localflavor magazine

Every town has its raison d’être. Ours is Art. We live for it, we celebrate it, we welcome it into our world like the exquisite familiar it is. Creativity sparks and leaps out from every nook and cranny of Santa Fe’s soul, and nowhere is this more obvious than on Canyon Road, the Arts and Crafts Road.

We tend to think of chefs as exalted beings, godlike in their miraculous and mysterious abilities to transform ordinary old food into manna, whose time is largely spent creating their gorgeously presented entrées in huge, bustling kitchens from whence, at the end of the day, after taking a bow, they retire to some glorious pantheon in the sky. So when a chef is having major renovation done in order to open his or her own restaurant, we’d expect them to be hovering up there, removed, as others do the grunt work of making it ready.

He’s an easy figure to miss, sort of a blur, as he scurries from one event to another at the Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta — baseball cap cocked at a jaunty angle atop his head and courier bag slung over his shoulder. But when the curtain rises on the first wine seminar at this year’s 19th event, Joe Spellman will be at his accustomed place on the podium as panel moderator. That this is his twelfth appearance at the event gives you an idea of how popular and how valued he is.

As I drive down Canyon Road to dine at what for a long time has been one of my favorite restaurants, I am reminded of the ever-altering landscape of the artsy avenue -- galleries change names, artists move in and out of fashion, restaurants come and go, chefs hop kitchens, and food trends change. Somehow the stylish and trendy Geronimo stays on top, slipping only slightly, occasionally, as it treads the waters of owner changes, chef moves and economy shifts. 

I’ll confess I’m not much of a dessert eater. At least not the super sweet, gooey desserts that most Americans enjoy. I prefer some fresh fruit, or something made with fruit, or a cheese plate or even cheesecake. I enjoy drinking wine or spirits with my desserts, though, but find myself stuck in the port or sweet liqueur rut. To help us all out of the quandry of what wine and spirits to serve with dessert we asked three local pastry chefs and in some cases their executive chef, for a mini-course on the final course.