As an animal advocate, there came a point when I had to ask myself why I donated money and time to save cats and dogs from abuse, but kept eating cows, pigs and chickens, some of the most abused animals on the planet.
The struggle, at first, was that I am also part of the culinary world. I’m a chef groupie and a gourmand. I’m an avid cook and I love traveling and tasting dishes throughout the world. I produce a culinary festival, for goodness sake! How does one reconcile those seemingly opposing points of view?
For me, the answer was to cut out all mammals from my diet (if it has hair / fur, it’s not part of my dinner). While I haven’t leaped to fully vegan, I love eating vegan food, and learning new ways to cook sans animal products. So, I was thrilled to hear that a new restaurant cleverly called ROOT 66 will soon be opening on Lena Street in Santa Fe.
I got a sneak peek at the DELECTABLE dishes by chef Katlyn Badeaux, recently, because I’m on the planning committee of Animal Protection of New Mexico’s pop up dinner which will take place on Saturday, September 7 at a private home. YOU can get a sneak peek too if you buy a ticket HERE. I’d love to see you there! Meanwhile, here is The Liquid Muse interview with Santa Fe’s new 25-year-old chef revitalizing the healthy eating scene...
You’re new to the area... tell us about yourself! I was born in Baton Rouge to a single mother. I gained a lot of life experiences due to moving around a lot and the instability we faced together. My mom always made sure I was surrounded by supportive humans and my character was shaped by a lot of different mindsets. I grew up around a lot of good food and happy times. It's part of the culture in Louisiana. My mom is an amazing cook and was always the one cooking for parties.
Another big influence for me in cooking was my uncle who I stayed with on the weekends while my mom worked. My earliest memory is standing on a step ladder at the stove with him while he showed me how to stir the roux for gravy. Cooking was something I carried with me throughout my childhood, but wasn't something I wanted to go into professionally. Eager to leave Baton Rouge after high school I moved right away to New Orleans. After realizing college wasn't what I wanted I started teaching yoga and working as a server. Around this time I started taking plant based cooking more seriously. I realized how delicious dishes I grew up with could be when you didn't add a bunch of animal fat to it.
Istarted to really taste flavors and fell in love with the challenge. I stumbled into Superfood Bar one day while passing out flyers for the yoga studio I worked at and was instantly intrigued with the menu. Not only was it plant based, but it focused on packing in as much nutrients as possible leaving out empty calories. Most people turn their nose up at health food, but chef Amie Havens who opened the business with the owner, creates some of the most flavorful food I've ever had. The sustainable business the two of them created provided the biggest inspiration for me and though working in restaurants isn't an ideal job for me, I always strive to create something as amazing as their vision.
I moved to Denver on a whim just to help run their second location. After I realized that Denver wasn't the place I wanted to be my home, I decided to move back to New Mexico. A week after telling the owner I was leaving he recommended me to one of the owners of Root 66 and that's how I'm here today.
When did you start professional cooking? My first cooking gig was at Superfood Bar in New Orleans. I was 21. Up until that point I had years of front of house experience and no real interest in working in a kitchen. I promised myself I wouldn't do it because cooking was always something special for me and I didn't want to ruin that. I fell in love with Superfood Bar though and looked past my dread of getting into the business. I was intrigued with how the owner strived for a sustainable and nutrient dense menu.
Why did you move to NM? I left Louisiana to live by the beach in Savannah, but I didn't vibe with the town at all. I wanted to branch out from the southern region. My partner and I were discussing possibilities for places to live and at random I mentioned Albuquerque.
What got you specifically into vegan cooking?
Since middle school I've attempted to stop eating animals. It wasn't taken seriously by anyone around me. It was always something I contemplated as a child, but it wasn't until I was 20 and cooking for myself 100% of the time that I took it more seriously. [I’ve been vegan] since I was 21 years old.
What are some challenges for vegans when eating in a restaurant?
The quality of food would be the problem that bothers me the most. Restaurants are big on selling the food by only making it sound/look good. Since most vegans are looking for the recreation of a certain dish, restaurants provide that without focusing on flavor and most of the time people are satisfied. I guess I'm a little more critical than the average customer, but a lot of the times when I go to a vegan restaurant the focus is so heavy on making it Instagram worthy or using nostalgia to make it seem better than it is. I'm all for pretty food and recreating dishes, but not if the flavor is unimpressive. I refuse to sell anything unless it's absolutely delicious and worth someone's money.
Tell us about your involvement at Root 66...
It was all by chance. The job opportunity came up when I decided to move back to Albuquerque. We are aiming to open in September, but dealing with licensing can be unpredictable.
What will be some of the signature dishes there?
I'm starting with a small menu while trying out a lot of different ideas. I will build a more permanent menu based on customers feedback. I plan to focus more on breakfast food in the beginning. There will be bagel sandwiches with carrot lox, quiches, and pastries. There will be a few items for lunch including a green chili beyond burger and a tempeh melt. We will have plenty of gluten free options. There will be seasonal specials, coffee, and local products available as well.
You will do the cooking for the Animal Protection of New Mexico fundraising dinner on Sept. 7. What will the menu be? How did you get involved with that event? Are you an animal lover?
The goal of Root 66 is to give a percentage of sales to APNM. The owners and myself are all animal lovers and support the effort to change the widespread abuse of animals.
There will be a beautiful vegan cheese spread that Miyoko is donating. We will serve the cheese with fruit, crackers, olives, and jam.
I'm taking advantage of the end of the peach season. The salad will be peaches marinated with apple cider vinegar, shallots, basil, arugula, and pea shoots. The main course will be pureed celery root with baked cauliflower, jackfruit brisket, mushroom au jus, asparagus, and cornbread. The dessert will be a lavender peach sorbet with a lemon shortbread cookie.
What are your long term goals in the culinary field?
I hope to grow out of working in restaurants. I would eventually like to move into working more with growing food. I don't think I will ever stop cooking, but I want to focus more energy on growing food than I'm able to now.