COOKING UP SUCCESS
Nicole Ammerman co-owns the Santa Fe School of Cooking with her mother, business founder Susan Curtis, and her sister, Kristen Krell. Recipient of the 2023 WomenOwned Business of the Year Award from the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce, the Santa Fe School of Cooking & Market was founded in 1989 with a mission to create authentic, fun-filled culinary experiences in a welcoming setting. Ammerman joined the business in 1993.
“I had taken a semester off from college to help when Susan first opened. After graduating, I worked for a year in corporate retail. I hated it because the actual job part was very regimented, with no flexibility to add personality. I wasn’t looking to get out, but mom needed someone to help her. I’ve been there ever since,” she says.
As director of operations, Ammerman had to learn to manage people, the hardest part of the job. The Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce board member says she’s capitalized on opportunities over the years, like offering team-building and hands-on cooking classes, hosting food tours, and starting a mail-order division.
“My goal now is to find people to run each part of the business. I need to diversify my life and want to travel more with my husband now that my kids are out of the house,” she says.
With a business bolstered by hard work and an aim to connect to the community, support local causes and nonprofits, and find ways to create opportunity, Ammerman takes a highly collabora
tive approach to everything, including finances, marketing, and relationship building. She says, “I don’t see competition. And I pride myself on being kind. I don’t ask anyone to do something that I wouldn’t. I ask for feedback all the time. These are very female leadership qualities.”
125 N. Guadalupe St. I 505-983-4511 I santafeschoolofcooking.com