Bed, bath and beyond: Los Poblanos recognized as one of the top US hotels for food and drink

Apr. 19—Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm's enchanting ambiance and Rio Grande Valley Cuisine has put it on the map as a must-visit for travelers and foodies.

It was recently recognized as one of the Top 10 U.S. Hotels for Food and Drink on the Food & Wine 2024 Global Tastemakers list. Los Poblanos, located at 4803 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, took the No. 9 spot on the list. It is the only New Mexico location to make the Food & Wine 2024 Global Tastemakers list.

"We're just happy that people are kind of noticing what we're doing here," said Christopher Bethoney, head chef of Campo at Los Poblanos. "This place has been around a while, and a lot of the people who work here put just a ton of work and passion into what we're doing. And it's not a very well-known place. So it's nice to have some recognition."

This is the second annual Global Tastemakers Awards for Food & Wine magazine. This year, magazine staff asked more than 180 food and travel journalists to nominate their favorite restaurants, bars, bakeries, markets, cities, hotels, airports, airlines and cruises around the world. Their feedback was turned over to an expert panel of judges who rank each category's winners. Last year's Global Tastemakers Awards was a reader led survey, which Food & Wine decided to change for year two.

"We've got really great relationships with travel journalists and food journalists all over the world," said Sean Flynn, senior editorial director for Food & Wine. "And we really tap into that network, which allowed us to be more at the forefront of the conversation. Whereas, you know, with the reader led survey, you know, people have a lot of great insight. But when you're working with people who are regularly reporting on new openings and new offerings, it allows you to kind of lead the conversation."

The exhaustive nomination list submitted by the 180 journalists was turned over to a second panel of 20 journalists, who narrowed down the list.

"We wanted to focus on places that were either newly open, relatively new opens in the last couple of years, or places that had really standout new offerings," Flynn said. "The one great thing that I liked about the best U.S. hotel and restaurants, is that innately people would really expect to see like LA and Vegas and New York on that list. But there was a really strong showing from smaller cities, including Albuquerque, which was really great. And I think it's kind of like a post COVID effect where you have people who are looking to into new experiences and just want to try something different. And that's why it was such a strong showing for smaller cities on that list in particular."

The Food & Wine recognition blurb describes Bethoney as a "tireless advocate of Rio Grande Valley Cuisine."

"From an open kitchen, Bethoney prepares refreshingly unfussy plates composed of abundant and Indigenous ingredients like heirloom corn," the blurb adds.

Bethoney agrees the term Rio Grande Valley captures the essence of what he and his team create at Los Poblanos using locally sourced ingredients.

"Rio Grande Valley cuisine is this ethos of supporting the community around you," he explained. "... I really love to make pasta. But instead of buying dry pasta or making it with flour from another country, we're using locally-sourced flours and locally-sourced eggs and all the inputs that go into those. It's all this local product to showcase what's going on around us."

Some of the ingredients come straight from Los Poblanos' onsite farm.

"We have a tiny amount of eggs that we produce on the farm," Bethoney said. "We use a lot of eggs here. So we have two major producers, out of Corrales and the South Valley, and they supply a huge amount of our eggs. And then there's other farmers around here who have a few hens and we kind of use the community around us as like a co-op. And we get all those eggs from them and our property. And then we have vegetable fields and mulberry trees and cherry trees and all kinds of stuff. So we're very lucky to source those things from our property as well."

Bethoney joined Los Poblanos' team in early 2017, several months before the opening of Campo.

"Campo itself didn't open until November of 2017 for dinner," he said. "But I started working here earlier that year, when we were still cooking out of what is now the spa. It was a restaurant (called) La Merienda and I finished out dinner service there. Shortly after, I started working here (at Campo)."

Bethoney worked as chef de cuisine for most of his time at Los Poblanos until he was promoted to head chef about two years ago.

"I've been super focused on dinner service, mostly from my earlier years," he explained. "I was writing those menus, mostly doing the chef's table. It was just very much focused on that. And then, as the years went on, I kind of just started taking on a little more and a little more."

Kim Vollers, director of hospitality at Los Poblanos, said it is a privilege for the team to be recognized for their efforts.

"It is wonderful to work with so many talented individuals who are clearly dedicated to their craft," she said. "We are honored and humbled to be listed among such distinguished hotels."

Flynn said it was great to see venues in smaller cities make the Global Tastemakers list, including Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee, the winner of the U.S. Hotels for Food and Drinks category. Other recognitions in smaller cities include Twin Farms in Barnard, Vermont, and The Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia. A complete list of 2024 Food & Wine Global Tastemakers can be found at foodandwine.com.

"There's been such a great increase in just like really standout places in smaller cities," Flynn said. "And I can say, for Los Poblanos, I've talked to a couple of colleagues and everybody really loved the property and loved the offerings. It was really great to hear such positive feedback, not just for the property in Albuquerque, but for all these smaller properties that I think historically a couple years ago may not have gotten the attention. They would probably would have been outweighed by a lot of much bigger cities. And I think it's just really cool that not only for Food & Wine and Global Tastemakers, but I think you're seeing an industry-wide shift in recognition of really standout places in places that you might not necessarily expect.