There are many theories as to why Mrs. Abraham Staab, who died more than 100 years ago, continues to haunt her old home, now the site of Fuego, a warm, sophisticated restaurant that is part of the Rockresorts luxe La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa. Some say that because she was unhappy when she died, her spirit is uneasy; others have hypothesized that until a recent top-to-bottom renovation/restoration, she didn't like the way her home had been kept up; a third explanation has it that, ever the hostess, she roams about to ensure that guests at the resort, "the chic place to stay in Sante Fe," according to Town & Country, are snug and comfortable. Mrs. Staab was, after all, the city's leading socialite in her day, renowned for her style and entertaining. We have another theory, however: we think Mrs. Staab sticks around for the food. Would you hurry off to heaven if the nightly offerings at your old home included buffalo filet with grilled shiitake mushrooms and white bean rago[ring]t, say, or grilled halibut with shrimp-lobster reduction and vermouth essence, prepared by the exceptionally talented Gary Palm? Not us.

Although Palm, a Massachusetts native, graduated from the prestigious culinary program at Johnson & Wales, as a young chef he hungered to learn more. Naturally, he went to France. There he studied under the renowned Roger Vergè of then Michelin three-star Moulin de Mougins and ultimately did what few Americans have done before-he became the chef/owner of a restaurant in La Belle France, the Restaurant Bel-Air in Laval. Back in the United States, Palm cooked at the Mission Inn, the Hotel del Coronado, and Ma Maison, all in California. But he had wandering feet, which planted themselves for a time behind the stoves at The Ritz-Carlton in Korea and the Loews Hotel Monte Carlo.

At Fuego, "fire" in Spanish, Palm makes delectable use of the restaurant's rotisserie to turn out his irresistible food. He infuses classic dishes with the spirit of Santa Fe by incorporating spices and sauces from the Southwest and Latin America. Mrs. Staab comes from another dimension to enjoy Palm's sublime cooking; you've only got to get to 12th Street.