Chef Jeff Smedstad's "Elote Café Notebook" Available in July

James Beard Awards-Semifinalist Publishes New Cookbook

Elote Cafe's Chef/Owner, Jeff Smedstad's new "Elote Café Notebook" to feature favorite recipes inspired by his decades of travel across Mexico and the American Southwest

(PRESS RELEASE) Nationally-recognized Arizona chef and restaurateur, Jeff Smedstad of the Elote Cafe in Sedona is proud to announce the release of his latest cookbook, titled "Elote Cafe Notebook," in early July. Available at bookstores and online retailers, the 280-page, 200-recipe Elote Cafe Notebook ($35) is a follow-up to Smedstad's top-selling "Elote Cafe Cookbook," (now in its 7th printing) and features the same straightforward yet innovative recipes that have made Elote Cafe one of Arizona's most popular dining destinations.

Think smoked pork cheeks with cascabel chile sauce, cumin-buttermilk drizzle and corncakes inspired by Smedstad's grandmother. Or a spicy bean dip crafted with heirloom Native American Anasazi beans that were lost for millennia until they were accidently rediscovered inside a sealed clay pot in the 1950s. Meanwhile, cocktail & spirits lovers will savor the dozens of refined tequila- and mezcal-based recipes, including adding fresh raw beet juice to any margarita for an earthy, sweet kick, or the secrets to a true sangrita chaser (think outside the tomato), or why you should never serve a citrus chaser with añejo spirits, unless it's orange slices sprinkled with chile-infused salt.

Roasted beet salad with watercress, crispy goat cheese, roasted chiles and agave vinaigrette

An Arizona native, Smedstad blends the spicy, flavorful cuisine of southern and deep interior Mexico, with the seasonal and sun-drenched cuisine of the American Southwest. After learning to cook aboard a US Coast Guard cutter, Smedstad attended the Seasons of My Heart cooking school in Oaxaca and has spent the past two-plus decades traveling the back roads of Mexico, New Mexico and Arizona, shopping the local markets, eating in restaurants across the region and sharing time with local families to help broaden his knowledge and gain inspiration and insight. At Elote Café and inside the beautifully illustrated and colorfully photographed pages of the Elote Cafe Notebook, Smedstad proudly incorporates sustainable, local, healthy and organic products to showcase his passion for food as well as responsible cooking.

Highlighted recipes: From a spicy bean dip featuring Native American beans that were rediscovered in the 1950s after being extinct for some 1,500 years, to a simple yet bold cocktail inspired by "The Big Lebowski," here is a sample of the recipes available in the cookbook.

• The Mexican Lebowski cocktail (page 260)
  • A classic White Russian spiked with two types of tequila
  • "This is my ode to the Dude... Of course you know it tastes better when you're wearing a bathrobe," Smedstad says.
• Fundido de Frijoles (Anasazi Bean Dip) (page 58)
  • Reinvented version of the traditional spicy bean dip made with heirloom Native American beans.
  • "Back in the 1950s a scientist discovered beans sealed inside a clay pot amidst some ancient Anasazi ruins, and despite being carbon-dated to some 1,500 years ago, miraculously, they sprouted. So now all modern versions of the Anasazi bean come from that original pot-it's like tasting history," Smedstad says.
• Smoked Pork Cheeks with Cascabel Sauce, Buttermilk Drizzle and Corncakes (page 184)
  • Southwest meets Mexico with just a hint of Grandma's corncakes
  • "Certain foods evoke emotion and transport you, and corncake would be that food for me. When I eat these I am a small boy again at Grandma Perkins's table. I recently started serving these with smoked pork cheeks at the restaurant, something Grandma, who is long gone, would have never seen coming," Smedstad says.

Founded in 2009, Elote Cafe's authentic yet modern Mexican & Southwestern cuisine is culled from Smeadstad's 20-plus years of travel across Oaxaca, Veracruz, Puebla and the American Southwest. Overlooking the scenic Red Rocks of Sedona, Elote Cafe proudly features seasonal, locally grown ingredients, plus a handpicked cocktail menu highlighted by the finest tequilas and mezcal. Prior to relocating to Sedona, Smedstad previously co-founded Los Sombreros Mexican Restaurant in Scottsdale, AZ.

Named one of the AZ's Best Restaurants in 2016 by Phoenix Magazine and Sedona's 9 Best by the Arizona Republic, Elote Cafe has also drawn rave reviews from national media including MSN.com (America's 50 Best Mexican Restaurants), Fodor's Starred Review, and the Gayot/Fox News (Top 10 Mexican restaurants in the US). Chef Smedstad has also been personally profiled in the Chicago Tribune (Chef gets a very fresh start, menu in Sedona) and the NY Times (Fruits of the Desert Sun), The Boston Globe, the Toronto Star and Sunset Magazine among others.

The "Elote Café Notebook" will be available in early July!

Elote Café
771 State Route 179
Sedona, AZ 86336
928-203-0105
www.elotecafe.com
Facebook: @elotecafesedona
Instagram: @jeffsmedstad