2023-12-08 10:23:35
Heralded for its towering mountains, pristine landscapes and Western culture, a Colorado vacation doesn’t necessarily bring dining to mind. However, the state is fast becoming a culinary destination, thanks to the grit and passion of its tastemakers. Celebrated chefs are viewing the Centennial State as a new frontier for culinary exploration, carving a space for themselves in the mountain towns and cities to showcase these unique regions and the flavors that thrive there. Blending Colorado’s past with fresh takes on classic dishes and innovative creations, they’ve garnered the attention of television programs like “Top Chef” as well as organizations like the James Beard Foundation and, most recently, the prestigious MICHELIN Guide. “[The Colorado food scene] is starting to have its own voice, more so than ever before,” said Josh Niernberg, executive chef and owner of Bin 707 Foodbar and Tacoparty in Grand Junction. By showcasing the winemaking and agriculture that had been established in the area, his restaurants helped transform the Grand Valley. They also earned him a nod from the James Beard Foundation as a nominee for Best Chef: Mountains category and two-time semifinalist for Outstanding Chef. Meanwhile, celebrated chef Denise Vigil has crafted a sanctuary in her small hometown of Alamosa that’s quickly gained big recognition as a 2023 semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. And in Lakewood, six-time James Beard Award-nominated chef Dana Rodriguez has made the comeback of a lifetime as the Executive Chef and Culinary Partner at the world-famous Casa Bonita after being turned down for a dishwasher’s position at the restaurant in 1998. Celebrity chef and acclaimed restaurateur Brother Luck has spent the past decade working to change the food culture in the city he’s planted his roots in. “We all travel the world until we find a place that we want to call home — for me, it’s Colorado Springs,” Luck said proudly. “This is a beautiful city that has an amazing view and amazing culture, and I want it to be hip and fun because I love living here.” After cooking in kitchens around the globe, Luck settled in Colorado Springs in 2012 in pursuit of a higher quality of life and to be near family. With the small-town feel of Colorado’s second-largest city, the accessible proximity to the mountains and the location at the base of Pikes Peak, he was quickly enamored with Colorado Springs. But the James Beard-nominated chef notes that the food left something to be desired. “When I first got here, the food was mediocre, there wasn’t much in the way of options, there were a handful of chefs doing really cool stuff, but they were ahead of their time for the masses,” Luck said. “They said my food was too advanced because I was cooking food from Chicago, and I didn’t believe that — I didn’t believe this was a meat-and-potato town, I didn’t believe this was a corporate-chain town — I refused to accept that.” It was Guy Fieri coming to Colorado Springs in 2015 and showcasing restaurants for his Food Network program “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” that made Luck realize the power of the celebrity chef. Luck invited his community to follow his journey as he championed Colorado’s culinary scene in a time when it was so often overlooked. With TV appearances showcasing his culinary chops, Luck became a household name for Colorado Springs. He found success as a finalist on “Chopped,” winning his episode of “Beat Bobby Flay,” and competing on seasons 15 and 16 of Bravo’s “Top Chef.” With a bevy of eateries under his wing, he’s carved a space for himself and his crew to learn and grow. He quickly turned the city on its head and pushed the regional palate by incorporating pig ears, roasted yuca and pork belly in his take on street food and comfort fare. “Over the last 10 years we’ve grown with that approach, so I think the thing I’m most proud of when it comes to Colorado Springs is what we’ve changed as far as food culture,” Luck said, adding that his two newest ventures opened just last year and are social concepts that offer elevated dining experiences to foodies. In downtown Colorado Springs, Luck’s Folklore Irish Pub pairs the warmth and hospitality of Ireland with delicious foods and patio dining with a few surprises around every bend. Nestled inside the pub, The Tipperary Cocktail Parlor provides a luxury experience promising elegance and sophistication while pushing the boundaries of mixology. Upstairs, The Studio hosts an intimate and curated chef’s-table experience. Winding down an alleyway, ascending a staircase and emerging in a quaint room that seats only 24 people, getting there is only part of the journey. The Studio is a reservationonly dinner service where those fascinated with the culinary arts have the opportunity to connect with chefs as they cook and serve a five-course meal paired with cocktails and wines from the open kitchen. However, it’s Luck’s signature restaurant that tells the greatest tale. Since opening in 2017, Four By Brother Luck has redefined Southwestern cuisine and earned his nomination as a semifinalist for the 2020 James Beard Best Chef Award. Four by Brother Luck tells the story of the Four Corners region where he has spent most of his life; the four seasons we experience; the hunter, fisher, gatherer and farmer who bring the food to being, as well as the four-course tastings that the restaurant provides. “Food is storytelling. We are connecting through the ghosts of our past every time we cook a dish; it’s where we all know family, it’s where we all know a memory, and it’s common across the world,” Luck said. “For me, most of my cooking career has been in [the Four Corners] region and I love it — I love being in the desert, and I love being in the mountains. I think there’s something very special in understanding who the people are and how this region was shaped.” A focus on Native American and/ or hyper-local foods are common passions for Colorado’s chefs. The state’s unique culinary palate is defined by the cultures that shaped the region, starting with the land’s first Native American inhabitants and developing through the European pioneers who traveled west to settle and explore the frontier. The Spanish followed and left their mark with the rise of missions across the area, as well as the formation and expansion of Mexico. “In the past, probably, 10 years, there’s been such a resurgence of chefs trying to find and tell those stories. All it takes is for us to listen a little bit and find some of [that history],” Niernberg said. Using locally and regionally sourced ingredients prior to the rise of farm-to-table dining and defying industry trends across the nation at the time, Niernberg’s restaurants showcase contemporary Southwestern foods. He frequently uses corn, peppers, bison and Colorado lamb, while being conscious of food systems as a whole. Fruit is worked into the menu starting at the summer solstice through September and October. Local favorites, including the region’s famous Palisade peaches, are woven into recipes, while more obscure finds like small harvests of the rare elephant heart plums found in a single orchard over the past century make special appearances. Staples to the Bin 707 Foodbar and Tacoparty menus include two types of beans unique to the region. The Fremont bean which comes from the Fremont people of eastern Utah that once inhabited western Colorado. And conversely, the Mayocoba bean from the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe comes from reservation land south of Grand Junction. “So we’ve got several hundred years of history through two different types of beans that we use on the menus at the two restaurants,” Niernberg said. For Luck, his signature blue cornbread is the best depiction of this history. Telling the story of Colorado, Luck sources blue corn from the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Farm & Ranch’s Bow & Arrow Brand near the Four Corners region and pairs it with buffalo chili made from Pueblo chiles farmed just south of the Springs. The dish is then finished with a black-forest honey from a farm just 20 minutes from the restaurant and served with a Mojave jam, a Native American recipe of berries that have been cooked down with agave or sherry. “It’s such a beautiful dish, but it just kind of captures what this region is about,” Luck said, noting that each time he jets off across the world for cooking appearances, he shares a piece of Colorado through his blue cornbread. “Most people outside of this region don’t know those flavor profiles, they’ve never had a true roasted green chile, and it blows their mind,” Luck said. “I love to serve that dish and tell that story because I think it captures what our entire concept is about.” As for must-tries, the tempura jalapeño poppers are another signature dish that have been a staple to his menus over the past 10 years. Roasted jalapeños are paired with a cilantro-spiced cheese and dipped in a very light tempura batter. Fried and served hot, this dish is an elevated rendition of a classic bar appetizer. “It’s crazy, I’ve cooked it on ‘Top Chef,’ I’ve traveled with it, it’s just one of those dishes I would never be able to take off the menu because it has such a strong following and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever eaten,” Luck said. While Niernberg and Luck focus on spotlighting the region’s flavors, Rodriguez and Vigil use local ingredients to bring international fare to Colorado. Just outside Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Vigil serves Italian fare blended harmoniously with Colorado classics like their famous lamb shank. Meanwhile, Rodriguez is cooking up flavors from South America, the Mediterranean and the American South across her restaurants — Work & Class and Super Mega Bien. However, at the newly reopened Casa Bonita, she is striving for her first James Beard Award with a completely revamped menu. Stepping away from Tex-Mex fare, she’s bringing in traditional Mexican dishes reminiscent of her upbringing in Chihuahua, Mexico. Learn more about Rodriguez and Vigil at Colorado.com/ElevatedDining. Continue reading on Colorado.com
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