Out There!
Feb. 9—VALENTINE'S TIME
Smart cookie
Santa Fe is a city of artists, which is evident even among our town's sweet shops.
Local cookie artiste Chainé Peña applies that principle not only to creating her colorful French macarons but also to the aesthetics of her eponymous shop, which she thankfully reopened last fall in a new location in Burro Alley after closing her Water Street location in 2021.
"I like the dreamy, dusty palettes of the desert. I love to capture the sage, dusty rose, the bone color," she says of the décor of her cozy cookie den. "Creating space is part of the beauty of the business for people to enjoy."
details
* Lover's Box is $28; individual macarons start at $3 each
* 38 Burro Alley
* 505-477-3235; chainesantafe.square.site
It's still a work in progress, Peña says, but the good news is that the space offers a "workhorse kitchen" where she has room to bake up both small and large wholesale orders of her confections, all of which are made from scratch.
Her rainbow offerings of macarons lend themselves beautifully to holiday tables and gifts (her hand-crafted chile ristra designs are a hit at Christmas), and for Valentine's Day, she's featuring a Lover's Box that will include four macarons adorned with edible crystals. The macaron flavor is strawberry rosé, made with fresh organic strawberries and filled with an Italian merengue buttercream. "It tastes like strawberry ice cream," she says.
Peña's first name, Chainé (pronounced shuh-NAY) was given to her by her mom, a ballet dancer (chainé is a term for short, fast turns). She learned her macaron-making at a workshop in France, but her family has been in Santa Fe for six generations.
She spent several months adapting the French baking techniques to northern New Mexico's altitude and low humidity as well as developing her array of flavors, which includes a blue corn version that, with its buttercream center, tastes like "cereal milk," she says.
C'est magnifique. — Carolyn Graham
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RANDOM ACT
Tuba, accordion, and art
If the name Sandbox Music sounds familiar, it's likely because the organization was behind the First Monday New Music Series featuring experimental sounds at Teatro Paraguas and Jean Cocteau Cinema in 2022 and 2023.
details
* 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 10
* Entropy Gallery
* 1220 Parkway Drive
* $10 at the door
The organization has a new home for its concerts: Entropy Gallery, which features owner Patrick Lysaght's multi-exposure photography. Previous Sandbox Music offerings were on weeknights, while its latest show is on a Saturday, giving it some more competition for Santa Feans' entertainment dollars.
The latest show, Improvisations, features a foursome that veers far from the traditional rock vocals-guitar-drums-bass formula. Performing are Clara Byom, clarinet, accordion, and objects; Barry Chabala, acoustic guitar and objects; Sean Kennedy, tuba; and David Forlano, live sampling and percussion. The former three are from Albuquerque, while Forlano, who created Sandbox Music, lives in Santa Fe. — Brian Sandford
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BOOK SMARTS
details
* Opening exhibition 4-6 p.m. Thursday, February 15
* 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays Friday, February 16 through Friday, March 22
* Santa Fe Community College Visual Arts Gallery
* 6401 Richards Avenue
* 505-428-1501; sfcc.edu /offices/visual-arts-gallery
Artists with strong spines
While the axiom "never judge a book by its cover" generally holds true, the Celebration of the Book exhibition at the Santa Fe Community College Visual Arts Gallery is an exception.
The books themselves, not the writing contained within, are the art. All artists involved in creating it are members of the nonprofit Santa Fe Book Arts Group or Libros New Mexico Book Arts Guild. The Book Arts Group has about 200 members and monthly meetings, workshops, and exhibits; learn more at santafebag.org. The Albuquerque-based Book Arts Guild has similar offerings; visit librosnm.org. — B.S.
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JUST CAUSE
Sweetheart of a scholarship
If Valentine's Day puts you in the mood to hear traditional canciones rancheras and New Mexico power ballads, you're in luck. Renowned guitarist and vocalist Nacha Mendez has gathered a few fellow musicians for an annual Valentine's Day concert she calls Noche de Amor, with Nacha Mendez and Friends.
details
* 6 p.m. Wednesday, February 14 (reception at 6 p.m., concert at 7 p.m.)
* Museum of International Folk Art
* 706 Camino Lejo
* $60 per person, $100 per couple
The variety show celebrates and raises funds for the Nacha Mendez Music Scholarship for New Mexican Girls of Color, which this year provided scholarships for 12 girls ranging in age from 9 to 15.
"Today, I see we have communities in New Mexico that are financially challenged," says Mendez via email. "I have had a lot of good fortune in my life as an adult, and I want to give back and inspire young women to continue following their dreams. So growing our scholarship is one way to help out."
The "friends" include tango performing duo Chester Fegursky and Nicolasa Chávez, Santa Fe singer-songwriter Teri Lynn Browning, Ohkay Owingeh hip-hop artist G. Precious, and Bella Gigante, local drag performer and radio personality.
The Nacha Mendez Music Scholarship supports young musicians of color who can use the funds for music lessons, instruments, travel, music software, or other expenses associated with following their musical aspirations.
"When you get support early on as a child, it helps one to develop in ways that will benefit one later in life," she says. "It builds confidence in young girls, and music is also great for brain development. To be appreciated and validated early is always a good thing." — C.G.
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details
Listen up: "Horseshoe crabs and vaccines" (Season 2, Episode #17; release date: October 17, 2021). 30 Animals That Made Us Smarter episodes are released weekly. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and on the BBC landing page; sfnm.co/podcast-30Animals
POD PATROL
30 Animals That Made Us Smarter
I recently heard on a podcast ...
That horseshoe crabs have bright blue blood because instead of having iron in their blood to transport oxygen, the crabs' blood contains copper, which turns blue when exposed to oxygen. The copper aids in clotting, which scientists use to formulate vaccines and other medicines. Horseshoe crab blood's properties are now also being used to test for endotoxins in medicines before they're administered to a test subject.
Whenever I'm in the mood to learn, I tune in to the BBC's 30 Animals That Made Us Smarter. The podcast started as a small-topic show that focused solely on the link between 30 different animals and inventions and scientific uses that were developed from them. The show has since expanded and has two full seasons. It's jam-packed with facts and leaves the listener thinking. The lineup includes a few live episodes (with audience members) featuring interviews with scientists. This show is great if you have kiddos in the back seat or if you just need a break from all the great (and plentiful) true-crime shows out there. — Kate Graham/For The New Mexican
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IN GOOD TASTE
Beers and bombs
What's better than a lecture from an expert on nuclear forensics?
How about a lecture from an expert on nuclear forensics ... and a beer?
details
* 6 p.m. Friday, February 9
* National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
* 601 Eubank Boulevard SE, Albuquerque
* $10
* 505-245-2137; nuclearmuseum.org
The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History is holding its monthly lecture series, Science on Tap, at 6 p.m. on Friday, February 9.
Now, you might be asking, what kind of beer are we talking about? You'll be drinking selections from the Albuquerque-based Bombs Away Beer Company.
February's guest of honor will be Stephen LaMont, a national laboratory professor in the department of nuclear engineering at the University of New Mexico. LaMont, who holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Washington State University, also works as a member of the staff at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
He will talk about the ways that leaders are working to prevent the threat of nuclear terrorism through the intersection of science and policy. — Spencer Fordin
