A Santa Fe Mother’s Day crawl
Prepare to spoil the moms in your life on Sunday with a spring walk packed with sweet moments suggested in this Mother’s Day itinerary:
Start with an iced drink and a crispy churro (or five) at the Churro Bar (102 E. Water Street; 505920-4682). Churros, if you don’t know, are long fried choux pastries made to resemble the twisted horns of the Spanish churra, a breed of sheep imported to the Americas by Spaniards in the 16th century and known here as the Navajo-churro sheep.
Some culinary historians believe the churro — the pastry, not the sheep — are a derivative of a Moor pastry called teules. Others believe that the ch urro came to spain and portugal from southern
China, as it resembles the youtiao, or yu char kwai.
Whatever the origin, the options at the Churro Bar include the deluxe de leche and pecan, an Azul Lemon (lemon frosting, blueberry sauce, and pistachio), and the Zucca (pumpkin filling, whipped cream, and pepitas).
“I create this churro menu with all the things that I enjoy myself,” says owner and chef Gerardo Garcia. If you can’t pick just one flavor, Garcia suggests trying a plate of churro bites — a diverse assortment of smaller churros. “I noticed that moms love the Snow White, with cream and strawberries,” he adds.
Next, proceed up shady East Alameda, with the Santa Fe River to your right, and turn right onto east palace boulevard, where you’ ll find a refreshing classic or matcha lemonade — or one of 150 or so organic loose-leaf teas — at The Teahouse Santa Fe (821 Canyon Road; 505-9920972; teahousesantafe.com).
If you haven’t gotten your mom a gift yet, step into Cielo Handcrafted (836 Canyon Road; cielohandcrafted.com) gallery across the street from The Teahouse. Cielo specializes in works by local New Mexican and Peruvian artists, artisans, and makers. Co-owners and co-founders — and crafter-curators — Gloria Olazábal, a jeweler from Perú, and Miguel Licona, a woodworker from Santa Fe, built a community around Cielo. “We choose work by more emerging artists, and the majority of them are women, women of color, and queer women,” says Licona. “And everything that is here at cie lo, we would like to have in our home too ,” Olazábal adds.
For Mother’s Day, Licona and Olázabal suggest the small ceramic figurine by British-peruvian artist Jane Webb, who lives in Albuquerque. Or opt for a pair of silver earrings or a ring by Olazábal herself.
You can impress Mom with your literary tastes with a visit to Garcia Street Books (376 Garcia Street; 505-986-0151; garciastreetbooks.com). Peruse the array of motherhood-themed titles, including the new novel Pride and Joy (Atria Books, 2024) by Louise Onomé.
Enter the world of all things chocolate nearby at Kakawa Chocolate House (1050 Paseo de Peralta; 505-982-0388; kakawachocolates.com), where the aromas of rich cacao cast their spell. Just as the churro came to North America from Europe (and perhaps even from China or North Africa) in the 16th century, chocolate made the opposite voyage also in the16thcentury,frommesoamericatotheposhsalonsacrosseurope.
Chocolatiers at Kakawa are passionate about mixing traditional chocolate recipes from the Americas with modern flavors, turning the chocolate into a flavorful experience for your taste buds.
Sample the chocolates in the shade of trees on Kakawa’s patio — or spoil Mom with a full box of assorted chocolates to munch on as you meander Santa Fe’s abundant parks or gardens, including the sculpture garden at the State Capitol (411 South Capitol Street), the cottonwoods along East Alameda Street along the Santa Fe River, at Eugenie Shonnard’s garden on the grounds of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation (1411 Paseo de Peralta), or on the cool grass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (131 Cathedral Place). — A.H.
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
Pride and Joy by Louis Onomé, Atria Books, 2024, 336 pages
Operating Instructions — A Journal of My Son’s First Year by Anne Lamott, Anchor, 2005, 272 pages
Some Assembly Required — A Journal of My Son’s First Son by Anne Lamott with Sam Lamott, Riverhead Books, 2012, 288 pages