For the first time ever, the prestigious Michelin Guide awards its coveted stars to a select group of Colorado chefs and restaurants.
Chirashi at The Wolf’s Tailor consists of West Coast oysters, smoked trout roe, trout crudo, Santa Barbara uni, grated wasabi and buckwheat ponzu dressing. PHOTO BY JEFF FIERBERG/THE WOLF’S TAILOR
Colorado has long been known for its Rocky Mountain views, standout skiing and a robust craft beer scene. But lately, from the Front Range to Aspen, a growing number of chefs have been elevating the culinary landscape as well. This past year, Colorado became only the eighth destination in North America to have a Michelin Guide, with five restaurants receiving One Michelin Star, four receiving a coveted Green Star for sustainability, and 44 total receiving some form of recognition from the prestigious guide. Colorado’s dining scene is now solidly on the culinary map. “This is important for the entire state,” says Bobby Stuckey, co-founder and partner of Boulder’s Frasca Food & Wine, which was awarded a Michelin Star. “Having Michelin in Colorado is a boon for the whole economy. We’re ecstatic.”
Colorado’s first Michelin Guide award ceremony, held in September at Denver’s Mission Ballroom, was a swanky affair attended by local celebrity chefs, food-focused media and Bibendum, the Michelin Man, who was on hand for selfies. Champagne and Petrossian caviar were served alongside small bites from Michelin hopefuls, including Blackbelly Market and the Ginger Pig.
Chef Kelly Whitaker’s Id Est Hospitality group was the big winner of the night, with Brutø and The Wolf ’s Tailor each receiving One Star and a Green Star, and Basta taking home a Bib Gourmand award for value. “Michelin coming to Colorado means a lot, and I hope it spotlights Denver in a really positive way,” Whitaker says. “I’m glad to see people thinking about sustainability because that’s huge for us. It supports people’s lives and the community. This is just so important to the future of hospitality, restaurants, the world and the planet.”
The story of how a French tire company became known as the arbiter of fine dining dates back to the early 1900s. Eduard and Andre Michelin, in an effort to create more demand for automobiles (and thus their tires), came up with the idea of printing a guide to France that included maps, hotels, gas stations and restaurants along the country’s roadways. The Guide gradually expanded throughout Europe, and, in 1926, the first Michelin Star ratings were awarded. The Michelin Guide didn’t arrive in the United States until 2005, initially covering New York City.
The three-star rating system, which debuted in 1931, has long been considered credible and authentic since Michelin’s inspectors remain completely anonymous when reviewing a restaurant. In a world filled with dubious five-star Yelp reviews, receiving a single Michelin Star is a huge honor and a rare accomplishment.
“Just to put in context what an honor this evening is for the state, Colorado will be only the sixth state in the entire United States of America that now has Michelin-starred restaurants,” said Denver mayor Mike Johnston during the awards ceremony. “The other 44 states are just chasing behind, trying to be us. This is an incredible moment.”
Read on for a rundown of Colorado’s newly minted Michelin-rated restaurants and the chefs who took to the stage to don a Michelin chef coat and receive their Michelin star.
The Wolf ’s Tailor’s creative multicourse menu draws inspiration from Nordic, Italian and East Asian cuisines. Chef Taylor Spark’s dishes, while thematically varied, share a common thread in cooking with technical precision and harmonious flavors. The restaurant contracts to grow heirloom wheat on organic, regeneratively farmed land; recycles bread waste into sourdough gochujang; and has an on-site pollinator garden and a certified sustainable-foraging program.
A pretty dessert at Frasca Food & Wine. FRASCA PHOTO COURTESY OF FRASCA
Chef Ian Palazzola’s cooking is Italian, specifically from the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, with elements of Slavic and alpine cuisines—all featuring Coloradan ingredients and a straightforward approach. Opened in 2004, Frasca owes its staying power to exquisite food paired with an award-winning wine program and high-touch hospitality. “Our goal has always been to get a little better each night,” says founder and master sommelier Bobby Stuckey. “It feels fresher now than it did 20 years ago, and we are so proud of that.”
Brutø’s plates feature seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. BRUTØ PHOTO BY JEFFREY FIERBERG
Brutø features a 16-seat chef ’s counter offering a multicourse tasting menu inspired by Latin and global cuisines. The heart of Brutø lies in its hearth, a live oak fire manned by chefs from open to close every day; it’s the restaurant’s primary cooking implement, infusing each of the tasting menu’s courses with distinct notes. Food here is seasonal and locally sourced, including grains that are milled in-house. The restaurant’s zero-waste ethos includes a partnership with Zero Foodprint to help reduce its carbon footprint and emissions.
From left to right: At Bosq, grilled wild mushrooms, oysters in smoke with buttermilk and pine, arctic char with sea buckthorn, white asparagus and miner’s lettuce. BOSQ PHOTO BY BROOKE CASILLAS
A family-owned restaurant run by chef and owner Barclay Dodge and his wife, Molly, Bosq is meant to feel like an extension of their home. The seasonally inspired, customizable tasting menu showcases the tradition of agriculture in the Roaring Fork Valley. Chef Dodge and his team create an “alchemy of flavor” by focusing on foraging, fermenting and local farms.
Bramble & Hare draws most of its ingredients from its sister business Black Cat Organic Farm, which supports a flock of heritage sheep, heritage pigs and more than 250 varieties of organic vegetables, grains, legumes, herbs and flowers. The close relationship between the fields and the restaurant fosters creativity in the kitchen. Menus evolve every week, reflecting what the farm team is currently harvesting
Dried tomato tart with goat cheese, orange and prosciutto at Bramble & Hare. PHOTO BY DOUGLAS BROWN
At this warmly welcoming RiNo spot, diners gather around an 18-seat counter facing the kitchen for a unique culinary experience. Chef Duncan Holmes’ Scandinavian-influenced multicourse tasting menu changes with the seasons and offers distinctive flavor combinations such as snapper, turnip and shisho, and venison, morel and fig. Patio seating and wine pairings are also available.
At Beckon, the Japanese A5 Wagyu ribeye is gently seared and finished with smoked Maldon salt. PHOTO: BY BENJAMIN PERRI
“Our entire program is based on sustainability, supporting local growers and ranchers, cooking seasonally and minimizing waste,” says Blackbelly chef Hosea Rosenberg. “We purchase whole animals, process them in our butcher shop, and serve the products in delicious and interesting ways. Everything gets used from the skin to the bones.” Blackbelly was also named one of Colorado’s “recommended” restaurants, and head butcher Kelly Kawachi received the Michelin Young Chef/Culinary Professional Award.
Blackbelly’s hamachi crudo with garden herb aguachile, plum, burr gherkin and ice plant. COURTESY OF BLACKBELLY
These restaurants in Colorado’s mountain towns earned Michelin “Recommended” honors.
Sweet Basil. BY SARA REBEKA PHOTOGRAPHY
Element 47, Aspen
Mawa’s Kitchen, Aspen
Mirabelle, Beaver Creek
Osaki’s, Vail
Prospect, Aspen
Splendido, Beaver Creek
Sweet Basil, Vail
Wyld, Avon
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