Whether you love it or loathe it, the New Year holiday is an opportunity for a fresh start and to gather close friends and family together. And if the menu celebrates foods that are believed to augur good luck, then surely the year is off to a fortuitous start.
Jessie Baca and Marijke Uleman.
A Dinner Party with a Good Luck Menu for the New Year
New Year’s is polarizing. Embraced by some, eschewed by others, it’s a day and night that perhaps carries more weight than a single twenty-four-hour period should – the weight of what was and what will be…the desire for new beginnings and letting go of the past. Cultures around the world have grappled with this duality and set intentions for the future through traditions, not least of which are the foods we eat to create good fortune, whether that’s health, happiness, or our financial wellbeing.
When tasked to create a meal rich in good luck foods from around the world, Marijke Uleman was in her element. The Dutch-born, Santa Fe-based chef has traveled widely and embraces not only her own cultural roots but that of her wife, Mexican-born Erika Bautista.
Left: Preparing tamales. Right: A colorful tablescape at The Ridge.
Building a Sacred Space
The setting was The Ridge, a territorial-style hacienda tucked into an idyllic spot in the high desert foothills of Santa Fe. The space is filled with courtyards, decks, portals, patios, and a warming firepit – it’s the ideal spot to welcome winter sunlight and set eyes as well as appetites on the new year.
It’s a one-of-a-kind location that proprietor Irene Hofmann has filled with art and love – a perfectly appointed 8,000 square foot space available for stays of 8-12 people in the main house and poolside casita. Not to mention, Hofmann has launched Desert Sabbatical to make the location available for people in the arts, for gatherings, workshops, professional development, or simply for quiet moments of reflection and renewal. Hofmann’s goal is to create an environment that’s peaceful, welcoming, as well as a tonic from the chaos of modern life. “That’s why we imagine every corner of this house as a retreat,” she says.
The group toasts the New Year.
Embracing Creativity in the Menu
For such a unique experience, Uleman created an equally unique menu that draws on her uncanny ability to see flavors and imagine combinations before she ever picks up a chef’s knife or wooden spoon.
“This is my canvas,” she says of the food she cooks, “so when I have the paints and colors of the ingredients in front of me, that’s when it all starts to come together.” Like all of the meals she creates, this was a one-off. “Because each dinner and meal is a sense of place and time, it will never be the same again,” she says.
Left: Jessie Baca fills glasses for the arriving guests. Right: Marijke Uleman shares the menu with guests.
The jumping-off point for this New Year’s luncheon was thinking about cultures and connections as well as what good luck means. “I started thinking about my friends – who would I seat around a table and what kind of cultural connections do they have?”
A delicious Grapefruit Chai Masala “Mimosa.”
Cheers-ing to Good Fortune
To kick-start the festivities, Uleman welcomed guests with a riff on a classic mimosa, minus the alcohol and using grapefruit instead of orange juice. “In many cultures around the world, citrus fruits are symbols of good luck and prosperity,” Uleman says. The alcohol-free drink was a nod to the fact that many people – including Uleman – cut out alcohol in January.
Helping out was Jessie Baca – artist, stylist, and creative powerhouse behind Mexi-Modern – who works on many events hosted by Uleman’s food experience company, Cocoon. The two work in perfect harmony, transforming each dish into work of art. A seemingly simple plate of pickled baby carrots then emerged from the kitchen looking like glistening gems. Served with lentils – their coin shape denoting financial wealth as well as security – smoked labneh, and a sourdough cracker – the dish was the perfect combination of creaminess, sharpness, sweetness, and crunch.
Left: Lentils, Pickled Carrots, Smoked Labneh, and Sourdough Cracker. Right: Sweet Potato Waffle with Roasted Fennel, Dill, and Citrus Curd.
Golden foods like a citrus curd paired with sweet potato waffles and cornbread croutons that topped a black-eyed pea salad (a Southern United States New Year’s must) were nods to gold as well as financial well-being in the new year.
As guests passed a platter filled with pink-hued tamales – their rosy color thanks to Jamaica flowers (hibiscus) – the talk then turned to favorite New Year’s traditions.
Taking in the Future
Jenn Molinari traded in the glitz and glamor of New Year’s parties for a sunrise visit to the Grand Canyon with three girlfriends. “I want to carry forward starting the day with the sunrise at some beautiful, nature spot with people I love,” she says. Nelly Joy Irakoze is also keeping it simple – ditching detailed plans for the New Year and focusing on the moment instead. “I’m just trusting the process of each day, you know, just moving through each day,” she says.
Marja Martin, Erika Bautista, as well as Sean Ham.
For restauranteur Marja Martin, the ideal New Year’s would be simple and also decadent. “I would like to be at home with a bottle of champagne to myself – really good champagne – and a tin of caviar and something like caviar on potato chips.” For Hofmann, a night in with her husband and a feast – perhaps a raw bar with snow crab, oysters, as well as other crustaceans – is the ideal New Year’s celebration.
Uleman then finished the meal off with oliebollen – a treasured new year’s treat in the Netherlands. These deep-fried balls of dough, dusted with sugar, symbolize a sweet start to the new year. Guests gathered around the fire pit, enjoying the last of the winter sun, and nibbling another oliebollen before heading out to start the new year in earnest – warmed by good food and company—and filled with the sense of good luck that comes from both. Perhaps Erika Bautista captured it best when she said, “It’s a moment of gathering together and staring your year right by having those that you love around you.”
Left: Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Cornbread Croutons as well as an Orange Citrus Vinaigrette. Right: Oliebollen.
The Good Luck Menu for the New Year
Make your own good luck meal for the New Year with the following recipes!
- Grapefruit Chai Masala “Mimosa”
- Lentils, Pickled Carrots, Smoked Labneh, Sourdough Cracker
- Sweet Potato Waffle with Roasted Fennel, Dill, and Citrus Curd
- Cochita Pibil Tamales with Pomegranate Salsa in Jamaica-Dyed Husks
- Black-Eyed Peas Salad with Cornbread Croutons & Orange Citrus Vinaigrette
- Oliebollen with Currants
- Coffee Miso Tahini Pie
Left: Jenn Molinari and Johanna Frenz. Right: Nelly Joy Irakoze.
The Guest List
- Erika Bautista, Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta Marketing Manager
- Johanna Frenz, Director of Events, Marketing & Guest Experience at The Ridge
- Irene Hofmann, Proprietor of The Ridge and Director of Desert Sabbatical
- Alex Ignacio, Photographer and Pilates & Fitness instructor
- Nelly Joy Irakoze, Gallerist
- Marja Martin, Owner and General Manager, Paloma Restaurant
- Jenn Molinari, Consultant and Community Organizer
Story by Julia Platt Leonard
Food by Marijke Uleman, Cocoon
Photography by Tira Howard
Styling by Jessie Baca
Shot on location at The Ridge Guest House and Retreat
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