'Grace under pressure': From the front of the house to the back, Eliza Esparza found her calling, inspiration in the kitchen

Editor’s note: Cocina Connection is a once-a-month feature that takes a behind-the-scenes look at a New Mexico-based chef, who, in turn, shares some recipes.

As a server, Chef Eliza Esparza became intrigued with the kitchen.

Although she was front of the house, serving customers, at Dunkin’ Donuts and Red Lobster for a combined 12 years, she was drawn to what took place in the back of the house.

'Grace under pressure': From the front of the house to the back, Eliza Esparza found her calling, inspiration in the kitchen

“I was always fascinated watching the kitchen staff,” she said. “In those two instances, everybody that worked in the kitchen, they all knew their craft so well, and they effortlessly did their task.”

She said what she found most fascinating was the kitchen staff’s “grace under pressure.”

“Seeing all those examples of grace under pressure and people handling pressure so calmly, it kind of led me to adopt a method and energy as a chef,” Esparza explained. “And I guess I could now say that I am grace under pressure, just like the cooks and the bakers that I would watch when I was younger. I try to teach people to do that as well.”

Esparza decided to enroll in the culinary program at Central New Mexico Community College. After graduation, she was hired as a pantry cook at Farina Pizzeria & Wine Bar Downtown, 510 Central Ave. SE.

“Working in a professional kitchen is completely different than culinary school, so it was kind of a slap in the face,” she said. “I’m not saying that I wasn’t a hard worker. I’ve always been a hard worker. But it was just very daunting and overwhelming. And when I was a pantry cook, the cooks that I worked with in the kitchen, they really made me know my place as a beginner. I just had to keep proving myself and it really motivated me to become better. I worked hard and I just made myself available and just kept learning as much as I could learn until I became the chef.”

Esparza has worked at Farina for 14 years and was promoted to head chef eight years ago. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It is closed on Sunday. A full menu is available at farinapizzeria.com.

“I can honestly say that Farina is an honest restaurant with honest food from honest farmers,” she said. “And I love it here. ... I get to make anything I want and I have the support from the owners of Farina, the staff, and I would say, most importantly, the customers. I’ve seen babies come in here that can’t even chew and now they’re coming in and they’re growing teenagers. That’s a really neat thing to have such loyal customers. It makes me feel like I’m doing something right.”

She creates unique takes on pizza, soups, salads, pasta and more. Esparza said her special birria pizza and chicken cacciatore are popular orders by patrons.

“It was actually my first time making birria,” Esparza said. “I looked at a couple books and I went online and kind of just saw what birria is about. And that’s what I kind of do when I think of specials. As a chef, I know I don’t know everything. I’ll never know everything. And that’s what’s great about being a chef.”

She said for her birria pizza that she went through recipes and decided to use a combination of dried chiles and Mexican cheeses, and garnish the pizza with cilantro and onions with lime and a consommé served on the side.

“It came out really good,” Esparza said. “I was really proud of it.”

Her chicken cacciatore is a blend of her mother’s recipe and her boyfriend’s influence.

“Growing up, my mom used to always make chicken cacciatore, but she would serve it over rice,” Esparza explained. “So my boyfriend, when I first met him, one of the things that he made me was chicken and rice that his mom taught him how to make. I was like, this is chicken cacciatore. This is what my mom used to make. I think that I’ve grown as a chef. Now, I make the chicken cacciatore, kind of how my boyfriend makes it and kind of how my mom makes it. But for the restaurant, since we are Italian, I serve it with pasta instead of rice. One thing that my boyfriend taught me was soy sauce is the key ingredient in my chicken cacciatore.”

Another special that is a popular order, Esparza said, are the chicken wings that she does every so often.

“We don’t have a fryer, so we just do oven roasted and I just change it up,” she explained. “Those are seasonal as well, like when it’s pepper season. I like to buy peppers and do like a mango habanero or plum, the traditional Buffalo, you know, make my own Buffalo sauce. Obviously, nothing from the jar.”

Esparza said barbecue is one of her favorite things to make because it is something she learned from her mentor, Chef Richard Winters, who is a co-owner of Farina. He also taught her how to deal with mechanical and plumbing issues in the kitchen.

“Richard taught me how to make roasted vegetable barbecue sauce,” she said. “You roast all these vegetables, these onions, peppers and garlic. You put them in our hot oven and roast them, and then you puree them and add them to tomato paste, molasses and brown sugar. That’s one of my favorite things to do, is making homemade barbecue sauce from roasted vegetables.”

Outside the restaurant, Esparza likes to make her caldo de pollo (chicken soup) for friends and family who come down with a cold.

“It’s something that I make for any loved one that is sick,” she explained. “I grew up with my mom making it for my siblings. I have continued the tradition. I’ve been told that it is a healing soup. I’m happy to believe that it’s a cure for all that ails you. (It) zips up a cold and gives the strength to heal.”

Esparza has become so good at her craft that she was recently named Best Chef at Edible New Mexico’s 2024 Local Hero Awards.

“I feel very honored about it,” she said. “I’m excited. It’s a new experience for me. I’ve been getting congratulated, just from even people I don’t even know, and it’s a really good feeling.”

Caldo de Pollo

8 bone-in chicken thighs

1 large head of cabbage, halved

3 bunches fresh cilantro, chopped

2 large carrots, cut into large rounds

3 chayote squash or small zucchini, large dice

2 yellow squash, large dice

1 tablespoon tomato paste

6 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup cooked white rice

Clean chicken thighs with cold water and kosher salt. Place chicken thighs in a large pot of cold water. Bring to a fast simmer. Skim for any impurities that will rise to the top of the pot.

While waiting for chicken to heat. Chop one bunch of cilantro and mix with garlic and tomato paste in a bowl.

Once the impurities have stopped appearing, add the cilantro mixture and half the head of cabbage to the pot. Simmer until the cabbage has broken down and the viscosity of the soup has thickened. Add carrots, both types of squash and second half of the cabbage.

Bring back to a fast simmer and cook until added vegetables are cooked. Add one more bunch of chopped cilantro. Serve over rice with fresh lime and freshly chopped cilantro.