Tastes Good with Beth Caldarello

Ten food questions with a managing partner realtor

Dec 18, 2025

Anyone who meets Beth Caldarello instantly wants to be her friend. We first bonded over our mutual love of a good charcuterie spread, then over our love of unique old adobe houses. She recently opened a new real estate brokerage in Santa Fe as part of The Agency Franchise, which was started in LA in 2011. As the 150th office, Beth is excited to create a boutique agency with a large reach—something that feels established but brings fresh and fun energy. Caring about her clients means seeking innovation, creativity, and outside of the box thinking to serve everyone, from luxury real estate to first time homebuyers. I grabbed a coffee with Beth to ask her ten food questions, from what it was like growing up in an Italian-American household to what kind of person she is in the grocery store.

You’ve been very busy lately starting your new agency. What is your ideal go to weeknight meal and why?

I’ve been making these grain bowls a while because its super easy but also healthy—so you can eat as much as you want. It’s all good things for you! You take a nice lettuce, spinach, or mixed greens, then some sort of warm grain. I like quinoa, or sometimes I make barley. I’ll roast vegetables, like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, whatever I have. I roasted kale last night cause I didn’t have anything else. Then add a bean, garbanzo, or some sort of protein. I’ll make salmon sometimes for a treat. Throw on some pomegranate and sunflower seeds or walnuts or pecans. And a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Sometimes feta. Sometimes a dressing. I’m not a good dressing maker in general but I do make this modified burger sauce thats delicious with greek yogurt, mayo, curry powder, lemon, and garlic powder. It’s such a great meal because it’s low planning, super easy, and I can use what I’ve got in the fridge. Very versatile!

What was it like growing up in an Italian-American family? What was the food culture like?

Food was everything. At every gathering. If I went to my aunt’s house, she was making something. Visited my grandmother, she was making something. My grandmother always had this lemony bunt cake on the table. She had a peach tree outside, so in summer she’d make peaches with sugar. Some of the thing she would give me were kind of awful, and definitely not Italian. I remember these Ritz crackers with Kraft singles American cheese. But my fondest memories are of the big family gatherings. There was always sauce on the stove with meatballs. My aunt had a huge garden, she would make fried squash blossoms in egg batter. Those were so amazing. My uncle would make my grandfather’s rib recipe. When my dad was sick in his last years, my uncle brought some of those ribs, and when I bit into them, I was transported back into being a child in my grandparents house.

Do you have a favorite holiday food tradition?

For many years, I would make oyster stew. Emeril Lagasse’s recipe: butter, cream, stock, oysters. It’s insane. As a kid I remember we’d have this fancy blue cheese “stuffing” for celery, with hardboiled egg, mayonnaise and salt n pepper. For Christmas, my mom and I would make gingerbread houses out of graham crackers and milk boxes. Nothing fancy, just some cardboard covered in tinfoil and icing that’s like cement. Cut-outs and ice cookies, getting super high on sugar.

Where are your favorite places in Santa Fe for a pre-dinner cocktail and snack?

I really enjoy sitting at the Market Steer happy hour. Really good drinks and food, and then stay for dinner and split a steak, it’s the best. In the summer, Joe’s Tequila bar is great for some tequila and mezcal on the patio, and the Palace patio is fun, too. Or sitting at the bar at Horno, having some small bites. La Boca is great for that, too. Escondido is a new spot that’s excellent. It’s so hard to choose. Santa Fe is fun because even though we are a small town, we have so many wonderful restaurants to try out!

What kind of person are you in the grocery store??

I have a route! I go in, and I go through the store the same way, every time, basically through every aisle. I never make a list which is horrible, but because I go the same way and see the same things that I usually buy, it’s easier to remember what I need. I look at the quality of stuff, too—if the grapes or whatever fresh thing looks good, I’ll get them.

What are you really proud to know how to cook?

Meatballs! And sauce that tastes like my grandmother’s! I learned watching her and my aunt and Dad. When I first started making it, it didn’t come out that good, and I think it was because I was trying too hard. It’s literally the most simple thing to make—but the trick is time. It’s gotta cook all day long. You gotta start it in the morning or the day before even. Using good ingredients is important, too. And little things, like when you put your meatballs in and how you fry them before going in the sauce. A fried meatball is the best thing in the whole world. And then in the sauce, it’s so moist and amazing. I’ll even sometimes make pasta from scratch, but that’s not my most consistent skill. It’s always good, just not always pretty.

Grandma’s famous meatballs and sauce recipe

What do you look for in a great kitchen?

The triangle! The sink, stove, and refrigerator are in a triangle shape. Also having pantry space is key for me. I think I got that gene from my family—having enough food for 30 people at any one time in case you need it. I could make a bean salad for 30 right now. Counter space is also important, and that it’s easy to clean. I hate tiled counters! I want to be able to wipe my counters. A kitchen should be bright and have a window over the sink, so you can see out. I also love being able to interact with people while you cook, so some sort of seating or an island.

What is the sexiest food and why?

You know, honestly, I think anything with carbs. Because I think… this is the thing, have you ever been on a date with someone and they are like oh no I can’t eat carbs? It’s not fun! I want someone to be like, I want some pasta, I want some cheesecake. I’m gonna eat some bread. Of course, I go through periods of not eating that stuff. I don’t eat sweets every day. There’s moderation to it and health considerations. But it’s so American to deny ourselves these simple pleasure, and to me, being enthusiastic about life is sexy. It shows an aliveness. Obviously, being too gluttonous is not sexy, but sometimes it’s good to break all the rules we make. It’s good to be in the moment, experiencing life just as it is!

What is one of your most memorable meals?

I have a lot but one that comes to mind was when I was in Spain. This little town called Huesca. We ate a meal that lasted like 6 hours. We were in this back room. Everyone was smoking and drinking. And we had the most amazing olive oils and breads and wines from that region. Escargot. They just kept bringing things out to us, and I kept thinking about my dad, because he had passed away a few years before, and I knew he would have been so happy I was there eating all this incredible food.

What has food taught you about love?

Actually, I don’t know if it’s taught me about love, but that it’s how people show they care and are thoughtful about you. It’s probably the most loved you can feel—someone offering you food, offering nourishment. At least that’s how I show love to people—sharing a meal, cooking a meal for someone, or taking them to dinner. I’m not good at buying gifts, but to me appreciation is getting to spend time with someone and getting to eat! Getting to share that experience together.