David Salazar,  owner

On July 18, 1985, I bought El Farol, the oldest restaurant and bar in Santa Fe, New Mexico. El Farol previously existed under different names, but in 1968 Bob Young took it over from the Vigil, Serna and Tapia families, and named it El Farol.

The Vigil family always had some commercial enterprise in what is now the bar at El Farol, and as with so many family businesses, the family lived in the adjacent rooms. El Farol had always been a place where the neighborhood gathered daily to share news about what was going on in the community; Canyon Road was a bustling small business area with grocery stores and even a gas station.

I grew up in similar circumstances in northern New Mexico, where my dad owned a thriving general store in Hernandez. Our home was also adjacent to my dad's store. I believe that I learned as much in my youth working in that store as I did in my formal education.

Prior to buying El Farol I had never worked in a restaurant, and the first months of my ownership were the hardest work that I have ever done in my life. Shortly after I bought the restaurant, Phyllis Kapp, a local gallery owner on Canyon Road, introduced me to a friend of hers named Denise Dreszman, Denise was from New York City and was a chef at The Ballroom in New York, one of the first authentic Spanish restaurants in the United States. Originally from Toronto, Canada she is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America(CIA). Denise is responsible for starting the Spanish menu at El Farol.

Denise and I were the first to bring tapas to Santa Fe and New Mexico. It revolutionized dining in Santa Fe. Many customers came and shared tapas. Diners became more adventuresome because they were able to experiment with the small dishes. Sharing tapas also invited the social aspect of dining, which we continue to encourage at El Farol.

We also introduced Spanish wines on a grand scale. The wine industry in Spain has existed for hundreds of years, and our wine list is one of the best Spanish wine lists in this country.

I have been very lucky in having great chefs. We are still using some of Denise Drezman's recipes to the day. Those who followed Denise are NedLaventall, Kit Baum, Genovevo (Vevo) Rivera and James Campbell. Recently Genovevo has reclaimed his Head Chef role and we are proud because he never left and has now been here for 18 years working with the best. He invites you to come in and say "hola".

"Come for the wonderful food

stay for the exciting music and entertainment"

-David Salazar-