The newly-opened Taos Market is appropriately named. Like Taos itself, the first-impression one gets from the place is deceivingly simple, but upon closer examination, layer upon layer of complexity and intrigue are revealed.
Adjacent to local hot-spot Taos Diner 1 on the north side of town, just off the main thoroughfare of Hwy. 68 in a small, earthen parking lot marked with a home-spun wooden sign decorated with wrought-iron in the shape of a Zia, the nondescript brown adobe belies the spectrum of cutting-edge health-conscious products available inside.
What’s in there?
Here’s a list of things that spoke to me as I perused the aisles one recent morning prior to opening time:
- Hilary’s Eat Well Apple Fennel Dressing with Dandelion Root – made with hexane-free grape seed oil, rather than Canola, and completely organic.
- Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil.
- Grass Roots Farm Gourmet Garlic Sprouts (produced locally).
- One Degree Organic Sprouted Grain Spelt and Wheat flour.
- Paleo Krunch Cereals
- Marian Farm’s Biodynamic Table Grapes
The list easily could go on, but trust me, if you’re an extremely health-conscious eater, or perhaps an adherent to the Paleo philosophy, you want to shop here if you live in, or are visiting Taos. The market sets a new standard for healthy fare in town, with a focus on grass-fed and finished organic meats and dairy, locally-sourced organic produce, and products made with non-carcinogenic oils.
It’s an ideal supplement to other local markets, providing complementary products in a non-corporate atmosphere which reflect the rising trend in consumer awareness regarding food and its production.
That the market is somewhat of an extension of its bordering business, Taos Diner 1, is no accident, according to Diner and Market co-owner, Annie Powell.
“We wanted to create a market that was a mirror for local culture,” she tells me as we wandered around the space in the stillness of pre-opening hours one recent morning.
In addition to the bevy of consciously-produced items lining the shelves, Powell has added a deli in the back where products come to life in a variety of sandwiches and meats. 
Fresh-squeezed juices will be offered to-order, and perhaps in the most daring move the young market is making, Bullet-Proof coffee will be offered.
Created by “Biohacker” and Silicon Valley investor and technology entrepreneur Dave Asprey, “Bulletproof” Coffee is an “Upgraded” coffee that, according to the company’s website, “consists of best-of-the best coffee beans.”
Said beans are picked and processed “to result in a coffee that always makes you feel great, delivers highest performance (alertness), harbors the lowest possible mold toxins and heavy metal load, and satisfies all your coffee-craving taste buds.”
But it’s not just these “super” beans that make Bulletproof Coffee “Bulletproof.” The second major component in the Bulletproof process consists of a coconut-oil derived “Brain Octane Oil,” a tasteless and odorless short-chain medium-chain triglyceride source of free fatty acids. Watch Video of how to make Bulletproof Coffee.
The third, and perhaps most important component of the advanced Bulletproof program is by far the lowest tech, consisting solely of grass fed and finished butter that must be placed in a blender with the other ingredients in order to work, as the fatty acids in the butter are the vehicle in which the benefits of the complimentary components are transported to the body, and, apparently this is best done without heat.
Back in Taos Market it’s getting close to opening time, so Annie and I are wrapping it up. She’s excited about the Market, but admits it’s a lot of work, as the idea didn’t come on a whim, but was nurtured over time, as she wanted it to have the same commitment to quality that have made Taos Diners 1 and 2 permanent successes in the community.
The attention to detail and extra work of the deli and Bulletproof Coffee concession have taken their toll on Annie and her husband Jay, but any feelings of fatigue are overtaken by the joy of being able to offer these services to a community their extremely proud to be a part of.
“You have to be a leader at some point,” Annie unequivocally states as we’re now standing out in the warming sun of mid-morning in the parking lot.
She and her husband Jay have put themselves in the position to do so for the community via their commitment to conscious commerce at both Diners, realizing that tangible local benefits should be at the crux of any local business, and when those benefits include the physical well-being of the community, the endeavor gains precedence, as it directly contributes to the sustainability of said community.
Taos Market brings together the best in current nationally-produced nutritious products with the best local, organic, (and therefore) nutritious ones in a seamless mix of options in a relaxed mom and pop environment, combining these somewhat incongruent elements in a way one can only find in a place like Taos.
Next time you’re passing through…check it out.
Edible celebrates New Mexico's food culture, season by season. We believe that knowing where our food comes from is a powerful thing. With our high-quality, aesthetically pleasing and informative publication, we inspire readers to support and celebrate the growers, producers, chefs, beverage and food artisans, and other food professionals in our community.
