TRADITIONALLY, ALCHEMISTS were wizards, capable of transforming lead into gold. The trio behind Alkemē—Hue-Chan Karels, Erica Tai, and Veronica Criswell—are so inventive, they likely could pull that off. At the Santa Fe restaurant, named a 2024 Best New Restaurant semifinalist by the James Beard Foundation, the partners reimagine Vietnamese heritage cuisine while connecting it to memory, migration, and continuity.
Turmeric-marinated cod with dill, one of the restaurant’s most popular preparations, captures that philosophy. Many Vietnamese dishes known to Americans come from the tropical south. Cha cá, however, originates in Hanoi, in far northern Vietnam—Karels’s birthplace. In 1954, when Vietnam was partitioned into Communist North and democratic South, Karels’s family fled to Saigon. After the fall of Saigon, they immigrated to the U.S. to once more start life anew. “Through each upheaval, cha cá remained a constant,” the chef says. “It was our touchstone, linking past and present.”
Alkemē’s cha cá, or turmeric crispy cod with dill, and jicama-fennel-apple slaw.
Photograph by Tira Howard.
When Alkemē opened in a narrow but richly decorated space in 2023, Karels envisioned a New Mexico restaurant that showcased the flavors of her homeland beyond the familiar pho and bánh mì. She teamed up with chef Tai, a Taiwanese immigrant who spent years cooking in Hawaii, bringing additional layers of flavor and perspective to the menu.
Together, they ventured to honor cha cá, while giving it a playful update. Inspired by fish and chips, they added a light tempura batter to coat the fish, just enough crispness to protect it while letting the turmeric marinade shine, and paired it with a French-style aioli folded with fresh dill. In the accompanying bright slaw, fennel nods to the star anise found in Vietnamese cooking, while apples ground it in New Mexico.
The drinks show similar inspiration. Criswell’s cocktail menu features the Pho Shô, a bold potion of rye whiskey, lime, anise, cardamom, and cinnamon with a touch of fish sauce and zingy sriracha. The result is food and drink that evolve but keep tradition at their heart—nourishing more than appetite as their flavors dance across the palate.
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