Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cooking Schools for Travelers
114
Santa Fe School of Cooking
Doing the Taco-Tamale Two-Step
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Given Santa Fe's reputation as a foodie
mecca, somebody was bound to launch a
cooking school here sooner or later; that
constant stream of gastro-tourists was too
perfect a market niche to pass up. It was
hardly the first city with a recreational
cooking school, opposed to college-level
culinary arts degree programs, but the
folks who run the Santa Fe School of Cook-
ing made sure they tapped into the city's
enormous pool of culinary talent. Several
top local chefs have done a turn as guest
instructors, and the school also runs fre-
quent gourmet walking tours around
town, to help visitors sample a number of
restaurants in a short time. It's a natural
symbiosis that works well.
The SFSC's classes are generally single-
session events that last 2 to 3 hours. They
take place in the mornings and afternoons,
leaving your nights free for dining around
town. Most days of the week there's some-
thing on tap, so even if you're only in town
for a couple of days, you should be able to
fit one in. As you'd expect, the emphasis is
very much on Southwestern food. Various
classes focus on special regional dishes
such as chili, salsa, tamales, fajitas, tapas,
or mole sauces; there's a class on Native
American foods, one on the wines of New
Mexico, another on cooking light Mexican
food, another on contemporary South-
west Cuisine. One of the most fun classes
is Farm Fresh and Local, where each par-
ticipant is challenged to cook with a “mys-
tery box” of seasonal produce from a local
organic farm, Los Poblanos Organics. The
school is handily located in the heart of
Santa Fe's historic downtown, just steps
off the Plaza.
Plan ahead and you may also be able to
take advantage of the school's periodic
weeklong courses. The New Mexico Cul-
ture and Cuisine Tour, for example, takes
place during harvest season. Students
spend a day on a farm, helping to harvest
produce that they will later turn into a
meal. The Outdoor Lover's Culinary Adven-
ture Week combines outdoor sports with
classes that focus on healthy cooking
strategies. Packages are offered in con-
junction with leading local hotels such as
the Inn on the Alameda and La Posada de
Santa Fe (see below)—another example of
symbiosis at work.
116 W. San Francisco St. ( & 800/982-
4688 or 505/983-4511; www.santafeschool
ofcooking.com).
L $$$ Inn on the Alameda, 303 E.
Alameda St., Santa Fe ( & 800/289-2122
or 505/984-2121; www.innonthealameda.
com). $$$ La Posada de Santa Fe Resort
& Spa, 330 E. Palace Ave. ( & 800/727-
5276 or 505/986-0000; www.rockresorts.
com).
 
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