Pojoaque graduate spices up Santa Fe
When Josh Baum opened the doors to Josh’s Barbecue in Santa Fe, on April 17, it marked a milestone in a career that got off to a freaky start.
By John Knoll For The New Mexican
Most restaurant owners don’t expect to break even in their first month of business, but Josh Baum, 1990 Pojoaque High graduate, is not your run-of-themill restaurateur.
When Baum opened the doors to his first restaurant, Josh’s Barbecue, at 3846 Zafarano Drive in Santa Fe on April 17, it marked a milestone in a career that got off to a freaky start.
Baum first was accepted by the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in New York City.
Then chaos reared its head.
“I was ready to start school in New York,” he said. “But they told me they had lost all my paperwork and I wouldn’t be able to start school.”
Despite the setback, Baum pursued his education by enrolling at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute. He graduated in 1995.
At that time, he said, opening a barbecue restaurant was not on his mind. He was drawn toward working with Martin Rios, one of New Mexico’s most celebrated chefs, at the Old House Restaurant in the Eldorado Hotel.
Rios advised him to continue his education in France, learning from the world’s best chefs.
“Rios told me I would learn discipline, technique and respect for food in France,” Baum said. “He was right.”
After sending a number of resumes to French restaurants, Baum was accepted as a stagiaire — a probationary employee who works for free — at L’Esperance in the Burgundy region.
At L’Esperance, he studied French cooking under the tutelage of Mark Meneau, a chef known for his subtleties and artistry.
But Baum had to start at the bottom of the restaurant hierarchy.
On his first day at L’Esperance, he plucked feathers from ducks.
“I had to pluck one feather at a time,” he recalled of his initiation into French cuisine.
“It was tedious, but I thought it was cool because the ducks were still warm. They had just been killed. It was totally unlike America, where everything is more sterile.”
His work experience in France made him realize that he “didn’t know what hard work was.”
French restaurant workers typically work from 7 a.m. to midnight, with one day off each week, Baum said.
The restaurateur said he’s working 70 hours a week now, but he considers it a breeze compared to France, where the work was nonstop and everything had to be “perfect, perfect, perfect.”
Thinking back to his fourmonth experience in France, Baum said it taught him “to appreciate the dedication it takes to serve really good food.” French chefs also taught him to appreciate the pure essence of foods. He said he has carried that philosophy into his barbecue.
Many barbecue restaurants put lots of sauce on the meat while it’s being cooked. Baum said he thinks that technique diminishes the quality of the final product.
“I want people to taste the meat first,” he said. “Then they can add sauce to fit their tastes.
We have a hot and a mild sauce. Plus a unique in-season sauce.
Right now I’m putting together a blackberry sauce.”
For Baum, good barbecue depends on the quality of the meat, the smoke and the cooking technique. He uses oak to smoke his meats, using just a little dry-rubbed salt and pepper for seasoning. All the meats are slow-cooked. The briskets, for example, are cooked for 14 to 16 hours and the ribs for eight hours.
The result is tender, succulent barbecue with Baum’s gourmet signature on every plate.
His smoker has 72 square feet of cooking space, but Baum said he has “a feeling it won’t be big enough the way business is picking up.”
The prices add to the restaurant’s appeal. One-meat plates are $7.99, two-meat plates $9.99 and three-meat plates $11.99.
There are a variety of meats to chose from, including brisket, smoked turkey, hot links, Polish sausage, chicken, ribs, carne adovada and pulled pork.
Two side dishes accompany every plate; choices are green chile coleslaw, an ear of corn, cowboy beans or potato salad.
The menu also includes sandwiches, salads and specialties like the $6.99 barbecue brisket quesadilla.
“We’re getting lots of repeat customers,” he said. “I think the secret to success is the quality of ingredients and love. You have to put love into your food.
That’s what matters.”
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