Meet Steve Sando, founder/owner of Rancho Gordo and bean believer. Steve’s company emerged from his quest for quality ingredients such as its famous heirloom beans. With a reverence for the production of these and other foods (including chiles, corn and chocolate – my kind of man!), Steve encourages old fashioned methods through direct collaboration with Mexican farmers. For more on this, read about the Rancho Gordo-Xoxo Project.

In addition to supplying wonderful products online and in retail stores, Steve has co-authored  The Heirloom Bean Book which offers recipes for those keen to discover bold tastes in the Mexican tradition.

As the only international importer of Rancho Gordo products, we feel honored to join Steve’s vision for sustainable Mexican food. La Boca Loca is now carrying a number of Rancho Gordo items to add to our restaurant recipes and sell to our customers. Over the coming weeks, we’ll highlight specific products with ideas on how to include them into your culinary repertoire.

With candor and his good-natured personality, Steve shared some thoughts on Rancho Gordo with us.

LBL: Please give us a little background on you. Where are you from? Your parents?

SS: I am a product of California. Grew up in the bay area, mostly Sausalito. My parents met on the beaches of Southern California in the 50s and loved West Coast Jazz, gin martinis and sports cars!

LBL: Where does your love of food and cooking come from?

SS: My father used to dive for abalone off the coast and I remember their parties with thick steaks, abalone and Caesar salads. I think this impressed me more than anything.

LBL: How extensive is your exporting business? Where else in the world are your beans and products popular?

SS: We don’t export. La Boca Loca is a rare and wonderful exception. When Lucas and Marianne first came in, it was refreshing how well versed they were in Mexican food. Normally we have to smile through questions about how to make the best nachos. With Lucas, it was like working with a kindred spirit.

LBL: What inspires you in your work?

SS: Working with the smaller farms in Mexico is very exciting. Watching roads being built because of purchases we’ve made is pretty powerful stuff. I pray I get invited to a meal and I usually do, and this is inspiration. Eating tortillas made from corn they’ve grown, beans and local cactus paddles and homemade cheese…this is why I do it!

LBL: What are your core business values?

SS: I’ll be honest, I don’t think about this much. I do try and create a situation where everyone can win. It’s a little more work and I make a little less but it is shamefully possible and we should all be doing it more.

LBL: What has had the most significance for you in your partnership with small, local farmers in California and Mexico?

SS: Watching them learn to trust me has been fun. In the beginning, they weren’t sure they’d come out ahead when dealing with a fat, middle-aged gringo. But they do!

LBL: As a family man, what message or lesson is important to leave your children in regards to your work?

SS: I would hope they see how much easier it is to work when you’re passionate about something.

LBL: Beans aside, what are three must-have Ranch Gordo products for your own home cooking?

SS: I use the piloncillo and canela in my coffee milk everyday. I heat them up in a pan while waiting for my espresso/moka pot to come to the boil. I eat about ½ of beans every day in some form. I’ve been eating more pozole and found a recipe of it as a salad and that’s been fun.

LBL: Banana vinegar sounds intriguing. What do you use it in?

SS: Garlic, vinegar, salt, Mex oregano and olive oil is a great marinade for pork or chicken. I also love it with ceviche. And super ripe heirloom tomatoes, some fresh farmers cheese, salt and banana vinegar is heaven.

LBL: What are your hopes for the future of food growth and production in the years to come?

SS: I hope we can continue to expand the acres dedicated to heirlooms. We’re losing ground fast and I think we lose our culture if we lose our food!