John LeTard

Thirty years. A lot of dinners.

John LeTard has cooked just about everything, for just about every size crowd. He started out in seafood shacks, on turkey farms, and in Italian restaurants and pizzerias before moving into the banquet operations at Hyatt Regency Tamaya and Four Hills Country Club, and more recently to events at Campo at Los Poblanos. Thirty years in professional kitchens means a lot of weddings, celebrations, holiday dinners, and meals that had to be ready at exactly the right moment.

Banquet cooking teaches you to plan carefully, work efficiently, and stay calm when the guest count gets large. But John has always liked the details just as much as the logistics: a good sauce, a properly cooked piece of meat, fresh pasta, or a dish that surprises someone without being fussy about it. His cooking draws on classic technique, the flavors of New Mexico, and whatever sounds especially good that week.

His work has earned medals in American Culinary Federation (ACF) competitions. He was also the SkillsUSA state champion in baking and placed fourth at the national competition. Along the way, he has trained more than 40 culinary interns. He's also taught high-school math, studied everything from economics to computer science, and earned his culinary degree at TVI (now CNM). It's an unusual résumé for a chef, but the combination of teaching, problem-solving, and cooking has served him well. He enjoys explaining why a recipe works almost as much as making it.