COME TO LIFE staircase and emerging in a quaint room that seats only 24 people, getting there is only part of the journey. The Studio is a reservation-only 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 Work & Class 96 1-800-COLORADO LEFT TO RIGHT: WORK & CLASS; CAT MAYER
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2024: Page 96
