Jane Butel cooks up a class at The Epicurean Palette
by Jim Crawford

What better way to learn about Southwestern cuisine and cooking than from a leading purveyor of the craft?

Jane Butel is considered a seasoned hand at Southwestern cuisine and will conduct a class on the art of cooking Southwest style at The Epicurean Palette. 

“The Epicurean Palette was recommended to me by a longtime friend,” Butel says. “She said it’s a beautiful store and wondered if I’d be interested in promoting it. I’ll be demonstrating traditional Southwestern holiday dishes and showing how to simplify the recipes.”

Butel has spent her entire professional life studying and extolling the benefits of Southwestern and Mexican cuisine and all things spicy.

“I’m a third generation home economist,” she says. “My family is heavily into food. I teach the value of nutrition and the health benefits of particular foods. I try to make students understand the ‘why of cooking.’ The average cook doesn’t understand the role of ingredients in most recipes. Everything has a progression.”

Often credited with starting the Tex‑Mex mania,  Butel published her first cookbook on New Mexican and American Mexican food in the 1960s. Eighteen cookbooks later, her recent effort, “Real Women Eat Chiles,” celebrates the healthy aspects of chiles.

“I really wanted to share my information about chilies,” Butel says. “Women are often very timid when it comes to eating chilies. They are very healthy. The red ones are full of Vitamin A and the green ones are loaded with Vitamin C. They’re good for the heart. They tend to keep the veins and arteries free of plaque. They’re good for the entire system. There are just so many reasons to eat them. I personally love them all.”

Jane Butel’s class will take place at 6 p.m. on Nov. 30 at  The Epicurean Palette, located at 6137 Cave Creek Road in Cave Creek. For more information, call (480) 488‑4955.