Meet our new Director of Hospitality Operations

Bienvenidos a Nuevo México, Kim!

We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Kim Vollers and her wonderful family to New Mexico and into the Los Poblanos community. If you've been on the property since May 1st, you've likely seen her as she is constantly on the move and loves meeting guests. As our new Director of Hospitality Operations, Kim oversees lodging, guest services, dining operations, events, programming, grounds maintenance and facilities on our small-but-mighty 25 acre farm. It's a huge job and with over 25 years of hospitality experience, the majority of which was spent at the Woodstock Inn & Resort in Vermont, she is an ideal fit for Los Poblanos.

A Los Poblanos hero: Aldo Leopold

We feel very fortunate to be in New Mexico right now, with vast open spaces, fresh air and big blue skies, and are thankful for the time to walk in the Bosque or in the city's acres of Open Space. One of our heroes at Los Poblanos is the great conservationist Aldo Leopold, whose many years in New Mexico left an impressive environmental legacy on our state. His work in Albuquerque lead to the creation of the Rio Grande Valley State Park, Zoo, Botanic Gardens and Rio Grande Nature Center. In fact, the Nature Center is just down the street from our farm, and is a gateway to the Aldo Leopold Forest and Trail. 

Our James Beard Best Chef Finalist

After being recognized six times as a semi-finalist for the James Beard Best Chef Southwest Award, we are so thrilled to announce that our own Chef Jonathan Perno has advanced this year as a finalist. The prestigious James Beard Awards Foundation's mission is to celebrate, nurture and honor chefs and other leaders making America's food culture more delicious, diverse and sustainable for everyone.

The James Beard Foundation grants the premiere awards for the culinary industry and has recognized Chef Jonathan amongst just five other talented chefs in our region and only 67 chefs nationally. Representing New Mexico within this distinguished and respected organization, Chef Jonathan's talents and dedication are now celebrated on a national level. We are so proud of his incredible accomplishment. With over a decade spent at Los Poblanos, Chef Jonathan's creativity and passion has truly crafted the Los Poblanos model of Rio Grande Valley Cuisine, and is a stunning example of what hard work and determination can build.

While we look forward to seeing you at Campo as soon as it reopens, we invite you to experience Chef Jonathan's artistry by ordering Campo Curbside, available Wednesday through Sunday.

A look back on an amazing year

2019 at Los Poblanos

As the property slows down after the holiday season, we’re taking time to look back on 2019. The year was filled with many exciting changes at Los Poblanos, from the addition of chickens and sheep to the farm to improving benefits for our growing number of employees. With a complex business, we are constantly challenging ourselves to innovate and be good stewards of the land. While we certainly faced hurdles and setbacks, we are thrilled to share some of our accomplishments from the year as we rolled up our sleeves to further our mission of sustainable agriculture, hospitality, historic preservation and community.

Women of the farm

From Ruth Hanna McCormick Simms to Penny Rembe, Los Poblanos has a long history of women deeply engaged in all areas of the farm. Carrying on their strong tradition, women continue to play an integral part of the story of Los Poblanos, from the bakery to the finance office to the fields. We're pleased to introduce our female farmers and landscapers who contribute to agrarian culture at the farm, from the organic produce provided to Campo to the beautifully maintained gardens. 

Springtime eats

Welcome spring with a new menu at Campo

Led by James Beard Award semi-finalist, Executive Chef Jonathan Perno, Campo's Rio Grande Valley Cuisine is rooted in organic ingredients that are celebrated with each seasonal menu change. With cuisine that marries our own farm's harvest with ingredients sourced from local farmers and herdsman, each dish exemplifies a dedication to quality which is experienced in every bite. 

Penny and Armin honored by JCC

We're pleased to announce that this year, Los Poblanos founders and owners Penny and Armin Rembe received the JCC Common Good Investing Humanitarian Award for their preservation of the historic Los Poblanos property and for cultivating a dynamic business dedicated to sustainable agriculture. 

Here they are in the lavender fields they planted almost 20 years ago.

A Letter from Matt Rembe

Dear friends, family, guests, and neighbors,

Over the course of countless generations as a family farm, we have come to learn that times of transition naturally lend themselves to quiet introspection. This season, as we prepare our fields for winter amidst the falling leaves, we find an even greater need to reflect and come together as a strong, united community.

Now is the time to remember our past – failures and triumphs alike – and to take to heart the lessons history has taught us. They are the deep roots that ground us and give the strength to weather any storm. The key to our resilience lies in an unfailing commitment to our core values of authenticity, preservation, and integrity.

As a family and a business, there is nothing more important than leaving a meaningful legacy for future generations so that they may continue to use and enjoy the land. Here on the farm, we have a saying: “rooted in history, planting seeds for the future.” To us, these words embody not only the spirit of Los Poblanos but also of our community as a whole. We believe in being devoted stewards of the land, practicing sustainable farming, and positively impacting the lives of those around us.

Our mission is as relevant today as ever. We are committed to serving, sustaining, and supporting our diverse, beautiful community.

Sincerely,
Matthew Rembe
Executive Director

Spotlight: Penny Rembe

Penny and Armin Rembe, founders of Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm.

As a company as well as a community we firmly believe that the most important element at Los Poblanos – the thing that makes this business what it is – are the people who work to maintain the history and essence of this historic property. And at the core of that, the heart and soul of this place, is Penny Rembe.  Penny is the co-founder and matriarch of Los Poblanos as we know it today. Without her drive, determination, generosity, and expertise in business none of us would be here, able to do what we love every day. In relation to Los Poblanos, Penny’s story is probably one of the most important, so it seems only appropriate that she be the focus of our first spotlight piece.

Los Poblanos Love Stories: Isabel & Simon

For Isabel and Simon, it all started with pizza. Now, pizza almost always leads to wonderful things, but for this lovely couple it was the catalyst for an amazing life full of love, partnership, good eating, and endless adventures. The story goes that Isabel found Simon on OkCupid and after much perusal of his profile, she sent a message off into the void, hopeful and intrigued. He didn’t reply. She could only assume that he wasn’t interested, as anyone might in such circumstances, but something – she’s still not quite sure what – made her send another message a few days later. This time, he answered quickly and so they began trading messages in earnest. She was abroad in Brazil at the time, so they were able to get to know each other through stories and photos before meeting in person. She says that early into their correspondence, she sent Simon a photo of her favorite pizza in Sao Paulo and that, as they say, “sealed the deal.” He knew instantly that he had found a woman who loved to think about food as much as he did, a trait that he sees as somewhat of rare treasure. And so the scene was set for their epic love story.