A Navajo chef & “Chopped” winner is turning prickly pear into ceviche at ABQ’s Prickly Pear Festival.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — For chef Justin Pioche, the prickly pear is more than just a desert plant.
“It’s a survival food. You know, it thrives where other plants can’t, and so that’s a story of my people’s story as well. Resiliency,” Pioche said.
Pioche, a Navajo chef from Fruitland and a winner of the cooking competition show “Chopped” who has also been nominated for a James Beard Award, was one of the featured chefs Friday at the Prickly Pear Festival in Albuquerque.
“People call this a food desert, but look at the prickly pear. Still here, still relevant, still beautiful, and tastes delicious,” Pioche said.
Pioche said he began his cooking career making meals for his siblings. What started as a necessity later became a creative outlet. At the festival, he showcased dishes featuring prickly pear, including a ceviche.
“I chose to take the prickly pear, puree that, and then marinate an actual tuna fish with that. And then we did like a cold ceviche as well,” Pioche said.
Festivalgoers sampled a variety of prickly pear-inspired foods and drinks throughout the event. Offerings included popsicles, syrups and lemonade.
Kelli Miner, who works with Prickly Foods, said the fruit’s challenges mirror those of the people who harvest and use it.
“I really respect the prickly pear as a fruit itself, because it’s really sharp. But once you put the work in, then you get the good stuff. Just like with us,” Miner said.
Miner and Chandly Jackson were among vendors selling prickly pear-inspired sweet treats at the festival.
“They have great benefits with antioxidants and vitamin C, as well as a connection to the land and the people of this place that I’m from,” Jackson said.
Prickly Foods is owned by Will Thomson, who also organizes the Prickly Pear Festival. In addition to food vendors, the event featured activities including prickly pear tie-dye and cocktail curation.
“Especially in a time where the Rio Grande’s running dry for months of the year, we hope to encourage folks to use this great native plant,” Thomson said.
The Prickly Pear Festival continues Saturday.
