A Day in Santa Fe tm, Restaurant Martin'

When Chef Martín Rios and his wife, Jennifer, began planning a restaurant of their own they envisioned a comfortable place where people from the community and Santa Fe's many visitors could enjoy Chef Rios' award-winning progressive American cuisine in a refined and pleasing atmosphere. Long-time Santa Feans with a commitment to the community - Martín volunteers with Cooking with Kids and Jennifer is president of The Horse Shelter - the couple wanted Martín's much-lauded gastronomy to be accessible not only to well-heeled tourists but to their friends and family. They wanted their guests to feel like they didnt have to wait for a special occasion to enjoy Martín's cooking art.

Restaurant Martín is the embodiment of that vision and the realization of a 20-year dream. Located close to downtown but next to a well-established Santa Fe neighborhood, Restaurant Martín is easily accessible to Chef Rios' local fans and the many visitors who tour Historic downtown Santa Fe.

Chef Rios, a native of Guadalajara, Mexico, grew up in Santa Fe and started in the restaurant business as a 17-year-old dishwasher, eventually working his way to executive chef at several restaurants and hotels. Chef Rios received his formal training at the Culinary Institute of America and supplemented that with experience and training in some of the worlds most honored restaurants and with well-known culinary masters. His passion for food has taken him around the world in pursuit of culinary innovation, creativity and cooking experience.

Chef Rios has been repeatedly honored for his innovative and pleasing combinations of flavors, colors and presentation. His unique style emphasizes fresh, local produce and organic meats and poultry, and reflects not only Southwestern and Asian influences but also his classical training in French technique. Featured in the 2008 season of Iron Chef America, Rios is the only New Mexico chef to have won the Robert Mondavi Culinary Award of Excellence. When Rios was chef at the Old House Restaurant at the Eldorado Hotel, Zagat's Restaurant Survey listed the restaurant as the best dining experience in New Mexico and one of the best restaurants in the United States and the restaurant was awarded both the AAA Four-Diamond Award and the Mobil Four-Star Award. Chef Rios has been name Chef of the Year by the City of Santa Fe and has been named Chef of the Year twice each by the State of New Mexico and the New Mexico Lodging Association. He has also been named a Celebrated Chef for the National Pork Council and was featured in the Bon Appetit Magazine cover story "The American Restaurant: Our Favorite Places."

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