Albuquerque, NM

KRQE-TV/CBS Channel 13 offers preview of the incredible
culinary talent participating in the Santa Fe Chamber
Music Festival’s 36th Season Opening Gala

The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival doesn’t officially open its 36th season until July 17, 2008 with the 2nd Annual Chefs’ Gala benefit at the Scottish Rite Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but audiences around the state can catch a sneak peak of part of the opening festivities between now and the Festival’s gala. KRQE-TV’s morning news program on CBS Channel 13 is presenting 17 weeks of cooking segments featuring chefs from Northern New Mexico who are creating unique, four-course menus for this exceptional event.

Airing Mondays between 5:00 and 7:00 am (check local listings for time), the program will spotlight one chef/restaurant per week. Although the actual menus for the gala are a secret until they are unveiled that night, audiences will have the chance to see these culinary stars at work as they give a brief cooking lesson and prepare a delicious dish served at their restaurant that audiences can prepare at home. The mouth-watering creations include Seared Tuna and Sesame Seed; Sautéed Tiger Shrimp with Caramelized Garlic, Shallots, Smoked Pimenton and Manzanilla Sherry; Seasonal Mushroom Mixiote; Julia Child’s version of a Caesar Salad; Dungeness Crab Cakes with Celery Root, Apple Remoulade and Meyer Lemon Aioli, and Apricot Chipotle Glazed Colorado Lamb with Goat Cheese, Potato Puree and Thyme Lamb Jus, to name just a few. All of the recipes are also available at the station’s website www.krqe.com.

Culinary stars of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival’s 2nd Annual Chefs’ Gala that can be seen on KRQE-TV include (in alphabetical order):

Chef James Campbell Caruso of La Boca
Chef Patrick Kline of Amaya

Chef Joel Coleman of Mauka
Chef Kim Müller of La Mancha at Galisteo Inn

Chef Brian Cooper of Baleen
Chef Martin Rios of Inn of the Anasazi

Chef Eric DeStefano of Coyote Café
Chef Patrick Gharrity of La Casa Sena

Chef Luis Rivera of Fusion/32 Steps
Chef David Sellers of Amavi

Chef Xavier Grenet of Ristra
Chef Enrique Guerrero of O Eating House

Chef Eugene Staples of The Old House
Chef Charles Thompson of Geronimo

Chef Jennifer James of Chef du Jour
Chef Dave Charles The Terra Restaurant at Encantado

Chef Mark Kiffin of The Compound

Chaired this year by Nancy Jacobs, Festival board member, and Toni Zavistovski, board president, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival’s season opening 2nd Annual Chefs’ Gala will be coordinated once again by Corey Fidler, food and beverage director at the Hotel Santa Fe. The festive evening begins at 6:00 pm on Thursday, July 17, 2008 with an intimate performance by two of the Festival’s renowned artists, cellist Lynn Harrell and pianist Yuja Wang. Following the concert, guests will enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the courtyard, catered by Adobo, Las Campanas, Peas ‘n’ Pod, and Torino’s. They will then proceed to the dining hall for a tantalizing culinary composition featuring uniquely decorated tables of 10, each with its own individual four- course dinner menu created and prepared by the some of the top chefs/restaurants in Northern New Mexico.
The 2nd Annual Chefs’ Gala is held at the Scottish Rite Center. Built in the early 1900’s and on the Historical Buildings register, the famous “pink” structure boasts a beautiful theater with 69 hand-painted theater sets, where the concert is held, a spacious and airy ballroom where the dinner is held and a lovely outside courtyard, where guests will enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres following the evening’s performance.

Restaurant Locations

Amavi 221 Shelby Street, Santa Fe, NM
Amaya 1501 Paseo de Paralta Santa Fe, NM
Baleen at Hotel Santa Fe 211 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM
Chef du Jour 1720 Ridgecrest Drive, SE, Albuquerque, NM
Coyote Café 132 Water, Santa Fe, NM
Fusion/32 Steps 135 Palace Avenue, Santa Fe, NM
Geronimo 724 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, NM
Inn of the Anasazi 113 Washington Avenue, Santa Fe, NM
La Boca 72 West Marcy, Santa Fe, NM
La Casa Sena 125 E. Palace #20, Santa Fe, NM
La Mancha 9 La Vega, Galisteo, NM
Mauka Restaurant 54B Aqua Fria, Santa Fe, NM
O Eating House 78 Cities of Gold Road, Santa Fe, NM
Rancho de San Juan U.S. Highway 285, Espanola, NM
Ristra 548 Auqa Fria, Santa Fe, NM
The Compound 653 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, NM
The Old House, Eldorado Hotel & Spa 309 W. San Francisco, Santa Fe, NM
The Terra Restaurant at Encantado 198 State Road 592, Santa Fe, NM

For additional information on the on the Gala or the Festival, please visit www.santafechambermusic.com

Nice to have the Restaurant list too. This gives you the chance to do some of your own research as as well or just be lazy and dine out a few times!

Also beware, KSFR radio springtime fundraiser is just around the corner. Nothing stopping you from donating early at KSFR.org.

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