As with any hardy plant growing at nearly 8,000ft elevation in the Rio Grande Valley, the stalk must be sturdy, solid and strong to support the precious bloom followed by the luscious fruit that will develop given love and tending. That’s us, here at The Love Apple, the sturdy stock that makes this restaurant not just our livelihoods and creative endeavors, but our home and family.
The (love) apple of the restaurant’s visionary and proprietress, Jennifer Hart’s eye is a really decadent, yummy breakfast, preferably involving poached eggs. And vegetables. And truffles. And berries: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries. Potato chips are banned from her cupboards due to her tendency toward them. And French fries, extra aioli please. But not those factory or fast food fries, or anything else from those establishments, that “food” is repulsive, bordering on criminal and unquestionably illness inducing, she is apt to state. Jen’s propensity for spicy red and green chiles, could be a partial reflection of her personality, or a culmination of 30 years as a Taoseña, many of which spent seamlessly managing restaurants. Nature or nurture? She adores a perfect, rich and creamy coffee, particularly when paired with a perfect little pastry. Jen is wine savvy, a quality conossioiur, and madre de daughters Sofia and Lili as well as her middle child, The Love Apple.
Jenni Ford
Chef Jenni Ford found her passion for cooking at a young age while growing up in La Porte, Indiana. Moving to Taos at the age of 17, Jenni continued her restaurant career building her skills on the line of local Taos restaurants before arriving at the love apple in 2009. Jenni assumed the role of Head Chef in 2015 and has helmed the kitchen ever since.
As Head Chef Jenni gets to do what she loves most - cooking good food for good people, and working with local farmers and ranchers to bring fresh ingredients of the highest quality to every dish served by her and her staff at The Love Apple.
Lisa Lastra found the perfect use for her degree in theoretical mathematics as the money guru for The Love Apple. Meticulous and organized, Lisa’s palate is a bit of a mathematical equation itself: proportional amounts of lots of little things on the plate, preferably vegetables with vivid, contrasting colors and several sides of sauces— not cloying and rich, rather spicy and tangy and crunchy and bright to equal a whole please. Oh, and a bowl of soup. No dessert thanks, but a side of sautéed greens. Raised on her grandmother’s Puerto Rican rice and beans in New York, Lisa moved to Taos and joined the restaurant community 20 years ago. As we know, Taos is not New York, so to satiate her taste for fast-paced personal interactions, Lisa took up serving, thriving on the short snipits of intimacy and connections with customers. Now that she’s acclimated to the pace of the Southwest, Lisa also practices Feldenkrais energy work and raises chickens.
