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Mark Kiffin, James Beard Foundation's
"Best Chef in the Southwest 2005"
Bon Appetit
April 2004
The Compound is... “one of the region's best restaurants, showcasing Mark’s sophisticated brand of southwestern cuisine with Mediterranean accents.”
Gourmet
"Now that The Compound has passed through its unfortunate (and ponderous) white-gloved-waiter phase, both the food and service are better than ever. And despite being more than 35 years old, the casual-yet-classic elegance of the decor makes this restaurant one of Santa Fe's loveliest. Chef Mark Kiffin's lunch and dinner menus offer everything you would expect from a high-end contemporary Kitchen: lobster, crab and mango salad; foie gras in a couple of guises; and even an astonishingly good burger. Bizarrely, though, The Compound remains a chile-free zone. But don't hold that against the place - it's terrific in every other way".
The Santa Fean 2003
"For a grand repast, the reinvented Compound
Restaurant has won legions of devotees with its poetic setting, courtly service and superb cuisine."
NY Times
September 27, 2002
Pasatiempo
See the article
Santa Fe Reporter
"Restaurant of the Year" 2000-2001
La Cocinita
"Best New Restaurant" 2001
"Best New American Cuisine" 2002
"Best Atmosphere" 2002
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Mark Kiffin: Southwestern chef
has a Compound interest
Chef/Owner, Mark Kiffin has worked, written and taught in the restaurant industry for more than 25 years. A recognized leader in Southwestern cuisine, Kiffin creates a seasonal, Contemporary American Menu combining the diverse culinary influences of the Mediterranean with those of the New World. In October 2002, Kiffin was recognized in Gourmet Magazine’s Guide to America’s Best Restaurants and in The New York Times as a destination not to be missed with excellent cuisine. Judith Hill of The Santa Fe New Mexican called her experience Zen like and refers to Kiffin’s passion and flavors as a personal affair with food. In February 2004 Kiffin will be a featured chef at The Masters of Food and Wine in Carmel, California.
Colorado native Mark Kiffin is at home in the Southwest. It's where The Culinary Institute of America graduate jump-started his career, partnering with Mark Miller, of Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, N.M., in 1990. In his eight years working with Miller, Kiffin was the corporate executive chef of Coyote Cafe MGM Grand in Las Vegas; he collaborated on three cookbooks with Miller and helped develop Coyote Cafe's line of Southwestern food products. More recently, he worked with Stephan Pyles as the corporate executive chef for Star Concepts, parent of Dallas' famed Star Canyon and AquaKnox restaurants, where he oversaw the design and building of new restaurants. Though he left Santa Fe for a while, Kiffin never sold his home.
Kiffin, 40, returned to Santa Fe in October 1999. He married his girlfriend, Paige, and set his sights on doing his own thing. Last March he bought The Compound Restaurant, a 150-year-old adobe landmark, and in two short months they turned the fledgling property into a vibrant dining destination. Whereas Kiffin once oversaw 130 cooks at one time, he now has one chef de cuisine and one pastry chef working for him at the 220-seat Compound -a welcome change and challenge.
How does it feel to have your own restaurant?
It feels great. I've always taken ownership in anything I've been a part of, and I think that's important. There's an underlying passion for food; it's hard work, and it's long work, and now being a chef is very heralded work. But it is still work. You have to produce the work every day. I kid people sometimes. I say, "Food is like sex." It's immediate gratification. You know right then if it's going to work. Your work is put on the plate and served. And boom, you know. It's always what drives us.
How did you choose The Compound?
When I first came to Santa Fe, I ate at that restaurant. That was 10 years ago. It had an elegance to it. They had white-glove service, jackets and ties required. No children [were allowed]. It was a different type of dining experience than what was normal for Santa Fe.
How did you change it?
We eliminated the jacket and tie requirement, though most of our diners dress very well. Children are obviously welcome. We don't have white-glove service, but we have fine-dining service. It's such a great space. It's not just a restaurant; it has a history. It has interesting folk art from Alexander Girard. He was the one who created the artworks within the property.
You've been open less than a year. How is the business going?
We're just starting to run. Santa Fe is a mix of people. Santa Fe has the culture, the art; the homes are elegant like in Aspen. People have a lot of second homes. They're also well traveled and knowledgeable. So you can push it. Santa Fe can take a sophisticated style of food, and that's why I want to compete nationally, not just within Santa Fe.
What kind of cuisine do you do at The Compound?
When I bought the restaurant, I said I wasn't going to do Southwest, which is what I was known for. This is something different I want to do. I'm going to call it contemporary American. It's Mediterranean based on certain Spanish influences, because, historically, the Spanish founded Santa Fe around 1610. And the Spanish are the ones who brought in cattle, chickens, tomatoes and eggplants. Historically, those foods were not here. And now you have a Hispanic culture, because the Spanish mixed with the Mexican culture that came up from the south - and that's what developed the history and culture of the food of the Southwest. What I'm doing is the true regional food of Santa Fe. There is a focus. There is a reason.
At Coyote Cafe you helped develop food products. What's the difference between creating a food product and creating a recipe or a dish as a chef?
It's just like writing a cookbook. You have this recipe, and you have to try to break it down, or you have to try to make it in bulk. So you have to try to find out what happens when you have to increase it in volume, what's going to happen to the flavor in the process of packaging and how you have to make it sanitary and safe. So it's not like you're just going to make it and serve it and boom, there's the flavor. What you're trying to do is have the flavor still be there when they open the jar three months later.
What was it like working with Mark Miller?
I have a lot of respect for the man and what he?s done for American food. Coyote is a great restaurant. While I was there we won many awards, and Mark won the James Beard Award. My first day he left for South America for six weeks.
Did you feel abandoned?
No, not at all. He said, "I'm hiring you to run this restaurant. If you can't do it, I don't need you." As I evolved, we evolved together, and as student and teacher, the student gets stronger and outgrows the teacher. The one thing I learned from him, day one: Don't ever compromise your standards - ever. And always hold them up. Same with Stephan Pyles.
What were the major changes you made to The Compound?
There wasn't really anything in the front-of-the-house. The kitchen had to be taken out. I went down to the bare walls. Everything was out of date or not in the best condition, because the restaurant was there for 33 years, and toward the end it was open three to four times a week, doing 30 to 40 covers a night. We gutted the thing, put in new floors and redesigned everything.
I designed the kitchen from the line-cook standpoint. So many chefs have architecturally beautiful kitchens, but if you're back there, working the line, there's not enough room for plates. Or where do you put your pans when they're dirty? Where's the water source? Do you have enough power? The biggest thing with any kitchen is firepower and refrigeration. And the next thing is work space. There are too many kitchens where they're putting cutting boards on trashcans.
What do you like about having your own place?
I've run major properties and multiple properties in different cities. It's always nice to say, "I've got one door." I'm able to just walk through that door and cook. I don't have to get on an airplane. It's not taking a back seat. I'm just going to stop for a bit and not fly all over the country teaching others my food. I just have to work with the people standing right in front of me.
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