January 2019 - The Cut: Lights, Camera, Kitchen!
This red-haired firecracker has been making a name for himself throughout New Mexico. Passionate about film and cooking, Chris Wright-Garcia took his two loves and created a crafty, entertaining show called “Lights, Camera, Kitchen!” The show centers on a particular project that filmed in the Land in Enchantment while creating a dish. Wright-Garcia sat down with New Mexico Entertainment to talk about the unique cooking show.
How did you come up with the idea for Lights, Camera, Kitchen?
"Lights, Camera, Kitchen!" was born as an homage to the many amazing people of New Mexico Film that took me in as one of their own and gave me a place to belong just as I am. I wanted to do something to highlight their hard work in front of and behind the camera and combining my love of NMFilm and food just made sense. This way we get to not only showcase the talented crew our state has to offer, but also our diverse cuisine all while celebrating the flavor of NMFilm.
What is your food background?
Seven years ago, during a time of unemployment and near desperation, I realized the only way to save money was to start cooking all of the food my husband and I ate. It started out with simple recreations and fan favorites, as a way to make do with our new lifestyle choice. Then something clicked and ideas started flooding my mind. It was like a switch turned on. I could feel the natural vibration of the food, as if I were, for a brief few minutes, in tune with the simple ingredients that would soon turn into an original creation. I started cooking for friends as a way to show my love for them and seeing the joy on their faces as they devoured every last bite of something I had created is one of the biggest thrills an artist can experience. Cooking is an art that can't be explained with words, cooking has to be explained with a helping of feelings, a dash of emotion, and a few shakes of passion. The only word I could use to even begin to describe what cooking is to me is, clarity. When I'm there it's just me and the food.
What dishes are you looking forward to cooking on the show?
I absolutely cannot wait to bake! I love love love - loooooooove desserts. I seriously have a billion ideas of what I could make and we have some insanely exciting projects to go along with the dessert. We try to tie in each dish with the New Mexico filmed project we cover in that episode. Luckily, we have so much to work with. With Netflix coming here we're going to have even more amazing people, places, and flavors of New Mexico Film to showcase!
What are your plans for the future of Lights, Camera, Kitchen?
Right now, "Lights, Camera, Kitchen!" is a passion project. We want it to be seen by as many people as possible. Then the world can know just how amazing New Mexico film is! We want everyone that is involved, in any capacity, to have a chance to tell their story. Now, more than ever, big-budget productions are looking at our state as a location for their next project because of what we have to offer as far as infrastructure, talent, and crew. We want to tell those productions to look no further and choose to spend their money and create thousands of jobs right here in the Land of Enchantment. I hope we do the people of New Mexico film proud!