Hyatt Regency Tamaya chefs utilize their on-site garden to create the special dishes to perfectly pair with spirits.
SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. — Before any glasses are poured for the public at the Bourbon Tasting Experience at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya’s Corn Maiden, KOB got a private look at a new experience coming to Bernalillo.
The inspiration comes from their local garden on the Santa Ana Pueblo.
“The squash on this plate is from the garden,” executive chef Nate Larsen said. “The scallions on top of it we actually pulled out of the garden yesterday afternoon.”
The prep work was underway when KOB arrived at the restaurant in the early afternoon. It’s the third time the resort has hosted its bourbon tasting. It’s held wine and other tastings beforehand.
“So, we’ll start here with our chicken wings,” said chef de cuisine George Silva. “So as previously, as Chef (Larsen) said, all the vegetables and sauces have been procured from our property here. The ribs are glazed with our green tomato chutney that comes from our garden garnished with pea shoots that we grow here for our dishes at Corn Maiden, so we like to use that as best we can. Next is the squash that has been roasted on our charcoal grill. And finally, we’re going to round it out with everyone’s favorite, the bourbon buttermilk pie.”
The garden is a stone’s throw away from the kitchen. Corn Maiden’s menu is based on what the land here will provide.
“We know that there’s certain things that are going to work out here, a lot of things, that grow kind of like in a certain part of Africa grow really well here, it’s a very similar climate,” Larsen said. “So chilies, peppers, tomatoes, we have okra.”
A bourbon expert guides the tasting, highlighting the nuances in the Kentucky-based spirit with New Mexico food notes, like these happy-accident melons.
“All along this side are pueblo melons. We have three different kinds in here,” said Larsen, pointing to a number of melons growing in the garden. “We have, like a hybrid Cuca melon growing, that random seed got into a package, so we weren’t even planning on those. But they’re really cool. We actually pickled those and throw them in with the lemon cucumbers in Corn Maiden’s gazpacho dish.”
On Sunday, guests will get the full bourbon experience, from garden to table — or glass — in a setting that blends southern tradition with pueblo hospitality.
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