December 16, 2010

Espanola SBDC Client & Artist Giovanna Paponetti Receives a letter from Pope Benedict XVI

SBDCs in the News


Espanola SBDC Client & Artist Giovanna Paponetti Receives a letter from Pope Benedict XVI
Artist and SBDC Client Giovanna Paponetti recently released her new book, "Kateri Native American Saint -The Life and Miracles of Kateri Tekakwitha," published by clear light publishers in Santa Fe, NM. The 21 paintings of Kateri's life story are located at St. John the Baptist church at Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo. Giovanna sent a signed copy for His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, and to her great surprise received a letter from the Vatican. "His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI was pleased to receive the kind gift sent for his acceptance. He appreciates the devoted sentiments which prompted this thoughtful presentation. The Holy Father gives the assurance of a remembrance in his prayers and sends his blessing."
"I am grateful that my book has found its way to the Vatican as this is the place where Kateri's Sainthood will be decided, hopefully soon. As I began to reach new heights in my career as an Artist I did not feel equipped to handle or have the knowledge to know what to do. Once again Julianna Barbee, Director of the SBDC at Northern New Mexico College, and her staff have been there to guide me with their expertise for my continued success."- Giovanna Paponetti.

New Business Cooks with Spelt

Cranberry oatmeal….chocolate chip (Ghirardelli chocolate pieces)….Wedding cookies….decisions, decisions!  This is what you will be deliberating over when you decide to try out Lenore Reinhart’s “Speltlicious Cookies.”  Made with spelt flour of course.  More on that later.  Lenore has always had a passion for baking, and she began experimenting and learning techniques as a teenager.  She owned a coffee house in Taos, New Mexico for six years and then as the pastry assistant at the Coyote CafĂ©. 

Over 20 years ago, Lenore was discussing the benefits of cooking with and consuming spelt flour with her Naturalpath.  Using spelt flour is making a comeback in North America.  Spelt is a non-hybrid distant relative to present day wheat.  Spelt’s uniqueness is derived from its genetic makeup and nutrition profile.  Spelt has high water solubility, so nutrients are easily absorbed by the body making it easy to digest.  It is significantly higher in protein and vitamin B than wheat, and spelt is high in both simple and complex carbohydrates.  It is a superb fiber resource.  But hey, enough about that, how do the cookies taste?  They are delicious…thus the name of her company…Speltlicious.  Lenore’s logo was created by artist David Woodman and is a caricature of her serving her freshly made cookies.

Lenore was providing cookies from a special recipe she created to friends and family.  They encouraged her to start a business and sell them to retail stores.  Lenore lives in LaJara and was quite familiar with the Taos area, so she began using the Taos Food Center, a commercial kitchen that has equipment, services and support to help the budding food entrepreneur get started.  She officially opened for business in November of 2008.  She also contacted the San Luis Valley Small Business Development Center for additional guidance and support.

Currently, Lenore sells her cookies in 6 stores in New Mexico and 10 stores in Colorado, mainly in natural food stores, independent co-ops or family owned grocery and gift stores, including Whole Foods in Santa Fe.  She is scheming about other product lines and is currently working on a web-based store.  The best way to contact Lenore is her cell phone at 719-588-9329.  The SLV SBDC may be contacted by emailing Donna Wehe at donna@slv-sbdc.com.  You can purchase her cookies at the Valley Co-Op in the Villa Mall in Alamosa or the Organic Peddlar in Del Norte.