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New
Mexico’s Incredible Cuisine Offers Food Network’s Chef
Robert Irvine his Latest ‘Dinner Impossible’
One hundred years ago, it would have been beyond
comprehension. Firing up the hornos and preparing an
authentic New Mexican meal large enough to feed 60
family members, friends and fellow villagers using only
traditional cooking equipment and methods would have
taken all day, if not longer.
Doing it in six hours would have been impossible –
unless, of course, Chef Robert Irvine was on your guest
list. Each week, Irvine - the star of “Dinner
Impossible” on the Food Network - is thrown a new
culinary curveball, and his team must figure out a way
to solve their mission before time runs out.
On Saturday (January 12, 2007), that curveball was
thrown at Irvine and his sous chef David Britton, when
the pair arrived at El Rancho de las Golondrinas,
located just south of Santa Fe, to film an episode of
what has become one of the Food Network’s hottest shows,
now in its third season, with approximately 7.8 million
total weekly viewers.
El Rancho de las Golondrinas - photo
courtesy
NM Dept. of Tourism
You'll have to tune in to “Dinner: Impossible” to see if
Irvine was able to complete his Santa Fe challenge. The
Santa Fe episode is tentatively scheduled to air in
March.
“We are honored, but not necessarily surprised that the
Food Network and ‘Dinner Impossible’ chose Santa Fe’s El
Rancho de las Golondrinas as a location and New Mexico’s
incredible cuisine as a challenge for Chef Irvine,” said
Michael Cerletti, Secretary of the New Mexico Tourism
Department. “New Mexico has long been known as a
world-class culinary destination.”
Joining Irvine at El Rancho de las Golondrinas were New
Mexico Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who first welcomed Irvine,
then tossed him his culinary challenge; Virginia Vigil,
Leroy Romero (Assistant Curator of Agriculture at Las
Golondrinas), and Noe Cano (an instructor at the Santa
Fe School of Cooking), who all helped Irvine learn New
Mexican cuisine and acted as guest sous chefs; and the
Danza Azteca de Anahuac dance group, which entertained
guests before the meal was served.
Born in England, Robert Irvine has been cooking since he
joined the Royal Navy at the age of 15. His wide-ranging
culinary and entertaining experience has taken him all
over the world, from cooking for dignitaries aboard the
Royal Yacht, Britannia, to traveling across Asia as a
consultant. He has prepared meals for The Royal Family,
as well as four United States Presidents.
“Dinner: Impossible” is produced by Marc Summers
Productions and Shooters Post & Transfer. The show was
created by Brian O`Reilly of Purple Sage Productions.
El Rancho de las Golondrinas is a living history museum
located on 200 acres in a rural farming valley just
south of Santa Fe. The museum, dedicated to the heritage
and culture of Spanish Colonial New Mexico, opened in
1972. Original colonial buildings on the site date from
the early 18th century. Visit www.golondrinas.org.
Food Network (www.foodnetwork.com) is distributed to
more than 90 million U.S. households and averages more
than seven million Web site users monthly.
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Red or Green: New
Mexico Cuisine by Roswell author Clyde Casey
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