Nine years ago, Kali Kopley and Will Henry bought the original Los Alamos General Store that was built in 1880 and turned it into their restaurant, Pico Los Alamos.
Their goal was to create a farmer-driven, fine dining spot. The husband-wife duo tore out the parking lot behind the building and planted a garden.
Let’s lunch
The upcoming Know Thy Farmer event will be held at 1 p.m. on Aug. 29 in the Pico Los Alamos garden located at 458 Bell St. in Los Alamos. The three-course meal will feature dishes like ratatouille and gazpacho. Tickets can be purchased online through exploretock.com. For more information about Pico, visit Instagram @picolosalamos or losalamosgeneralstore.com.
“To see that piece of asphalt transform into this lush garden that’s providing food was super rewarding,” Henry said. “The garden represents what beauty you can create when you put a little love and sweat into a piece of land.”
The garden is the perfect representation of farm-to-table, he added, which has always been a priority for the couple. The entire menu at Pico uses locally sourced ingredients, from protein to produce.
This philosophy drives the idea behind their Know Thy Farmer series. Kopley and Henry invite a local farmer to tell their story while guests enjoy a meal featuring the farmer’s ingredients and a wine pairing. As the food designer for Pico, Kopley develops a three-course menu using key ingredients from the highlighted farm. She wants to wow her guests and allow the flavors of the ingredients to speak for themselves.
Wine is also a big part of the event. Henry creates the wine pairing, which is “one of the most fun things ever,” he said. He has operated Lumen Wines with Kopley since 2012 and usually uses Lumen wines for the Know Thy Farmer events.
The most important reason to source locally is to support small farms, Kopley said.
“There’s a much smaller footprint, you get to know your farmer, and the food is much fresher,” Henry added.
By inviting farmers to join the lunch, the restaurant owners hope their customers will learn where their food is coming from and how the farmers operate.
Pico often serves produce that was picked the same day. Kopley drives to farms to collect fresh produce nearly every day, like she will for the Know Thy Farmer event.
The lunch is an intimate gathering of fewer than 40 guests. Everyone sits at one table and listens to the farmer’s stories.
Customers might not understand everything that goes into producing food, so Kopley and Henry like to give farmers the opportunity to explain their process.
“It’s a perfect platform for really knowing what’s on your plate and the love and care that goes into it,” Henry said. “Every farmer has got hilarious stories to tell, and you don’t get that on the package of food.”
The farmer featured at the upcoming lunch on Aug. 29 is Carla Malloy of Elder Flat Farm in Los Alamos.
Malloy moved to Los Alamos in 2017 and built a ranch with her husband. She met Kopley shortly after. The majority of Malloy’s 105-acre farm is home to animals like chickens, horses, cows, pigs, and sheep, she said. Malloy also grows row crops on 2 acres of the farm.
Despite not knowing anybody in Los Alamos, Malloy fell into the farming community right away. She recalled farmers lending produce to each other and communicating directly with restaurant owners to inform menus.
“The thing I love about Los Alamos is really the connection. It’s such a small, tight-knit community in the food scene,” Malloy said.
She said she appreciates restaurants sourcing locally because it makes small farms like hers feel supported while also “putting dollars back into your own economy.”
One of Malloy’s passions is preserving food. Her goal is to harness the peak ripeness of foods in the summer and get to enjoy them all year long.
“I hate food waste,” Malloy said.
With tomato season in its prime, she wants to use her platform at the Know Thy Farmer lunch to share the different ways guests can use and preserve tomatoes that will work for their own families. She mentioned making bruschetta, soup, tomato salad, and canned tomato sauce.
In addition to sharing her passion for preservation, Malloy also plans to talk about her background and answer questions from guests at the event.
“I’m really excited for the actual meal, and then teaching is really fun,” Malloy said.
Reach Staff Writer Madison White at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Aug 21-31, 2025.