Santa Fe Salad — The Fire Is the Story; This One Needs No Heat at All

The interview. The Phoenix New Times food blogger — her name is Rachel — spent four hours at Rivera's on Wednesday. She photographed the kitchen, the community table, the glass partition, the smoker, Roberto's photograph above the register. She interviewed me for two hours. She asked about the fire department, about Roberto, about the cinder block grill, about competition BBQ, about the perfect 100-point brisket, about The Manual, about Tomás, about Sofia's corn station, about Diego's stick collection on the counter. She asked about everything because the story of Rivera's is not one story — it is a hundred stories braided together by smoke and family and the stubborn belief that food is how you love people.

The question that stopped me: "What will you do if it fails?" I had not considered this question. Not because I am arrogant but because the fire does not consider failure — the fire burns and if you tend it properly it does not go out. But Rachel asked it and I thought about it and I said, "If Rivera's fails, I will still have the altar in the backyard and the cinder block grill in Maryvale and a family that eats together every Sunday. The restaurant is the dream. The cooking is the life. The life does not fail." Rachel wrote this down. She looked at me and said, "That's your headline." I hope she is right.

Roberto came to the restaurant during the interview. Rachel asked if she could photograph him at the counter. Roberto — the man who does not pose, does not perform, does not do things for cameras — sat at the counter and put on the RIVERA'S COUNTER MANAGER apron and looked at the camera with the quiet dignity of a sixty-five-year-old man who built a cinder block grill in 1982 and whose son built a restaurant around the fire that grill started. The photograph, Rachel told me later, is the best one she took all day. The man does not try. The man just is.

Four weeks. The article will run March 1st — the same day as soft opening night one. Jessica's timing. Jessica's strategy. Jessica's design. The woman plays chess while the rest of us play checkers, and she has been playing since before we signed the lease.

Opening day supplies have been ordered. Thirty briskets for the first week. Forty racks of ribs. Two hundred pounds of pork shoulder. Fifty chickens. The walk-in will be full. The smoker will run twenty hours a day. The fire will not sleep and neither will I.

Rachel asked me what I would do if it failed, and I told her the cooking is the life — but this week, the cooking is also thirty briskets and forty racks of ribs and a smoker that will not sleep between now and March 1st. When the fire does not stop, you need something on the table that requires none of it — no heat, no smoke, no tending. This Santa Fe Salad is what I make for the family on the nights the restaurant demands everything else. It is the Southwest on a plate without asking anything of the flame, and right now, the flame has enough to answer for.

Santa Fe Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can corn kernels, drained (or 1 1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen corn)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)
• Juice of 2 limes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped (optional base)

Instructions

1. Combine the base. In a large bowl, add the drained black beans, corn, cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, and red onion. Toss gently to combine.
2. Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until fully emulsified.
3. Dress the salad. Pour the dressing over the vegetable mixture and toss well to coat everything evenly.
4. Add the avocado and herbs. Fold in the diced avocado, chopped cilantro, and jalapeño if using. Handle gently so the avocado holds its shape.
5. Serve. Serve immediately over chopped romaine if desired, or on its own as a hearty standalone salad. This also keeps well (without the avocado) in the refrigerator for up to two days — add the avocado fresh before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 210 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 27g | Fiber: 8g | Sodium: 280mg