Brandon Foster is the Executive Chef at Project Angel Heart in Denver, CO. His aunt gives him his first culinary spark of inspiration and tells him to stay the hell away from the industry! From humble beginnings as a dishwasher at a Best Western to working with icons in the Denver scene, Brandon has been learning and evolving every step of the way. We chat with Daniel Lee, a Sous Chef at Vesta, whom Brandon has mentored since he was an intern, who is now a budding food entrepreneur as well. 

Website - ProjectAngelHeart.org

Facebook - /ProjectAngelHeart

Instagram - @ProjectAngelHeart  @ChefFoster

Twitter - @Proj_AngelHeart

List 3 pivotal/notable jobs throughout your career

1. Best Western Lake Dillon Lodge – Dillon, CO 1998-2003 – first kitchen job. Taught me the ropes and convinced me “shit, I’m actually kind of good at this and could  maybe do this for a living”

2. Fourth Story – Denver, CO 2003-2004 – Open my mind to what food could actually be. Professional cooks, who did it for a living and not just to be a ski bum.  Ate my first morel, ramp, heirloom tomato, seared foie gras there….the  list goes on.

3. Vesta – Denver, CO 2005-2016 – major growth as a chef and a person, first executive chef role.

Proudest Moment:

It’s a tie.

-Cooking for my grandfather at Vesta on his 80th birthday. As I was walking him out the front door afterwards he gave me a hug  and told me how proud he was of me. Tearing up just writing this…

- Based on my support and advocacy of their product as well as greater sales in my restaurant than any chef in this region, I got an invitation  from Skuna Bay Salmon to cook at the James Beard House in 2015. I am very proud of that.

Food and/or drinks staples in your house? 

Too many to list, especially with 3 kids.  Let's go with Eggs, cereal, hot sauce, coffee, bourbon, Emergen-C.

Two things most people don't know about you?

I used to own a Tie Dye shop in Leadville with my then girlfriend, and now wife Larissa. I played violin from 2nd grade through high school, and also play mandolin.

Words to live by?

Make 1000 mistakes once, don't make the same one twice. Never stop learning, and never stop fine tuning your craft. It's ok to not be ok.

Mary Allison Wright is the owner of RiNo Yacht Club, as well as Wine Director at Morin and Proper Pour, all in Denver, CO. She gives us some insights into Southern Hospitality and takes us to school on a southern institution, Duke's Mayonnaise. Mary reflects on her childhood, her mother and the challenges and upside of her personal war with OCD and anxiety. We get the chance to hear from Sara Bennett, who runs Proper Pour and is the epitome of the humility and dedication of our industry's #UnsungHospitalityHeroes.

Website - RinoYachtClub.com

Facebook - /ProperPour

Instagram - @eatdrinkbemaryandmclain   @rinoyachtclub   @theproperpour   @morin_5280

First job in the industry?

Technically my first job in the industry was volunteering at age 13 at the Creative Discovery Kids' Museum in Chattanooga - specifically at the concession stand so I could be near food (aka pilfered snacks); following that I had my first serving job at age 18, at a diner on the back of Lookout Mountain, GA, called Lucy's.

Proudest moment(s) of your career? 

Opening The Proper Pour and Yacht Club; and as cheesy as this may sound, I burst with pride every time I get to work alongside any of my amazing employees, and watch their passion and growth.

Building the wine list at Morin, and the wine team I am privileged to lead.

Food and/or drinks staples in your house?

All the snacks (I'm big on both fresh and dried fruit, Annie's cheddar bunnies, and breakfast bars); fixin's for quesadillas (quick lunch or a 2-second dinner); sorghum syrup (for both putting into and onto things); Duke's mayonnaise (fight me); anything McLain makes because he's an incredible chef.  Drink staples are seltzer water, wine, bourbon, and some sort of cheap American lager (ie high life or banquet).

Two things most people don't know about you?

I have extreme (sometimes paralyzing) OCD that I'm constantly waging war with; I had a varsity letter in high school as a member of the crew team - but from being a coxswain, not a rower...aka from giving orders and direction (which seems hilarious, especially to those that know me, because I love being in charge).

Words to live by?

Be sweet; also, take no prisoners//burn it down

Originally from Chattanooga, TN, Mary parlayed a love for music and touring with bands, combined with a bachelor's degree in business management, into her first business (with her now husband McLain Hedges) out of college as a music promoter (Dogwood Productions).  However, one theme throughout her life besides music has always been a love for eating and drinking, so in about 2011 she realized her heart may have been with the music, but her soul was being called by her passion for food + beverage.  After several trips to Colorado to promote shows, she realized Denver was not only raw with the youth of its scene, but teeming with opportunities and she wanted to be a part of its growth and shaping the direction it would go. While RiNo Yacht Club, Proper Pour and Morin each has its own identity, a common influence throughout is her Southern hospitality, as well as her passion for introducing natural wine to guests. Mary worships at the altar of Dolly Parton and lives by her motto, “be sweet.” Morin was awarded Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Wine Lists 2019 and Mary was recently named a semifinalist for The Art of Plating Rising Talent Award.

Jennifer Newbold is Chef / Owner of New Bold Cuisine in Rockwall, Texas. We talk about exploring with her dad, cooking for family and being a bad ass bowler. She has worked with some renowned chefs across the country and we get to talk to an early mentor, Jonathan Hale about her very first Sous Chef position. 

Website - NewBoldCusine.com

Facebook - /NewBoldCuisine

Instagram - @ChefJenniferNewbold

First job in the industry?

Fitzbillies Bagels as a barista, prep cook, baker, manager in Spokane, WA at 19 years old

3 pivotal jobs throughout your career?

Mizuna Spokane, WA First ever line cook position 1997-1998   

Bluepoint Coastal - Cuisine San Diego, CA - Pastry Chef/Sous Chef/Chef de Cuisine/Executive Chef 2006-2010 

Imoto - Dallas, TX - Opening Executive Chef 2017-2019

Proudest moments of your career? 

Teaching a blind girl to make/bake cookies from scratch. Grooming a young dishwasher to be a pastry chef and to advance himself in his career. Being responsible for the most successful restaurant opening of Kent Rathbun and John Kinzer's careers as restauranteurs.

Food and/or drinks staples in your house?

Bottle of Espolon blanco tequila in the freezer. Ingredients for a proper old fashioned. Fully stocked pantry of a variety of ethnic ingredients and spices. Pancetta and brioche bread to make my husbands favorite salad. Ingredients and staples needed to eat a mostly plant based diet.

Two things most people don't know about you?

I used to be a bad ass bowler and thought about being a "pro" I grew up in the inner city and had to deal with some serious stuff at a young age.

Words to live by?

Never Stop Exploring

I was born and raised in the PNW, which is where I learned to hunt, fish, and forage with my father. I am the spouse to a retired USAF Veteran, which meant we moved around a lot in the first 23 years of our life together. My husband and I met on our, yes, OUR 19th birthday in Missoula, MT. I was attending the University of Montana at the time and he was spending some time off with his brother before joining the service. I followed my heart, left school to be with him which meant I needed to find a way to support myself and us. Becoming a chef was NEVER anything I aspired to be before the age of 19, it all just kind of happened. Having moved around a lot, allowed me to live and cook in a variety of major cities, but it also meant leaving behind some great jobs. As the spouse to an enlisted military personnel, we too make a lot of sacrifices, but I am grateful for the life it has allowed me to have. I worked nearly every position in a restaurant, (except bartender, I am pretty good with that on my own) in order to better myself as a chef or a potential restaurant/business owner. I started from the bottom and worked my way to the top. I was never formerly trained nor did I attend any type of culinary school. I straight up put in the work, sacrificed lots of hours of my life, and taught myself and learned from as many people as possible. My parents instilled a very strong work ethic in me and taught me to believe I can be or do anything I put my heart and soul into. The skills, the creativity, and the leadership it takes to be a chef came very natural to me in thanks to the many years I spent as a varsity and all state athlete. Whether I was having to prove myself on the field or in the kitchen it is the fight and determination to succeed that made me the strong woman and chef that I am today.

Sharif Argenis Villa Cruz is Chef Tournant at Mercantile Dining & Provision in Denver, CO. He talks about the strength and inspiration from his mother. He gives us such insight into his passion for true Mexican cuisine, ingredients and techniques. We get a glimpse into his struggles going through the US immigration system as he spent a year in a detention center. Chef Cruz gives some shout outs to the young guns he gets to work with now and we talk to Adam McCarthy, a 22 year old up and comer working at Mercantile. 

Website - MercantileDenver.com

Facebook - /SharifVillaCruz

Instagram - @argeniscruz9

First job in the industry?

Dishwasher at Taco Bell at 13 years old (even though my papers said I was 15). My 1st real cooking job was at the Keystone Resort as a breakfast cook.

Food and/or drinks staples in your house?

Tortillas. All kinds of salsas. I grew up drinking lime and chia seeds "Aguafresca", I drink it probably 4-5 days a week.

Two things most people don't know about you?

I spent an entire year in an immigration detention center due to my illegal status. That is one of the hardest experiences imaginable and I will always keep it in my head, heart and soul.  Back in 1995 I saw Michael Jackson live. That is one of my best childhood memories,  my whole family went to the show and it blew me away.

I was Born in Mexico City in 1983. I lived there until the age of 13th and then migrated with my family to the state of Colorado, in 1997. I experienced the biggest culture shock when our family arrived to Summit County.  New high school, new language, new way to live.

I lived in the high country for 13 years where I attended the Culinary Institute at Colorado Mountain College and graduated in 2006. Then I moved to Boulder, Co, where I lived for  5 years and worked at several kitchens and began to really round out my knowledge and skills.  In 2008 I staged at TAG Restaurant, the first location from famed chef, Troy Guard. This is where my career as a Chef really started to take shape. The passion every one that worked there had was amazing and that pushed me to become a better Chef. After that position, I ended up moving to Denver by 2011, and have held various positions in the industry as a Sous Chef and a couple of Executive Chefs roles as well. Nowadays I found myself going back to my Mexican roots of cooking. As Executive Chef at acclaimed Lola, one of the Big Red F restaurants, where I got the opportunity to showcase what I believe Mexican food should and could be. 

I have gotten very interested in learning the nixtamal technique and connected with cultural ingredients I had not seen since my childhood. I really do hope in a future not so far out, to be able to open a place where the Denver community can experience my idea of "Mexican cuisine" and really come to appreciate one these cultural ingredient, one of the most significant in my home country, which is the maiz (corn), from which so much of my culinary foundation is built. 

Andrew Parr is Founder + Chief Advisor of Angry Olive Consulting in Denver, CO. We discuss his pilgrimage to Green Bay for his first Packers Game. We deep dive into stories of his younger brother, Jeffrey Parr, a giant in our industry, who passed far too young. We also get the opportunity to chat with one of his great mentors, Mark Feeley.

First job in the industry?

Busser and dishwasher at a small, local, independent casual dining restaurant in suburban Milwaukee

Food and/or drinks staples in your house?

Secret Stadium Sauce. It is made for Sports Service, the concessionaire at Miller Park in Milwaukee, and Milwaukee County Stadium before that. It is not BBQ sauce, and it is not Ketchup…it is...Secret Stadium Sauce. Just can’t eat a brat without it. I am a huge baseball fan, and the memories it evokes from the smell, the flavor, and the iconic bottle are endless!

Two things most people don't know about you?

I have only been to Lambeau Field once, and it was September of last year. I have my brother's copy of The New Larousse Gastronomique from when he was in culinary school at CIA - Hyde Park, NY

Words to live by?

"Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy." - ​Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.

Website - AngryOliveConsulting.com

Facebook - /AngryOliveConsulting  /Andrew.Parr

Instagram - @AngryOliveConsulting

LinkedIn -   /AndrewParr

Andrew Parr, Angry Olive Consulting founder, is a restaurant and hospitality industry veteran with over 25 years of experience including consulting, project management, restaurant operations and talent acquisition. His education includes a BA in Psychology and History from the University of Wisconsin along with a JD from Hamline University School of Law.

ANGRY OLIVE CONSULTING is the premiere full-service advisor for privately owned, independent, restaurant, bar and hospitality concepts. We have a distinctively Colorado flavor and a national reach. Angry Olive Consulting has undertaken and executed projects throughout Colorado and across the country from the Pacific Northwest to the Atlantic Southeast. We focus on high touch, individualized service with our priority being your desired outcome.

Chad Clevenger is the Executive Chef of Alma Cocina in Atlanta, Georgia. His long time love and passion for Mexican and Latin cuisines is palpable in this conversation. Hear about regions of Mexico, indigenous ingredients and his Mexican cooks. His love for food and feeding people began when he was young in Florida by Mama Jewell. We also chat with Bradley Borchardt, his mentor and Exec Chef at Coyote Café. 

First job in the industry? 

17 as a bus boy at Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, Fl then as a dishwasher to cook at Schacks bbq when I was 18

Proudest moment(s) of your career? 

Being named the Executive Chef of the Coyote Cafe at 26 yrs old

Food and/or drinks staples in your house?

Eggs, kewpie mayo, dukes mayo, bacon, cottage cheese and a lot of condiments

Two things most people don't know about you?

I’m afraid of heights and hate egg salad

Words to live by? 

Cook Bold, fresh, and from the heart

Website - Alma-Atlanta.com

Facebook - AlmaAtlanta   ChadClevenger

Instagram - @Alma.ATL   @FifthGroup   @ChefClevenger

Growing up in Winter Haven, Florida, Chad Clevenger developed an early and permanent taste for Mexican cuisine. So after graduating from the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Austin, Clevenger headed west, to the Coyote Café in Santa Fe, where he was responsible for menu development and purchasing at the Southwestern restaurant, spending three years working with acclaimed Chef Mark Miller. During this time, he also had the opportunity to work alongside such famed chefs as 2012 Austin Rising Star Rene Ortiz, Jesse Perez, Rick Bayless, and Tim Love.  

Taking his westerly education up north a bit, Clevenger headed to Denver, Colorado, where he became the chef-owner of Mel’s Bar & Grill. Clevenger might have been new to the area, but he was warmly embraced. It wasn’t long before his restaurant was being lauded by diners and local press alike, receiving such awards as “Best American Restaurant in Denver,” “Top Tamale,” and “Top 10 Fine Dining Restaurants in Denver.” While in Denver, Clevenger also started The Porker Street Food Cart, a gourmet street food cart featuring global pork dishes. At the helm of Porker, Clevenger became known as “the swine sultan,” and was recognized for “Street Food Chef of the Year” and “Best Street Food” by Denver Magazine.  

With this porcine commendation and his strong background in Mexican and Southwestern cuisine, Clevenger was a natural fit for the Latin flavors and spirited atmosphere of Atlanta’s Alma Cocina. Now at the helm of Alma, Clevenger combines years of culinary experience in both fine dining and high-volume casual dining with a proven track record for developing new menu ideas. The result is seasonality and modern methods infused into the roots of Latin cuisine.

Christopher Bennett is the Executive Chef of Street Feud in Avanti Food and Beverage (incubator food hall) in Denver, CO. His alter ego is Emcee 3Two, an acclaimed hip hop artist and performer. He credits family early on with inspiring him to cook. Then a harsh instructor at culinary school tried to break him, but he was not deterred. We hop on a call with Spike Billings, a Brooklyn kid, who Chef Bennett credits as one of his #UnsungHospitalityHeroes

First job in the industry? 

16 years old as a food runner/expo at Luigi's Bent Noodle in Littleton, CO

Food and/or drinks staples in your house?

Chicken thighs, fish sauce, Sweet Baby Ray's honey chipotle bbq sauce, szechuan chili oil, ginger, frozen grapes and frozen pomegranate seeds

Something most people don't know about you?

Archery is a big hobby of mine

Words to live by?

Nobody should have enough power to bring you down to depths that aren't becoming of you

Website - StreetFeud

Facebook - /streetfeudCO   /emcee3two

Instagram - @street_feud   @emcee3two

Twitter - @thereal3two

Johnny Sheehan is chef/partner at Salt Raw Bar and Leena's Kitchen in Plymouth, Mass. He gives props to his mother and his wife, smart boy! His baking and pastry instructor Chef Ying-Wei Luo opened his eyes to Asian cuisine with a timely trip to his first dim sum experience. His mentorship still sticks with Chef Sheehan to this day. We get an opportunity to speak with Chef Luo to hear about what it is he saw in young Johnny all those years ago. 

First job in the industry?

Dishwasher, La Garlic Restaurante, Raynham MA, when I was 14

Proudest moment(s) of your career?

Watching my Sous Chef and Chef de Cuisine win the Hometown Throwdown at Mayflower Brewery in Plymouth

Food and/or drinks staples in your house? 

olives, charcuterie, flavored seltzer, white wine, nuts

Two things most people don't know about you?

Grew up playing drums in heavy metal bands and love golfing

Words to live by? 

Anything worthwhile takes hard work and sacrifice, live in love and respect

Website - SaltRawBarPlymouth.com

Facebook - /saltplymouth   /chefjohnnysheehan

Instagram - @saltplymouth   @chefjsheehan

First inspired by cooking in his home kitchen in his youth, Chef Johnny took his first job in the restaurant industry washing dishes at age 14.  As a young adult, he peered into the Boston restaurant scene making deliveries all over the city as a tractor trailer driver, reigniting his passion for cooking.  He courageously made a pivotal turn in his career, enrolling in the acclaimed Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Cambridge, where he earned a degree, alongside life-altering experiences, that support his culinary approach to this day.  His instructors, struck by his passion for the culinary art, took Sheehan’s learning to a different level, teaching him in open Asian markets about raw ingredients, and about molecular gastronomy, investing hours in his education past the school day. While still in culinary school and post degree, Sheehan went on to work under celebrated Chef Ken Oringer at Boston’s renowned French modern-American restaurant Clio, where he worked tirelessly to learn each station and moved up the line. He jumped at the opportunity to work alongside Chef Chris Gould at Clio’s notable sushi bar, Uni.  Sheehan’s passion for cooking, attention to detail and his unique take on Asian-inspired cuisine is immediately evident upon speaking with him and sampling his dishes.

Partnering with Plymouth restaurateurs The Casinelli Family, Sheehan has created Salt Raw Bar and Fine Cuisine on Plymouth’s historic waterfront.  With a focus on sourcing amazing fresh ingredients, Salt showcases inventive seasonal cuisine partnering with local farms and quality driven purveyors.  Along with sister restaurant Leena’s Kitchen the growing  restaurant group will continue to bring fresh, local, and inventive cuisine to the South Shore. Chef Sheehan is a regularly featured chef at both Nantucket and Newport wine and food festivals. Sheehan has been featured on episodes of popular television program The Phantom Gourmet, and he received the rare and coveted “Hidden Jewel” accolade for his innovative fare. He was also featured on Twist of Taste America with Michelin starred chef Vikas Khanna.