SANTA FE’S GALISTEO BISTRO CELEBRATES NEW OWNERSHIP

SANTA FE’S GALISTEO BISTRO CELEBRATES NEW OWNERSHIP

New Restaurateurs Brant and Tómas Allan Keller Continue Galisteo Bistro’s Tradition with Their Own Signature Flair

Santa Fe, NM, June 16, 2014–The critically acclaimed Galisteo Basin (www.galisteobistro.com) officially transferred ownership from chefs Marge and Robert Chickering to Brant Keller on June 3, 2014. The Bistro will continue as a family operation. While Keller will be running the front of the house, his son chef Tómas Allan Keller will oversee the kitchen.

The ownership hand-off took place at the office of local business brokerage Sam Goldenberg & Associates (www.samgoldenberg.com). The Galisteo Bistro is Sam Goldenberg & Associates’ second restaurant sale of 2014, and its eleventh restaurant or food-related sale in the past two years.

The transition was seamless. The brokerage’s president Michael Green ensured the purchase agreement provided ample time for training and uninterrupted transfer of the beer and wine license. The Galisteo Bistro stayed open throughout, and the Kellers have kept all wait and kitchen staff on.

Since the Chickerings first opened the doors of the Bistro in 2009, a near constant buzz has surrounded the intimately scaled restaurant. Located a few blocks off Santa Fe’s historic Plaza, the Galisteo Bistro’s eclectic mix of cosmopolitan comfort food with Cajun undertones has made it one of Santa Fe’s best un-kept secrets.

The Kellers plan to preserve and build upon this formula.

“We wouldn’t have bought the place if we didn’t love what the Chickerings had done,” says Brant Keller. “Even with all the choices that Santa Fe offers for dining out, the Galisteo Bistro is special. Its choreography of ambiance, service and cuisine makes for an unforgwettable experience. None of this will change.” 

The Kellers will continue to features the Bistro’s signature dishes well as the philosophy behind them.

“One night when I was training, Rob gave me some great advice,” relays Keller. “He said to be true to yourself and your vision.”

The Kellers’ first step toward taking Chickering’s counsel is to introduce more seafood selections. Late of Naples, Florida, the seagoing Keller captained a salt water charter service when he wasn’t presiding over one of southeastern Florida’s largest wealth management advisory firms. The Kellers are not just foodies but seafoodies, and look forward to sharing their 20-year epicurean love affair with the Bistro’s patrons.

Making this vision a reality is Allan Keller, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu. The 23-year-old brings a youthful vigor to the operation. It was the younger Keller who suggested the Bistro join Santa Fe’s Farm to Table program (www.farmtotablenm.org), and he will introduce seasonal, locally sourced vegetarian delicacies. Expect to also see more Mediterranean, Greek, and Cajun specialties.

Santa Feans will welcome the Keller’s decision to open the Galisteo Bistro for a moderately-priced workman’s lunch. Expanding the Bistro’s hours of operations was one of the revenue growth areas that Sam Goldenberg & Associates spotlighted in its discrete, undisclosed handling of this restaurant for sale.

An established business gives business buyers and investors a decided edge, and this is especially true with fine-dining where word-of-mouth reputation is such an important intangible asset,” says Greene. “But new owners also seek ways to grow the business and add their own signature touch. The Kellers are a perfect fit for the Galisteo Bistro.”

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About Sam Goldenberg & Associates Sam Goldenberg & Associates is a business brokerage that facilitates the sale of small and medium-sized businesses throughout New Mexico and southern Colorado. Sam Goldenberg founded the Santa Fe brokerage in 1983, and Michael Greene took the helm in 2007. Michael Greene, a graduate of Harvard Law School, has grown Sam Goldenberg & Associates into the most successful brokerage in New Mexico with the highest volume of businesses listed and sold. Sam Goldenberg & Associates is a member of the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA), the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce and has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB).