Our Chefs

Noe Cano

Noe Cano, Chef de Cuisine, is an invaluable asset to the School. He does all the food purchasing as well as prep and assisting with the classes. He has been at the School for 20 years. Noe has worked at many of Santa Fe’s top restaurants including La Casa Sena, Coyote Cocina and was chef de cuisine at Hotel St. Francis. He has worked alongside many of the chefs of Santa Fe as well as some celebrity chefs. He was instrumental in the production of a segment of the Food Network’s show called Dinner Impossible, which celebrated the traditional foods of New Mexico.

Michelle (Mica) Chavez

Michelle Chavez brings 26 years of experience to the stoves of the Santa Fe School of Cooking. Her experience began in the San Francisco Bay Area at the age of 14 rolling pasta for a family friend. She eventually rose to the position of Sous Chef in an upscale Northern Italian Ristorante at the age of 21. In 1996, she returned to her hometown of El Paso, TX and became Executive Chef of Café Central for 7 years. In 2003, she was the Chef De Cuisine for the Professional Golf Association Champions Dinner in Rochester, NY and has cooked for numerous notables including presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Vicente Fox of Mexico. She moved to Santa Fe in 2003 and co-owns a catering company called Coriander. In her spare time she windsurfs, snow skis, mountain bikes, gardens and mentors young chefs.

Lois Ellen Frank

A Santa Fe, New Mexico based Native American Chef, Native American foods historian, culinary anthropologist, James Beard Award winning author and photographer, Lois Ellen Frank’s first career experiences were as a professional cook and organic gardener. Ms. Frank has spent over 20 years documenting the foods and life ways of Native American communities throughout the Southwest writing and photographing many articles and papers on the topic. This lengthy immersion in Native American communities culminated in her book, Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations, which won the James Beard Award upon its release. In 2010 she released the Taco Table, which won the Glyph Award upon its release. She completed her PhD dissertation in May 2011 in Culinary Anthropology entitled: The Discourse and Practice of Native American Cuisine, Native and Non-Native Chefs in Contemporary Southwest Kitchens, which she is planning to publish as an upcoming book, tentatively entitled, “The Turquoise Plate”. She is the chef/owner of Red Mesa Cuisine with Diné chef Walter Whitewater.

Patrick Mares

Patrick Mares is Santa Fe’s shining example of a local success story. Born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico and a graduate of a local culinary program he brings to the table depths of knowledge about local flavors, culinary history and New Mexico culture. Patrick has worked in many of the local fine dining establishments in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, including but not limited to, Sandiago’s at the Tram, The Old House, Bishops Lodge, The Inn of the Anasazi and The Red Sage. Patrick’s culinary passion is the fusion of formal culinary techniques with local and seasonal ingredients and flavors. In addition to teaching at The Santa Fe School of Cooking, Patrick is also a full time Chef Instructor at his Alma Mater, the Santa Fe Community College. He loves working with the students and getting the opportunity to help shape and impart his knowledge and experience into the culinary potential of these bright individuals.

Molly Mix

Even from a young age you couldn’t keep Molly Mix out of the kitchen! Hailing from West Texas, she graduated from Miami University in Oxford, OH with a degree in Dietetics. Her emphasis in food science came in handy immediately as she took a pastry position at a guest ranch in Creede, CO (elev 8,000 ft) and began to learn the secrets of high altitude baking. Her career “rose” to higher heights as she went on to bake at a mountaintop restaurant and run her own wedding cake business in Aspen, CO for a decade before moving to Santa Fe last year. Molly now takes full-time delight in ensuring Santa Fe School of Cooking never goes without something sweet to eat, and keeps things as “Mixed”-up as possible!

Peter O’Brien

Accomplished, self-motivated Hospitality Executive with over 30 years of experience as an Executive  Chef, Restaurant Owner, Director of Food and Beverage and Vice President of Operations. Experience  expands all aspects of restaurant and hospitality operations including fine dining restaurants, catering  company, luxury resorts, private clubs, and restaurant chain. Very successful and consistent track record  in entrepreneurial, corporate and development settings, cultivating strong and transferable skills as a  culinary and service innovator. Through clear vision, decisiveness, strong initiative, team motivation, passion for excellence, strong communications and organizational skills, I have consistently over delivered results throughout my career servicing such high-end clients as Michael Dell, Lady Bird Johnson, President George W. Bush, Walter Cronkite and James Baker.

Moved to Santa Fe with his in 2012 to manage the clubhouse at Las Campanas. Moved back to the kitchen 6 years later as the executive chef of Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi and after a COVID layoff became the Chef of Sky-Fire at Auberge Resorts, Bishops Lodge and Chef de Cuisine at Mark Kiffen’s incredible Compound Restaurant. Peter is currently working with his wife Cara on their High Mountain Cuisine catering company and their quaint little culinary kiosk Pedro’s Santa Fe located at CHOMP Food Hall on Cerrillos road. For more information about Peter and his wife Cara at www.highmountaincuisine.com or visit their Pedro’s site www.pedrossantafe.com.

Allen Smith

Allen Smith, Certified Culinary Professional, brings an extensive culinary background to The Santa Fe School of Cooking. Allen has most recently returned from Dubai, UAE where he completed project management of a new style grocery market that included an interactive café and cooking studio. He also completed the development of an exclusive Culinary Center, where he established the concept and professional curriculum. Prior to that, he was a Career Program Instructor at The Institute of Culinary Education in New York. He has extensive experience in food styling, recipe development and catering.

MaryDawn Wright

Chef MaryDawn grew up spending her time between White Bear Lake Minnesota and Espanola New Mexico. It was on a wood stove on a back porch of a small farm along the Rio Grande where she learned and fell in love with traditional New Mexican cuisine. After obtaining a degree in Anthropology she became a certified pastry chef, and then a classically trained French chef. Her approach to teaching combines culinary history with classical technique mixed with a dash of fun. During her extensive career she has worked in several world class restaurants, owned her own restaurant in Taos NM, worked in kitchens from Australia to Israel, designed recipes and products for multinational food companies, and taught cooking and baking techniques to audiences ranging from home cooks to corporate executives and professional chefs. MaryDawn is also a member of Les Dames de Escoffier, an organization of women leaders in the food, beverage and hospitality industries. She is happy to call New Mexico home again and to share the breadth of her experience at the Santa Fe School of Cooking.