A Mid-Atlantic transplant, Jamey Fader moved to Denver in 96' where he connected with Dave Query to chef the downtown Jax Fish House. From that union Lola Coastal Mexican was born and launched on Pearl St, its original location. It was during this time that Jamey was honored with the Chef of the Year award along with a host of local and regional accolades. Chef Fader has changed gears to take on a new challenge as culinary director for Marczyk Fine Foods - We're a lucky bunch to have him.

Former culinary director for the Big Red F restaurant group over seeing Jax in Denver, Fort Collins, Glendale and Kansas City, Lola Coastal Mexican, and Post Brewing Company; Chef Fader has recently changed gears to take on a new challenge as culinary director for Marczyk Fine Foods while also creating a new lifestyle that puts his wife and daughter at the forefront.

Get ready to experience Slow Food Nations, an international food festival hosted by Slow Food USA in Denver, Colorado from July 19-21! Connect with farmers, foodies and families over three days packed with events, pop-ups, food and fun centered around the 2019 festival theme, Where Tradition Meets Innovation. With free and open festival grounds full of delicious and interactive activities as well as ticketed events - there’s something at Slow Food Nations for everyone. Talking with me today about one of the most important food events of the year are three of the most important people in food - Making an impact on not just what we eat, but how we eat.

• Slow Food Nations is a three-day international culinary festival hosted by Slow Food USA in Larimer Square in Downtown Denver, Colorado. • Opening with a rockin’ Colorado-themed block party and ending with a zero waste community supper made using the leftover food from the weekend, Slow Food Nations features over 100 free and ticketed cooking demonstrations, food tastings, family activities, block parties and talks centered around food that is clean, fair and good for all. • This is the third year for this event. • The theme this year is “where tradition meets innovation”. • 20,000 attendees throughout the weekend. Honored guests Alice Waters and Ron Finley will be joined by headliners Drew Deckman, Kristen Essig, Caroline Glover, Sandor Katz, Adrian Miller, Kevin Mitchell, Davia Nelson, among others - including our own, Alex Seidel.

Cristino Griego is the chef & owner of Della Radice; an active food advocate with an unparalleled passion for protecting cultural identities tied to gastronomic traditions and history. He holds firmly to his New Mexican and Italian ancestral roots and works diligently to integrate and combine these delectable and savory flavors with his classical French and Italian cuisine training. With the utmost respect and admiration for the people who grow and harvest our food, Cristino strives daily to educate the public about the origin and history of the food while never losing sight of the influence and importance that food has served in his life and the world.

Opened in 2019, Della Radice is a showcase of Chef Cristino Griego's passion to create and bring approachable, top quality food and wine to Denver at an affordable price. Della Radice's menu is seasonally driven to ensure the finest and freshest ingredients. As an intimate neighborhood wine bar & restaurant, Cristino wants every guest who walks through his doors to feel like they're walking through the doors to his own home. Della Radice literally translates to “Of the Root” in Italian and is now a living example of working to live, not living to work

Jimmy “Snarf” Seidel began his career in the world of finance after attending Drake University. He traded options on the floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange and was a wealth manager at Stifel Nicolaus. Those experiences were vital, because they gave Jimmy the experience and know-how necessary to finance and build a business. Now more than 20 years later with 21 locations nationwide, Snarf's continues to serve ridiculously addictive sandwiches and spread the sub love with everyone that walks through the door.

Jimmy ‘Snarf’ Seidel’s true passion has always been food, and it wasn’t long before he knew he wanted to pursue a career in the restaurant business. To this day that has been the main ingredient and driving force behind Snarf's Sandwiches. Jimmy’s love of food ranges from local food carts in Mexico City to the finest restaurants in Europe, but it was the All-American sandwich that really intrigued him. Even with all the choices out there, he never felt like anyone “got it right.” That's when Jimmy set out to create it himself, and is the beloved Snarf's Sandwiches.

Born in Los Angeles, where the food is as diverse as the city's culture, chef and visionary Jeff Osaka has always been fascinated by the restaurant industry and has garnered praise from critics and peers alike for his indelible contributions to the culinary world. OSAKA RAMEN, Sushi-Rama, and 12 at Madison keep him busy and us fed. Let's welcome an icon to the pirate ship!

Throughout his 25 years of experience, Osaka has worked as a private consultant, cooking and catering for some of the most notable names in Hollywood and alongside Chefs Bradley Ogden at One Market and Wolfgang Puck at Chinois Las Vegas. Following his time in Las Vegas, Osaka moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming where he, alongside friend and Wine Director Ken Fredrickson M.S., opened Restaurant Terroir in 1998 which was followed by Asian-influenced Koshu in 2000. In November of 2008, Osaka brought his experience and passion to Denver, Colo. where he opened twelve, a restaurant intensely inspired by the changing seasons as the restaurant’s entire menu changed every month. In 2014, Chef Jeff Osaka received a James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southwest semifinalist nomination.

Culinary instructor Daniel Witherspoon, director and executive chef of Denver-based The Seasoned Chef Cooking School, is a cookbook author, award-winning chef and offers a revolutionary and innovative "cook once, eat twice" guide to creating healthy, delicious, quick and flavor-bombed recipes that you can mix, match, make and then take on the go. It features nearly 40 easy-to-master core recipes, more than 100 diverse menu components and close to 45 time-saving next-day recipes that transform tonight's dinner into tomorrow's fresh take. His new cookbook, vivid with beautifully photographed images from Denver-based food photographer Jennifer Olson, walks you through step-by-step with instructions that show recreational cooks how to make fresh, uncomplicated and long-lasting meals simply by interchanging a few basic proteins, vegetables, sauces, dressings, salsas and relishes. Let’s power up!!

Chef Dan Witherspoon is an award-winning, classically-trained chef whose primary passion is teaching home and recreational chefs the fundamentals needed to cook well at home. After working under acclaimed Belgian chef Henri Bergmans and leading kitchens as an executive chef in both Southern California and Colorado, Chef Dan now focuses his attention towards instruction. As the owner, director, and lead instructor at both The Seasoned Chef Cooking School and The Gourmet Spoon in Denver, Colorado, Chef Dan is widely known for taking the mystery out of the cooking process. In his 37 years of professional cooking experience and 18 years of professional teaching, Chef Dan has been consistently committed to helping students learn to simply, affordably, and quickly make a delicious and healthy meal on their own at home. Dan is a second-degree black belt in Kempo Karate, training with Z Ultimate self-defense studios. Chef Dan lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife and continues to teach home and recreational chefs most days in both corporate team building and small group settings. He has recently beaten a rare form of cancer, multiple myeloma, and in addition to the excellent treatment he received from his medical specialists, he credits beating the disease and staying in remission through his diet of fresh vegetables, lean produce, whole grains and good fats. He is living proof that food is more than just fuel, and can be the best defense to maintaining optimum health, wellness and vitality.

Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant has been serving Colorado its own brand of from-scratch TexMex fare since 1986. Founder and Owner, Pat McGaughran, grew up in Houston, Texas, a city known for its cultural diversity, including a strong Latino community, and TexMex cooking. Living in such a melting pot, McGaughran spent his youth eating plenty of fresh, Mexican food, both at his friends’ homes and out at Houston’s well-known TexMex restaurants.

Pat McGaughran and his two friends Andre and Stephen Mouton packed up a van and spent time traveling through northern Mexico and the Yucatan, learning more about the culture, and, of course, the food. McGaughran discovered and fell in love with a whole new cuisine, asking for recipes along the way. After McGaughran’s travels, he settled in Fort Collins, Colorado, and while he loved his new home, he missed the food he enjoyed in Mexico, especially the chile rellenos and the black beans.

He began cooking his favorite recipes for friends and even gave black beans to Lucy Stromquist, a nearby farmer, to grow this non-native crop locally. Shortly after, McGaughran decided to take the leap and open a restaurant, the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant, in Old Town, Fort Collins, with Stephen and Andre Mouton, where he could introduce his beloved TexMex food (and slow-cooked black beans!) to everyone. That long, simple, delicious journey through Mexico lives on in every dish “The Rio” will ever make.

My mentor Sean Kelly taught me more about food and restaurants than anyone I've ever worked for. An industry veteran with over 40 years of experience in the culinary field, chef Sean put his mark on Denver gathering accolades from local and national press. Aubergine Café was a major contributor to the successful direction Denver’s dining scene in the 90’s. In 2016, Chef Kelly opened a rotisserie concept called SK Provisions located inside The Denver Central Market. I'm beyond honored to have him on my show.

Sean Kelly changed my life.

Il Posto is an elevated Italian restaurant, where food and wine are in symbiosis, Il Posto is “the complicated simplicity of Italian food and wine." Their food and wine lists represent all of the Italian peninsula; in its history and tradition with clear sophistication, simplicity and creativity. Today’s guest is the owner of my favorite Italian restaurant in town as well as Tammen’s Fish Market and two Vero locations - Andrea Frizzi is here in all his glory - put on your seatbelt. This is going to be as good as it gets.

“I’m my lottery ticket!”

-A.F.