Chef Ky returns to Taos after trip to Mexico
Takes up head chef position at El Conejo
Longtime Taos-area chef Ky Quintanilla has made his way back home after a Mexican sabbatical. He has settled into the headchef position at the recently established restaurant El Conejo, located at 122 Paseo del Pueblo Sur. Quintanilla said his return is part of a way to unwind from the high-end restaurant experience he
has often been associated with and to resettle into his roots.
A trip to Mexico
Quintanilla spent the last several months living and working in Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico, where he helped his father with the food
service at the soon-to-be-sold “Five Star Burgers Palenque” restaurant and hotel (no affiliation to the Taos restaurant with the same name).
He said he had been assisting his father with finances for the establishment and came down to help them revamp as they prepared to close the doors. “I was cooking at the restaurant, and we were just doing pastas and burgers and chicken wings, which are three things that have become more popular in Palenque,” said Quintanilla, adding that they were “trying to be different.” He said he
left the restaurant side of things in good shape and helped them upgrade the menu.
When his Temporary Vehicle Import Permit ran out, Quintanilla decided it was time to head back
home to Taos.
Escaping the kitchen life
The journey was meaningful for Quintanilla, who said he took the months away to focus on his
sobriety. “It was also kind of a personal thing for me to get out of Taos and be alcohol free,” he said,
referencing an industry that is often fueled by booze.
“I think you get caught up with the restaurant industry. [Alcohol] is part of it, really, very much, and I think a lot of people aren’t aware of that,” he noted. “That’s
the norm: You work hard and you drink hard, you know?”
Quintanilla has worked as the head chef at Martyrs Steakhouse, owner and operator of the nowclosed Kyote Club, and even spent a brief stint reinventing Fridaynight finger food at Gutter’s Bowling Alley. He has a degree from The Culinary Institute of America, and also did an externship at Wolfgang Puck’s “Spago” in Beverly Hills.
Now, he said he is ready to step back into a position he knows: cooking Northern New Mexican classics, with the essential Quintanilla twist.
The time in Mexico to reflect and live a sober lifestyle left Quintanilla feeling it may be time to think about a change of pace. “I think I’m done with executive cheffing and fine dining… I think I’ve lost the desire, or maybe I never had it… This is kind of my thing now,” he said, referring to the “seasonal chef” position he currently holds at El Conejo. “I just
like doing this, you know, just simple Northern New Mexico food.”
A different kind of cooking
Upon Quintanilla’s return to the area, he posted on Facebook saying he was interested in some summer work. It wasn’t long before Marcos Aragon, owner of El Conejo (and formerly Tim’s Stray Dog Cantina), reached out to see if
he wanted the head chef position for the summer.
“I’ve always eaten his food, and I know what he’s capable of,” said Aragon of Quintanilla. As soon as he heard Quintanilla wanted
to come back for the summer he jumped on the opportunity. “I was
like, this is all kind of perfect timing. Do you want to come work?”
he asked Quintanilla, who agreed to join the team for the summer season.
After closing Tim’s Stray Dog in Taos Ski Valley, Aragon said
he changed up the menu before moving to town. “I really condensed it into a New Mexican ‘quick menu,’ — all fresh made. That way, whatever chef comes in here can keep the basic stuff going and then do their thing, too,” he said. Currently, the restaurant
serves up fresh takes on Northern New Mexican classics like blue
corn enchiladas, chile rellenos, Navajo tacos and burgers.
Quintanilla said that he hasn’t changed the menu just yet. “I
haven’t changed the menu or anything, I just kind of added my little
suggestions, you know, making them better,” he said. “If I’m going to serve it I want it to taste good.”
While he is proud of the previous
experience he brings to the table, “I’m definitely not going to put my ego on a plate,” he
said. “It’s about keeping it to what people like — good tasty New Mexican food.”
Despite few changes to the menu, Quintanilla hopes to bring a bit more of his personal touch to additional items. He said his trip to Mexico left him filled with
gastronomic inspiration, and said
he hopes to bring some favorite dishes to Taos. “Because of my experience down in Mexico, I’m
going to bring an ‘antojos menu,’ which is like Mexican tapas,” he explained. The goal is to make each dish a focus on a different
region of Mexico. “There’s going to be a Yucatan dish, a Mexico City
kind of Northern Mexico dish… maybe five different things to start
to see if it works out.”
Bringing out the locals
Both Quintanilla and Aragon said one of their main goals for El Conejo is to increase local participation. “It’s all about trying to bring in more locals here,” said Quintanilla. “This spot is more of a touristy location.”
Aragon, who also owns and operates Bloody Maria Mix and Nuevo Cerveza, said he hopes to create an atmosphere where locals can come to eat, drink and socialize — similar to when he operated the El Camino Bar in the same
location many years back. “I think it’s a good spot, and definitely our
landlord here is really great. It’s a great family,” he said.
Quintanilla added that he was happy with the new real estate. “I really like the location here and I think it’s great,” he said. However,
he hopes for late-night business to pick up. “There’s really not much action that comes through the door after 8. But now that the
summer is coming, it’s going to be a necessity.”
Goals beyond the industry
As Quintanilla settles back into cooking in Taos, he said he has his
sights set on other projects, too. “I’m thinking of maybe going back to school and changing careers,”
he said. “This summer, I’m going to see what’s available; what the
possibilities are for getting a different degree.”
When asked what educational direction he would choose, Quintanilla hinted at the possibility of becoming a therapist. In 2018, his brother and longtime business
partner, Scott Quintanilla, died in a single-vehicle crash in Eagle Nest. “I’m thinking of therapeutic counseling, maybe for the [food
service] industry. I think that it’s an overlooked area,” he said, laying out his vision.
“Instead of telling your therapist, who hasn’t really experienced the restaurant life, you’re telling
somebody that has,” he explained. “It would be the basics of what
people stress out about at work — servers and cooks, you know,
stuff like that. Everybody’s got their stress and/or their vices, and things that they don’t like what they’re doing.” He added that his relationships in the industry could come in handy.
Regardless of how things shake out, Quintanilla said he is glad to
be back in Northern New Mexico. “I just love being in Taos; it brought me back, and we’ll just see what
happens.”