Co-owner Laura Crucet celebrates 5th anniversary of Pig + Fig Tuesday. Photo by Bonnie Gordon/ladailypost.com
By BONNIE J. GORDON
Los Alamos Daily Post
bjgordon@ladailypost.com
Pig + Fig marked its 5th year in business Tuesday, Jan 19 in White Rock.
Chef Laura Crucet and her father, Fernando Crucet took over the location of the former Rosebud Café on Rover Boulevard in 2015. Two years later, the tiny restaurant was bursting at the seams.
“We started out with just 21 seats and five employees, serving just breakfast and lunch,” Laura remembered. “We didn’t even have a kitchen.”
Three years ago, on Mother’s Day Pig + Fig moved a few blocks away to 11 Sherwood Blvd. Now the restaurant has 160 seats, serves three meals a day and employs 20 core full-time staff. Sous chef Jessica Martinez and server Phyllis Smith have been with Laura since the beginning.
How did a graduate of the world-famous Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, co-author of several cookbooks, an acclaimed cooking instructor with a notable career as a chef at a number of five-star restaurants end up running a café in White Rock?
“I swore I’d never open a restaurant,” Laura said. “You’d have to be crazy to do that to yourself. Well, I guess I’m that kind of crazy. I’ve been working in restaurants since I was 16 and I had no romantic notions about running a restaurant. When the opportunity came up, I thought, if I just keep it small, how hard could it be?”
Now that Pig + Fig is a bustling restaurant and catering business, it might be a bit harder, but Laura and her staff thrive on it.
“I have a team of rock stars,” she said. “With my team, I never feel alone. For all of us, it’s not just a job, it’s a calling.”
Another secret to Pig+Fig’s success is the eclectic menu, which combines comfort food with gourmet fare, all of it lovingly prepared, whether the staff is serving a fancy wine dinner or a lunch-time burger. They also have an amazing wine list.
“Our relationship with our customers is like any relationship,” Laura said. “It’s easy to take each other for granted. We want to keep putting spice into the mix. I cook just like I was competing with 20 restaurants on the same block in Houston. I don’t cook for myself. I want to serve what people want.”
The determination and creativity of Laura and her staff has served them well during the pandemic.
“When the pandemic started, I told everyone we’d have to make drastic changes,” Laura said. “The staff has embraced all the crazy ideas I’ve had.”
Pig + Fig started doing box lunches and family dinners delivered to your door. Laura purchased a van, dubbed the pig mobile to facilitate deliveries. The website was revamped to include online ordering and a snazzier look.
“We haven’t had to lay anyone off,” Laura said.
White Rock loves Pig + Fig and the restaurant staff loves it right back.
“The loyalty White Rock has shown us is humbling,” Laura said. “White Rock has kept us going.”
Laura and her staff are anxious to get back to being open for inside dining. The bar has been moved to the main dining room so when inside dining returns, friends will have a place to meet up for a drink, Laura said.
“None of us will ever take a simple lunch date for granted again,” she said. “I’m optimistic that by summer we can all meet up again inside the restaurant.”
Pig + Fig
11 Sherwood Blvd.
White Rock, NM 87547
505.672.2742
www.pigandfigcafe.com
Current Hours:
Open Monday to Saturday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Closed Sundays
Carry-out or patio dining
