Tag: pork

Love Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co.

Spices have been a thing in kitchens since before Alexander the Great. The American Southwest is no exception as they are known for their chili’s among other things.

Located 49 miles south of Tucson, about 20 miles shy of Nogales and the border, is a small town called Tumacacori, AZ. The town was founded by Father Kino who established Tumacácori as a mission dating back to January 1691. Since roughly 1950 a family run company located in Tumacacori has been producing spices and sauces. The sign in front of this wonderful company says Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co.

History: https://santacruzchili.com/

‘Jean England Neubauer’s family has influenced Southwestern cuisine with their Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co. seasonings for more than 75 years and no Arizona kitchen worth its salt would be without a supply of their chili powder. I don’t think you can even create the flavors of the region without them.’ says Chef Janos Wilder.


The Neubauer family’s impact extends beyond the dining room table and deep into local history. The Neubauer family tree runs deep, from her 3X great-grandfather who designed the saddles used by Union soldiers in the Civil War, to the great-aunt who studied painting with a young Diego Rivera, to the great-grandfather who, while mayor of Nogales, lobbied to have a new US battleship named for the state of Arizona

— Helene Woodhams Arizona Daily Star Sept 1, 2019

My mother said she has crossed paths with Jean Neubauer at some local social events in the past and said Jean is a really nice lady, but my mom didn’t know her well enough to set up an interview.

The day after thanksgiving on 11.28.24 our family packed the car including our chihuahua, Uno, and decided to visit Tumacacori and the Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co. Upon arrival you get whiffs of the beautiful scents from the parking lot but as you enter is when you really get hit with the wonderful aromas. The scented experience is blissful. I’ve always loved the scent of fresh ground coffee and spices. This place is next level.

I ended up buying 12 sauces (there are 2 more flavors than pictured; Picante & BBQ Chili) as work gifts and a bunch of bags of various dry rubs for my home. Unfortunately 1 bottle of green salsa broke somehow on the way to work, but the Dude of Food will be back and looks forward to his return.

Muchas gracias Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co.

Border Grill weekend brunch awesomeness.

If you like to be refreshed with a delicious fresh squeezed orange juice mimosa, then you need to get yourself over to the Border Grill in Santa Monica one of these weekends. Bartender Geronimo will keep an eye on your glass so you can concentrate on what awesome dish to order next.

Once you get your whistle wetted, it’s time to settle into an entree section with some incredible dishes to choose from. Chef Alex prepares these dishes with a full spectrum of forethought and care. The meats are naturally raised. All of the produce is organically grown on local farms.

The shrimp grits were pretty good and a great way to begin. The shrimps were big and they had a cajun taste to them that reminded me of Drew Brees and the Saints. The Yucatan eggs benedict stoked my taste buds pretty hard. The flaky crusted bisquit was light and perfect.

The next thing I had was another mimosa,  and the steak and eggs. This experience was cool.

It seemed I just couldn’t go wrong.

The beef came and reminded of that delicious skirt steak from the Brazilian steak house. It was tender and tasty with a perfectly cooked egg on it.

I was loving it.

Geronimo brought me another mimosa and chef Alex made some machaca chilaquiles for me. I was having a really good time just hanging out and enjoying really delicious food. The chilaquiles and mimosa came and my day just kept getting better. The tender chunks of beef were in a tasty sauce with guacamole, light eggs and pico de gallo. Delicious.

The next thing I tried were the Oaxacan pancakes. These were super yummy. They were light and had Mexican chocolate chips and coffee caramel syrup with whipped cream on them. Like I said, they were really good.

The staff at the Border Grill is amazing. I have tried both the downtown and Santa Monica spots and have found everyone to be really friendly and knowledgeable.  This proved true again and my crush on the Border Grill became stronger.

The next item i tried was the peanut butter & jelly with bacon, egg and jalapeno sandwich. It was not my favorite thing, but I have to say it was pretty good.  Standing on it’s own it was good, but the other dishes were just so tasty that they all couldn’t be the best.

Chef Alex came out and introduced himself and was another really nice person from the Border Grill tribe.

He was real cool, knowledgeable and hospitable. He let me in on a secret and made me the daily special ‘special’ which was a pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon with an egg. Again my taste buds danced and my good time continued.

The level of awareness is respectable. These folks have earned their places and a lot of thought and preparation goes into this operation to ensure your good experience.

A friend of mine arrived and she tried some of the things i hadn’t so I tasted the bisquit and gravy and the bread pudding french toast. The french toast is another favorite.

This brunch happens in Santa Monica from 10am-3p and if you like food or mimosas, then the Dude highly recommends you give this a try.  If you don’t like this you’re still a caveman.

Satisfaction guaranteed.