BIOS
Meet The Team & The Talent
Learn more about Out West Santa Fe and the artists who were thoughtfully selected to help curate an unforgettable and authentic Santa Fe experience.
Your Host
For The Weekend
Sandra
As a creative entrepreneur who loves bringing people together, my background began in finance, mortgages and real estate as a Commercial Banker. However, I realized I could combine my true passions with my professional expertise and found my true calling to collaborate in the foodie, art & music scene. It was a perfect fit and have never looked back! Founder & creator of Liquid Cafe & Liquid Outpost and as VP on the Fort Myers Main Street board of directors, I have been involved in executing a multitude of both small and large-scale events from the Southwest coast of Florida within two historic art districts to the Southwest high desert from Taos, NM to Santa Fe, NM. I most recently had the pleasure to work as Event Manager for The Club at Las Campanas, a premier Platinum Club of America, which allowed me to engage with private member requests while curating a calendar filled with intimate unique events designed to inspire adventure.
Over the years, I have learned that self care, taking time to unplug and doing what you love most will allow room for more dreams to unfold. All things coffee & lemon, I am horse crazy and love my little family. Forever grateful I get to experience life with my love, Mark and my sweet 16 year old pup, Koto. These two warriors inspire me daily, walk the walk and show me what it takes to keep moving forward!
The Spirits
Los Poblanos Botanical Spirits |
As Above So Below
The spirits ~
Los Poblanos Organic Lavender Farm; The Generous Life. Bottled.
Savor the taste of Los Poblanos through our botanical new western-style gins distilled in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley.
As Above So Below brings its seductively crafted cocktails and spirits to the Santa Fe Railyard — and beyond. The distillery is fully craft and the brainchild of Caley Shoemaker, master distiller, who has skillfully created highly drinkable gins, vodkas, and whiskeys that showcase the essence of Northern New Mexico, using indigenous botanicals and herbs.
Omar Villanueva
Musician | Vocalist
Omar Villanueva holds a Master's degree in Classical Guitar Performance from the University of New Mexico. He is a multifaceted guitarist who performs classical, Spanish and popular music from Latin-America. He has performed for audiences in different cities of the United States. His repertoire ranges from the renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic to pop and Latin music arrangements for solo guitar.
Villanueva is also an accomplished and awarded singer of music from Latin-America. Because his unique tone and elegant performance of classical guitar pieces, he has been one of the leading wedding ceremonies performers in New Mexico.
He has won awards in two music competitions in the United States, including 1st place in the 2004 Joyce Walker Competition, organized by the Professional Music Teachers of New Mexico, and 1st place in the UNM Concerto Competition of 2005. He also won 2nd place in the first Chamber Music Competition of the Mexico State Conservatory in 2003. His technique, passion and precision can be enjoyed on his performances.
Garrett Peck
Author | Historian | Stargazer
Garrett Peck is an author, historian, avid stargazer and tour guide in Santa Fe, specializing in adventure travel and historic and cultural interpretation. He leads the Willa Cather’s Santa Fe tour, among others.
The author of eight books about American history, Garrett’s latest is A Decade of Disruption: America in the New Millennium. He is currently working on a book about how Willa Cather wrote her “best book” (her words), Death Comes for the Archbishop.
Garrett has lectured for the Library of Congress, the National Archives, Smithsonian Associates, historical societies, and literary clubs. A native Californian, he graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and George Washington University and is a U.S. Army veteran.
Stavo Mustang Craft
Fabric Shamanist | Writer Musician | Videomaker | Human Potential Advocate
Stavo Mustang Craft is a multi-disciplinary artist and award-winning author who explores the activation of personal creativity as a main topic of inquiry. As an avid writer of both story and song, he published his first pulp fiction novella, "Auto Antenna: An Enchanted Guide to Santa Fe & Vague Blueprint to the Cosmos" in the Summer of 2023, which won the 2024 National Indie Excellence Award for Visionary Fiction. Craft is also the Captain of the DIY Art Pop project, Galactic Witchcraft, whose "Fabric Statements" record was the runner-up for Best Pop Album of the Year at the 2018 New Mexico Music Awards. His song, "The Game Show" (2021) was transformed into a collaborative video installation project with art-world darlings Meow Wolf in 2022, now appearing in Meow Wolf's Convergence Station in Denver.
Through the years, Craft has performed his concept-driven music at historic venues like Angel Orensanz Center, the Tenement Museum of New York, Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Merce Cunningham Studio, and CBGB's Gallery. And having never recorded in a professional studio, his recordings on Future Room Records have served as soundtracks for modern dance and performance events on 5 continents. But Stavo Craft is also especially known for his upcycled fashions, artworks made only for himself— but enjoyed by most everyone.
Ernesto Guzman
Chef | Entrepreneur
Chef Ernesto Guzmán featured on Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri at Casa Chimayo in Santa Fe NM. He was one of Santa Fe's up and coming chefs until he was called out to sea and became a Yacht Chef in the Dutch Island of St Maarten and St Barth, living the life of a Yachti traveling around beautiful islands. He is currently working on his own restaurant concept and plans to build a compound on his land in Colorado.
We are excited to have him return as our guest back to Santa Fe NM. Chef Ernesto Guzmán will feature his exquisite & unique fusion style cuisine for us at our Chef Dinner on September 27th.
Audrey Whitesides
Jewelry Artist | Soap maker at Goatopia
From her work table deep in the wilds of Santa Fe County, Adornica Atelier combines bits and bobs to transform them into treasures of adornment.
She lives with her beloved goats, Crystal & Bonnie on Goatopia where she also makes wonderful small batch goat soaps.
Deja Mendez
Actor | Performance Artist
Deja embodies the spirit of a true performance artist and works with New Mexico Dance Academy, Meow Wolf and New Mexico United with her extraordinary performances.
She has crafted one-of-a-kind masks from upcycled New Mexico United flags with 100% of proceeds will go to the Somos Unidos Foundation. Each mask is unique and will be a total surprise!
David Geist
Artist | Educator | Concert Pianist
Celebrated concert pianist, cabaret performer, conductor, educator David Geist has enjoyed an illustrious career working in the Broadway orchestras of such shows as CATS, LES MISERABLES, THE LION KING, WICKED, THE PRODUCERS, FOSSE and many others. After moving to Santa Fe David created the highly acclaimed Geist Cabaret at Pranzo and most recently The Cabaret Upstairs at Osteria.
His concerts are stories and songs commemorating his career on Broadway, and have been hailed “as a confluence between genres and generations” (Santa Fe New Mexican). His artistry is informed by his deep musical knowledge and passion for preserving the arts.
Xaviera Aragon
Entrepreneur | Makeup Artist Extraordinaire
Meet Xaviera Aragon, the creative force behind Faces on Fleek, a premier makeup artistry business that brings beauty and artistry to life in Northern New Mexico. As a double-certified professional makeup artist, Xaviera has cultivated her passion for makeup into a thriving career, marked by years of experience in professional application.
Xaviera's talent has been showcased at some of the most significant events across New Mexico and Colorado, including the prestigious Santa Fe International Film Festival, the acclaimed Netflix show *Big Sky*, the high-energy Muscle Mania Fitness Show, and the lively New Mexico and Colorado State Fairs, as well as the enchanting International Balloon Fiesta. Her work transcends mere makeup application; it’s about crafting transformative looks that resonate with the unique spirit of each client.
Xaviera believes that every occasion—big or small—deserves to be celebrated with creativity and flair. Armed with the latest eye-popping colors and innovative designs, she is dedicated to providing the best face painting and makeup application services in the region. Whether it’s a glamorous event, a whimsical festival, or a special personal celebration, Xaviera is committed to making every client feel beautiful and confident.
Diane Horton
Intuitive Reader
I have been reading the Tarot for more than 27 years. I love reading for people. The Tarot can offer guidance, clarity, confirmation, and help in identifying and overcoming challenges on your sacred path. And for myself, it has opened up psychic gifts I had not developed before. I have many repeat clients which I have gathered through the years, so that tells me my accuracy is pretty good. Of course, no one is 100% accurate all the time, but the more open I am to my intuitive voice, the better. I also teach the Tarot.
My coursework has an arc toward the feminist, the Goddess follower, those who view life spiritually as well as on a mundane level. It is my view that these are inherent in the Tarot. The Tarot is a tool of divination but more importantly a tool of personal empowerment, insight, and guidance. And in alignment with that, my interpretation is that the card The Magician is the focal point of the whole tool as it is THE card of self-empowerment.
