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Shopping Pantry Essentials and Spices in Santa Fe

By
Staff Author
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Pantry essentials showing spoons lined up with spices on green table

Are you looking for a flavor adventure? Whether you stock your shelves with spices or invest in a hot sauce that is guaranteed to waken winter-dulled taste buds, you’re spoiled for local choice in New Mexico. Nibble your way through some of our favorite foods and ingredients. 

Where to Shop Pantry Essentials and Spices in Santa Fe

Chocolate + Cashmere – Mezcal Chocolates

Shiny, orbs of chocolatey goodness with flavors like Rosemary Olive Oil, Taos Smoke + Whiskey, Lavender Chamomile, or our favorite, Mezcal. Made daily in small batches, they’re a lovely gift to yourself or someone near and dear.

The Shed – Restaurant Oregano

Take home a taste of The Shed with their range of spices in reusable tins, decorated with the iconic Shed logo. The oregano is used in their carne adovada, beans, posole, and soups.

The Shed – Restaurant Chile Caribe

The Shed’s chile caribe is fresh, coarse-ground, New Mexican red. It’s medium-hot and ace in soups, stews, and sauces–basically anything that could use a hit of New Mexico’s finest. Available in tins or in bulk bags, because more is better.

Santa Fe School of Cooking – Epazote

Epazote, a dried herb used in Mexican and South American dishes, tastes of anise with hints of oregano and is a must when you’re cooking your next batch of beans.

Santa Fe School of Cooking – Prickly Pear Tea

Sit back and relax with a cup of Prickly Pear Tea, a brilliant blend of black teas and natural flavors.

Santa Fe School of Cooking – Cedron

Cedron–aka juniper berries–is that secret-something in gin but also a must in marinades, stews, and soups. Can be used crushed or whole.

Santa Fe School of Cooking – Coriander Seed

Go to a class to learn how to make killer tortillas and leave with a stash of cupboard staples to stock your spice shelf. Santa Fe School of Cooking has dozens of spices on hand like their whole coriander seeds.

Santa Fe School of Cooking – Canela

Canela, known as “true cinnamon,” is milder, sweeter, and more fragrant than typical cassia cinnamon.

Stokli – High Desert Herbs

Inspired by the high-mountain deserts of New Mexico, Stokli house-made salts and herb blends are the perfect way to add zing to your cooking. The High Desert Herb Blend is kitchen magic thanks to a masterful combination of marjoram, sage, lavender, rosemary, chile, and thyme.

Stokli – High Desert Salt

Stokli finishing salt starts with Pacific sea salt that is gently seasoned with a mixture of lavender, red, and green chile.

Cafe Pasqual’s – Chile Pecans

Take organic pecans, add some Chimayo chile, a splash of Kahlúa and some sugar, and presto––you have Cafe Pasqual’s Chile Pecans. As Pasqual’s says themselves, “words cannot do them justice.” We couldn’t agree more.

Plaza Café – Mango Habanero Hot Sauce

Around since 1905, the Plaza Café is a must-go, whether it’s for New Mexican classics or American-diner favorites. You can take home a taste of Plaza Café with their salsas, biscochitos, signature Tropic Isle Loose Leaf Tea (their iced tea is a TABLE favorite), or sweet and spicy Mango Habanero Hot Sauce.

Best Daze – THC Sugar & Salt

Take your cooking to a whole new high with Best Daze THC sugars and salts. Great in baking or whenever you’re using sugar or salt in a recipe.

Story by Julia Platt Leonard
Styling by Anna Franklin
Photography by Dave Bryce

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Modernist Native American Jewelry at The Wheelwright Museum

By
Abdul Rafay
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A flat-lay view of five pieces of silver jewelry shaped like insects, including a dragonfly with turquoise and bone wings and a spider with a turquoise stone, on a dark blue textured background.

For those writing about jewelry in the 20th century, the mid-point is usually seen as the moment of modernism. But what are the features of modernism? The world over, modernism rearticulated traditions, reconfiguring them in new ways. Modernists were interested in the present, rooted in real things and real people, but had an eye to the future. An optimistic movement with both local and global impact, one that should not see modernism as singular (with a capital M) but as an inclusive plurality. As a global movement, emerging modernisms were concerned with understanding place and the world. In the United States, modernism held a particularly invigorating promise for jewelry. Modern jewelers freed themselves from the constraints of conventions around preciousness and emphasized craftsmanship. They redefined jewelry as a skilled experiment in aesthetics, forms and techniques.

This verve can be seen in the dazzling work that emerged from the hands and imaginations of Native jewelers from the 1940s onwards. This marks a moment when Native jewelry worked in boutique jewelry shops and family concerns which opened in a variety of locations including cities such as Tucson, Scottsdale, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe.

Modernism and Native American Jewelry

Maybe a pivotal moment was the Indian Art of the United States, the landmark exhibition held at the Museum of Modern Art, New York in 1941. In the section called Indian Art for Modern Living, an array of cast and stamped Navajo jewelry, and raised silverware, was persuasively presented as sophisticated luxuries, a definition of American taste. The range of the work that emerged during this period, its creativity and vigor, are a continuous source of reference for contemporary jewelers who marvel at the breathtaking work of Kenneth Begay (Navajo, 1912-1977) and Lewis Lomay (Hopi, 1913-1996). This generation of Native jewelers ambitiously embraced the potential of their time.

Begay and Lomay are but two figures among many whose careers denote the capacity of Native jewelers of the mid-20th century to address modern American sensibilities while consistently gesturing towards the deeply rooted aesthetics and techniques of traditional jewelry. The jewelry they made is impeccably balanced as well as faultlessly elegant. Their pieces succeed in the highest aspirations of any jewelry, in terms of beauty and wearability.

Modernist Native American Jewelry From The Wheelwright Museum

Accessories and More

A necklace with silver beads and stylized squash blossoms, with a horseshoe-shaped naja pendant at the bottom, is laid out on a deep blue textured surface.

This tufa cast and fabricated necklace is by Navajo jeweler Billie J. Hoskie (Navajo, n.d). This necklace represents jewelry made under the umbrella of the Navajo Arts and Crafts Guild from the early 1940s. The piece which won first prize at the 1967 Gallup Inter-tribal Ceremonial is an interpretation of the traditional squash blossom necklace. Gift of George and Peggy Wessler.

A flat-lay view of five pieces of silver jewelry shaped like insects, including a dragonfly with turquoise and bone wings and a spider with a turquoise stone, on a dark blue textured background.

Heirs to mid-20th century work, Liz Wallace (Navajo/Washoe/Nisenan Maidu, b.1975) and Norbert Peshlakai (Navajo, b.1953). Wallace cuts stone and then uses silversmithing techniques to create form and movement in her beetles and dragonflies. Peshlakai uses multiple stamps to create intricate designs akin to textiles while highlighting the dazzling nature of insects’ wings. Wallace’s stag beetle and dragonfly pins are gifts of Sally Martinez. Peshlakai pins are gifts of Marcia Berman, Martha Albrecht, as well as an anonymous donor.

A high-angle view of a set of six antique silver forks, spoons, and knives with horizontal etched markings on the handles, arranged on a dark purple surface.

Silverware with the makers marks of Kenneth Begay, Allen and George Kee with a hogan hallmark. From the mid-1940s to the 1960s Kenneth Begay worked with his cousins Allen (Navajo, 1916-1972), George Kee (Navajo, 1930-1980) and Ivan (Navajo, 1936-1982) for John C. Bonnell, who owned the White Hogan shop initially located in Flagstaff. In 1950 the White Hogan moved to Scottsdale and became a destination sought out by collectors. The shop produced modern flatware and hollowware in addition to jewelry. The pieces were given to the Wheelwright Museum by an anonymous donor.

Bracelets

Two silver and turquoise cuffs sit on a dark blue background.

Above are bracelets in the Wheelwright’s permanent collection by master silversmith Kenneth Begay (Navajo, 1913-1977). The cuff bracelet with silver appliqué elements, coral and turquoise, was made in 1970. A gift of Bob and Anne Clay, it exemplifies the boldness and balance of Begay’s work. The cuff bracelet with small coral and Lone Mountain turquoise cabochons was one of two commissioned from Begay in 1976. The bracelet is designed to fit closely to the wrist as well as over the hand. The striking and graceful result is an extremely complicated achievement in metal smithing terms. To fit well, the bracelet is curved in three directions while the design has the illusion of a half sunburst of straight lines. The bracelet was donated to the Wheelwright Museum by the Estate of Sidney and Ruth Schultz.

A top-down view of five vintage silver and coral jewelry pieces, including two bracelets and three pins, arranged on a dark blue background.

Bracelets and pins by Lewis Lomay (Hopi, 1913-1996). Lomay worked initially in the Thunderbird Shop in Santa Fe, and ultimately by the 1960s was recognized for the quality and substance of his work and his significance to the canon of Native jewelry. The Wheelwright Museum has several Lomay works on permanent display in the Jim and Lauris Phillips Center for Southwestern Jewelry. The bracelets and pins ranging from the 1950s-1970s are gifts of the estate of Katherine Scallan and of Steven and Wendy Blumberg.

Story by Henrietta Lidchi, The Wheelwright Museum
Photography by Tira Howard

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SWAIA Native Fashion Week 2025 Recap

By
Keith Recker
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A woman in a white and black dress poses on stage.
Mari M.C. in Wabanookwe.

SWAIA Native Fashion Week, held May 7–11, 2025 in Santa Fe, was a breathtaking celebration of Indigenous artistry. In its second year, the event featured more than 50 designers and representation from about 110 nations — including Māori and Kichwa — attracting roughly 4,000 attendees. The runways were graced by talents like Sacrd Thndr, Snowfly, Lesley Hampton, Vividus by Tierra Alysia, and Wabanoonkwe x Jennifer Younger, Dancing Storm Designs, Stitched by April, Dene Couture, Sage Mountainflower, Randi Nelson Designs, and Lauren Good Day. The unifying factor among both established and emerging talents: fashion and design rooted deeply in heritage. Off the runway, surrounding events fostered connections among designers, buyers, and press, amplifying Indigenous fashion’s presence within the global narrative.

SWAIA Native Fashion Week 2025, May 7-11, Santa Fe

Story by Keith Recker
Photography by Veronica Huerta

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Native Fashion Week Santa Fe 2025

By
Keith Recker
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A woman in a white, yellow, orange, and brown dress poses on an outside runway at Santa Fe Railyard.

Amber Dawn Bear Robe (Siksika Nation), an Emmy winning curator and educator, brought her vision to life in this first Native Fashion Week Santa Fe 2025. The event celebrated Indigenous creatives working to blend innovation and references to tradition with stunning results. The event took over the Santa Fe Railyard as well as nearby venues with a mix of runway shows, pop ups, panels, and film screenings. Participating designers included Orlando Dugi, Jennifer Lamont, Penny Singer, Nonamey, and Douglas Miles (Apache Skateboards), to name a few. Attendees included industry insiders, journalists, celebrities, and a vibrant community of fans and models — pulling in fashion lovers who might not typically attend Indian Market events. The Santa Fe community in general turned out in force, as well. TABLE Magazine’s Contributing Editor, Tira Howard, was on hand throughout, capturing beautiful images.

Native Fashion Week Santa Fe 2025, May 8-11, Santa Fe

Story by Keith Recker
Photography by Tira Howard

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TABLE Magazine Spring Launch Party at Living Threads

By
Keith Recker
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People smile and pour wine behind a picnic table.
Dante Rinzler, jewelry designer with models Matt Campos and Tracee Stanley relaxing at Living Threads.

Living Threads founder Teresa Robinson played a huge role in creating our cover article about the current state of Santa Fe style, so it was only fitting that a small group gathered at her intimate Lena Street boutique to celebrate the results with a TABLE Magazine Launch Party. Regional Editor Julia Leonard made the delicious food. Vara Winery provided the vino. All of the issue’s models (Tracee Stanley-Rinzler, Chloe Garcia Ponce, Matt Campos, Aaron Payne, Tira Howard, and Sara Moffat) were joined by Jed Foutz of Shiprock Santa Fe, TABLE contributors Bill Smith and Mara Harris, IFAM board chair Helena Ribes, photographer Eric Mindling, and many others who were enthused about the fresh voices, artisanal and ethical sources, and downright stylish looks contained within the issue. Hats off to all …and muchissimas gracías to all who contributed to this wonderful issue.

TABLE Magazine Spring Launch Party at Living Threads, April 1, 2025, Lena Street

Story by Keith Recker
Photography by Ashley Hafstead

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Jorge Gaviria and His Masa Mission

By
Samuel
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0
A black and white headshot of a man outside in a t shirt.

In retrospect, specialty purveyor of masa and masa harina, Jorge Gaviria admits it wasn’t the best idea. It was a hot day in rural Mexico and he wore shorts to his first meetings with heirloom corn farmers. “It’s not the thing to do when you’re courting new farming partners, anywhere, much less Mexico,” he says.

Luckily, Gaviria–founder of Masienda and author of Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple–was partnering with agronomists, seed savers, and others who had established relationships with the farmers. 

A persons hands flip a sheet of maza over top of a fire under a cooking stone.

From Corn to Tortilla

Gaviria’s goal? To source the best corn to make the best masa. When a farmer handed him a kernel to try, Gaviria bit into it. He knew instantly that he was on the right track. He remembers it was a yellow bolita variety from Central Oaxaca with a denser starch content–ideal for making large-sized tortillas. It tasted of butternut squash, pumpkin, and carrot. “I tasted things that I didn’t expect to taste,” he says. He discovered that’s because the yellow bolita contains beta carotene, the orange-yellow pigment that converts to vitamin A in the body. 

A person dressed in all blue steps out of a house with a basket on their head.

The flavor was richer, nuanced, and far more interesting than other corn Gaviria had tasted. And wouldn’t better-tasting corn make better-tasting masa? Masa, the dough made from corn treated with alkaline water through a process called nixtamalization, is the magic ingredient for everything from tamales, pupusas, gorditas and of course the beloved corn tortilla. 

A clear plate holds a meal of tempura made with fresh masa on top of a yellow striped table.

Growing into Agriculture

Gaviria, whose mother was born in Mexico, his father in Cuba, and he in Miami, got on the trail of “flavor-forward agriculture” while apprenticing at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, NY. He was a fly on the wall as culinary thought-leaders from around the world–the likes of Blue Hill co-owner and chef Dan Barber, Ferran Adrià, Enrique Olvera, and Harold McGee–talked about agriculture that favors flavor over yield. “And I didn’t want the foods that I grew up eating to be left behind or in any way absent from the conversation,” he says. 

A stone holds a puffed up tortilla made of masa with a table in the background.

Those conversations inspire his journey to source corn from farms growing it for generations. Gaviria says that most of the corn harvested in the United States never ends up on our plate. It’s used for biofuel, animal feed, or exported. Much of the tiny portion that is used for food winds up as high fructose corn syrup. What Gaviria found in Mexico were farmers who were growing corn the way it’s been grown for centuries–for taste.  

On the left is a photo of a cookie and shot of espresso on a plate that's on a teal table then on the right is a red and white plate of waffles topped with berries and whipped cream on a blue table.

Local is Just Better

Gaviria hopes that you’ll taste masa made from landrace corn–locally adapted and traditional varieties – and then you won’t look back. To get you started, he’s distilled what he’s learned in Masa, a veritable masa encyclopedia, including step-by-step instruction on how to make your own masa, from kernel to dough. There are recipes, but they’re really starting points to create dishes that highlight the versatility of masa. 

A book cover for the book masa by Jorge Gaviria that features a black background behind a stack of masa tortillas.

Gaviria says he started working with a handful of farmers, buying their corn and then turning it into masa and masa harina (the dehydrated form of masa). Today, he works with thousands. In doing so, he has found an immense admiration for what they grow and how they grow it. And also, for the heritage of masa itself. “It’s as inspiring as the creation of the wheel to me,” he says. “It’s right up there in the great list of human achievements.” 

Story and Styling by Julia Platt Leonard
Photography by Graydon Herriott, Courtesy of Chronicle Books

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Exploring San Miguel de Allende

By
Ethan Chmura
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Window on half red half yellow painted wall

A destination for generations of tourists and expats alike, vibrant colonial city of San Miguel de Allende in the highlands north of Mexico City boasts cool, temperate weather, a robust arts and culture scene, exciting live music, outstanding restaurants and bars, comical giant puppets, and multiple festivals. Visit its cobbled streets, historic architecture, and lovely rooftop bars and restaurants with TABLE contributor Mara Harris. 

San Miguel de Allende: A City Steeped in History

San Miguel de Allende was founded in 1542, first as a mission and military outpost, and later as a textile-manufacturing center and part of a silver-mining empire. Prosperous merchants built the stunning 17th- and 18th-century buildings that characterize the city. An economic downturn in the late 19th and early 20th centuries preserved this Baroque architecture until prosperity returned after World War II. At that point, artists, tourists, and US veterans—taking advantage of the GI Bill—arrived to study at the prestigious Instituto Allende and establish an art colony.

UNESCO World Heritage Splendor

Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, San Miguel’s historic centro boasts well-preserved Baroque buildings painted in reds, oranges, ochres, and browns. At its heart stands the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, a parish church with towering pink spires that overlook the Jardín, the city’s lively tree-ringed central plaza. Like most Mexican plazas, the Jardín is a hub for mariachis, parades, fireworks, weddings, and people-watching.

Festivals, Parades, and Mojigangas

Almost every weekend brings a festival, celebration, or parade. Distinctive giant puppets, or mojigangas, tower 10 to 18 feet tall and depict characters ranging from Frida Kahlo to cartoon figures. Imported from Spain as los gigantes, the mojiganga tradition survives today only in San Miguel and parts of Oaxaca. They infuse humor and whimsy into weddings and public events.

Festivals vary from small religious processions to massive parades that feel as crowded with participants as with spectators. Bands, puppets, costumed characters, and Indigenous dancers create unforgettable spectacles, always punctuated by fireworks. Highlights include Semana Santa (Holy Week), Independence Day (September 16), the Feast of San Miguel (late September), and Día de los Muertos (early November).

Wandering the Streets

Bring sturdy walking shoes to navigate cobbled streets where buildings meet the road, leaving only narrow sidewalks. Heavy doors and ornate windows hint at hidden courtyards, rooftop gardens, and private patios. Many former homes now house shops and restaurants that reveal traditional courtyards framed by residential rooms.

Shopping and Art in San Miguel

Shopping in San Miguel blends Indigenous crafts with modern design. The Mercado de Artesanías stretches a dozen blocks, bursting with handmade works from across Mexico. Next door, a food market sells nopales, queso fresco, limes, and more. For a more curated experience, Fabrica Aurora—a former textile plant—hosts upscale galleries, shops, and restaurants. Around every corner, the city offers a fresh mix of food, art, culture, and people.

Rooftop Restaurants and Bars in San Miguel

Exploring San Miguel is thirsty, hungry work. Fortunately, its many rooftop bars and restaurants provide both respite and stunning views. Because much of the city rises along a mountain slope, even two- and three-story rooftops deliver sweeping vistas. Sunsets here are breathtaking.

La Posadita

Calle Cuna de Allende 13

Across the street from Quince, trendy La Posadita serves up contemporary Mexican food and specialty cocktails along with views of the Parroquia a block away. The posole and enchiladas are highly recommended.

Casa No Name

Calle del Doctor Ignacio Hernandez Macias 52

Formerly the home of famed photographer Deborah Turbeville, this 18th-century villa is now a small boutique hotel serving breakfast or brunch in its intimate, fresco-lined courtyard. The Olivia Bar, one of the centro’s few rooftop bars without a view, is still worth a visit for its opulent décor and luxury ambiance.

Antonia Bistro, El Palomar Hotel

San Francisco 57 

High above the centro’s eastern edge, Antonia Bistro boasts some of the loftiest vistas in the city. Its glass-fronted balcony ensures that nothing obstructs panoramic views of spectacular sunsets, as well as of the Parroquia and other landmarks. A contemporary, casual, elegant vibe for lunch or dinner.

La Azotea

Umarán 6

This popular hidden gem is conveniently located near the Jardín. There is no sign; you get to it through the ground-floor restaurant Pueblo Viejo. Enjoy sharable small plates, excellent drinks, good views, and a lively atmosphere. The jicama tacos are not to be missed.

Luna Bar, Rosewood Hotel

Nemesio Diez 11

This is one of the most elevated experiences in San Miguel, both literally and figuratively. Luxury appointments and spectacular views accompany tapas and specialty drinks. Be sure to walk around the gardens.

Bekeb, Casa Hoyos Hotel

Calle Mesones 14

Bekeb refers to the indigenous Tzotzil term bek, which means “seed,” and the name evokes aromas and flavors of authentic Mexican ingredients crafted into inventive contemporary cocktails by celebrated owner and mixologist Fabiola Padilla.

Story by Mara Christian Harris
Photography by Candy Brenton

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Squash Pinto Beans

By
Ethan Chmura
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ROASTED ACORN SQUASH WITH LEMONY PINTO BEANS & ZHOUG

This dish is proof that the most exciting meals often come from crossing culinary borders. Earthy roasted squash feels like classic fall comfort food, while lemon-bright pinto beans bring a Southwestern touch. Then zhoug—fiery, herb-packed, and unmistakably Middle Eastern—ties it all together with a bold, unexpected kick. The result is a vibrant plate that celebrates the way food traditions from across the world can meet, mingle, and elevate one another.

Print
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ROASTED ACORN SQUASH WITH LEMONY PINTO BEANS & ZHOUG

Roasted Acorn Squash With Lemony Pinto Beans and Zhoug

  • Author: Julia Platt Leonard
  • Yield: Serves 4 as a side dish 1x
Print Recipe

Description

Roasted acorn squash wedges pair with lemony pinto beans and a punchy cilantro-jalapeño zhoug for a vibrant, flavor-packed side dish.

Ingredients

Scale

For the zhoug: 

  • 1 bunch cilantro, about 3–4 oz, roughly chopped
  • 1–2 jalapeño peppers, membrane removed and roughly chopped
  • 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup olive oil

For the acorn squash: 

  • 1 acorn squash
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

For the pinto beans: 

  • 1 clove garlic

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 2 cups cooked pinto beans (see “master recipe”)

  • 1 lemon, zested

  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

For the zhoug:

  1. Place the cilantro, jalapeño, cumin, garlic, salt, and half the olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Blitz, adding more olive oil as needed to form a paste. Taste and add salt as needed.

For the acorn squash:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Slice the squash in half, remove the stem (if there is one), seeds, and pith–a grapefruit spoon is helpful. Cut each half into wedges, about 10-12 in total.
  3. Place on a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper and toss with the olive oil to thoroughly coat the wedges.
  4. Roast until nicely browned on one side–about 15-20 minutes. Turn the wedges and cook tender, about another 10 minutes.

For the pinto beans:

  1. Sauté the garlic in the olive oil, add the beans, and finely grate the zest of the lemon over the mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble:

  1. Place the acorn squash wedges on a platter, scatter the pinto beans around them, and dress with spoonfuls of the zhoug. Serve with the remaining zhoug on the side.

Notes

Zhoug is a Middle Eastern spicy cilantro sauce. Start with one jalapeño and feel free to add more if you’d like more heat. The zhoug can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Any leftover zhoug is perfect with other roasted vegetables, fried eggs, or grilled chicken or fish.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Story and Recipe by Julia Platt Leonard
Food Photography by Dave Bryce

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Pagosa Springs Resort Spa Staycation

By
Gabe Gomez
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0
Women in green bikini walking into pool

Get intimate with Mother Earth’s healing powers via the geothermal waters of The Springs Resort in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. In between soaks, enjoy some delectable victuals at local eateries.

The Springs Resort in Pagosa Springs, Colorado

The guest experience at The Springs Resort begins with gratitude for the geothermal Mother Spring. More than 1,000 feet deep, the spring averages 150 degrees. At the welcome desk, guests receive a glass container of warm, fragrant water. They write their gratitude on a slip of paper, drop it in, and shake. The note dissolves into the ether with a faint sulfur scent.

The Resort spoons around the Mother Spring, which feeds 25 soaking pools along the San Juan River. Unique among mineral waters worldwide, the spring’s depth and array of healing properties draw visitors year-round. Its location in a Colorado mountain town on the New Mexico border makes it an ideal road-trip destination.

Wellness Reimagined

Over the last five years, new ownership has aligned The Springs Resort more closely with the healing powers of its geothermal waters. Wellness programs like the Gratitude Ceremony reflect this holistic approach to recharging body and mind.

“The vision is to become the number one hot springs and wellness-based resort in the United States,” says Jesse Hensle, director of marketing and sales.

For millennia, Pagosa’s waters have attracted bathers seeking healing. In 2021, the Resort embraced Balneology—the scientific study of geothermal springs—by hiring Dr. Marcus Coplin, ND, as medical director. That same year, wellness expert Sharon Holtz joined as director of resort wellness operations. Together, they craft programs that use the hot springs as a foundation for overall well-being.

From Soak to Flow

Soaking in mineral springs usually requires little effort. Guests enjoy polite conversation and perhaps a cocktail from the on-site bar. The lively, low-impact atmosphere has earned the nickname “Beach on the Mountain.” After skiing or hiking, few things beat soaking with friends and a drink in hand.

In contrast, the 8:00 a.m. Aqua Yoga class in a 106-degree pool offers quiet transformation. Like traditional yoga, it focuses on breath, stillness of mind, and grounding the body. The instructor reminds participants that the heated water has traveled directly from the earth’s depths, untouched until it fills the pools.

Pagosa Springs Spa Staycation people posing in pool

Guides for Intentional Soaking

The Resort provides guides that teach guests to soak with intention. The Science-Based Soaking Guide, Detox Guide, and Restoration Guide combine the spring’s 13 active minerals at varying temperatures. Together, they create the “blanket effect,” a cocoon of buoyancy and healing properties that envelops the body.

The Warrior Plunge

One of the most cathartic offerings is contrast bathing, also called the Warrior Plunge. Guests move between warm pools and the icy San Juan River, remaining for two minutes in each. The water temperatures can differ by as much as 70 degrees.

The cycle becomes easier with repetition, though it demands active engagement. Entering the cold river, the body panics, pooling blood toward vital organs and causing bursts of heat in the toes and feet. Breath control proves essential. Eventually, the body calms and numbs, grudgingly adapting until it is time to return to the steaming pool. A helpful tip: keep your hands above the river water.

Sound, Stone, and Spa

The Gratitude Ceremony, Aqua Yoga, and Warrior Plunge are complimentary. Additional experiences include Balancing Sound Bathing, a meditation with Tibetan singing bowls that pulse sound waves through the water for deep relaxation.

The spa complements soaking with massages, facials, and treatments. The signature Pagosa Stone Massage, for example, uses heated river stones harvested from the San Juan. Therapists work them across the body with invigorating precision, melting stress and tension. Guests often leave blissfully dazed, grateful for the short walk back to their rooms.

Healing in the Ute Tradition

The word pagosa means “healing” in the southern Ute language. Over vitality tonics, guests from Texas, Kansas, New Jersey, and even Italy share why they came. Many cite relief from inflammation, pain, circulation issues, digestion, or emotional health.

Looking ahead, The Springs Resort plans to expand its pools, lodging, and in-depth wellness offerings.

Food Around The Springs Resort

Pagosa Baking Company

Just a short walk from the Resort, chef Kathy Keyes serves breads, cookies, pies, soups, and sandwiches. Her rhubarb pies—strawberry or raspberry—are local legends. Customers even bring in homegrown rhubarb in exchange for store credit. Tart, tangy, and medicinal in its own right, the pie pairs perfectly with a hot cup of coffee.

Alley House Grille

Texas transplants Martin and Joan Rose opened Alley House Grille to bring cosmopolitan dining to small-town Colorado. Located in a historic house with a modern addition, the restaurant balances fine dining with a relaxed après-ski feel.

Allied House chef holding plate

Highlights include braised lamb shank with garlic chive whipped potatoes and sweet-and-sour Brussels sprouts. For something lighter, the Chilean sea bass comes with coconut jasmine rice, broccolini, and lemon caper beurre blanc. The Roses, avid wine collectors, curate a refined list, while cocktails flow freely at the lively bar.

Purple cocktail yellow garnish

Story by Gabe Gomez 
Food Photography by Joe Coca

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Martha Stewart — An Influencer of Women Chefs

By
Samuel
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A collage of Martha Stewart photos, magazine articles, and handwritten recipes.

For millions of Americans, Martha Stewart is the holy grail of hospitality and the doyenne of the dining room, providing the last word on everything from how to roast a chicken to how to lay a table. Behind the scenes, Martha has also been a positive influence on culinary professionals. Women working in the heat of the kitchen share their thoughts on Martha.

Martha Stewart — An Influencer of Women Chefs

A quarter of a million dollars was up for grabs but for Chef Emily Brubaker, there was a lot more at stake. Brubaker, like all the contestants on the NBC series Yes, Chef!, was tasked not only with cooking great food but also with working on personality traits that were holding her back in the kitchen and her career. (Spoiler alert: Chef Brubaker won!)

Chef Emily Brubaker, winner of Yes Chef!

Brubaker’s challenges? Stubbornness and insecurity, she says. “So, for me on the show, I was like, focus on what’s imperfect and try to make it perfect.” A nerve wracking goal, especially under the watchful eyes of judges Martha Stewart and Chef José Andrés. Brubaker had been under the Martha microscope before, as a contestant on Food Network’s Chopped. She remembers the first day when she saw Stewart on the set of Yes, Chef! “When she walked out and saw me, she pointed at me and said, ‘Chopped.’ So right away that made my heart flutter,” Brubaker says. 

While Brubaker describes Andres as “tender, passionate, and loving” – Stewart was altogether different. “If you overcook it, she’s going to know. You under season it, she’s going to call you out. She doesn’t – pardon my French – bullshit you. She is straight up, this is how it should be. And she doesn’t waiver from that.”

It’s one of the things Brubaker and the other chefs I spoke to like most about Stewart – her complete, unflinching desire for culinary perfection. And while she held contestants on Yes, Chef! to the highest standards, they were no higher than those to which she holds herself professionally. In her lengthy and prodigious food and hospitality career that spans almost fiftyyears (she started her catering company in 1976 and her first book Entertaining was published in 1982), over one hundred books, and countless TV series, she’s made perfection the norm, whether in a recipe for her Five-Cheese Souffle (made with eggs from one of her 200 chickens) or a Frozen Pomegranate Martha-rita (served in a cut glass crystal goblet with a rim of either turbinado sugar or pink rim salt, please). 

Yara Herrera of Hellbender Restaurant in Queens

When Yara Herrera – chef and co-owner of Hellbender restaurant, located in New York City and recently hailed by the New York Times as a “beacon of inspired Mexican food” – was asked by Resy – the online restaurant reservation service owned by American Express – to choose ten possible ‘collaborators’ for a dinner at her restaurant and told that “no one’s off the table,” she took them at their word. “We just threw some crazy names out there like Jeremy Allen White, Paris Hilton, and we put Martha Stewart on there.”

Several months later, Resy got back in touch with Herrera. “They contacted us with, ‘Okay, Martha Stewart said she’s going to do the dinner.’ And we were kind of like, ‘What? She’s actually going to be in the restaurant?’” It wasn’t until Stewart walked through the door of Hellbender, that Herrera believed it was happening. “And I was like, you know, she probably lives in a mansion, and my restaurant is a tiny 60-seat restaurant on a corner in Ridgewood, Queens.” 

It was a pinch-me moment for Herrera who credits Stewart with much of what she knows about the art of hospitality. “She has that eye for detail and that commitment to precision and doing things right and, you know, a lot of integrity and high standards. And I think those are things that are really important for any chef who is serving food to the public,” she says. 

Chef Selina Progar of Big Burrito Group

Details. Precision. High standards. These are all qualities that resonate with pastry chef Selina Progar, too, and ones she absorbed as a kid watching Stewart on television with her grandfather. “We would always watch Martha Stewart together and he would always have me write down the recipes in a little notebook, and then we would make the food together,” she says. By the time she was nine, she was shopping and making an entire Martha meal for her parents. “I thought that she always seemed like a really cool person,” Progar says, “just like she knew all of these things.” 

Watching Stewart seeped into Progar’s culinary DNA. She cites her as a factor in her decision to go to cooking school and pursue a career in the culinary arts. “Everything was so mysterious. It was like you were learning something for the very first time by watching her and she explained it all so perfectly. It was awesome.” Progar is a regular contributor to TABLE, and recently developed a series of Martha-inspired recipes. Progar is now Executive Pastry Chef at Pittsburgh’s Eleven and other Big Burrito Group restaurants.

Veda Sankaran, Recipe Developer and Food Stylist of Jalsa by Veda

Veda Sankaran was also introduced to Stewart as a child watching her television shows. She is also a regular contributor to TABLE Magazine, and developed a series of Martha Stewart-inspired recipes. That sense of mystery and magic resonated with her as did for Progar. Sankaran was 4 years old when she moved to the United States from India and only 9 when she and her family moved to Altoona, PA. “It wasn’t really relatable to my experience,” she says of Stewart’s shows. “It was very outside the realm of what I was exposed to but in a way, it was almost magical too, right?” 

But that striving for perfection comes at a price, Sankaran says. “She elevates things to such a level and then makes it seem as if that’s the norm and that it’s attainable, when it’s not necessarily so for the majority of people you know.” So yes, magic but also setting expectations that might not be realistic. “We want something outside the norm. And I think that’s what she kind of did. But the dark side of that is also, it was so normalized that we thought it was something we should attain.”

Sometimes You Have to Be Stubborn and Stand Your Ground

As Brubaker worked her way through the Yes, Chef! competition, that sense of perfection was never far from her mind — neither Stewart’s exacting standards, nor Brubaker’s own as well as the twin goals to work on her stubbornness and insecurity. But something Stewart told her stuck with her. “One of the things Martha told me is, with being stubborn, you have to understand sometimes you have to be stubborn. You have to know when it’s assertive, when it’s the right time to stand your ground…there are times when you should let things go, but you should know being stubborn is not the worst attribute.” 

Definitely not the worst. When the prize was awarded, it was Chef Brubaker who took home the gold. Richer financially, yes, but also from working alongside someone she respects and admires. “I mean, what a world changing event.”

Story by Julia Platt Leonard
Recipes by Selina Progar and Veda Sankaran

Check out these 15 delicious Martha Stewart-inspired recipes:

Asparagus, Leek, and Jarlsberg Quiche  

Slow Cooker Tom Kha Gai

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Stacked Eggplant Parmesan

Taco Casserole

Whole-Lemon Pound Cake with Pomegranate Glaze

Angel Food Cake

One Pan Pasta

Keto Chicken Roll Ups

Five Spice Pumpkin Pie

Chicken Pot Pie

Focaccia

Focaccia Sandwiches

Apple Crostata with Cheddar Cheese Crust

Hot Cherry Tomato Salad

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