Vendor Appreciation Luncheon hosted during National Farmers’ Market Week

Board Members Chris Castro and Robert W. Jones JD helped turn the Market Pavilion from a SFFM venue to a party venue in under an hour; Institute Board Member Diane Sandoval-Griego, who is Chief of Financial Empowerment at Guadalupe Credit Union, and Institute Executive Director Manny Encinias, Ph.D share a moment; SFFM President Jennifer Fresquez of Monte Vista Farm, SFFM Treasurer Tom Dixon of Green Tractor Farm, Debbie Burns CEO of SFFM, Institute Board Secretary Mary Dixon of Green Tractor Farm pictured with Bill Earls SFFM Community Board Member; Brochachos' Catering Event Menu; Juan Carlos Marquez and his wife Lizeth of Evelyn's Farm enjoy the food sourced from Market Vendors.

On Saturday, August 12, 2023 the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute hosted an appreciation luncheon for nearly 100 Santa Fe Farmers’ Market vendors in the Market Pavilion. A task force composed of Alex Pino of Revolution Farm, and Institute Board Members Ami Caldwell, Diane Sandoval-Griego, Kaitlyn Kimzey, Mary Dixon of Green Tractor Farm, and Val Wilson of Lotus Farmers, LLC. planned the festive event led by Program Development Director David Sundberg.

Institute Executive Director Manny Encinias Ph.D welcomed the guests and expressed gratitude to the farmers, ranchers and vendors for the incredible work that they do every day to provide fresh, nutritious food for the community. He also thanked the Institute Board and Staff for their work on the event. 

A watermelon theme captured the spirit of summer, and was reflected throughout – even in the breaking open of the piñata. Decorative fruit notecards with hand-written thank you notes from the public to the farmers adorned the tables. 

Food for the event was sourced from Estela Alcantar Produce, DVG LLC (Dome Valley Garlic Oil), El Guique Farm, Evelyn’s Farm, Freshies Farm, Gonzalez Farm, High Desert Honey, Jesus Guzman Produce, Malandro Farm, Mendez Produce, Monte Vista Farm, Mr. G’s Organic Farm, Orozco Farm, Rodriguez S&J Farm, Santa Cruz Farm, Tony’s Farm, Trilogy Beef Community, and Wagner Family Farm. Brochachos’ catered the event, serving ever-popular Frito Pies and other tasty dishes prepared with the fresh ingredients. New Mexico’s Craft Ice Cream producer, La Lecheria, topped off the fruit crisp dessert with a dollop.



Murali Levine and Russell Scanlon provided the music as “The Little Big Band” at the fun gathering for the multi-generational Santa Fe Farmers’ Market community. A good time was had by all!

Luca Mongiello takes a whack at the watermelon Piñata as Rio Encinias looks on​; Program Development Director David Sundberg blindfolds Lupita before she takes a crack at the Piñata; Geronimo Gastelo pictured with his wife Luz Maria and their two beautiful daughters Mia and Noa - the ladies are all pretty in pink! Jose Gonzalez of Gonzalez Farm pictured with his son's pal Sebastian; Rosa Maria Alcantar of Rocio Produce and her Niece Lupita who is one of the youngest buskers at the Santa Fe Farmers' Market playing her violin.

Local Harvest Restaurant Celebration 

Mutual Appreciation: El Guique Farm’s Agustin and Maria Orozco and their children express gratitude to Chef Estevan for hosting dinner, while Chef Estevan praises local farmers as “Treasures!” 

Sage Bakehouse served a Tomato Tartine on Olive bread with Mozzarella curd with tomatoes from Milandro Farm during the Local Harvest Restaurant Celebration.

The room was packed with happy diners at Estevan Restaurante during the Local Harvest Restaurant Celebration

Rain poured down on Santa Fe last week, one of the many gifts that Mother Nature provided for New Mexicans. Another was the bountiful fresh local produce and protein from the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market that outstanding local chefs incorporated into their menus for the inaugural Local Harvest Restaurant Celebration.

The Local Harvest Restaurant Celebration took place from September 12 to 14, 2023. Thirteen restaurants took part, representing a wide range of price points and cuisines. The restaurants participating were: 315 Restaurant & Wine Bar, Amaya at the Hotel Santa Fe, Blue Heron Restaurant, Cowgirl Santa Fe, Estevan Restaurante, Joe's Dining, NOSA, Palace Prime, Paper Dosa, Sage Bakehouse, Santacafé, The Anasazi Restaurant, and The Compound.

Estevan Garcia hosted several Santa Fe Farmers’ Market farming families at his namesake restaurant during the week: Antonio & Molly Manzanares, Nery Martinez, and Agustin & Maria Orozco and their children enjoyed his specially curated four-course menu. Thank you Estevan!

The restaurants sourced from more than a dozen Santa Fe Farmers’ Market vendors including: Camino de Paz School & Farm, El Guique Farm, El Jardin Chile de Chimayó, Freshies Farms, Gonzales Farms, Ground Stone, Milandro Farm, Orozco Farms, Red Mesa Meats, Rocio Produce, Santa Cruz Farm & Greenhouses, Shepherd's Lamb, The Pickle Jar and The Vagabond Farmers. Other local producers Ojo Farm, Reunity Resources, and Squash Blossom were also represented on the menus. 

Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Uttapam Fingerling potatoes, shishito peppers, orange bell peppers sourced from Mr. Gs Organic Produce, Estela Alcantar Produce, Orozco Farms, and Gonzales Farms by Paper Dosa.

The table is set at Paper Dosa Photo Anna Griswold Institute Market Programs Manager and Adventurous Diner.

Paper Dosa offered Nalini’s Bindi Okra sautéed in spices which was sourced from Orozco Farm.

Over 1,100 individuals visited the specially-designed website reviewing restaurant offerings 2,644 times. Anecdotally, several chefs shared that they doubled their attendance during the Local Harvest Restaurant Celebration, which is a happy outcome. As the Institute does with all of its programs, we are surveying the participants and will evaluate the data on this initial year to guide the project going forward. 

In addition to lifting up local farmers and ranchers, and chefs who source locally, the Institute received a donation of 20% of the food portion of the event-related meals. These funds will be reinvested into the Institute’s programs. Thank you to all who dined out and supported the Local Harvest Restaurant Celebration and the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute as its beneficiary.

The Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute expresses its appreciation to its sponsors who made the event possible. The inaugural event was sponsored by Hutton Broadcasting, The Santa Fe New Mexican, and Tourism Santa Fe. It was endorsed by the Greater Santa Fe Restaurant Association and Santa Fe Restaurant Week, and promoted by The Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta which gave the Institute a complimentary page in their program book. Please be sure to check out the upcoming Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta events (September 27 to October 1, 2023) and enjoy another of Mother Nature’s gifts to New Mexico – chile!

Chef Shout Out:

Chef Zachary Perron of Blue Heron

Chef Manager Zachary Perron of Blue Heron Restaurant Courtesy of Ojo Spa Resorts

Blue Heron Restaurant Courtesy of Ojo Spa Resorts

Travel + Leisure lists Ojo Santa Fe Spa Resort as one of the world’s best destination spas. Among its many attributes, the scenic resort is known for its spring-fed healing waters. The recipient of a 2022 OpenTable Diners’ Choice Award, Blue Heron Restaurant is an integral part of the spa’s wellness experience. Managing Chef Zachary Perron said he has “a passion for supporting people in their journey of improving themselves,” which he accomplishes through food. “It is part of the integrated approach I have to my work,” he added. Ojo Santa Fe Spa Resort and Chef Zachary seem to be a match made in heaven.

Chef Zachary grew up in a small town in North Eastern New York State on the shores of Lake Champlain, just south of Quebec. He moved to Maryland to attend the rigorous liberal arts program at St. John’s College (yes that St. John’s College, but the Annapolis – not the Santa Fe - campus). His journey into the culinary world began in Maryland, where he worked for a small Italian restaurant under the Chef/Owner Hilary Roggio Raftovich. “Hilary served made-to-order food from scratch. Always doing the right thing, she set an example for me. We didn’t serve a lot of items, but what we served, we did really well.”

Exploring the St. John’s College Alumni network, he traveled to Santa Fe to visit friends in 2005 and never left. “I felt pretty well embraced since arriving in Santa Fe,” he said. He continued his on-the-job training in Santa Fe, spending several years at CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, where he advanced from breakfast cook to institutional cooking to inventory and team leadership and management. Later he served as Chef Manager at Aramark Healthcare. Wellness and food preparation were intertwined for much of Chef Zachary’s career.

Chef Zachary felt fortunate to have had good mentors in the hotel industry as well: Executive Chef Christopher McLean and Chef Tom Kerpon at Bishop’s Lodge and Dave Parker who was then Food and Beverage Director at Heritage Hotels. Chef Zachary elaborated, “With Chris, I was working in a more intricate restaurant. He taught me how to take what I was doing the right way and step up the volume. Tom set an example of a more streamlined executive. From Dave Parker I learned how to take what I was doing correctly, and then from the administrative side translate it into big volume.”

Scenic view at Ojo Santa Fe Courtesy of Ojo Spa Resorts

“At Ojo I feel that I’ve come full circle from the early lessons I learned from Hilary. It all starts with good ingredients. If you know that nothing weird was added to the ground where the produce was grown, then the food is more nourishing and people can begin to improve themselves nutritionally.” He also discussed his local produce sourcing. “I am fortunate to have access to the Ojo Farm in Ojo Caliente, but I also enjoy shopping at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market. Santa Fe is really a small town and I enjoy the community connections and hearing the stories of the farmers and ranchers.”

“My team had a lot of fun with the Local Harvest Restaurant Celebration. We took a more home-style approach to the menu. It was also nice to see the extra volume of diners.” One of the items on the menu was risotto, which Chef Zachary says is one of his favorite dishes to cook. “In a busy kitchen we sometimes forget how important the process is; a lot can become muscle memory. Risotto is one of the things that you have to stand over. If you neglect the process, it doesn’t come out right. It is also a versatile dish; you can put whatever combination of flavors you want in there.” 

In summary, he said, “The main thing is that I really enjoy doing culinary work. I try to help the food be itself and have the ingredients stand on their own integrity and own values. I feel very lucky – my career path was serendipity.”

Fun fact: 

Q: If you could prepare a meal for a historic figure, who would it be and what would you serve?



A: A cherry pie for George Washington - that would be fun!”

The Healing Waters at Ojo Spa Resorts - a perfect Autumn Get Away Courtesy of Ojo Spa Resorts

All Santa Fe Farmers' Markets accept WIC and EBT

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