Eduardo Rodriguez and Quinn Stephenson both started as dishwashers when they landed their first restaurant industry jobs. Stephenson was in his teens and followed up the gig by gracefully falling into every position in the front of house. For Rodriguez however, his restaurant path only started after he left behind plans for an architecture degree.
Today Rodriguez and Stephenson respectively act as chef and owner of Santa Fe’s most iconic restaurant, Coyote Cafe. “I don’t make buildings,” says Rodriguez. “But I make amazing food.”
Opened by chef Mark Miller in 1987, Coyote Cafe has been complimented for setting the standard of modern Southwestern cuisine. And if there’s been one takeaway so far from the Santa Fe season of Cooking in America, it’s that they can’t get away from the red and green chile in the New Mexican capital. You’ll also find red chile with the restaurant’s seared scallops, and it’s among the main components of Coyote’s beloved red chile onion rings.
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