Creative from every angle: Chef Sean Sinclair serves up American regional cuisine at the historic Castañeda

Aug. 21—Editor's note: Cocina Connection is a once-a-month feature that takes a behind-the-scenes look at a New Mexico-based chef, who, in turn, shares some recipes.

In Sean Sinclair's life, there's not one day that is the same.

As the owner of Kin at Castañeda, Sinclair is often found in the kitchen working with his staff to create some fine-dining dishes.

Take one look at Sinclair and one could see the passion he brings to the culinary world.

"I've been cooking my whole life," he says. "I think at probably 10 or 11, I got this manual hand chopper and that's where it all began. I was making salsa for my entire family."

Growing up in Tijeras, by the age of 12, he gained enough trust from his family to make the steaks.

"My mom showed me how to make them," he says. "I enjoyed seeing the entire process behind the scenes."

At 15, his first job was at Wingstop and then moved onto Sandiago's Grill at the Tram, which was in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains — while he was a student at La Cueva High School.

With stints at Chama River Brewing and other establishments around Albuquerque, Sinclair learned a lot.

Yet, he knew there was something more.

Which is why he enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland, Oregon.

Sinclair oversees both Kin and Bar Castañeda in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

The Castañeda was built in 1898 and was Fred Harvey's first trackside hotel — the beginning of America's first hospitality empire. The hotel is roughly 30,000 square feet, plus a 500-foot-long arcade wrapping the entire east facade and courtyard. There is also a basement under the north wing for kitchen supplies, under the south wing for boilers and mechanical equipment, and a huge attic, which was uninsulated and never used. The Santa Fe Railway mainline ran directly in front, connecting Las Vegas, New Mexico to Chicago and Los Angeles.

The Castañeda was designed by Frederick Roehrig, a prominent Pasadena architect. It was the only building he designed for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. This was the earliest Harvey House to be built in Mission Revival style, and became the prototype of nearly all future Harvey properties.

Fred Harvey was the first major American company to hire vast numbers of women, eventually more than 100,000. The beautiful Rawlings Building — across Railroad Ave from the Castañeda — was a dormitory for the Las Vegas Harvey Girls.

Running both entities inside a historic building is a dream come true.

"There's a freedom to being self-employed," he says. "It's where it's at. I get to collaborate in the way that I want to do it. The restaurant work is pretty hard, and it requires quite a bit of time to climb the ranks as a chef."

Although Sinclair is a proprietor, he finds the time for a work/life balance.

"I have a 2-and-a-half-year-old," he explains. "And my wife is six months pregnant. There's a lot of planning on my part to make sure that I'm present at home."

Sinclair says the restaurant's focus on American regional cuisine, as there's not a lot of limitation to that type of menu.

"We keep the menu changing regularly and make sure we're open at the right hours and have enough staff," he says. "I run this business and I consult for other businesses."

When he puts on his consultant hat, Sinclair is often hired for recipe development or cost control.

"It's another avenue of the culinary world," he says. "There's always some downtime as the tourism season begins to slow down during the first part of the year."

During the weekends, Sinclair can often be found working brunch at the restaurant.

This means waking up and hanging out with his daughter before traveling north to Las Vegas.

"I love cooking breakfast food," he says. "It's just my sous chef and I. We will work through brunch until 3 p.m. I'll hang out with my daughter again and get ready for the dinner rush."

The business side of the culinary world can often be difficult.

Sinclair is often trying to find ways to get locals in Las Vegas to become restaurant patrons.

"Tourism is great because the town is very cool and historic," he says. "It's a really big restaurant and I try to keep the prices low so that anyone, including college students, can come and make a good spot to hang out. Being creative means doing so from every angle."