
Craft Beer + Food
PAIRED unites independent craft breweries with acclaimed chefs from across the country to celebrate the intricacies and possibilities of pairing beer and food. Enjoy uniquely designed small bites perfectly paired with craft beer, cider, and cocktails found nowhere else at the festival. PAIRED attendees will enjoy 2-oz. pours.
Our 2025 chefs include James Beard Award nominees and winners, Michelin Star chefs, and Food and Wine Best New Chefs, Top Chef finalists, and two world pizza champions.
Two nights only. Oct 9 & 10, 5:30-9:00 pm.
Two ticket options are available: PAIRED only or PAIRED + GABF general session.
2025 Menu
2 Towns Ciderhouse
Corvallis, Oregon
pacific pineapple
semi-sweet cider
Chefs Carrie Baird & Blake Edmunds
Denver, Colorado
harvest moon slider
juicy pork | melty fontina | tangy apple mostarda
2 Towns Ciderhouse
Corvallis, Oregon
10th anniversary
wheat beer
Chefs Carrie Baird & Blake Edmunds
Denver, Colorado
mini apple pie
delicate pastry | roasted apples | pastry cream | crisp streusel crumble
Allagash Brewing Co.
Portland, Maine
curieux
wood and barrel aged beer
Chef Matt Vawter
Breckenridge, Colorado
maine lobster roll
house made brioche | creme fraiche
Allagash Brewing Co.
Portland, Maine
coolship red
sour ale
Chef Matt Vawter
Breckenridge, Colorado
pot du creme
raspberry & milk cremeaux | cardamom caramel | chantilly
Big Grove Brewing
Iowa City, Iowa
wade wisely
coffee beer
Chefs Melinda & Amando Carbajal
Denver, Colorado
salted pretzel crust
dark chocolate stout ganache | candied orange
Big Grove Brewing
Iowa City, Iowa
sova czech amber lager
vienna-style lager
Chefs Melinda & Amando Carbajal
Denver, Colorado
pizza wtih corto olive oil | fontina cheese
soppresata | fig jam | honey drizzle
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Milton, Delaware
raison d’être
brown ale
Chef Gavin Fine
Jackson, Wyoming
bacon cheddar gougère
braunschweiger | huckleberry cherry compote
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Milton, Delaware
vodka crush blood orange mango
rtd cocktail
Chef Gavin Fine
Jackson, Wyoming
chicken laarb lettuce cup
fresh herbs | pickled shallot | thai chili vinaigrette
Fieldwork Brewing Company
Berkeley, California
summertime smile factory
west coast double ipa
Chef James Arbaugh
Des Moines, Iowa
ceviche tostadas
cucumber | orange | mango | jalapeño | cilantro | lime
Fieldwork Brewing Company
Berkeley, California
aloha vibes
sour ale
Chef James Arbaugh
Des Moines, Iowa
almond & coconut cake
passion fruit frosting | hibiscus & orange marmalade | coconut granola
Foam Brewers
Burlington, Vermont
a new england
juicy/hazy ipa
Chef Josh Niernberg
Grand Junction, Colorado
blistered biquino peppers
white cheddar fondue | puffed barley | miso chimi | palisade peach gastrique
Foam Brewers
Burlington, Vermont
house of fermentology tiny dots
wood and barrel aged sour beer
Chef Josh Niernberg
Grand Junction, Colorado
hushpuppies of olateh sweet & nixtamal corn
whipped cotija | elderberry honey | plum caramel | amaranth seeds
Formula Brewing
Issaquah, Washington
don’t yuck my yum
international-style pale ale
Chefs Danny Lee & Scott Drewno
Washington, D.C.
bibim guksu
chilled somen noodle | kimchi & gochujang dressing | shredded lettuce | cucumbers | herb salad
Formula Brewing
Issaquah, Washington
calibrate your enthusiasm
witbier
Chefs Danny Lee & Scott Drewno
Washington, D.C.
dan dan noodles
somen noodle | sichaun hot & numbing beef & pork gravy | crushed peanuts
Highland Park Brewery
Los Angeles, California
hello, LA
west coast ipa with citra & mosaic hops
Chefs Leah Scurto & Lars Smith
Windsor, California
not fried artichoke
confit artichoke heart flower | seasoned panko | la west coast aioli | hop salt | micro arugula
Highland Park Brewery
Los Angeles, California
breaking silence
west coast pilsner
Chefs Leah Scurto & Lars Smith
Windsor, California
cowboy candy popper pizza
candied jalapeños | bacon lardon | marin french petit breakfast cheese | mozzarella | garlic cream
Hinterland Brewery
Green Bay, Wisconsin
galaxy zest pale ale
international-style pale ale
Chefs Dan Jacobs & Dan Van Rite
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
ramen noodles salad
cabbage | carrots | scallion | orange | tahini dressing
Hinterland Brewery
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Hinterland saving gracie gluten free sour berry
gluten free beer
Chefs Dan Jacobs & Dan Van Rite
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
korean pork taco
miso refried beans | kimchi relish | lime mayo | cilantro
KANE Brewing Company
Ocean, New Jersey
field and oak blueberry | harvest 2022
belgian fruit beer
Chefs Kelly Whitaker & Mara King
Denver, Colorado
popcorn with chicken salt
chicken fat |plum | miso
KANE Brewing Company
Ocean, New Jersey
a night to end all dawns
wood and barrel aged beer
Chefs Kelly Whitaker & Mara King
Denver, Colorado
red miso ice cream
sansho pepper | whiskey mirin | tamari sprinkles
Lawson’s Finest Liquids
Waitsfield, Vermont
maple tripple ale
slowly fermented single batch brew| bottled 2024
Chef Brad Daniels
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
jasper hill whitney cheesy toast
Lawson’s Finest Liquids
Waitsfield, Vermont
double sunshine
ipa
Chef Brad Daniels
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
lemon miso pastina
Lua Brewing
Des Moines, Iowa
overtime travis
hazy triple ipa
Chef Tim Kuklinski
Denver, Colorado
beef carpaccio
dashi beurre blanc | trout roe
Lua Brewing
Des Moines, Iowa
sonder #6
berliner weisse
Chef Tim Kuklinski
Denver, Colorado
rabbit & carmelized apple terrine
kabocha squash aigre-doux
Monday Night Brewing
Atlanta, Georgia
faithful instruction
3-year blend of spontaneous beer with raspberries
Chef Ben Smart
Solon, Iowa
spiced duck rillette
carmelized onion bun | raspberry mustard | pickled shallot | hazelnut | fennel & herb salad
Monday Night Brewing
Atlanta, Georgia
tears of our enemies
dessert stout
Chef Ben Smart
Solon, Iowa
smoked guajillo chocolate tart
cinnamon chantilly | salted cajeta | masa crème anglaise | chile dust
Oskar Blues Brewery
Lyons, Colorado
ba24 vol 12
wood and barrel aged beer
Chef Sean Towley
Solon, Iowa
crab hushpuppy
curried mango | blue cheese remoulade
Oskar Blues Brewery
Lyons, Colorado
frozen hell cherry
brett beer
Chef Sean Towley
Solon, Iowa
tres leches cake
luxardo cherry compote | almond chantilly
Other Half Brewing
Brooklyn, New York
ba bananaversary
barrel aged imperial stout
Chef Bill Espiricueta
Denver, Colorado
oreo cheesecake panna cotta
dark chocolate | cookie crumble
Other Half Brewing
Brooklyn, New York
all citra everything
ddh imperial ipa
Chef Bill Espiricueta
Denver, Colorado
housemade chorizo verde
cheddar grits | cilantro
Outer Range Brewing Co.
Frisco, Colorado
alpen pilsner
pilsner
Chef Mike Friedman
Washington, D.C.
crispy potato fritella
smoked bacon | fontina | pickled onion | horseradish & apple rafano
Outer Range Brewing Co.
Frisco, Colorado
colorado cou cou
hazy ipa
Chef Mike Friedman
Washington, D.C.
spicy lamb & pork sausage
calabrian chili | pineapple mostarda | fresh mint
Roadhouse Brewing Co.
Jackson, Wyoming
behind you lager
experimental beer with coriander and salt
Chef Paul Reilly
Denver, Colorado
lamb loukaniko sausage
pear mostarda | rutabaga | orange zest
Roadhouse Brewing Co.
Jackson, Wyoming
hypersonic kush
west coast ipa
Chef Paul Reilly
Denver, Colorado
tuna poke
avocado mousse | salsa macha | puffed grains
Schilling Beer Co.
Littleton, New Hampshire
alexandr
czech-style pilsner
Chef Caroline Glover
Aurora, Colorado
dressed oyster
celery mignonette | horseradish
Schilling Beer Co.
Littleton, New Hampshire
georg
munich-style dunkel
Chef Caroline Glover
Aurora, Colorado
traveling mercies gilda
cantabrian anchovy | marinated pepper | olive
Schilling Hard Cider
Seattle, Washington
excelsior imperial hyper-dry
dry cider
Chef Adam Branz
Denver, Colorado
tapas | pintxos | bits & bobs
Schilling Hard Cider
Seattle, Washington
excelsior imperial mango
specialty cider
Chef Adam Branz
Denver, Colorado
tapas | pintxos | bits & bobs
Strangebird
Rochester, New York
Framboise
barrel aged sour with raspberries
Chef Gabe Wyman
Denver, Colorado
goatcheescake berry tart
Strangebird
Rochester, New York
jamais vu
white ipa with orange peel, coriander seeds and lemongrass
Chef Gabe Wyman
Denver, Colorado
pork spring roll
lemongrass & orange braised pork
True Anomaly Brewing Co.
Houston, Texas
heat shields are for sissies
belgian quad
Chef Sarah Beckwith
Boulder, Colorado
braised beef birria
esquites | cornbread
True Anomaly Brewing Co.
Houston, Texas
sea of waves
wood and barrel aged sour beer
Chef Sarah Beckwith
Boulder, Colorado
goat cheese stuffed dates
honey | pistachio
Unseen Creatures Brewing & Blending
Miami, Florida
midnight whisperer
barrel aged imperial stout
Chef Franco Ruiz
Denver, Colorado
fall squash flan
bourbon caramel | pecan crumble | vanilla bean cream
Unseen Creatures Brewing & Blending
Miami, Florida
pursuance
hazy pale ale
Chef Franco Ruiz
Denver, Colorado
crispy pork shortrib
palisade peach & achiote salsa | pickled red onion | queso fresco | crunchy bits
Wolf’s Ridge Brewing
Columbus, Ohio
daybreak
coffee beer
Chef Linda Hampsten-Fox
Denver, Colorado
porcini dusted brioche doughnut
truffled fonduta
Wolf’s Ridge Brewing
Columbus, Ohio
buchenrauch
smoke beer
Chef Linda Hampsten-Fox
Denver, Colorado
brown sugar crusted pork belly pastrami
kraut | mustard
Yeti Mocktail Bar
hibiscus spiced cider
craft tonic & soda
Meet the 2025 Chefs

James Arbaugh
Des Moines, IA
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, James honed his technique and palate in some of the country’s most respected kitchens—including Michelin starred Plumed Horse in Saratoga, CA. Since relocating to Iowa, he’s opened two restaurants—most notably Lua Brewing, which earned national acclaim including Best Brewpub in the U.S. in 2025.
Known for his seasonal, ingredient-driven approach and passion for garden-grown produce and caviar, James brings both precision and warmth to his cooking. Off the line, he’s a golf enthusiast, Philadelphia Eagles loyalist, and an avid gardener and forager.

Carrie Baird
Denver, CO
Chef Carrie Baird has made a name for herself over the last two decades leading kitchens in some of the most highly-regarded restaurants in Denver, Colorado. Baird’s signature style fuses locally-sourced ingredients with healthy twists on classic and innovative, new dishes.
Baird competed on Season 15 of Bravo’s “Top Chef” where she quickly became a fan favorite and was a top 4 finalist. In the spring of 2019, Baird was a contestant on Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay” and beat him handily with her Pork Green Chili Huevos Rancheros. She was an All-Star judge on “Top Chef” Season 18, judging 8 episodes of the season.
Baird has earned numerous accolades for her work as Executive Chef of Bar Dough including being a semi-finalist for the James Beard Award, Best Chef Mountain in 2019. Bar Dough was named one of the 25 Best Restaurants in Denver in 2017, 2018 and 2019 while Baird was the executive chef.
Baird is currently the Culinary Director for The Culinary Creative Group’s Americana division in Denver where she oversees four Tap & Burger concepts and is a Partner and Chef for Fox and the Hen.

Sarah Beckwith
Boulder, CO
Colorado transplant, Sarah Beckwith, has been cooking as long as she can remember. She spent the beginning of her professional career working at The Little Nell in Aspen, CO where she honed her skills, worked with many talented chefs and learned to love locally grown produce. After that she spent a few more years in Aspen, where she ran her own cheese shop, catered and finally opened a craft beer bar before moving to Boulder to join her mentor Steve Redzikowski at OAK at Fourteenth. After almost seven years working with Steve and his partners, Sarah left to join the Culinary program at Rosetta Hall where she hopes to share her passion for locally sourced global cuisine and progressive leadership with the team.

Adam Branz
Denver, CO
For a chef who got into the restaurant business on a whim, Adam Branz has certainly made a name for himself.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Branz was raised in Breese, Illinois and has spent most of his life in the Midwest and Mountain West. He attended Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois before moving to Le Cordon Bleu St. Louis and graduating at the top of his class.
Branz and his wife Lauren moved to Denver so she could attend law school at The University of Denver. He has worked in all restaurants owned by James Beard Best Chef Southwest Jennifer Jasinski and her business partner Beth Gruitch settling in at Bistro Vendôme where he was named chef de cuisine in 2014. Late 2017 found Branz in the kitchen at the new Ultreia in Denver’s Historic Union Station featuring the foods of Spain and Portugal. He left to create Split Lip Kitchen after testing it as a pop-up at Ultreia. Branz returned to Ultreia in 2024 as Operating Partner.
After shift, you’ll find Branz at Nallens, a local Irish pub. On his days off, you might try Watercourse where he loves the BBQ pulled jackfruit sandwich. He lives in south Denver with his wife Lauren, their two children Belle and Arlo and their two pups.

Melinda & Amando Carbajal
Centennial, CO
Colorado locals and long time food enthusiasts Melinda and Amando Carbajal acquired Simply Pizza Truck in 2019 along with their partners Mary and Bronson Rose. Since then they have been named best food truck in Denver, served over $100,000 in free meals to those in need, competed in the Caputo Cup in Naples, expanded to two new sites (including the Denver Zoo), and have more on the way! As pizzaiolos they strive to bring high quality, clean ingredients, to fast service settings. Keeping community and local businesses and their products in the forefront!

Brad Daniels
Philadelphia, PA
Brad is the chef and owner of Tresini Bar & Cucina outside of Philadelphia, PA. Brad started his journey as a pasta cook for James Beard Award winning chef Marc Vetri. As the Vetri family grew so did Brad’s role. It was only a matter of time before the fire that started in his youth would drive him to open his own restaurant.

Scott Drewno
The Fried Rice Collective: CHIKO, Anju, I Egg You
Chef Scott Drewno was raised in the heart of New York’s Finger Lakes wine region, a rural area known for its vineyards and its family-owned farms. Watching his mother turn fresh, seasonal produce from local farm stands into bubbling pies and cobblers first piqued his interest in cooking and planted the seed for Drewno’s culinary ambition. Drewno joined the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group in 1998. At Chinois, he learned to meld French cooking techniques with vibrant Asian flavors. At Spago, he came to understand the importance of beginning with only the finest ingredients. Drewno furthered his knowledge and solidified his passion for Asian cuisines at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Vong and Stephen Hansen’s Ruby Foo’s.
In 2007, Wolfgang Puck tapped Drewno as the opening Executive Chef of The Source. The restaurant was honored with numerous accolades including three-star reviews from both The Washington Post and Washingtonian Magazine. The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) awarded The Source “New Restaurant of the Year” in 2008 and “Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year” in 2011. Drewno received the coveted “Chef of the Year” prize in 2010 and again in 2016. In 2012 and 2013, Drewno was a semifinalist for the “Best Chef Mid-Atlantic” James Beard Award.

Blake Edmunds
Denver, CO
Blake Edmunds is a Colorado native who continues to elevate the Colorado food scene with his passion, creativity, and dedication. Throughout his career, Blake has worked beside Colorado’s best chefs and in “acclaimed restaurants” such as Michelin-starred restaurants including La Cabro d’Or (France), Le Bernardin (New York), and the Restaurant at Meadowood (California). Blake spent more than four years working with award-winning chef Alex Seidel at his small farm-driven restaurant, Fruition. During this time, Blake advanced from line cook to sous chef, honing his skills as a creative, committed chef and as a mentor and leader in the kitchen.

Bill Espiricueta
Denver, CO
Though spirit-wise he’s a Colorado boy,
Executive Chef/Owner Bill Espiricueta was
born in Austin, Texas, and has been eating,
making, and enjoying BBQ with a fiery
passion from an early age, getting his
professional start at Kansas City’s progressive
Bluestem Restaurant before jumping to fine
dining, working with Nobu Matsuhisa at
Nobu in downtown Dallas’s Crescent Hotel,
before finding his way to Colorado where
worked closely for many years with some of
Denver’s most esteemed culinary talent. In
2018 he opened the first restaurant of his
own, Smok, a barbecue spot combining
influences from the most iconic barbecuemaking regions around the country with his
own global travel and culinary inspirations
paired and executed with the sensibilities
and high expectations a fine-dining chef.

Gavin Fine
Jackson Hole, WY
Gavin Fine developed a passion for the culinary world as a young boy growing up in Chicago. After working for Richard Melman’s restaurant group, Lettuce Entertain You, in his home town, he followed his passion to Cornell University’s Hotel and Restaurant Management School and then to Jackson Hole. While his visions of becoming a ski bum never fully materialized, Fine worked nearly every job between the front- and back-of-house, where he met his soon-to-be business partner Roger Freedman, working side-by-side in one of the area’s top restaurant kitchens. Fine and Freedman forged a friendship and decided to open Rendezvous Bistro in 2001, when Fine was just 26-years-old. After a number of years, Fine opened his second business in 2003 (Bistro Catering). Many years later, several restaurants (Il Villaggio Osteria, The Kitchen, Bin22, Bar Enoteca, Roadhouse Pub & Eatery, The Bistro), a specialty grocer (Bodega) and retail brands (Cream + Sugar artisan ice cream and Bovine + Swine craft meats) added to what is now Fine Dining Restaurant Group, Fine continues to be considered a premier restaurateur of the Rocky Mountain region. In addition to FDRG, Gavin is also the co-owner and founder of Roadhouse Brewing Co.

Michael Friedman
The Red Hen, All Purpose, Aventino
Bethesda, MD
Westfield, New Jersey native Michael Friedman’s professional cooking career began as a prep cook with Mon Ami Gabi. Friedman spent three years with Rich Melman’s Lettuce Entertain You group, rising to sous chef in just eight months before enrolling in the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.
After graduating at the top of his CIA class, Friedman began working for Jose Andres at Zaytinya. After two years, he left his mentor to travel the world. Eating through Italy, Greece, Turkey and Northern Africa, Friedman picked up the interesting and exciting nuances of each country. Back in the US, Friedman spent time staging in some influential kitchens, including San Francisco’s Incanto, Los Angeles’ Lucques, Philadelphia’s Vetri and New York’s Scarpetta. Friedman returned to D.C. as Executive Sous Chef of Proof, and under the tutelage of Executive Chef Haidar Karoum, he learned to hone his craft and simplify his style to let seasonal ingredients shine.

Caroline Glover
Aurora, CO
Caroline Glover founded Annette in the fall of 2016. She named the restaurant for her feisty and brilliant great aunt Netsie, a novelist and short story writer who lived in small town Texas. Netsie didn’t teach Caroline to cook, though her tamales and martinis were exemplary. Instead, she taught caroline to have a strong opinion. That confidence in her own good taste has carried Caroline through more than 15 years in the restaurant industry.
The 2022 James Beard Foundation Award winner for “Best Chef: Mountain,” Caroline was nominated in the same category in 2020 and earned semi-finalist nominations in 2018 and 2019. In 2018, Annette was a semi-finalist in the “Best New Restaurant” category.
Caroline and her husband Nelson also own the oyster, cocktail and wine bar Traveling Mercies, which was a 2025 semi-finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best New Bar award and was named one of Esquire Magazine’s Best Bars in America in 2024.
Caroline is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. After school, she worked for two years at The Spotted Pig in New York City, a pioneering gastropub run by famed British chef April Bloomfield. She became a sous chef under Bloomfield and executive chef Nate Smith (now a Brooklyn restaurateur in his own right) before leaving to work on farms in Pennsylvania, Vermont and Colorado.

Linda Hampsten-Fox
Denver, CO
Linda Hampsten Fox is the chef/owner of The Bindery, an all-day bakery, market and restaurant, in Denver’s historic Lower Highlands (LoHi) neighborhood. In 2024, she will open The Bindery in Concourse A of Denver International Airport.
Linda was named Chef of the Year in 2018 by the Colorado Restaurant Association and in 2023, she was chosen by the James Beard Foundation as one of the TasteTwenty Chefs for her work championing the Foundation’s mission of Good Food for Good.
In addition to the accolades earned at The Bindery, Linda has an impressive portfolio of references, including celebrities spanning the likes of Dr. Jane Goodall, Michael York, Nancy Pelosi, Dave Matthews, Melissa Etheridge, Amos Lee and Nic & Helen Foster (from the live radio show E-Town in Boulder, Colorado). Her charisma and talents in the kitchen made her a sought-after asset by a cooking school in San Jose Del Cabo, Baja Mexico, and also as a menu developer for a host of restaurants in Denver.
In her free time, you can find Linda mountain biking, surfing or enjoying meals together with her family (husband Steve, daughter Emma and stepsons Jake, Matthew, and Ben).

Tim Kuklinski
Denver, CO
Denver is lucky to be the last stop for Tim Kuklinski. A peripatetic childhood took him back and forth across the country. Stops in Rome, New York; Pottstown, Pennsylvania; Norman, Oklahoma; Tucson, Arizona and Omaha, Nebraska preceded finally settling in Denver for his culinary school education at Johnson & Wales University.
Tim’s foray into a civil engineering degree path at University of Nebraska proved disappointing when he realized he couldn’t bring passion to the craft. Culinary school beckoned and it was on Denver’s Johnson & Wales campus that Tim found his life’s work. He met and befriended chef Jorel Pierce, another JWU undergrad, and together they advanced through the job progression at Rioja to form the backbone of the award-winning kitchen.
Others characterize Tim’s food as feminine, a description that vexed him until he stepped back and realized that his culinary influences have been predominantly women beginning with his mom who worked full time but still found time to cook “from scratch” meals every night for Tim and his family. Working alongside James Beard award-winning Chef/Owner Jennifer Jasinski and now Work + Class Chef/Owner Dana Rodriguez gave Tim the basis for his style. Constant reading of menus, cookbooks, trade publications and simply scouring the web allow Tim to continue his education, learn new ingredients and acquire innovative techniques he employs on the Crafted Concepts menus.
Tim took 6 months away from the Rioja kitchen to round out his skills at Euclid Hall, a sister restaurant serving hand cranked sausages, poutines, schnitzels and upgraded international pub food. He has also staged at Michelin-starred Grace and Graham Elliott in Chicago, then returned to Rioja as Executive Chef with a newfound sense of creativity and energy. He assumed the role of Culinary Director over all five Crafted Concepts restaurants where he manages, cajoles, encourages and monitors the chefs and cooks that create Denver’s best food.

Danny Lee
The Fried Rice Collective: CHIKO, Anju, I Egg You
In 2006, Danny and his mother, Yesoon, decided to open their own restaurant, one that played to their strengths and represented their culinary traditions and culture. They opened Mandu, DC’s first full service Korean restaurant, near Dupont Circle. Five years later, the family opened a second location in DC’s Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood.
In 2017, Lee started a new restaurant group with Chef Scott Drewno called The Fried Rice Collective. The group’s first restaurant, CHIKO, opened in July of 2017 on Barrack’s Row in Washington, DC. CHIKO serves modern Chinese and Korean cuisine in a fun and casual environment. CHIKO has since expanded with additional locations in DC, Virginia, Maryland, and Encinitas, CA.
CHIKO has been awarded three-star ratings from both the Washington Post and Washingtonian, and was also nominated as a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best New Restaurant in the country in 2018. The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington awarded CHIKO Best New Restaurant at the 2018 RAMMY Awards as well as Best Casual Restaurant in 2020.

Josh Niernberg
Grand Junction, CO
Bin 707 Foodbar is a Zero Foodprint member, a 2018 and 2019 Good Food 100 restaurant, and a James Beard Smart Catch “Leader” for its ongoing commitment to sustainability within the industry. Chef/Owner Josh Niernberg is a 2022 James Beard Outstanding Chef Semifinalist and a 2020 James Beard Best Chef Mountain Region Semifinalist. Through his ethos and vision, Bin 707 Foodbar has remained a staple in the Western Colorado, Greater Colorado, and Regional Dining Community since its inception in 2011.

Paul Reilly
Denver, CO
Paul C Reilly grew up in New York’s Hudson Valley and has been working in kitchens since he was fourteen. Paul is the executive chef and proprietor of three concepts in Denver, Colorado along with his two business partners, Aileen Reilly and JP Taylor, Jr
beast + bottle opened in 2013 and has since become Denver’s premier farm to table experience serving relentlessly local, American fare. Coperta, celebrating the food and wine of Rome and southern Italy, opened in 2016. Both restaurants are no strangers to accolades and have been featured in numerous top of the city lists. In 2019, Paul opened Pizzeria Coperta serving scratch-made thin-crust pies. Later that year, Paul was the consulting chef for the New Belgium Brewery sports pub at Denver International Airport.
Paul is an ambassador of the good food movement working closely with Boulder County Farmers Markets, Good Food 100, Slow Food USA, and JBF Smart Catch. He is a James Beard Foundation Scholarship Winner and an alumnus of the James Beard Boot Camp for Policy and Change.
Paul lives in Arvada, Colorado with his wife Shannon and their three children. When not cooking at his award-winning restaurants, he enjoys skiing, baseball, travel, and cooking at home.

Franco Ruiz
Denver, CO
Originally from San Diego, Ruiz began cooking alongside his father, a chef for Wolfgang Puck in the 1980s, at the age of 13. Ruiz’ core values – working with fresh, local and sustainable ingredients – were ingrained at an early age as a result of his family background and California lifestyle. A graduate of the San Diego Culinary Institute, Ruiz has traveled from Mexico to Europe, including France and Spain, working in an array of restaurants, including several Michelin-starred venues. He’s also received accolades that include “32 Restaurant Stars on the Rise” from FSR Magazine, and “Denver Chefs Who Are Rising Stars” by The Denver Post.

Leah Scurto
Windsor, CA
In 2024, Leah Scurto won 3rd place at the Caputo Cup in Naples, Italy. She has competed in pizza culinary competitions across the United States and Italy. She currently owns and operates PizzaLeah in Sonoma County, Ca. Since opening in March 2020, Pizzaleah has been included multiple times on the San Francisco Chronicle’s list of the 25 Top Restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. Leah was recently featured in Pizza Today Magazine as one of the Rising Stars of the Pizza Industry.
PizzaLeah features a rotating craft beer list focusing on Sonoma County and California with guest appearances by some of Leah’s favorite breweries across the U.S. Leah is dedicated to being a small business owner that promotes other small businesses and their crafts whether it be beer, wine or food.

Sean Towley
Iowa City, IA
Sean Towley is the executive chef for Big Grove Brewery and oversees kitchen operations for our three, soon to be four, taprooms He attended and graduated from Kirkwood Community College with a A.A.S. in culinary arts. He began working for Big Grove in 2016. Sean and his wife, Tracy, live with their six pets in Iowa City.

Dan Jacobs & Dan Van Rite
Milwaukee, WI
Jacobs and Van Rite opened DanDan in July 2016, bringing chef-driven Chinese food with a midwestern sensibility to Milwaukee’s dining scene. Shortly after opening DanDan, the duo opened a highly-acclaimed fine dining restaurant and chef’s table concept, EsterEv, inside DanDan. The restaurant, named for Van Rite’s grandmother Evelyn and Jacobs’ great-grandmother Ester, offers a globally influenced 10 course pre-fixe menu that changes weekly.

Matt Vawter
Breckenridge, CO
A native of Summit County, Matt returned to the mountains after making a name for himself as executive chef at Mercantile Dining & Provision in Denver
Rootstalk is Chef Matt Vawter’s first solo restaurant; which opened in December of 2020. Rootstalk is a small, upscale, casual restaurant serving dinner located in the heart of beautiful Breckenridge, CO.

Mara King & Kelly Whitaker
Denver, CO
Mara King is a native of Hong Kong, a chef as well as the co-founder and COO of Ozuké, a fermented foods business that distributes throughout the US. She helped to produce a series of short films on Southwestern Chinese fermentation practices with Sandor Katz and Mattia Sacco Botto in 2017 and is currently working on a book on Chinese Fermentation as well as the second series of People’s Republic of Fermentation that will focus on Taiwan and China’s Eastern provinces.
James Beard-nominated Chef Kelly Whitaker he perfected his craft at the one Michelin star Hatfield’s, and later the two Michelin star, Providence. In 2008, Whitaker moved to Boulder and started Id Est Hospitality Group (IEHG). In addition to being an active member of Chefs Collaborative (he received the “Heart of the Collaborative” award in 2014), Whitaker sits on the Blue Ribbon Task Force for Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, and founded Noble Grain Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting domestic, milled-to-order grains.

Steve Wildy
Philadelphia, PA
After spending his early childhood in Northern Ireland, Steve Wildy began his career in the
restaurant industry at an early age in Pittsburgh, PA, as a dishwasher for a friend’s family’s
restaurant. He immediately fell for the hustle and bustle of the culinary world, and after
relocating to Philadelphia in the late 90s to enroll in Drexel University’s International Studies
program, he continued to work up the ladder in the restaurant field. An internship with the
European Parliament in Brussels introduced him to a fantastic food scene, the world’s best beer,
and to the early notion that a career in food and beverage might be better suited to him than a
career as a politician.
After a stint in specialty food service procuring fine cheeses and other gourmet food items for
restaurants, Steve became the General Manager for Vetri, Marc Vetri’s eponymous flagship
Italian restaurant. As the Vetri Family grew in size, a love for wine led to Steve’s transition to
Beverage Director, and later to Director of Operations. In 2015-2016 he assisted with the
integration of all platforms and standards throughout the company’s acquisition by Urban
Outfitters, Inc, where he stayed on and oversaw numerous new store openings across five
states. In 2020 Steve co-founded Mad Wild Wine, a wine & hospitality consulting and retail
outlet, and in 2021 co-founded Cloche Wine Co., a wine import and distribution company.
Steve was recognized as one of Food & Wine’s 2015 “Sommeliers of the Year” and nominated
by the James Beard Foundation as a semi-finalist in the category of “Outstanding Wine, Beer, or
Spirits Professional” in the same year. He previously led the Vetri front of house team to
consecutive “Outstanding Service” finalist nominations in 2008, 2009, and 2010. In 2016 he was
named a laureate of the coveted La Paulée Scholarship program celebrating education and
ambassadorship of the fine wines of Burgundy. His writing has appeared in numerous culinary
and beverage publications and he has guested on various podcasts about the beverage
industry. He currently resides in Philadelphia with his wife and son.

Gabe Wyman
Denver, CO
As one of the rare Colorado natives cooking in Colorado kitchens, Gabe Wyman is as scarce as the obscure varieties of oysters and seafood he sources and prepares as chef of Stoic & Genuine in Denver’s Historic Union Station.
Born and raised in Colorado, Gabe graduated from Evergreen High School and had short stints at Fort Lewis College in Durango and Johnson and Wales University in Denver. Upon returning to the mountain community, he found his calling at the iconic El Rancho in Evergreen as a pantry cook and worked his way up to sous chef with on-the-job training at every station in the kitchen. Eventually, Gabe decided that a move down the mountain to Denver was the only path to continued culinary growth.
A family connection helped Gabe find his first job in Denver, opening Vita with Chef Max Mackissock. He followed Max to the original Squeaky Bean and spent some time in the kitchen at Denver non-profit Work Options for Women. Through Max, Gabe met Max’s wife, Chef Jennifer Jasinski and joined the Crafted Concepts team at her flagship Rioja in 2008 as a pantry cook.
By the end of 2009, Gabe was in sous chef training at Rioja and was promoted to sous chef in 2010. He moved to Stoic & Genuine as Chef de Cuisine in 2015 and returned to run the Rioja kitchen in 2018. A career highlight was cooking with Jasinski at the James Beard American Restaurant at Seven Stars Galleria during Expo Milano – the Milan World’s Fair in 2015. The course he created got a standing ovation from the guests.
His kitchen rules are simple: the guest comes first and foremost; have fun while you’re at work, if you don’t like your job quit and find one you do. Cook with love and passion because the guest can taste it. Be humble. Teach someone something every day and learn something every day. Don’t forget the golden rule “treat people the way you want to be treated.”

Matt Vawter
Breckenridge, CO
A native of Summit County, Matt returned to the mountains after making a name for himself as executive chef at Mercantile Dining & Provision in Denver
Rootstalk is Chef Matt Vawter’s first solo restaurant; which opened in December of 2020. Rootstalk is a small, upscale, casual restaurant serving dinner located in the heart of beautiful Breckenridge, CO.

Mara King & Kelly Whitaker
Denver, CO
Mara King is a native of Hong Kong, a chef as well as the co-founder and COO of Ozuké, a fermented foods business that distributes throughout the US. She helped to produce a series of short films on Southwestern Chinese fermentation practices with Sandor Katz and Mattia Sacco Botto in 2017 and is currently working on a book on Chinese Fermentation as well as the second series of People’s Republic of Fermentation that will focus on Taiwan and China’s Eastern provinces.
James Beard-nominated Chef Kelly Whitaker he perfected his craft at the one Michelin star Hatfield’s, and later the two Michelin star, Providence. In 2008, Whitaker moved to Boulder and started Id Est Hospitality Group (IEHG). In addition to being an active member of Chefs Collaborative (he received the “Heart of the Collaborative” award in 2014), Whitaker sits on the Blue Ribbon Task Force for Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, and founded Noble Grain Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting domestic, milled-to-order grains.