New Mexico
The Block gets ready to open in Rio Rancho
What seemed like a never-ending construction project, hitting every imaginable road block, is now near the end as The Block is ready to open.
RIO RANCHO, N.M. — It turned into what seemed like a never-ending construction project, hitting every imaginable road block.
But The Block is finally ready to open and become a new neighborhood hangout spot.
Five years ago, the idea for The Block was born. Then, COVID quickly squashed any dreams of breaking ground until 2022.
Even then, the project felt cursed in a way, if you ask Tiffany Gravelle. She’s the chief operating officer of The Block.
“We had some material delays due to COVID. Then we had some construction delays with our construction team. We had a few build out and change of plans that led to delays,” she said.
The opening date moved back several times from July to August.
Now, there’s an official grand opening planned. Gravelle says the day is fitting for all the bad luck they had finishing the project.
“So to now be able to say September 13 is our date, Friday the 13th, no less, we can’t wait for the public to be able to see what we’ve been working on for years at this point,” she said.
Inside The Block there are spaces for local food vendors and retail shopping. When they put the finishing touches on it, the top of the block will be the bar area.
“The Block was built to be event-heavy and a real community space. So we plan on having activities here pretty much every day of the week, ranging in everything from yoga to live music to outdoor movies, so that when you come it’s not just to shop and to eat, but to also hang out and enjoy the space,” Gravelle said.
After years of delays, Gravelle adds it’s even more satisfying to see this through to the end.
“COVID gave everyone a time to take a step back and look what was really important and valuable. And we knew that this spot in Enchanted Hills was the place to be,” she said.
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For Celina’s Biscochitos that means making double if not three times more biscochitos to make sure locals and people nationwide have a sweet taste of New Mexico tradition.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – If you’re from New Mexico, there’s a popular sweet treat that will be on the dessert table this holiday season, biscochitos.
While you can buy them year-round, the holidays are especially busy for bakeries who specialize in making them.
For Celina’s Biscochitos that means making double if not three times more biscochitos to make sure locals and people nationwide have a sweet taste of New Mexico tradition.
“We probably do on average about anywhere from about, this year, probably about maybe 400 to 600 dozen a day,” said Celina Grife, co-owner of Celina’s Biscochitos.
It’s no easy job making biscochitos.
For the past 14 years, Celina’s Biscochitos has been making her grandma’s recipe. This year, just like the rest, there is a high demand for our state’s official cookie, especially during the holidays.
“We’re just trying to keep up with the demand. So everyday by the end of the day, we’re just trying to scramble to make sure that we have enough cookies on the shelf for our customers, so that way they can pick them up at the end of the day,” said Grife.
They’re making anywhere from 4,000 to over 7,000 cookies a day. That’s two to three times more than what they usually make outside of the holiday season.
Over the years, Grife has added more than just their traditional cookie.
“Our very first flavor was the red chile biscochito. And then one thing lead to another, we just started playing with it,” Grife said.
Now they offer red and green chile, lemon, blue corn pinion and chocolate chip. This isn’t just the unique, different flavors they offer, it’s the tradition they carry on.
“We are one of the few commercial companies that are still making them the traditional way. So we still use lard, and by lard, I mean the old-fashioned blue and white container that everybody uses at home,” said Grife. “We still use brandy in our product as well. We still use the old fashion anise.”
One thing Grife has learned over the years is that for some people, a biscochito is much more than just a cookie.
“This is very personal to people, and I had no idea how personal it was to people. I could be working at an event, and I’ll have people say, ‘No, I can’t have yours because my mom or my aunt or my uncle.’ Whatever! Somebody makes them in the family,” said Grife. “Or we get somebody who doesn’t have that family member with them anymore, and they try ours, and they’re kind of like, ‘This brings back so many memories.’”
Grife says their goal is to keep that traditional biscochito flavor and texture, in every cookie they make.
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