Everywhere you find Chef Kathleen Crook, big laughter and good food follows.

Chef Crook has always found joy in food and felt a deep respect for where it comes from. In her hometown of Artesia, NM, nightly supper is akin to worship, with folks in the small-town community eating only what comes from the land. Growing up in Artesia, farm to table was more than a fancy marketing term, it was a way of life. When she wasn’t in school, she was working her Daddy’s farm and her Mama’s steers, or working alongside her Granny Jackie, who ran a local catering business known every bit as much for fun as food.

After high school, she was awarded a College Rodeo Scholarship. She traveled the circuit for three years, ultimately winning the prestigious World Champion Breakaway Roper. But in 1997, she felt a tug back to the land and back to food. She hung up her spurs for good and reached for a chef’s knife.

She whizzed her way through the curriculum at Scottsdale Culinary Institute Le Cordon Bleu and burst onto the Dallas food scene in 2003. She honed her artistry under culinary masters like Tom Fleming of Central 214, Mickie Crockett of Front Burner Restaurants, Gilbert Garza of Suze, and Marc Cassel of 20 Feet Seafood Joint.

In 2010, Crook was drawn back to the west, and moved Aspen, CO to open Steakhouse 316. While in Aspen, she received national recognition as one of the Best Chef’s in America and was featured on Season 2 of Cooking Channel’s “Chuck’s Eat the Street.”

In 2018, Chef Crook returned to her native state of New Mexico as owner and executive chef of Market Steer Steakhouse. Here she will share her knowledge of beef, respect for fresh foods, and her own particular brand of joie de vivre with the Santa Fe foodie community.