After getting married twenty-eight years ago at the Perry Estate (now Auberge’s Commodore Perry Estate) in Austin, my wife Cara and I honeymooned in Santa Fe over a snowy weekend in January. There was a sense of calm in and around town, and the mountain air was thick with the sweet smell of piñon smoke. Santa Fe is truly a special place for us, so much so that we moved here more than ten years ago to make Santa Fe our home. It’s such an honor to be SkyFire's Executive Chef, and an integral part of Bishop’s Lodge.

The holiday season in Santa Fe can be summed up in one word: Magical. Over at Bishop’s Lodge, we’re starting our festive season a day earlier with our Socially- Distanced Thanksgiving Dinner—a take-home meal with a whole or sliced turkey and a host of sides. A lot of our pre-orders have come from our neighbors, and we’re very excited to give them a first taste from the SkyFire kitchen, as well as a first look at the renovated reception area at Bishop’s Lodge when they come to pick up their dinner.

I’ve created custom ceramics under the Whiskey and Clay line for restaurants in Marfa, Texas to Beverly Hills. But SkyFire at Bishop’s Lodge is the first restaurant in Santa Fe for which I’ve crafted unique pieces. Drawn to Santa Fe by its vibrant arts scene, proximity to nature, and slower pace of life, I moved here a few years ago—so it’s a huge honor to already be a part of such a treasured Santa Fe landmark. (Local friends have shared stories of horseback riding and cherished family holidays at the Lodge, and I hope to create my own memories, too, when it reopens.)

Santa Fe has always had a certain kind of magical hold over me. I have so many memories, with the most amazing being the opening party for Mark Miller’s Coyote Café in the ‘80s—a seminal moment for Southwestern cuisine. A group of us—myself, Mark, Robert del Grande who had Café Annie in Houston at the time, and Stephan Pyles who had just opened up Routh Street Café in Dallas—had started this movement of cooking with indigenous Southwestern ingredients. This was its big moment, when Southwestern cuisine finally got its deserved space in the spotlight.