Chef Joseph Wrede, whose inimitable Joseph's Table restaurant in Taos closed last year, has been named executive chef of the legendary Palace Restaurant, which is scheduled to reopen in August under the ownership of David G. Bigby.

The Palace closed in 2005 after operating for 40 years under numerous owners, and became the short-lived Señor Lucky's until that business — mechanical bull, bikini night and all — closed suddenly in 2007. The reopening of the Palace this summer marks Wrede's debut as executive chef of a Santa Fe restaurant property.

Wrede, a Food & Wine magazine Best New Chef Award winner and AAA Four Diamond recipient for his outstanding work and artistry at Joseph's Table, has recently led the kitchen brigade at Taos Ski Valley's Blonde Bear Tavern at Edelweiss Lodge and Spa. Bigby and his team are working with Marc Naktin of Spears Architects to oversee the redesign of the Palace's interior, and the restaurant also is in the process of securing a full liquor license.

Second-generation Latin chef, New York restaurateur and Food Network personality Aarón Sánchez (from the shows Melting Pot, Chopped, Chefs vs. City, Iron Chef America and Next Iron Chef, among others) and a camera crew were at Cowgirl BBQ on Sunday shooting a new series titled Extreme Heat, which will premiere later this year and focus on spicy foods throughout the U.S. Cowgirl's "Wings of Fire," — slathered in chef Patrick Lambert's heat-seeking sauce called "Salsa Diablo" and then liberally topped with chopped habanero peppers — will not be featured on the show; but the salsa itself will be, along with Lambert's smoky, chipotle-kissed pulled pork.


Chef Russell Thornton has been named the new head chef of Rio Chama restaurant and bar (414 Old Santa Fe Trail, 955-0765, www.riochamasteakhouse.com). Thornton designed and opened Rio Chama 10 years ago, and many of his dishes have remained on the menu throughout the years. Returning as chef, he hopes to utilize more local and sustainable ingredients while applying new ethnic twists to the carnivore-friendly menu.


Michael Meisel has been named the new Chef de Cuisine at Mark Miller's Red Sage restaurant at Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino. Meisel debuts his spring menu this month. He began his culinary career after high school as an apprentice for French chef Yves Schmidt. After a 20-year stint in finance, Meisel returned to professional cooking in 1998 as a student at Chicago's Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. He went on to study at L'Etoile culinary school in Chioggia, Italy, and cooked at restaurants throughout Chicago. An avid outdoorsman, Meisel migrated to Santa Fe in 2004 and has worked at Aqua Santa, the Pink Adobe, and The Old House restaurants, as well as Taos' El Monte Sagrado Resort Spa and convention center. He is a strong proponent of sustainable, farm-to-table cuisine using seasonal, fresh, organic ingredients sourced from local producers.

Items featured on Meisel's new multi-culti fusion menu with a focus on Latin and Native American cuisine include house-cured organic salmon; tortilla soup; cast iron seared organic salmon with Morita-spiced summer-tomato sauce, bitter greens and slow-roasted golden beets; oven-roasted Alaskan halibut with sautéed shrimp, chorizo, corn, peppers and mushrooms with fresh tomatillo salsa; green chile pork enchiladas with jalapeño bacon beans, yellow rice, house-made crema, pico de gallo and avocado purée; and a popular vegetarian option called Pueblo Garden.


Two restaurants opened recently on Bisbee Court off N.M. 14. The brand-new Bisbee Deli (5 Bisbee Court, Suite 108, 474-8188) is the brainchild of Robin Hardy, who sold her Backroad Pizza interests to business partner Piper Kapin. Having signed a no-compete clause as part of the deal, Hardie will concentrate on the deli business in Bisbee Court with an eye toward freshness and fast, friendly service. Menu items include salads (house, chef and cobb varieties; deli salads like potato and pasta; and Cole slaw), house-made soups, hot and cold sandwiches and subs, quesadillas and espresso drinks. The deli has a Facebook page with a menu link — do a search in Facebook for "Bisbee Deli" — and text ordering is in the deli's near future, according to Hardie.

Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and large call-ahead takeout orders for parties and other events are available at a discount (10 percent off 10 or more items, 20 percent off 20 or more).

Crumpackers Fresca! Baking and Catering (25-D Bisbee Court, 471-64481, www.crumpackersfresca.com), which also does brisk business at the Santa Fe Farmers Market and the Los Alamos Farmers Market, opened in February and serves salads, house-made quiches, shepherd's pie, chicken pot pie, sandwiches, pies, pastries and locally roasted Aroma coffee. Attention locavores: "Hand-Made Food, Locally Grown Ingredients" is the bakeshop's menu slogan.

Contact Rob DeWalt at tastesfnewmexican.com or at twitter.com/sfnmTASTE.