Santa Fe art bar combines crafts of pottery and booze
Pottery and booze might seem like an odd couple. But for Santa Fe potter Angela Smith Kirkman, who recently opened art bar Tumbleroot Pottery Pub, the two crafts have a long history.
“They’re both very ancient arts,” Smith Kirkman said. “When people actually settled down and stopped roaming ... they needed ceramic vessels to store their beer in for fermentation. It’s two crafts that have been married for centuries and centuries, so why not?”
Marriage is an apt word — Smith Kirkman, who owns Paseo Pottery, opened the bar with her husband, Jason Kirkman, who co-founded Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery in 2018.
Patrons of the 135 W. Palace bar can sip on Tumbleroot beers and specialty cocktails from ceramic vessels. And, if they’re feeling creative, they can make their own.
The Santa Fe pub features a community art table. Creative drinkers can grab a lump of clay from a bartender and use the provided tools. The available clay dries quickly and doesn’t need to be fired, so patrons can take their creations home.
Over the past year, Smith Kirkman has been working with her husband and Tumbleroot bartenders to design ceramic vessels that match the drinks served in them.
“Getting ready to open the pub downtown, I’ve been focusing on, you know, what vessel would look best with the Bee’s Knees, or which one would go best with a hot toddy,” Smith Kirkman said. “That’s been a fun challenge.”
Beer glasses, she said, need to be as smooth as possible to maximize carbonation. For certain cocktails, the interior needs to be a lighter color so the color of the drink shines through.
The work of five Santa Fe potters, including Smith Kirkman and Paseo Pottery co-founder Mike Walsh, will be available for sale at the pub.
Every month the pottery pub will host a contest. The bartenders will pick the winner each month and gift them a set of ceramic whiskey cups.
“Our first month, the challenge was who could create the best bust of Samuel L. Jackson,” Smith Kirkman said. “We had lots of good entries.”
Paseo Pottery was founded by three Santa Fe artists in 1991 as an artists collective. Smith Kirkman started volunteering at the studio over 18 years ago. In 2018, when the building’s owner retired, Smith Kirkman took over the business. Last year, Smith Kirkman moved the studio from its original location near the Santa Fe Railyard to a larger warehouse at 1273 Calle de Comercio. Under Smith Kirkman, the net proceeds from the studio’s “pottery experiences” — 2.5-hour pottery classes — are donated to charity. Over the past five years, the studio has donated over $50,000 to charity.
A grand opening is planned for Feb. 18 and 19. Between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. both days, patrons can sip on a special cocktail menu, listen to local musicians and watch pottery demonstrations from artists at Paseo Pottery.
The pub’s regular hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Bakery and market opens in Corrales
Jam from France, based on a favorite recipe of Louis XIV. Spiraling fusilli pasta from Italy. A colorful handmade whisk broom made by Appalachian students.
These are just a handful of the approximately 2,500 small-batch products on the shelf at Fan
cies, a new cafe and market in Corrales. Longtime Corrales resident and Fancies co-owner Erin Williams said the store is a reflection of herself.
“Someone told me, ‘Erin, just bring in what you would like to buy.’ So if you want to know anything about me, this is pretty much it,” she said, gesturing around the shop at 4940 Corrales Road.
The store is brimming with goods from around the world.
“As long as I can remember, I have dreamed of having a shop,” Williams said. “And I’ve always been a foodie ... One of those things that I would love to do when I traveled would be to go to different local specialty food stores.”
Williams is partnering with pastry chef Paola Savastano, who will stock the display case with homemade croissants, pie, flan and more. Savastano, originally from Paraguay, said she’s mixing South American flavors like guava and dulce de leche with Italian classics. She’s been cooking since she was nine years old — cheesecake is her specialty.
“We’re working on a menu that we can change every week,” Savastano said.
The store also sells grab-andgo items like paninis and charcuterie boxes — inspired by Williams’ own drive through Corrales.
“I hit the middle of Corrales ... about halfway in, I kind of go, ‘OK, what am I gonna do for dinner?’” Williams said. “... Wouldn’t it be cool if I could just swing in somewhere, and grab a couple of things and go heat them up — and it would be really good food?”
The cafe and market had its opening day Feb. 9, and is open Tuesday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Charcuterie franchise Graze Craze opens
It’s been about a dozen years since Albuquerque resident John Flores has cooked professionally. After graduating from culinary school and cutting his teeth at Albuquerque establishments like the Artichoke Cafe and since-closed Graze, he took a break from cooking, working instead in hotels and home health administration.
But Flores never lost his passion for food. On Monday, Flores opened New Mexico’s first location of charcuterie chain Graze Craze at 4770 Montgomery NE, tucked behind a soon-to-open Raising Cane’s.
“Honestly, it’s a little surreal,” Flores said. “I feel like I need to pinch myself.”
The Albuquerque Graze Craze location is one of 34 — a number that will soon jump to 60 as the franchise opened 26 new locations. The company was founded by Kerry Sylvester in 2018 in Oklahoma, and now has locations in 17 states.
Flores didn’t always think he’d work in the food industry. Originally, he wanted to be a doctor and pursued medicine for one semester at the University of New Mexico. Combining his love for food with an entrepreneurial zest, he followed his culinary education with a business degree from Central New Mexico Community College.
“I learned very quickly in my first semester at UNM that (medicine) was not going to be my career,” Flores said. “... My second passion behind medicine was cooking, so I decided I wanted to be a chef and own my own restaurant.”
A first-time business owner, Flores wanted to start with a franchise. And charcuterie was already in his wheelhouse, considering he made meat and cheese boards for family even before the charcuterie “craze.”
The menu includes five different sized boards and boxes — ranging from the “Lone Grazer” for the solitary snacker and the “Picnic Box” which serves 2-4 people, to the large board, which serves 8-10. Customers can also choose from four different styles, including keto and vegetarian options.
“When I made charcuterie boards before this, I’d have to go to several different stores just to find the specific meats and cheeses that I wanted,” Flores said. “It costs a lot of money, especially now with inflation, to source those ingredients. We’re able to buy them at a wholesale cost, prepare them for you, and make a board for you that is stress free.”
Flores is planning to add charcuterie-building classes in the coming months and is working with the franchise to develop a “local board,” which will include the flavors of New Mexico. Although, customers can already upgrade their boards to include Hatch green chile cheese at any Graze Craze location.
Additionally, Graze Craze offers seasonal boards, like the “Indulgence Board” for Valentine’s Day and the “Game Day” board for Super Bowl Sunday. The restaurant offers free delivery to Northeast Albuquerque for orders over $50.
A grand opening is planned for March. Flores said he might consider opening a Graze Craze Westside or Santa Fe location in the future, but right now has no definite plans to expand.
Used car dealership opens first NM location
Used car dealership AutoNation USA opened its first location in New Mexico this week. The location, at 9100 Pan American NE, is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The dealership will offer same-day cash offers for used vehicles that are valid for up to seven days.
The Albuquerque dealership is the 15th AutoNation USA location, joining other locations in Colorado, Arizona and Texas. The dealership is part of the larger AutoNation franchise, which has over 300 locations nationwide.
Unlike normal AutoNation locations, which sell both new and used cars, AutoNation USA locations exclusively sell preowned vehicles.
AutoNation USA Director of Marketing Matias Ferradas said that even if customers shop at the Albuquerque location, they can buy cars from AutoNation USA’s entire stock among the 15 locations.
“People can feel at ease buying from us,” Ferradas said. “We’re looking to take care of our customers here in store.”