A SANTA FE MOMENT AT SECOND & LENA STREETS

Mural, mural on the wall who's the fairest of them all? Hard to say. There are so many colorful murals painted everywhere  in Santa Fe, it's impossible to pick a favorite. This one I photographed in pieces - just like a puzzle. It fills an entire wall and gives you something wonderful to look at when you're stopped at the light on Second & Lena.

                                   Photos by C. Whitney-Ward

And something to think about when you realize that

Es Mejor Saber (it's better to know) is an HIV prevention campaign produced by Southwest CARE Center

Mural by John Santos & Lupe Vargas

COLLECTED WORKS BOOKSTORE & COFFEEHOUSE - INDEPENDENT & PROUD

                                     Photos by C. Whitney-Ward

We had a library in our house when I was growing up. It wasn't a huge space but it had a wall of shelves filled with leather-bound books. I don't remember reading any of them, I just remember that they were there and I loved looking at them. If I close my eyes I can still smell the musty-leather scent. I guess that's why I love bookstores. They are a wonderful visual stroll. And independent bookstores, like Santa Fe's circa 1978 Collected Works Bookstore & Coffeehouse, exude a personal warmth that is very appealing. 

This 4,000 square foot space is brimming with books  - books by local authors, cookbooks, travel books, poetry books, books on the southwest,  best-selling books -more than  30,000 in all.  

And there are lovely places to sit and ponder and read...

Especially if you're a kid. There's a nice children's book section.

If you're hungry, you can get a  snack at the inviting coffee bar



Love the beautiful old "bakery" case...

And then you can sit in the sun and munch & read away.

But, there's more. Collected Works offers a rich selection of lectures & author/poet/storytelling evenings with the likes of Hampton Sides, Alan Arkin

 and  N. Scott Momaday,  just to mention a few.  Go to their website and check out their weeklycalendar of events. And if you want to find a great read,

 they offer book reviews as well.

What a swell bookstore.

COLLECTED WORKS BOOKSTORE & COFFEEHOUSE

202 Galisteo Street     Santa Fe, NM 87501

505.988.4226

http://www.collectedworksbookstore.com/

JOHNNY VEE - Q & A'S OF SANTA FE

Q & A's of Santa Fe is a new segment on Chasing Santa Fe where I will be interviewing fascinating Santa Feans about their passion for this amazing place.

                                                          Photo by C. Whitney-Ward

John Vollertsen - AKA Chef Johnny Vee - has come a long way from being a soda jerk in the local Woolworth's coffee shop in his home town of Rochester, New York. Indeed, this charismatic and prolific foodie has wended his way to Santa Fe from stints in restaurants in New York - Greenstreet, Odeon and An American Place   -  and Australia where he lived for 8 years managing the southwest-themed restaurant chain, Arizona Bar & Grill. But, Santa Fe beckoned and for the past 15 years Johnny Vee has been teaching cooking classes at Las Cosas Cooking School (he's the director),  writing  for Local Flavor  and expounding on the Santa Fe food scene as the dining and food editor of The Santa Fean Magazine. And his cookbook - Cooking with Johnny Vee - International Cusine with a Modern Flair - is a feast for the eyes.

Q.  If you could describe Santa Fe in three words, what would they be?  Eat   Pray   Ski

Q. What made you want to live here? The weather. I'm from upstate New York where the weather can be bleak. I came  to Santa Fe for the first time in the month of March and thought that if this is winter, I'm moving here.

Q. What was your first impression of Santa Fe? I'd never lived in the desert before and was drawn to New Mexico's dramatic  mountain/desert  topography.  It's very, very impressive.

Q.  What delights you most about the Santa Fe food scene? Santa Fe is considered a food town with a diverse restaurant scene. It's a magnet for foodies and I think because of this Santa Fe chefs try harder.      

Q.  If you opened your own restaurant what would it be? Cafe Pasquals 2 - the sequel.  I love it breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Q.  If your house had only one window, what view would you chose to see? The Santa Fe River. I need to see water!!!

Q.  If you  had only one afternoon to spend in Santa Fe, how would you spend it?  I would have a leisurely lunch with someone special and then indulge in a  soak in a private tub at Ten Thousand Waves.

Q.  What's your favorite season? The Fall. I love how long it is here and of course, it brings all those wonderful  tomatoes and chiles.

     

CHEF JOHNNY VEE

 LAS COSAS COOKING SCHOOL

1-877-229-7184

CAFE VINGT CINQ - FRENCH & FABULOUS IN SANTA FE

                   Photos by C. Whitney-Ward

I admit it. I'm a shopping snob. I don't do malls and I certainly don't do "outlet" malls. That is until the other day when a friend called and invited me to lunch at Café Vingt Cinq - a French café and patisserie at the Santa Fe Fashion Outlets... way...I mean way out on Cerrillos Road. "I've heard that it's swell," he said.

And it was!

Opened five months ago by Joel and Liza Mazire - he's from Normandy & she's from Santa Fe - this bright and welcoming café is full of delicious surprises, especially the perfect French pastries that taste as lovely as they look. Joel trained as a pastry chef and worked at La Fonda's French Pastry Shop for years turning out memorable and authentic pastries. The Mazire's three children also work in the café - in the front and the back of the house.

To whet your appetite...

These  hefty croissants are filled with ham, green chile and ooze cheese. Wonderful.

Fresh & crusty breads are baked daily.

And the lunch menu has tantalizing offerings of soups, salads, sandwiches, crepes and quiches. We opted to order from the chalkboard specials menu.

Torte Normande (above) & Chicken and Green Chile Crepe.

They were absolutely delicious.

And the fresh & crisp salad that accompanied was dressed with a simple but memorable vinaigrette with a delightful hint of mustard. And, we couldn't resist ordering the French fries.

The decor is simple with touches of Paris here and there.  And,  I promise, one  bite of Joel's Napoleon and your there! 

Café Vingt Cinq

Santa Fe Fashion Outlets

8380 Cerrillos Road

505.474.7300

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