The New Mexico dining scene is a unique & diverse community that NMRA takes great pride in having the honor to represent. In our new travelogue podcast, New Mexico Restaurants NOW!, we are celebrating the dedicated professionals & institutions that make our industry great. Each week we will feature a new restaurant, telling their story and introducing the public to their menus. The podcast video is available on YouTube and FB Live and the audio is available via Apple Podcast, Audible, Spotify & more.
If you would like to be a sponsor of our travelogue podcast, ‘New Mexico Restaurants NOW!’ Send us a Message TODAY! Your product does not need to be restaurant-specific. The opportunity costs $450 for five weeks. This podcast will be broadcast in a video on the New Mexico Restaurants Now! This advertising opportunity will be evergreen. Contact us at events@nmrestaurants.org to learn more!
2021 Restaurateur of the Year
Jason and Deidra Vinson Yo Mama's Grill This year’s winners started early in the NM restaurant industry. One partner started as a dishwasher straight out of high school at Cattle Baron and eventually moved up to management at other restaurants. Years later, he’d...
2021 Chef of the Year
Mark Kiffin The Compound Restaurant - Santa Fe This year’s Superhero Chef has spent 45 years completely dedicated to the passion and craft of the table. For him, food is not about trying to create a new trend but perfecting what you are doing every day. He was...
2021 Restaurant Neighbor of the Year
Michael White - High Point Rustic Kitchen Albuquerque This year’s Restaurant Neighbor Superhero spearheads the charity Kitchen Kids Inc, which is in its 6th year of providing free cooking courses where kids work side-by-side with professionals. He is also the...
2021 Manager of the Year
Tai Ayers Ohori's Coffee Roasters - Santa Fe2021’s Manager of the Year winner has been in the industry for years. Starting at 15 at Santa Fe’s Haagen-Dazs. She moved up, including managing the Student Café in college. 20 years ago, she began Barista work at began...
Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Cafe
Annapurna is the place for a healing cuisine. To accomplish this mission of serving a healing cuisine as prescribed in the Ayurvedic tradition, our restaurants maintain certain principles and philosophies that are very unique in the food industry. Our food is made by...
Robert Vick – Vick’s Vittles – Albuquerque, NM
Fine food and hearty meals. We serve them all at Vick's Vittles Country Kitchen. Featuring comfort food and a pleasant atmosphere we know you'll want to come back. Vick's Vittles Country Kitchen is well known across Albuquerque for its excellent selection of...
Neil Roe – Peppers Grill & Bar – Roswell, NM
Peppers Grill & Bar is located in the heart of the UFO Capitol of the World in Roswell, New Mexico. Just three blocks north of the Famous International UFO Museum & Research Center. Peppers Grill & Bar features Southwestern Casual Dining with: Traditional...
Nico Ortiz – Turtle Mountain Brewing – Rio Rancho, NM
The guiding principle of Turtle Mountain Brewing Company is to provide the people of Rio Rancho and surrounding communities with delicious, high-quality foods and beverages at an affordable price in a comfortable, friendly environment. Being a fan of the show...
William Stafford – Sadie’s of New Mexico – Albuquerque, NM
Sadie's is a New Mexican cuisine restaurant chain from the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. They have three locations in Albuquerque, and they also sell their own New Mexico chile, salsa, jerky, and other New Mexico related products throughout the United States and...
Jodie York – A Bite of Belgium – Las Cruces, NM
A Bite of Belgium opened on October 1st, 2012 with a desire to bring something unique to Las Cruces, NM – authentic and tasty Belgian cuisine at an affordable cost. A Bite of Belgium offers customers a variety of menu items, from warm Belgian waffles made with real...
Christian Pontiggia – Sassella – Santa Fe, NM
Sassella - Santa Fe, NM Sassella is the name of a tiny Italian village. It is also a type of wine.Nestled at the base of Alpine slopes in Northern Italy, the small town of Sassella has persevered over the centuries. It is located in Lombardy’s Valtelline valley, a...
Gene Baca – Bueno Foods – Albuquerque, NM
The Baca brothers were the first to flame roast green chile on a commercial scale. There was no equipment for this kind of process, so they had to build it. There was no process, so they had to invent it. And so they did, more than 60 years ago. With a handful of...
