Nicki McTague is the Vice President of The Infinite Monkey Theorem and has worked in the wine industry for 16 years. That’s a whole lot of bottles! McTague’s career began in the state of Washington working for Garagiste Wine where she learned about the 3-tier distribution system as International Sales Director, allowing her to work closely with the winemakers, distributors and customers. In 2013, McTague joined The Infinite Monkey Theorem to strengthen her knowledge of winemaking at the domestic level and to get involved in the Colorado community, of which she is a native.

Josh Oakley is the executive chef of Avelina, located in lower downtown Denver. Josh Oakley’s career began twelve years ago in Scottsdale, Arizona at Christopher’s and Crush Lounge, where he started as a pantry cook and worked his way up to the line and grill. “It was that classic scene of an 18-year-old in over his head with star-packed chefs—and it was a butt kicking,” remembers Oakley. Let’s do some butt-kicking with Josh Oakley - Next

Josh Oakley is the executive chef of Avelina. Getting his start in Arizona, Josh also spent some time in kitchens in Colorado, studied pastry in France and cooking at the Gastronomicom Cooking School of Agde, France, working under the guidance of two Michelin star restaurant chefs. Oakley has a fearless sense of adventure and a true passion for cooking, both of which have guided him through his culinary journey. “I really enjoy the working environment, where 10 hours pass and it doesn’t even feel like working. It’s a passion that has taken me to France and throughout Colorado. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to work alongside the talented team at Avelina,” he says.

Drew Watson is the co-owner, head chef and beer buyer of Hops & Pie, an artisan pizzeria and craft beer bar on Tennyson St. Hops & Pie, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, raises the bar on the classic pairing of beer and pizza. In a beer-filled city, this restaurant’s tap lineup floats to the top of the barrel, with a rotating roster of local favorites and little-seen rarities. As for the pizzas, the team builds its pies on cracker-crisp crusts, with an elevated run of toppings like beer-braised brisket, house made mozzarella and blackberry barbecue sauce. Drew and his wife have opened Berkeley Donuts within Hops & Pie in coming weeks.

The owners of Hops & Pie, Drew and Leah Watson came up with the idea for Berkeley Doughnuts after traveling to Maine. They immediately returned to Denver and began re-creating New England-style potato donuts. And their donuts are just as delicious as their pizza.

The Colorado Beer Man, Jonathan Colobeerman Shikes joins us to talk all things BEER! Recently publishing a book called, Denver Beer: A History of Mile High Brewing - Jonathan is a Denver native and a graduate of East High School. His love of history comes from his parents, who were both teachers and amateur historians, while his love of beer comes from his friends and co-workers. Although he has lived or worked in all four major time zones in the United States, Jonathan always returned to Denver because of its unique vibe and Western feel, not to mention its amazing breweries.

A 1994 Master’s Degree graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Jonathan Shikes has spent more than 25 years as a journalist, covering almost every beat there is. Most recently, he was the managing editor of Westword, Denver’s storied alt-weekly newspaper. While he was there, he began covering the craft beer industry in 2007 and still writes about it today for Westword and other publications. Jonathan hopes that readers of his brand new book, "Denver Beer: A History of Mile High Brewing," will be able to better understand Denver’s fascinating history using beer as a lens. Although the time period covers 160 years, the past is much closer to the present than we sometimes think.

While working towards a degree in Industrial Design armed with an industry knowledge unmatched in Colorado, Chef Josh Niernberg had an idea to combine art, business and engineering to create a restaurant unlike any other. The result was Bin 707 Foodbar — a think tank for food as applied to industrial design where Josh drives the development, prototyping, production and marketing of the menu. A certified Sommelier and fifth-generation Colorado native, he exclusively sources local, Colorado and domestic ingredients while boasting the most unique wine, beer, and spirits list in the state. Josh, along with his wife and business partner, Jodi, will continue to push the boundaries of Colorado’s food scene.

Chef Josh Niernberg is one of my favorite people, ever. Josh began his culinary career cooking in his native city of Denver. After spending 20+ years working in all aspects of both front and back of house throughout Colorado, he and wife Jodi created Bin 707 Foodbar in her hometown of Grand Junction, Colorado. Designed to showcase Western Colorado as a culinary region by focusing on local Ranching, Agriculture, Distilling, & Winemaking. Bin 707 Foodbar was intended to be an economic driver for the community and was quickly successful in its mission. In 2015 the couple added a Food Truck to host offsite events and help further drive the culinary culture of the region. Through exploring the cuisines and ingredients available locally, Josh saw the need to expand the regional cuisine ideas into new concepts. In 2016 The couple opened Tacoparty and Dinnerparty Grand Junction.