COME TO LIFE Black Cat Farmstead in Longmont That commitment to local agriculture earned Bramble & Hare a Michelin Recommended designation and a Green Star — which recognizes exceptional restaurants that demonstrate sustainable and eco-friendly practices. Skokan’s certified-organic farm supplies as much as 95% of the food on his menus — known for standout dishes showcasing fresh-picked produce and local meats. “The quality of things I was able to grow in the garden and then bring into the restaurant would just be worlds better than the produce that I was purchasing from national companies,” said Skokan. That’s why he and so many other chefs around the state are rethinking how they source and serve — spotlighting ingredients that thrive here seasonally — and inviting visitors to savor something unmistakably local. At Black Cat Farmstead , guests can experience this local-first approach in its most immersive form. The menus shift daily, inspired by whatever is at its peak in the field. That might mean goat-cheese terrine with baby carrots, sweet-corn flan 108 1-800-COLORADO picked hours before dinner or wood-fired porchetta wrapped in porkbelly from hogs raised just down the road. Guests dining at the farm are greeted with a drink and a small bite. Then you are encouraged to walk the gardens and fields, where the Flatiron mountains are visible beyond neat rows of fennel, strawberries and lettuce. Once you’ve had a chance to explore, settle in private cabanas for dinner as the sun dips behind the peaks. “The landscape is just absolutely spectacular,” Skokan said. “And when the air races off the mountains and cools everything down, we start the wood stoves in the cabanas. You can see the last worries of the day sort of melt away from people and it’s just a joy to see.” For dessert, ingredients from the field often share the spotlight with a little indulgence. “I cannot pull chocolate off in an agricultural sense,” he said, “but we serve it anyway. I love when my wife Jill eats chocolate and I see her smile. That’s how I envision all the rest of the guests enjoying it.” DOUGLAS BROWN
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2026: Page 108
