Colorado star chef Troy Guard is slipping away from the Sullivan Restaurant Group, owned by his father-in-law, developer Jim Sullivan.
Troy is married to Sullivan’s daughter, Leigh, who left her position as PR/spokeswoman for the restaurant concern last month. It’s not all in the family anymore.
Guard has opened and operated various restaurants for Sullivan since the family ties began a few years ago. He oversees Nine 75 on Lincoln; Ocean in Cherry Creek North; and Oscar’s, the steakhouse attached to the Diamond Cabaret. Another Nine 75 is set to open this month at 120th and Federal. And, says Guard, a third Nine 75 is planned for Scottsdale, Ariz., next year. Guard will remain a partner in Nine 75.
“I’m leaving in three to four months,” Guard told me Tuesday. “I’m trying to put together a deal of my own. Jim is cool with it. … I love the opportunity Jim has given me, but since I was 16, I have wanted to have my own place and be my own boss. I’ve got to try it.”
Sullivan says he thinks Guard will be around longer, but he is behind any move. “I love the guy and support him in anything he does. Changes happen all the time, and this is just a changing of the guard. It’s business as usual.”
What a weekend
“What happens in Aspen stays in Vegas.”
That’s what a high-profile Denver chef told me after a wild weekend at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic. You take thousands of winemakers, celebrity chefs, foodies, flacks and writers, stick them in a tent, and fuel it all with foie gras and Fumé Blanc – well, something’s gotta give. And it will – this weekend.
Action!
The Grand Junction Sentinel reports that the cast and crew for the major motion picture “The Return” flew into the Western Slope town Tuesday on a chartered Boeing 727. The cast includes Tim Robbins, Rachel McAdams and Michael Peña – and the flick’s directed by Neil Burger of “The Illusionist.”
The movie is skedded to shoot in Denver. Stay tuned.
Belly up to the bars
Denver bar-boy Bill Ward is set to open two more joints on Larimer Square. He’s doing well with his first, Slim 7, so look for Pi to open in the next month or so, Below to open in the fall.
Both will be have back-alley entrances and reside below Bistro Vendome. Pi, Ward tells me, will be a low-key NYC pizza lounge. At 2 a.m. they’ll pick up the booze but keep serving slices until 5 a.m.
Below will be a swank, gothic, high-end Euro bar with hot women, bottle service and edgy design. “It’s going to be phenomenal,” says Ward.
City spirit
What a lineup! John Legend is just inked to follow Joss Stone at Jazz Aspen Snowmass on Sept. 1. The first JAS fest comes down June 21-24. … Local acting kid AnnaSophia Robb is on the road promoting the DVD of her movie “Bridge to Terabithia.” Catch her on CBS’s “Early Show” Tuesday morning. … Sez who: “My dad said I’d never amount to anything. Lucky guess.” David Cousins
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Husted also appears Tuesdays and Fridays on “Good Day Colorado” on Fox 31. You can reach him at 303-954-1486 or bhusted@denverpost.com. Take a peek at Husted’s next column at denverpostblog
