met here,” he said.

For Alexander, the most rewarding part of being a chef is to know that people are pleased with the food he has prepared. “But the most difficult part is always hard to pinpoint,” he said. “Every day is filled with challenges and if it takes a while to figure something out, it can be frustrating. For me, a challenging task was learning to cook, and especially learning to bake, at high altitude because I learned everything I know at sea level.”

Though Alexander enjoys all kinds of foods and preparations, his favorites, and the ones that he excels at, are stocks, soups and sauces. “Livers, hearts and kidneys are also favorites,” he said.

As for his preferred kitchen appliance, Alexander mentions, like many other chefs, the robot coupe. But the most important thing, he said, is a willingness to learn and a passion for food.

“The best chef is the one who can take on every challenge on food,” he said, “the one who is constantly, consistently and vigilantly working to improve on his skills.”

Alexander will be preparing multicourse menus for the 26^th Annual Taos Winter Wine Festival that will take place from January 24^th to the 27^th. Diners will be hosted at severalTaos’ restaurants, including Lambert’s, Bavarian and Sabroso.

The Winery Diners at the Snakedance restaurant will feature Marietta Cellars on the 24^th, Heitz Cellars on the 25^th and a dinner through the South of France with Charles Neil on the 27^th.

“I’m really excited about the game bird courses,” Alexander said. “They include squab and pheasant, and I am also particularly excited about a lobster and sweet bread pairing with Zinfandel for the Mariettta dinner.”

The menus have already been started and can be viewed on the hotel website. “They are always developing and sometimes even get changed a little right before the dinner,” Alexander said and added, “for the better.”

The Winter Wine Festival has a long tradition. In 1991, a group of Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley winemakers and winery owners came to Taos Ski Valley on a ski week. Chris Stag, one of the founders of the festival, suggested that they come back the following year, bring a case of wine and write off their trip. “This sparked the idea to combine the love of skiing and the outdoors with great wine tasting in a more intimate setting,” said Alexander.

In 1992, Roger Mariani, Chris Stag and Greg O’Byrne got together and decided to kick off the Wine Festival with the motto “Keep it small, intimate and fun for all.”

“I think of the Festival not only as a way of having fun and tasting great wines, but also as an educational experience,” said Mariani, who is the general manager of Snakedance Condominiums. “We offer seminars, which this year feature Marqués de Riscal Rioja and Around the World of Pinot Noir, among other selections.”

The Grand Tasting, on January 28^th, will take place in the Ski Valley, at the foot of chair lift #1. It features more than 155 different wines that come from 30 participating wineries. It also includes tastes from a dozen of Taos’ finest restaurants.

“This is a remarkable event,” said Alexander. “It gives people the opportunity to comfortably approach a winemaker and talk about the wines that interest the participant without the disappointment of battling through the many hundreds, or sometimes thousands, that go to any other wine festival. Besides, Taos is the perfect setting for the fun experience of tasting an ample selection of wines!”

To find out more about the Winter Wine Festival, visit www.taoswinterwinefest.com

 

To find out about the Snakedance restaurant diners go to www.snakedancecondos.com

Recipes by Chef Alexander

Green Chili Black Bean Soup

 

- 1 cup dried black beans (soaked for 6 hours, then strained)

- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

- 1/4 cup white wine

- 1 red onion, diced

- 2 cloves garlic, sliced or minced

- 1 jalapeño (seeds removed and diced)

- 2 cups roasted hatch green chili, diced

-1 tomato (seeds removed and diced)

- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce

- 1 lb of bacon, cooked and sliced (save bacon fat)

- juice from 1 lime

- 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro

- 1/2 teaspoon each cumin, coriander and dried oregano

- 1 bay leaf

Method:

In a large pot, sauté onions, garlic and jalapeños in bacon fat for 3 minutes on a medium heat. Add white wine to deglaze. Add beans, dried herbs, lime juice, bacon, BBQ sauce, green chili and tomatoes and heat through.

Add stock and turn the heat up to high. Once the soup begins to boil, turn the heat down to low, cover with aluminum foil and cook for 2 1/2-3 hours. Check the liquid level every 30 minutes.

Once the soup is cooked, turn the heat off, add the cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To make this soup vegetarian, leave out the bacon and use canola or vegetable oil.

Boerewors (South African farmers’ sausage)

 

- 1 lb. ground beef, pork, lamb or game

- 2 slices of bacon, diced

- 1 oz. red wine vinegar

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

- 1/8 teaspoon each ground nutmeg, thyme, allspice and cloves

Method:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours before using.

 

Liver pate

 

-1 lb. chicken livers. (soak in milk the night before, strain and chop roughly)

-1/4 lb. butter

-1/4 cup brandy

- 1 yellow onion, chopped

- 1 tablespoon each freshly chopped rosemary and thyme

- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

- 1/4 cup cream sherry (optional)

 

Method:

In a deep sauté pan, sauté onions until they become translucent. Add livers and cook until golden brown. Add brandy and cream sherry. Be careful to take the pan off the heat, brandy is highly flammable! Be careful when placing the pan back on the heat, too. Flambé.

Reduce the liquid by half. Add fresh herbs and heavy whipping cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

Turn the stove off, add butter and allow it to stand until butter is melted.

Place all the ingredients into a food processor. If your processor is small add ingredients in smaller amounts. Puree and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Place into a container, allow it to cool at room temperature, then cover and refrigerate.

 

Health and home benefits of essential oils

Robert Hawley,  owner of Taos Herb Company & Yerba Hair Care.

(Originally published in Taos News)

“The original use of perfumes and essential oils was to try to get people into bed,” said Robert Hawley, owner of Taos Herb Company & Yerba Hair Care. “But they have many more uses, of course, and that’s the reason why they are so popular now.”

Essential oils are distilled from leaves, bark, seeds, roots or other sections of a plant. They carry the distinctive scent (essence) of the plant. They are often used in diverse forms of alternative medicine, like aromatherapy, because of their therapeutic properties. Besides, they are key ingredients in cosmetics, perfumes, massage oils and home fragrances.

Essential oils can be safely used at home as antiseptics, to keep the place clean and get rid of bacteria, said Hawley. He recommends using clove, thyme, oregano and eucalyptus, dispensed in a diffuser. “They can act as antibacterial agents in the house, and lavender is excellent to cover odors,” he said.

They can also be part of a home First Aid kit.  “Peppermint, birch and wintergreen are analgesic, while thyme, tea tree, clove, oregano are antifungal,” Hawley said. As for getting people in a positive mood, he considers ylang-ylang, basil, geranium and bergamot as excellent choices.

Taos Herb Company carries some unique aromatherapy blends such as Energy Blend (that contains lemon, lavender, lime andPerubalsam) as well as Sensuality Blend, Harmony Blend and Serenity Blend.

But essential oils must always be used with caution. Some can cause irritation or provoke an allergic reaction. Others can aggravate skin conditions or even worsen them. It is advisable to test for skin allergies (using just one drop on a small patch of skin, preferably on the elbow) and watch for redness or itching. As a rule, they shouldn’t be applied around the eyes or on mucous membranes.

“Essential oils are extremely concentrated,” Hawley said. “Consult a good reference book or an aromatherapy practitioner before using any of them internally. Remember that they must be diluted and that they are to be used externally, in most cases.”

The same goes for their use on pets. “Animals can have a severe allergic or toxic reaction to many products,” said Hawley. “For example, cats may not tolerate all essential oils.” To be safe, always consult with your veterinarian before using essential oils on your pets.

Taos Herb Company offers natural insect repellents. “Rose Geranium is an extremely potent repellent for ticks and can be applied directly to your dog’s collar,” said Hawley, “while Catnip Oil spray is reported to be ten times more effective than DEET (the toluene based chemical used in commercial insect sprays). Neem Oil has also been used as a mosquito, flea and tick repellent.”

If you want to learn more about essential oils, Hawley recommends several books among the many that he sells in his well-stocked store. One is The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy: Over 600 Natural, Non-Toxic and Fragrant Recipes to Create Health, Beauty and a Safe Home Environment, by Valerie Ann Worwood. The author describes how to use essential oils as part of a “care kit” and in common health problems like colds, headache or fever. The book also contains useful DIY recipes and tips.

Linda Carvalho said that she has used essential oils to improve her children’s health with amazing results. Now she swears by them.

“I have two little boys,” she said. “One has a diagnosis of autism and the other a diagnosis of ADHA, along with issues like temper tantrums and fears. Often, their tantrums lasted fifty minutes to an hour and a half, but they have now gone down to less than ten minutes, with a much easier turnaround.”

Carvalho uses essential oils sold by YoungLiving, a Utah-based company. For her boys, she has used oils called Purification, Peace and Calming, Lavender, RutaVala and Sacred Mountain.

“My daughter, Jeanne, has used many different YoungLiving Oils to clear up her acne,” Carvalho said. “In order to figure out what oils are good for the skin (like those that help regenerate tissue and reduce the appearance of scars) she looked in the Reference Guide for Essential Oils by Connie and Alan Higley and the Essential Oils Desk Reference, published by Life Science Publishing.”

Monthly Educational Workshop about the health benefits of using pure therapeutic grade essential oils take place the second Saturday of every month from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Linda Carvalho’s home. 713 Cavalry Court, Taos. Appointments are also available. Contact Linda Carvalho at 575-779-9007 or Jeanne Collins at 727-804-8010.

 

Taos Herb Company & Yerba Hair Care is located at 710 Paseo del Pueblo Sur Ste. J Taos, New Mexico 87571

www.taosherb.com

575-758-1991 Ext. 201

800-353-1991 Ext. 201

Las Dos Brujas Writers’ Workshop

CRISTINA GARCIA WORKSHOPS
Registration Deadline: March 1
Las Dos Brujas Writers’ Workshops was founded by critically acclaimed
author Cristina Garcia. Faculty includes Chris Abani, Denise Chávez,
Kimiko Hahn, and Martín Espada. A limited number of scholarships are
available. For more information, visit http://www.lasdosbrujas.com/

 

Faith Welsh’s wearable art

Originally published in the Taos News

Photo: Teresa Dovalpage.

I am wearing my favorite shawl, a creation of Faith.

Faith Welsh’s line of wearable art is a unique combination of comfort, beauty and versatility. She is a skillful knitter, but her shawls, vests, scarves and jackets go well beyond a simple combination of stitches.

Welsh uses a variety of materials like leather, fabric, metals and beads. She mixes them to create pieces that can be worn for formal occasions or just everyday, for the pure pleasure of it.

She grew up in Connecticut, in a creative family whose influence is still felt in her daily life. “My father was a wood sculptor and my mother a phantom knitter who also did amazing stencil work on furniture,” she said. “Both my grandmothers knitted, embroidered and quilted.”

Welsh learned to knit and paint when she was very young. “I have been doing both since I can remember,” she said.

Her art has followed a continuing journey and a process of transformation.

“Faith Welsh has blossomed and grown for the last few years and she has taken her knitting to a new level,” said Carolyn Hinske, the Harwood Museum’s Store Manager and an artist herself. “She does a stunning job of mixing the different textures and yarns within and without the patterns.”

Every month Hinske organizes a Shop & Learn Trunk Show at the Harwood’s Store. Featured artists come in on the first Saturday of the month, from 12 noon to 2 pm and explain what they do, and their work stays there until the end of the month. Sometimes they also do a practical demonstration.

“Faith was the featured artist in November and her pieces were a total success,” she said. “When she came, she demonstrated her techniques for knitting with beads and people were delighted to learn them.”

Hinske decided to keep the pieces that weren’t sold after the November Shop & Learn Trunk Show ended. “They are a great addition to our store,” she said. “Visitors come in and fall in love with them.”

Welsh is both a painter who knits and a knitter who paints.  She has been painting professionally for more than 20 years. Her piece Martin’s Song, an acrylic collage on clay panel, was shown at the opening of the new Taos Town Hall last year.

“I am always astounded by the processes that painting and knitting share,” she said. “To me, it is all the same. My idea is to create a personal surface, using unusual combinations of materials to add texture.”

When she paints, she often does an underpainting with gesso, gel and various textured mediums and lets it dry so it is white on white.

“Later I drop the paint onto the surface and let it run into the cracks and fissures left in the underpainting,” she explains. “I continue to build up the surface by layering and adding collaged elements.”

In knitting, Welsh also likes combining different stitches together, switching to crochet and changing colors to create a similar effect.

“I layer several pieces together to achieve a multi dimensional look,” she said. “I tend to like unstructured garments that are born from using free form techniques, such as intarsia and random lace.”

Many of her projects involve a combination of knitting and crocheting techniques with diverse materials like paper, gels, fiber and even found objects.

“I create because I am enthralled with the process,” she said. “Driven by the act of following my hands to allow space for the unexpected to come through, my work develops from exploration.”

Welsh draws her inspiration from the natural world around her. Many of her knitted pieces have landscape elements in them.

“The Waters’ Pasture Sunset Bolero Vest was inspired by the resplendent fall colors so evident in this beautiful place beneath El Salto,” she said. “Enchanted Forest Kimono came about after a hike to Williams Lake where I was enthralled by the lichen patterns on the scattered rocks in the boulder fields.”

She is also inspired by poetry. A piece exhibited in the Beyond the Fringe Show 2010 was based on the poem “sky is everywhere; blue burqa sky” by Veronica Golos. The poem inspired Welsh to explore the meaning of the veil and its significance in western society.

Golos and Welsh also collaborated on Threaded Lives, Poems from the Fiber World, an “ekphrasis” or multi art event joining fiber artists and poets in 2009.

“Faith’s piece, which began as a free-form knitted headdress, morphed into something else as we worked together,” said Golos. “She’d mounted the headdress on a manikin’s head, a black head upon which hats are usually put. We looked at the entire thing and the poem began to evolve… in the voice of an ancient queen, whose land had been ravaged. The poem, “Unveiled,” is part of my poetry book, Vocabulary of Silence.  Faith began to work on the head itself, plastering it, burning it, “ruining” it, until it was—as was the country I imagined—ravaged.  Faith is a true artist, not only in fiber and painting, but also in understanding.”

Welsh’s work can be found in the store of the Harwood Museum of Art on Ledoux Street and in Weaving Southwest on PaseodelPuebloNorte. Her studio on Witt Roadis open by appointment.

Faith Welsh
Snow Lion Studios
1005 Witt Road
Taos, NM 87571

Phone: 575 737 0280

http://www.faithwelsh.com/

To learn more about Veronica Golos visit http://veronicagolos.wordpress.com/

 

Garments on display at the Harwood store

Casa Gallina dresses up for the holidays

Photo: Tina Larkin

Originally published in the Taos News

Christmas is almost here and Taos gets ready to embrace it. The aromas of the season (pine cones, gingerbread and anise bizcochitos) permeate the town. The sad and poignant music of villancicos, Christmas carols, is in the air.

Houses are decorated in festive themes and so are the hotels, motels and inns that offerTaosvisitors a home away from home.

“That’s what hospitality means,” said Richard Spera, the owner and Inn-keeper of Casa Gallina, a bed and breakfast comprised of four adobe guest houses—an idyllic vacation getaway.

Spera’s goal is to give guests more than they expect and treat everyone as if they were family coming to visit. “Which, in the big picture of life, is exactly who everyone is,” he said. Every December he starts decorating the casitas so his guests don’t miss the holiday atmosphere they would have enjoyed at their own homes.

“I have made a ritual of it,” Spera said. “I take my dogs and go with them to the forest. It can be anywhere in the Carson National Forest, even out in Tres Piedras or up near the Ski Valley. I cut boughs of evergreens (piñón and juniper are my favorite because they are the fullest and most aromatic) and put them in vases, on the tops of cupboards and over the mantles of fireplaces. I fill the casitas with the smell and the strong, fresh energy of the mountains!”

Spera doesn’t use plastic decorations or store-bought garlands. “I like everything natural,” he said. “All the Christmas decorations are handmade, artisan, like the rest of the casitas’ decor.”

He usually doesn’t have Christmas trees. “But this year, I am having one and decorating it on request on one of my guests,” he said.

Honoring the inn’s name, he’s decided to decorate the tree with chicken-inspired ornaments.

He also uses lots of poinsettias. “They last a long time, sometimes until summer,” he said. “They are among my favorite Christmas plants.”

Richard Spera was born and grew up in New York. He always knew that he was meant to be in the hospitality industry. “I always loved cooking, and entertaining from when I was just a kid,” he said.

He went to Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration for four years in Ithaca, NY,  for some formal training.

“Upon graduating from university, I went toNew York Cityfor my ‘real’ training and worked for an Italian restaurant group for twelve years, moving my way up the ranks there from manager to Director of Operations for a group of five restaurants,” Spera said. “But when I moved toTaos, I knew I had found my new home.”

Spera wanted to be close to the earth. He longed to grow his own food, raise animals (dogs and chickens), and be close to the mountains and the natural world. After moving toTaoshe became a licensed massage therapist and practiced massage for twelve years.

Later on, he bought the house next door and renovated it in order to make a living by hosting vacationers. By that time he already grew vegetables in his garden and had orchards of apple trees. He was also a backyard chicken farmer.

“That was why I decided to call my inn Casa Gallina, which means Hen House,” he said. “I just loved the image of a hen because she represents all things ‘giving’; she gives eggs, meat, entertainment, love, beauty, even compost for next year’s vegetable gardens! Such a giving bird just had to be in the name of my new business so Casa Gallina was born.”

Spera has had three casitas for the past five years and now he just opened the fourth one.

He is passionate about creating a warm and inviting ambiance so there are plants and artwork everywhere and fully stocked kitchens and cupboards.

“Of course, ‘the girls’ provide fresh eggs and the gardens provide fresh vegetables,” he said. “But this is not a Bed and Breakfast as I don’t prepare breakfast for guests; they’re on their own for that in their own kitchens.”

Spera guides his guests to his favorite markets and restaurants in town. He becomes basically their tour guide and host while they are here. He tells them about local events and celebrations like the lighting of Ledoux Street, Christmas Eve dances at the pueblo and the traditional posadas.

He also directs them to galleries and stores, but the guests may as well shop right at home. Spera showcases the work from many local artists in Casa Gallina.

“I have great ceramic pieces by Hollis Hansen and wood sculptor Duane O’Hagan, incredible photographs from my friend Kathleen Brennan and gardenSantosfrom Zachary Powell,” he said. “I have paintings and other artwork from the collection of my friend and art dealer Ken Nelson, who for many years owned and operated The Old Pink Schoolhouse Gallery in Tres Piedras.”

But rather than only selling people art or renting them a space to sleep, Spera looks forward to making a difference in his guests’ lives.

“By caring, baking, cooking, welcoming and creating beautiful spaces for my guests I can clearly and absolutely feel how deeply nurtured people are by staying with me at Casa Gallina,” he said. “I know they are leaving to go back to their homes and lives with a deep sense of nurturing and love, and the ripple effect of that kind of service in the world is priceless.”

Right now Spera is in the process of getting his Christmas cookies together so that he can surprise his guests with different kinds of Christmas cookies throughout their stay. “And maybe I’ll also prepare a big pot of posole to welcome them after their long journey toTaos,” he said.

Casa Gallina is located onCallejon Roadin Ranchitos—just a five minute drive fromTaosPlaza.  

613 Callejon Road,Taos,NM87571

Phone: (575) 758-2306

http://www.casagallina.net

2011 Holiday Blog Tour

This post is part of the 2011 Holiday Blog Tour, an excellent idea of NuncaSolista writer Icess Fernandez. See the complete schedule in her blog

http://www.writingtoinsanity.com/2011/11/oh-holidays-here-we-come.html

Since my date was December 17^th, the feast day of Saint Lazarus, I thought it was a good idea to devote this post to him, and make a connection to Christmas the best way I could. One should always pay respect to El Viejo! Here is what I came up with…first in English and later in Spanish.

I don’t allow comments in my blog (because I don’t know how to manage them, qué bruta) but feel free to email me at DOVALPAGE@aol.com  or comment in Facebook. ¡Gracias!

Next stop is Mirta Espinola’s blog

http://www.espinolaeditor.blogspot.com/

¡Feliz Navidad!

In praise of Babalu

Babalú Ayé radiates health from his frail body. The Old Man watches over his devotees, and he lovingly wraps them up in an aura of protection. His two dogs chase away dis-ease and his crutches offer support to those who lean on him.

Babalú Ayé is the poor Lazarus from the Bible, the patron saint of beggars, lepers and now, in our post-modern times, AIDS patients. His sanctuary is located between the old lepers’ hospital and the new AIDS sanatorium, both in Santiago de Las Vegas, allá in Cuba.

Babalú Ayé dispenses curative herbs from his burlap sac; blessings from his bright eyes that shine magically in his wrinkle face; kindness from the soft center of his heart. He is a loving orisha, but ¡cuidado! You must keep the promises made to him during the times of tribulation or he will hit you with his crutches and close his burlap sac to you.

When the orishas came to El Norte, Babalú Ayé traveled in purses and suitcases, his image hidden among trouser, papers, yellow family pictures, socks… Today he dwells in Miami, remote New Mexican villages and the bustling streets of New York.

Babalú Ayé’s feast day is eight days before Christmas. He wants his devotees to reflect on the poverty, the illnesses and the infirmities that plague the world before throwing themselves in the joyous, rum-fueled, happy pachanga of Navidad.

Give me your blessing, Babalú Ayé, good father. Aché for you.

Celebración de Babalú

El cuerpo frágil de Babalú Ayé es una fuente eterna de salud. El Viejo cuida a sus devotos y los envuelve, amoroso, en un aura de protección. Sus dos perros le dan caza a la enfermedad y sus muletas son el sostén más firme de los que necesitan apoyarse en él.

Babalú Ayé es el Lázaro pobre de la Biblia, santo patrón de pordioseros, leprosos y, en nuestra post-modernidad, de pacientes con SIDA. Su santuario está entre el leprosorio viejo y el nuevo sidatorio, allá en Santiago de Las Vegas.

Babalú Ayé guarda plantas medicinales en un saco de yute.  De sus ojos brillantes, mágicamente luminosos en su cara arrugada, salen rayos de bendiciones para sanar al mundo; del corazón le brota un surtidor inagotable de bondad. Orisha compasivo es, pero ¡cuidado! Si no le cumples las promesas hechas en el tiempo de la tribulación, es muy posible que te parta una muleta en la cabeza o te cierre definitivamente su saco milagroso.

Cuando los orishas vinieron aquí, al norte, Babalú Ayé viajó dentro de bolsos y maletas, oculto entre pantalones, papeles, amarillentas fotos de familia y pares de medias. Ahora vive en Miami, en pueblitos remotos de Nuevo México y en el ajetreo diario de Nueva York.

La fiesta de Babalú Ayé se celebra ocho días antes de Navidad. Quiere que sus devotos reflexionen sobre la pobreza, las enfermedades y las desgracias que agobian a este mundo antes de emborracharse y lanzarse de lleno a celebrar la pachanga feliz de Navidad.

Babalú Ayé, bendíceme, mi padre. Aché pa ti.

Taos cuisine: putting the New in Mexican

Picture taken from Orlando’s website

Originally published in The Taos News

“The anise and nutmeg fragrance of the biscochitos, the traditional sugar cookies, filled the house,” reads “Christmas in New Mexico,” a heartwarming essay by Chicano writer Rudolfo Anaya, author of Bless me Ultima and Randy Lopez Goes Home.

Though biscochitos are particularly popular during Christmas, they can be found any time of the year at many Taoseño restaurants. Originally from Spain, they were brought by the conquistadores to the New World and are now the official state cookie of New Mexico.

Burritos (rolled flour tortillas filled with chicken, pork or beef, beans and chile) are also staples of both the Mexican and New Mexican cuisine. But the “smothered burrito” which is served covered on green or red chile sauce and melted cheese, originated in the American Southwest and isn’t actually known in Mexico. When I asked Raquel Troyce, a native of Guadalajara, if she knew how to make a smothered burrito, she thought I wanted to drown an unfortunate little donkey.

Enchiladas are corn tortillas filled with chicken, beef or pork and also covered on chile sauce and melted cheese. They acquire a special New Mexican flavor—and color—when prepared with blue corn. And that takes me toOrlando’s, a local restaurant that offers the best blue-corn shrimp enchiladas in town.

Orlando’s New Mexican Café has been voted Best Mexican Food inTaosCountysince 2005. It began as a small family operation in 1996 and today is one ofTaos’ most popular restaurants among locals and tourists alike. It is also home of the vegetarian red chile, made with a recipe provided by Delfina Archuleta, the owners’ grandmother.

Patsy Vigil is a native Taoseña who has worked in the restaurant as a cook for 15 years.  She is the owner’s mother-in-law.

“What sets New Mexican cuisine apart is the fact that we use chile for everything,” she said with a smile. “But not any kind of chile! We buy all our chile locally, from Hatch, NM, and that makes a great difference.”

Chile is New Mexico’s largest crop. It is added to all kinds of dishes, from burritos to beans. It is grown throughout the state in places like Chimayo, Dixon and Socorro, but Hatch Valley farmers in particular are constantly developing new breeds.  They tailor-make chilis and introduce them to the locals and consumers from all over the country as well as from abroad.

The cooks at Orlando’s use three kinds of chile—caribe, red and green, or a combination of red and green known as Christmas. The degree of “hotness” depends on the variety, growth and stage of ripeness of the chile when it is picked, but caribe is undoubtedly the hottest one.

“We add flour to the red and green chile, but not to the caribe,” said Vigil. “That accounts for its unique, spicy flavor. It’s everything but bland!”

When asked about other differences between Mexican and New Mexican cuisine, Vigil points out that they don’t use refried beans, a Mexican staple, at Orlando’s. “We cook only whole pinto beans which are also healthier,” she said. “Pinto beans and pozole accompany almost all our dishes.”

Pozole is a stew made with hominy corn and may contain beef or pork. “But we offer it without the meat, so vegetarians can enjoy it,” said Vigil.

And that is another important difference—the use of pozole as a side dish instead of Spanish rice, which adds a distinctive New Mexican flavor to the chile rellenos, burritos and enchiladas.

The kind of cheese they use also sets Orlando’s dishes apart from traditional Mexican food. “In most Mexican restaurants you will find Cotija and Oaxaca cheeses but here we use Jack and Cheddar, which are put on top of burritos and enchiladas,” said Vigil. “Above all, it’s the smooth blanket of chile, mixed with cheese and other ingredients, that makes everything flavorful.”

Diana Gonzalez, a co-owner of El Taoseño Restaurant and Lounge, agrees with Vigil about the importance of the chile. They also buy their chile in Hatch and offer the three kinds.

“You can have a side order of chile with everything, or a cup of chile,” she said. “And we also make our own taco shells and tortilla chips here.”

They do offer rice, but make it with tomatoes and lemon juice, slightly different from the Mexican kind.

The borracho burrito is one of their traditional New Mexican dishes, which contains grilled beef onions, cheese, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, rice, beans, garnish, and chile. They use green chile, finely diced.

“Our restaurant was known as ‘home of the breakfast burrito,’” said Gonzalez. “This was our slogan when it first opened and we are still really proud of it.”

El Taoseño’s breakfast burrito includes eggs, bacon, hash browns and, of course, chile.

“All our plates are served with rice and beans as well as tortilla or sopaipilla upon request, at no extra charge,” said Gonzalez.

Like tortillas, sopaipillas are made of fried flour. Crisp and puffy, they can be served with honey, as a dessert, or just to accompany the main dish, instead of tortillas.

There is a lot to choose from. So, be it tacos or enchiladas, burritos or biscochitos, get a taste of the New Mexican cuisine while you are inTaos.

Orlando’s is located on the Main Road, 1.8 Miles North of Taos Plaza

Open Monday through Saturday (closed Sunday)

Phone: 575-751-1450

www.orlandostaos.com

El Taoseño is located at 819 Paseo del Pueblo Sur

 Phone: 505-758-4142

http://www.taoseno.com/

Picture taken from El Taoseño’s website

9 Questions to Jude Gochee

 

Pictures taken from Graystone Furniture website

 

Originally published in Enchanted Homes

 

9 Questions to Jude Gochee, owner

Graystone Furniture and Sofa Gallery 

815 Paseo del Pueblo Sur,  Taos, NM 87571 

Phone: 575-751-1266 

http://www.graystonefurniture.com/

Teresa Dovalpage: You were chosen Entrepreneur of the Year by the Taos County Chamber of Commerce. What is the secret for staying afloat financially in these times?

Jude Gochee: Flexibility. You have to constantly reevaluate what you are carrying in your store. You have to ask yourself, “Is there a need that I’m missing?” Sometimes it’s not about need; it’s more about making life more comfortable. The idea is to have happy customers not just the day of the purchase, but down the road… I walk a fine line to keep quality affordable.

Teresa Dovalpage: What makes the furniture sold at Graystone Furniture and Sofa Gallery unique?

Jude Gochee: I try to stock the unusual. As our ads say, “Quality, affordable furniture as unique as our surroundings.”  There are plenty of places to buy mass-produced furniture. I try to give people an alternative.
Teresa Dovalpage: What is your favorite piece and why?

Jude Gochee: I’m not sure that in a store this size I can narrow it down to one piece… I adore the comfort of the power recliners I sell. Each one can be customized for perfect comfort. I am also a fan of the solid hickory extension tables we carry because they can be opened with one hand. No more tug of war trying to extend the table! As I get older, ease and comfort have move to the top of my list.

Teresa Dovalpage: What is the biggest challenge for a business like Graystone Furniture here inTaos?

Jude Gochee: Probably keeping the inventory turning over quickly. Keeping the inventory fresh requires a lot of flexibility and a knack for juggling!

Teresa Dovalpage: Do you carry the work of local artisans?

Jude Gochee: Yes. I purchase from a number of local woodworkers and have some new ones on consignment. Jerry Rainault and I started out together in 2002 and I buy from him on a regular basis. The store is full of his work. I also sell Allen Nysse’s work, and Glenn Sweet has just joined us.  Totally different styles but that’s what makes Graystone furniture unique. I also carry probably the largest selection of aspen log furniture in the area and that’s also made locally.  Then there’s a retired couple who buy up trees when people are bulldozing to build houses. They mill the wood and build great tables and benches out of walnut, mesquite and cedar.

Teresa Dovalpage: Where do you get the furniture that is not locally made?

Jude Gochee: I carry a full line of upholstered furniture. Sofas, sleepers, love seats, chairs etc. It’s not made locally, but roughly 90% is made in theUSA. I also have a handmade line of cactus wood furniture that is built inChile. Sadly, that organization has closed up shop. Occasionally I get some things from India,Taiwan or China.  I try for American made, but sometimes I find a really attractive style, at a great price, and it’s made elsewhere.

Teresa Dovalpage: Graystone opened in Taos in 2002. How has your business developed since you launched it?

Jude Gochee: We started really small, 800 square feet. We have slowly grown since 2002 and now the store is about 10,000 square feet. We keep our overhead down so we can pass the savings on to our customers.  As the owner-operator, I work hard and so does John Vidaurre, my sales and general services manager. Between us, we peddle just about as fast as we can!  We work very hard to fill our customers’ needs while not breaking their budget.

Teresa Dovalpage: What do you see happening with your business in the future?

Jude Gochee: I’m very happy with the size of the store and the product lines.  It’s big enough to display the furniture nicely, but not so big as to lose the Taos charm.  I’d like to add a couple more employees in the future.  Most of the changes will probably be behind the scenes, though. Becoming debt free is my goal.  I believe debt free will lead to stress free. For today, I’m doing what I like and I like what I’m doing!

Teresa Dovalpage: What has Taos given to you in these 9 years?

Jude Gochee: Number one: contentment. Since I came here I’ve not wanted to be anywhere else. Taos is home!

Teresa Dovalpage: Thank you, Jude!

Local homes get makeover: a look at three before and after projects

S h a d o w s  L o u n g e  &   G r i l l,  taken from Joan Duncan website

                        The Creatrix

Joan Duncan graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with Architecture and Interior Architecture degrees. She started her Interior Design Company, Creatrix—“a woman who creates”—in 1993. After 17 years inRhode Island, she and her husband moved toTaos, whereDuncanworked on the 18 Native American Suites of the luxury resort El Monte Sagrado. She also designed the interiors of Shadows Lounge & Grill, an upscale sports bar

.

“The secret for finding my clients’ personal design style is listening to them,”Duncansaid. “Through our mutual communication, we integrate aesthetics, function, budget and other elements. Together, we craft into remarkable interiors that fulfill their dreams!”

Duncan’s featured house was an adobe home. “It used to be the residence of an artist and was purchased by a family as a second home,” she said. “The wife contacted me with some trepidation saying that she had loved the house with the artist’s work in it, but felt overwhelmed seeing the bare bones.”

After meeting with her and her husband,Duncansaid they all fell into sync. With the help of Contractor Doug Kaufman, she transformed the house into a family getaway with a totally renovated kitchen fit for cooks, kids and guests.

“The fireplace you see in the ‘before’ photo was redesigned to include a banco (not shown) as well a renovated bathroom which features Talavera tiles from Vargas Tile Company, done in a manner resembling baths at El Monte Sagrado where I designed the Native American Suites,” said Duncan. “The project features the work of many local crafts people from furniture to tile and stone work.”

Duncanis licensed with the National Council of Interior Design Qualification and affiliated with American Society of Interior Design (ASID).

Charming designs

From a very young age, when other girls were playing with dolls, Nancy Colvert was drawing floor plans. She received an MBA from theUniversityofCalifornia Berkeleybut has recently returned to her childhood vocation. Colvert has been designing and redesigning her own apartments, condominiums and houses for 35 years and founded Encantado Designs (“encantado” means charming) in 2006.

“Most people who move toTaoscome from places where the architectural and interior design styles are very different,” she said. “They bring beautiful dark wood furniture, upholstered pieces and art they want to keep, yet they love the carved pine furniture, textiles and arts and crafts of the Southwest and want to add them to their homes.” She loves helping people mix many styles together to create unique, yet cohesive, spaces.

“In a lot of ways, this was a very typicalTaosproject,” Colvert said of the featured house. “The owners moved to Arroyo Seco about six years ago fromBaltimoreand brought all their East Coast traditional furniture with them. Then they bought more furniture and art locally and needed help pulling it together.”

Colvert added two small leather chairs (in front of the large window) and had a table and chairs made for a corner of the living room where the wife likes to sit by the window and work puzzles.

The traditional wing chairs were originally upholstered in floral chintz and the sofa in matching pink and green stripes. “I felt that, because of the traditional style of the furniture, the new fabric, though it had to be comfortable and rugged, needed to look elegant,” said Colvert.

She took an upholstered chair that had been in the living room and moved it to the master bedroom. It was reupholstered, along with an existing bedroom wing chair, to tie together an Oriental rug and a new bedspread and red leather cube footrest. “That created a cozy reading area that will stand up to the sun from the large west window,” said Colvert. “These small changes transformed the room and tied all its elements together. We achieved all of this on a limited budget and I’m very pleased with the results.”

Repurpose and rearrange

“In these days, it’s important for everybody to come home to a joyful and peaceful place,” said home designer Karen McCurtain-Blair, who lived in seven states and four countries before settling inTaosin 1989.

“The strength that I bring to a project is an ability to repurpose, rearrange, and create,” she said. “I am able to de-stress the situation and clients then find that they can relax and have fun with the process.” Whether the project is to move, downsize or re-enliven, McCurtain-Blair says that it can be enjoyable, and often profitable.

“I did an entire home remodel that sold the day of the Realtor caravan for full asking price,” she said. “It was a well-lived in family home and the owners had a limited budget. We purchased a few key items and spent most of the money on new kitchen cabinets. But creativity was in full swing as I shopped second-hand and consignment stores, painted and repurposed!”

There were two old barrel chairs that McCurtain-Blair wanted to use. She bought natural fabric drop cloths and sewed slipcovers for them. The basement media room floor was hand-painted and sealed. Then she felt that the fireplace needed two vertical accents with pop. “A fellow artist gathered some willow, mixed up a batch of cement and created two art pieces for twenty-five dollars,” she said.

Another picture shows a room in which a client was spending most of his time healing from a major illness. A new reclining couch was purchased, and an armoire to house the TV and new window coverings enhanced the high ceilings. “We added plants to lend life and he experienced a whole new level of being in the now cheerful and cozy space,” said McCurtain-Blair. “You can do a lot with little money and an active imagination!”

Joan Duncan, ASID
Creatrix LLC
Interior Architecture & Design
(o) 575.751.3030
(c) 575.770.4252
www.acreatrix.com

Nancy Colvert

Encantado Designs

Taos,NM

(575) 751-3888

 

Karen McCurtain-Blair

Home Design

(575)  586-1029

 

 

Traveling grandmas revisit Charles Kuralt’s America

Shell outside Taos Lodging, holding a copy of Kuralt’s America

After Inda Lou Schell read Charles Kuralt’s America for the first time, in 1995, she and her husband decided to follow the journalist’s journey.

“We loved his descriptions of the places and personalities and wanted to have a similar experience discovering our land and its people,” said Schell.

Unfortunately, Schell’s husband passed away in 2004 without having taken the trip, but the idea stayed with her. In January 2011 she got on the road accompanied by her younger sister, Janie Gass. They had two purposes in mind—spend a year travelling Kuralt’s route and then write their own, personal book about their trip. The book’s working title is Revisiting America.

“We planned to visit the same places that Kuralt mentioned in his book but not necessarily in the same order,” said Schell. “He traveled by plane, but since we were driving, we had to modify the itinerary a bit.”

They started in Louisianaon January 2^nd, 2011, and went on to Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, New York, Vermont, Maine, Minnesota, Montana  and Alaska. The last state on the list was New Mexico and now Schell is right here inTaos.

Among the highlights of the trip Schell mentions meeting with Robert Mitchell, the photographer who took the cover photo for America. “My sister and I met him in Maine and had our pictures taken in front of the same lighthouse where he took Kuralt’s,” she said. “He told us he would do the cover for our book, too. That was extremely encouraging.”

They also saw Maya Angelou at Montana State University. “It was a beautiful, powerful event,” Schell said.

Later, Schell and Gass visited a fly fishing store in Twin Bridges, Montana, where Kuralt, an avid fly fisherman, used to go.

“The owner knew him and was very helpful to us, gave us a lot of information,” she said. “Actually, everybody we met along the way was willing to be of help. That was the best experience of the trip.”

Though it wasn’t her original plan, Schell made the last part of the journey by herself.

“My sister got sick and had to go back home in mid July,” she said. “It was a pity because she was enjoying the trip as much as I was. But we will still write the book together, of course.”

The sisters plan to get on the road again once their book is published and do readings and book signings in every place they visited this time.

“Lots of people asked us to come back and told us they would buy our book,” Schell said. “And I would return to any of these towns and cities in a heartbeat.”

She felt lonely at times. “More so after my sister returned home,” she admits. “But I kept going because it was also a refreshing experience for me. And I wanted to capture these feelings of adventure and transmit them to others, particularly people of my own generation.”

Schell is 78 years old.

The importance of being active is the main message of the sisters’ book. “Even after we retire, we have to keep moving, enjoying life, meeting new people” Schell said. “We don’t have to stay home and feel sorry for ourselves.”

The book will also include tips for finding good, yet not too expensive places to eat and sleep, as well as the most economical ways to travel. “I think that people my age could travel more,” she said. “Of course, it doesn’t have to be in this grand scale, but it is always possible to take short trips and get reenergized.”

The trip took a lot of preparation, from deciding the itinerary to choosing clothes and other necessities. “But that was fun, getting ready for such a big adventure,” she said. “I packed my car for a whole year with every kind of clothes imaginable, for summer and winter.”

Her kitchen also travels with her. Schell, who is staying at a cozy casita in Taos Lodging, has two shelves full with staples like sugar, coffee, bread and spices. “This way I can fix my breakfast any time,” she said. “And I don’t have to leave my room in the morning if I don’t feel like it.”

Schell plans to be home for Thanksgiving and spend December with her family, busy with Christmas celebrations. In January, she will get together with her sister again, and they will start writing the book.

“I have been writing a blog since January and we both kept individual journals and files about each place,” she said. “The challenge will be putting all this information together.”

Schell is from Chatom, Alabama, where she used to be an elementary school teacher. Now retired, she keeps busy as a pianist at Chatom Baptist Church. “I play for the choir; regular services, weddings, funerals and all sorts of events,” she said. “I have always been really active in the community.”

Her children and grandchildren are supportive of her trip and so are her friends and neighbors in Chatom. “Though I think they will find me somewhat different when I return home,” she said. “Being on the road for a whole year changes a person’s mind and opens it up.”
It has made Schell happier and more grateful about her life.

“Every place I went, people told me they wished they could take a trip like this one,” she said, “That helped me realize how lucky I was.”

To read Schell’s blog visit http://louschell.blogspot.com/