Smokin’ Good Bistro and Deli chef in the running for national Favorite Chef contest
For centuries, food has been at the center of New Mexico's cultural fabric, with families passing down traditional recipes and meals in an effort to preserve their history. One example of the generational culinary impact is Smokin' Good Bistro and Deli , created by 12th-generation Paula Marie Escudero.
Escudero's time in the kitchen began at her mother's side, watching her cook traditional foods as a "culinary storyteller." After learning to cook for herself during college and creating a historical family cookbook, Escudero decided to pursue her passion for cooking in culinary school. Escudero studied cooking starting in 2011 alongside her second son, Sean.
Creating "a love letter to generations of culinary brilliance," Escudero and her son opened up Smokin' Good Bistro in 2019. The bistro operates in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Rio Rancho, offering catering, mobile bistro, private chef, and cooking lesson services.
Currently, Escudero is in the running for a national contest: the James Beard Foundation's Favorite Chef contest. Once selected, the winner will receive a prize of $25,000 to put toward their culinary dreams, a feature on the cover of Taste of Home magazine, and a chance to cook with Carla Hall. If she wins, Escudero hopes to invest the money in her restaurant operation in Las Vegas, offering a walk-in shop, catering, food production, and delivery of a full lunch and dinner menu. Escudero needs your vote to win. Voting closes Thursday night, June 27, at 8 p.m. MT. To vote for Escudero,.
In addition to the contest, Escudero has a GoFundMe set up to help move Smokin' Good out of the commissary and into a restaurant to open its services to the public. The Las Vegas restaurant aims to bring authentic New Mexican flavor to Nevada through traditional recipes. To support the opening of the restaurant,.
Escudero is excited to announce that she is getting back into the dessert business. The chef is offering sweet treat boxes, including New Mexican favorites like hot peanut brittle, biscochitos, and more. Eventually, Escudero hopes to open a manufacturing company to sell her homemade foods. To find out more about all that Escudeo does or to get in contact,.
