Kelly J. Torres

Local Hero: Chef, Greater New Mexico

An Interview with Chef/Owner at Black Bird Saloon
Photos by Stephanie Cameron

Kelly Torres will be in the kitchen when you arrive at Black Bird Saloon, the old building with the eclectic raven art and chalkboard menu in Los Cerrillos. “I’ve never thought of myself as a chef, as I have not been formally trained,” she says. “I base my experience of cooking food on passion, observation, and a desire to create something delicious. Black Bird has been an evolving process of trial and error with lots of good outcomes.” She and her husband, Patrick Torres, met working in restaurants in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, then moved to the village of Los Cerrillos in 2014, and opened Black Bird in their live-work property in 2017. Raised in the Houston area, Kelly graduated from the Art Institute of Houston in fashion marketing and visual design. Today, she says, “We live here happily with our three dogs and, of course, the ravens!”

Where did you learn to cook? What were some of your formative experiences as a chef?

Growing up I was exposed to a lot of great food, with credit due to my parents and being well traveled. My grandmothers were also experts in their own kitchens. From midwestern Iowa to the panhandle of Florida, I can see where my inherited talents fit with my current ways of cooking and ingredients. I believe that I have a knack for putting flavors together and an understanding of how things cook, which both play a part when you basically teach yourself. At one time, I did have a career as a front-of-the-house manager in restaurants, so I was not completely naive to how it all works.   

You create your magic inside a 140-year-old saloon. What’s the kitchen like? Would you change it if you could?

When we purchased our place, there wasn’t any plumbing, bathroom, or kitchen in the space that currently is just that. It’s wild to think of what it was to what it now has become. A large space with the same old floors, walls, and ceilings that you see in the dining area was converted to a commercial kitchen. Patrick did the design and almost all the renovations, except for plumbing and major electrical work. Our kitchen is modern, small, and very clean. It has some quirks but, basically, is all we need. Our equipment is mostly previously owned. I am very happy to have high ceilings and some natural light since so much [of my] time is spent there. If I could change one thing, it would probably be to have more burners on the stove top as I do a lot of juggling of pans for some of the menu items.

You and your business partner, Patrick Torres, describe Black Bird’s cuisine as “genuine, simple, and good.” But your menu is packed with exotic fare like rattlesnake-and-rabbit sausage and king trumpet mushrooms. How do you balance simple with gourmet?

Given Black Bird’s unique history and setting, I wanted our menu to tell a story of the past and present. I imagined what I thought [Indigenous] people might have been eating here long ago with the addition of what settlers might have brought to the table. I wanted to keep a rustic feel, as if you were over a campfire out on the trail, which is why most of our food comes right off the grill. My style of cooking is uncomplicated. Menu items like the rattlesnake-and-rabbit sausage or the spicy cactus-and-onions burrito feel like they fit in with our old Wild West story, plus the customer might have a chance to taste something that might not be available elsewhere. I knew that we would focus on some game meat offerings because of the hunt that people probably endured in the 1800s for food. A blueberry mustard or apricot compote is just my creative way to pull it all together for flavor. We have never truly offered much in the way of non-meat menu items, but my love of mushrooms plays into that missing spot.

Most years, we have hosted a reservation-only and private New Year’s Eve dinner. This allows me to offer guests a tasting of something different than our everyday menu. It seems there is always one ingredient that I might obsess about that makes it to the menu board the next season!

The cost of food has increased dramatically in the last few years, yet you seem to have kept your commitment to accessible prices. How have you coped with the new reality while maintaining a distinctive menu?

Like most places, we raised our menu prices across the board, because that’s just what you do if you want to continuously serve a good product. It has always been important to Patrick and me to serve quality ingredients, have higher standards, and not make compromises. That said, our business model may allow us to keep prices lower than some. From the start, we knew that we both would play active roles in our business. We do have a handful of amazing support staff, but Patrick and I do a lot of the work ourselves. We remain disciplined in this area to keep labor costs and overhead low while still serving the same good quality. Consistent repeat and increased flow of new business over the last year has also helped. We have a strong desire to reach for the next level while keeping our original identity clear.

Back in 2019, when Black Bird won a Local Hero award in the restaurant category, you had planted a garden and orchard behind the saloon. How is that project going? Have you been able to use more of what you’ve grown in your dishes?

The garden, yes, that vision is still there. I wish that I could say that we have progressed, but truth be told, with the restaurant business being so great, it has stolen some of our time from the garden. We have not given up, though—we are still composting, and we have incorporated water catchment tanks. We have set in motion some extensive designs for our back space and garden. So, there is always next year and a little more redefining of what we want and what we can take to the table!

What’s your favorite dish to cook, and what’s your favorite to eat?

I enjoy creating and cooking new items and specials because it keeps me fresh and my creative side going. I feel good making the bone marrow butter and king trumpet mushroom toast because I love the smell and the taste of flavors together. In my heart, I am old world and enjoy eating a mixed plate of delicious things, more than just a sandwich. I love to eat our Campfire at the Crossroads, which is a mixed grill of sausages and mustards. I also love our Farmers Plate, which consists of a grilled blood sausage, cheese, simple greens, apricot compote, a duck egg, and a side of grilled bread. The perfect snack!

What’s a local food issue that’s important to you and why?

In this last year, Black Bird has worked more than ever to use local purveyors and incorporate more locally raised foods and products in both our food and beverage menus. We are happy to have more options available to us than before—even people that will deliver to us! It’s obvious and exciting that more people are pursuing their passions to create and grow and shift with the times.

What’s something people probably don’t know about you?

I have a fascination with alchemy and a fair amount of knowledge on the subject. I am obsessed with cheese and cured meats. I love all things Maynard James Keenan. I enjoy my very early morning sunrises and backyard privacy.

Anything else you’d like to share with edible readers?

I would like to thank our local community of Los Cerrillos and our surrounding areas for all the support. We always hoped to enhance the area in which we live but not change it, and I hope we honor all those before us in this historical village, a.k.a. the “Cult of The Ancestors.”

28 Main Street, Los Cerrillos, 505-438-1821, blackbirdsaloon.com