Though Coloradans already know (thanks to their tastebuds) there are some top-notch restaurants here, the state got a little more street cred on Wednesday: Eight Colorado food and drink purveyors made this year’s
For the uninitiated, the James Beard awards are the Oscars of the food world. To win one (or even make the list of semifinalists or final nominees) is a massive honor that cannot be overstated. These awards recognize the absolute best chefs, restaurants, pastry chefs, bakers and more from across the country.
The Colorado restaurants, bakeries, distilleries and chefs who made it into the 2019 semifinals (several of them repeat nominees from past years) have a chance to make it to the final round of nominees before the 29th annual James Beard Awards Gala in May in Chicago. The list of final nominees will be announced on March 27.
One of Colorado’s semifinalists is Caroline Glover, who is nominated for best chef in the southwest. Glover, 32, founded Annette in Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace in 2016 after working as a sous chef at Denver’s Acorn and The Spotted Pig in New York.
Glover says she woke up Wednesday to a handful of congratulatory text messages, which alerted her to this year’s semifinalist announcement. (Last year, she made the list for Best New Restaurant and Best Chef Southwest.)
“For me, seeing my name is really incredible, but seeing Annette and Aurora, Colorado, on that list — it means the world,” she said. “We have a really great team and I love the community that we’re in.”
The philosophy at Annette, which is Glover’s first restaurant, is simplicity — letting high-quality ingredients and products shine through and stand on their own. Glover says she wakes up every day excited to get to work.
“I love that I get to cook every day, I love that I get to make decisions every day and work for myself, and I love the guests who come through the door,” she said. “We have a really incredible crowd that supports us and it’s fun to know that your day is going to involve cooking and interacting with people who you really enjoy.”
The Wolf’s Tailor in Denver’s Sunnyside neighborhood saw two nods from the James Beard Foundation: Kelly Whitaker is a semifinalist for Best Chef Southwest and Jeb Breakell is up for Outstanding Pastry Chef. The two men shared a happy moment on the phone after learning they had both made the list, Whitaker said.
The kitchen staff at The Wolf’s Tailor is unique — they don’t have traditional French Brigade titles like “chef de cuisine” or “sous chef.” Instead, they’re all equal members of the same culinary team. The restaurant’s menu, which changes daily, is difficult to put a label on (don’t call it “fusion food,” Whitaker said) but draws inspiration from Italy and Asia.
The restaurant is also very new, having opened in the fall. To Whitaker, who is also chef and owner of Basta in Boulder and co-founder of the Noble Grain Alliance, the nominations are confirmation that his team’s latest experiment is paying off.
“To get a nod this early is huge,” Whitaker, 42, said. “And that’s why we’re all in this. You have to show up every day and be like, ‘This isn’t how we’ve seen restaurants run. This isn’t how restaurants are supposed to act. We’re not supposed to be doing this.’ “
Q House, the modern Chinese restaurant that opened in Denver’s Bluebird District in May 2018, also is a semifinalist in the Best New Restaurant category. Chris Lin, the restaurant’s executive chef and partner, almost became a computer programmer — but, luckily for the foodies of Denver, he ended up becoming a chef instead.
After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Lin worked at Tabla and Momofuku in New York, then at Old Major in Denver.
“We’re obviously very honored and a little bit surprised that we got some recognition nationally,” Lin, 36, said. “We’re very happy that we’re getting noticed.”
Lin said he hopes the restaurant helps people reimagine Chinese cuisine and dispels some of their preconceived notions about it. The fried eggplant, for example, may not initially jump out to guests, but Lin says they’re happy they tried something new once they taste the dish.
“A lot of people have very limited experience with eggplant, but they see (that it’s served with) General Tso’s sauce and they order it and are pleasantly surprised at the different textures that eggplant can invoke,” he said.
Here are the Colorado semifinalists for the 2019 James Beard awards:
Best New Restaurant
Best Chef, Southwest
Caroline Glover, , Aurora
Kelly Whitaker, , Denver
Outstanding Baker
Andy Clark, , Louisville
Outstanding Pastry Chef
Jeb Breakell, , Denver
Outstanding Service
, Boulder
Outstanding Wine Service
at the , Aspen
Outstanding Wine, Spirits or Beer Producer
Todd Leopold and Scott Leopold, ., Denver
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
UPDATED Feb.27 at 12:05 p.m.: This online file has been updated to reflect to correct spelling of Glover.
