On The Backburner Podcast

On this episode, Dom and Tristin talk with Hollow Spirits’ head distiller, Mick Falter-Hahn. Join this rollicking tour of his experiences around New Mexico and in Albuquerque’s service industry. Thanks to his tenacity, he achieved his dream of becoming a premier beer brewer in his hometown. After achieving his goal of creating beautiful, delicious, and award-winning beers, Mick turned his attention to the distillation of spirits, where he has now also won Best Of awards for his various recipes.

Mick Falter-Hahn was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico and has work in nearly every aspect of the service industry in the past 16 years, most notably producing alcohol for some of the state’s favorite breweries and distilleries. After achieving a degree in Chemical Engineering from New Mexico Tech, their journey into the fantastic world of fermentation began at Marble Brewing in 2012, before having the opportunity to run Turtle Mountain’s brewing operation, where they won a gold medal for their house lager, “Wooden Teeth,” at the 2018 Great American Beer Festival. Mick is currently the head distiller at Hollow Spirits. When not busy building Burque’s best beverages, Mick is either golfing or relaxing at home with his wonderful wife, Alex.

Life can throw you a curveball or ten, even when you’ve figured out your passion as a young person. Without understanding how to navigate some of these most challenging obstacles, it can all feel like it’s wrong.

In this episode, Stephen Ormsby discusses some of his darkest times, even amidst professional success. His vulnerability and willingness to look these challenges in the eye are what has created for him an even greater opportunity to succeed and help others to do so as well.

Stephen Ormsby is an industry lifer, holding virtually every position in both front and back of house, who has branched out on his own and tried his hand at multiple concepts. His career began in Taos, NM, where he credits his early mentor and high school instructor, the late Benji Apodaca, for creating the foundation for his culinary career. After high school, Ormsby relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona to attend the Scottsdale Culinary Institute. While living and working in Scottsdale, he began to develop an interest and passion for the theater and workings of the dining room and shifted his focus to becoming a front of house trainer and eventual manager for Fox Restaurant Concepts. In 2010, he was visiting family in Albuquerque and upon his return to Arizona decided he was ready for a change and moved back to New Mexico. He has since taken on dual roles in kitchens and dining rooms in many of the city’s top restaurants. His love for both sides led him to begin a private chef and catering concept where he could combine the best parts of the kitchen and dining room into one role. Personal matters eventually caused him to have to shut the business down, which has since led him on his greatest venture yet: a journey of self-discovery.

If you feel like you need to talk to someone about the struggles you’re currently experiencing, please call 1-855-4NM-7100 (466-7100).

Brittany and Courtney join the guys to discuss their experiences as front of house staff. What servers go through, some tips on etiquette, and what it takes to be a good waiter are topics discussed while also showcasing how their fetching personalities bring the effervescence that their place of work values the most.

Brittany Sterling was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has been working in the service industry for 6 years. She’s currently waiting tables and tending bar at Hollow Spirits. One of her favorite aspects of the job is thinking outside the box, and even though she’s naturally more introverted, she finds herself able to come into her element with her coworkers and the customers she makes connections with.

Courtney is a pint sized firecracker. She was born in Long Beach, CA but was happily raised in the heart of Albuquerque, NM. She loves dogs, cocktails, and long walks on the beach. She's been in the industry for 12 years and currently slanging drinks at Hollow Spirits and Monte Vista. Come visit her for a fun time!

Eric Banda is an award-winning bartender in Albuquerque, NM who has learned from the best to create not only signature cocktails, but the tastiest version of your bartime classic, whatever it is, and how to have fun in a high-volume, high-energy environment at the Dirty Bourbon Dance Hall. Listen in to find out how he came up through the ranks of the kitchen’s best friend, the bar. He’s now been in the bar and restaurant scene for over 10 years, and hopes his high-energy vibe continues to encourage the local brewery/distillery/bar and night club scene to thrive, even through hard times.

Fresh off his win in Las Cruces in November (when we recorded it), this episode drops just as he’s getting ready to join On The Backburner Podcast’s co-host, Chef Dominic Valenzuela, at the 505 Food and Bar Fights on Feb. 28th, 2022. We won’t know how that contest ends when this episode drops, but that only means we’ll be brining back good friend of the podcast, Eric Banda, for another ep. in the near future. Follow our socials @backburnerpc to find out all the details on how to see Eric and Dominic in action.

Happy Valentine's Day! This week we sat down with Chef and wife team, Kayla and Misty Vallejos, as they talked about the ups and downs of quitting their jobs to open an Italian/New Mexican fusion food truck and now their brand new brick and mortar, @tasteoflove_505, located inside Albuquerque's 505 Central Food Hall @505central.

Kayla Vallejos is New Jersey born and raised. She  moved to California for almost a year and then found her new home here in Albuquerque. Cooking is a passion and an art that she strives for. "To me it is very therapeutic and beautiful to combine cultures of food and to elevate the basics." Check out the Taste Of Love social media channels to see the new things they are creating:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tasteoflovefoodtruck

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tasteoflove_505/

In this episode, we delve into the details of expanding a project, and what it takes, from making the boards for a charcuterie experience that begs to be replicated, to deciding to open Sundays to create an unforgettable brunch experience. How far are you willing to go to make your vision come true?

Chef Josh Kennon is a Deming, NM native and local restaurateur. Kennon trained at Le Cordon Bleu and honed his expertise in restaurant kitchens and private chef gigs in Los Angeles, Nashville and Phoenix.

He joined the open market in Albuquerque in January of 2015 when he opened Fork & Fig. While Kennon is a chef by trade, he also enjoys working construction; he even finished the eatery’s interior himself, including the rustic tables located in his restaurant. Fork and Fig specializes in fresh food with no freezer and no fryer!

Join us as we chat with Josh Kennon about his now and future projects, his upbringing in southern New Mexico, and some insights into the way he organizes his kitchen for success.

Want to talk about grit and determination? Check out this episode, where Raul Maestas recounts his journey from Hawai'i to the 505. 

Raul started when he was 19 years old, after he got out of the Army, in a Hawaiian Japanese restaurant in Las Vegas, NV. He worked there for 7 years. Then he moved back to NM and started at Hyatt Tamaya, working in Fine Dining at the Corn Maiden restaurant for 7 years. He then moved on to Sakura Sushi and Grill for 3 years. Soon after, he worked at Bien Shur located inside the Sandia Casino for 1 year, then Santa Ana Casino for another year. He then had all the tools he needed to open his own food truck, which is still open after 8 years, Street Food Blvd. During that time he also opened a sushi Hawaiian restaurant called Ohana Hut, which has been open for over 5 years, and just won best Take Out in the city.

What would you do to break back into a field that you love?

Hollow Spirits’ brand manager is on the podcast! His name is Kicker Gonzales and he’s lived in New Mexico his whole life. He loves Albuquerque and its industry people. He’s been in the service industry for more than 10 years, and says it’s been awesome growing with the city and industry people. He’s held many positions through the years, but bartending is his favorite. He loves cocktails, serving people, and his current job at Hollow Spirits.

Happy New Year!

It comes as no surprise that the end of the year’s city-wide best of polls netted wins for several of last year’s OTBB guests and hosts. Our last episode of the season covers some of the best bits of those interviews, as well as sneak peeks to upcoming Season 2 episodes with two more Best Of winners. 

Congratulations to Dominic Valenzuela of Tako Ten, Kate Gerwin of Happy Accidents, Mike White of Highpoint Grill, Marie Yniguez of Slowroasted Bocadillos, Frank Holloway and the rest of the crew at Hollow Spirits, John Katrinak of Soo Bak Seoul Bowl, Mikey Vince of Burnt Fideo, Raul Maestas of Ohana Hut, and Eric Banda of Dirty Bourbon. Thank you to all of our guests, many of whom are and have been winners and will be in the future, and those of you who've embarked on this journey with us. To a happy and fruitful new year, new guests, and our audience. Cheers!

Tune in and find out what it takes to be Best Of in this city and in the industry.