Top left to right, male downy woodpecker; adult male Cooper’s hawk; bottom left to right, male western tanager; male mountain bluebird; Photos Warren Berg
I’ll have a prosecco, a chianti — and the New Mexico Green Chile Olive Oil.
Prepare your palate: You’ll find dozens of varieties of oils and vinegars available for tasting at the Santa Fe Olive Oil and Balsamic Co., which has developed into a behemoth producer over the last decade. Michael Aranda, owner of Santa Fe Olive Oil, says he was at the tip of a national trend when he opened his downtown tasting room in 2010, and after years of growth, the company now distributes to grocery stores and produces more than 80,000 bottles a year.
“It’s essentially the highest quality you can buy,” Aranda says. “It’s healthier for you. It’s more robust. And it’s not as easy to find as you’d think.”
The olives for Aranda’s oils come from Spain, and the grapes in the vinegars come from northern Italy. The production, flavoring, and processing of the olive oils is all done locally, but the balsamic vinegars are purchased in bulk and reflavored and repacked here in Santa Fe.
The staff is there to guide customers and ask which kinds of olive oils they might already be cooking with. Aranda says it’s general practice to start with an extra virgin olive oil and then try a flavored one, but his goal is to help customers figure out how to use the different products.
“The flavored oils really enhance whatever you’re trying to cook. I love marinating with the flavored oils,” he says. “The extra virgin olive oils are going to be good for salad dressings and finishing. Vinegar is your acidity when you’re cooking. It’s where your flavor comes from. If you’re making a stew, you can add some vinegar when you’re sautéeing your vegetables.”
Since we’re in New Mexico, Aranda, a Santa Fe native, includes green chile and red chile flavored offerings. But there are also oils with habanero and white truffle flavorings, not to mention varieties that include accents of porcini mushroom, bacon, and blood orange.
Aranda’s vinegars have fruit flavorings and wine accents; you can try everything from grapefruit to cranberry and mango, and the wine varietals come in prosecco, chianti, champagne, and more. Aranda says the lighter flavors are popular in summer and used as salad dressings and drink mixers.
The bestselling item in the store is a 10-year aged traditional Italian balsamic, but for something a little more unusual, Aranda recommends customers try a blood orange olive oil and fig balsamic.
“That’s our most popular pairing,” he says. “It’s a little bit different. It’s not just oil and vinegar, and it’s not like something that’s been premade and bottled and sold in a store. It’s a little more gourmet.” — S.F.
NATURE OUTING
Top left to right, male downy woodpecker; adult male Cooper’s hawk; bottom left to right, male western tanager; male mountain bluebird; Photos Warren Berg
WARREN BERG
Words for bird nerds
The early human catches the bird — or something like that.
It’s a season of renewal in Santa Fe, and with hotter temperatures come an increase in activity for birds and other animals in the local food chain.
If you’re up early — on this or any Saturday except holiday weekends — you can tag along with the docents at the Randall Davey Audubon Center, who lead a guided bird walk at 8:30 a.m. Birders of all ages and interest levels are welcome as docents walk the grounds and identify species of interest.
And if you’re not an early riser?
The Vista Grande Public Library celebrates World Migratory Bird Day at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 20, offering a program for all ages.
Ornithologist Carol Beidleman will demonstrate bird-banding techniques, and Amy Gross will quiz guests on whether they can identify local birds. Joe Newman will chat about ways to provide birds with water during the hot summer months, and Naima Shea will talk about the dangers of poisons entering the food chain.
Peggy Darr, an expert on piñon jay conservation, will also speak, and the library will have an encounter with a raptor from the New Mexico Wildlife Center. — S.F.
FOR THE EARS
Sounds from Santa Fe
Not every day will be a diamond / There are stones along the way / They come and go as they’ve a mind to / We just keep livin’ anyway
These are among the life observations strewn throughout How to Shine, the title track on Santa Fe singer-songwriter Jaime Michaels’ 12th studio album, which was released April 22. The guitarist’s style can be described as folk-Americana, although R&B flavors and even a waltz make their way on to his latest album.
Ten of Michaels’ albums were produced by Jono Manson at Santa Fe’s Kitchen Sink Recording Studio, including this one. Manson has been busy of late, releasing a solo album of his own on March 31.
How to Shine is available on streaming services and can be purchased on CD at jaimemichaels.com. — Brian Sandford
Carol C. Sánchez, Matraca (2002), soft-ground etching on woven paper; courtesy of Carol C. Sánchez
MUSEUM NEWS
Hecho aquí
At first glance, the bond that unites these artworks isn’t readily apparent. However, they’re part of an exhibition opening Friday, May 19, at the National Hispanic Cultural Center with a title that makes their connection clear: Hecho en Nuevo México: Recent Acquisitions by NM Artists. The exhibition includes 43 pieces in the form of photography, prints, embroidery, woodcarving, and other mediums. The museum has more than 3,500 pieces in its permanent collection.
A public reception marking its opening is from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, May 19, and the work will be displayed through January 21, 2024. For updates on activities associated with the exhibition, visit nhccnm.org/events. — B.S.
Music is among the offerings at this weekend’s El Rito Studio Tour and Arts Festival.
Courtesy El Rito Studio Tour and Arts Festival
WORTH THE DRIVE
Right-o to Rito
Head north past Mendanales, take a right on State Road 554, and continue for about 12 miles. You can’t miss it.
Nestled against the Ortega Mountains, El Rito isn’t on the way to many places. However, it becomes a destination for art shoppers and enthusiasts Saturday, May 20, and Sunday, May 21, when the El Rito Studio Tour and Arts Festival rolls around.
The 35th annual festival was held in October until last year, when it moved to spring. Twenty-two studios are set to participate, with more than 35 vendors from neighboring villages selling their wares as part of the event’s market. — B.S.
FESTIVALS
Musical Madrid
It might be called the Crawdaddy Blues Fest, but don’t be fooled: Many types of music are featured at one of Mine Shaft Tavern’s signature annual events.
This year’s festival offers a pre-party at 8 p.m. Friday, May 19, featuring the High Desert Playboys. About 20 acts are set to perform over the following two days, with some appearing both days. Hillary Smith and Chillhouse with the High City Horns are the headliners Saturday, followed by Charlie Overbey & the Broken Arrows on Sunday. — B.S.
RANDOM ACT
Cello from Missouri
Despite what you may think based on the name, Early Music Missouri doesn’t play five-string banjos and the one-string gutbucket bass while wearing straw hats and flannel shirts.
The group’s “Evolving Cello: Italian Sonatas for Baroque Cello” concert will give Santa Feans the chance to hear virtuoso music played by Stephanie Hunt on a reproduction of an instrument from the era. Performers and composers were anxious to demonstrate the cello’s unexplored virtuoso capabilities and wrote dazzling showpieces as a result.
Hunt will be accompanied by Jeffrey Noonan playing the theorbo — a type of lute with 14 to 16 strings and a very, very long neck. To sample the duo’s work, visit youtu.be/Bv18-zssFyg. — Mark Tiarks/For The New Mexican
