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Cory Dick/Courtesy of Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed
The weight of the robe, Therapeutic touch. Orchestra of water falling. The beauty of silence. Breathe. Deep. Surrender your senses .
FROM THE EDITOR
16 Wanted: readers with strong opinions (about sandwiches).
COMPASS
19 ADVENTURE
Freak flags fly high during Colorado’s end-of-season pond-skimming contests.
20 HOME
Save the world in style this Earth Day by learning how to score chic secondhand furnishings.
22 HIGHER EDUCATION
DRINK
WHAT’S HOT
A Q&A with CU Denver’s Antonio Farias about how the federal administration’s war on DEI will affect Colorado universities.
24 ESSAY
Could a DNA test show one writer how to finally unlock pot’s potential? It was worth a try.
26 CULTURE
A new jazz festival this month adds to Denver’s reputation as a swing city.
Find simple, excellent pasta dishes and Roman pizza at Greenwood Village’s fourmonth-old trattoria, Na Favola.
30 REVIEW
Nearly 10 years in, RiNo’s Hop Alley is as hip as ever, thanks in part to an audacious chef’s counter experience.
COLUMN
34 CRIMINAL JUSTICE
When the VFW opened a chapter inside northeastern Colorado’s Sterling Correctional Facility, the post was celebrated as a victory for prison reform nationwide. Then a popular YouTuber found out about it.
BY ROBERT SANCHEZ
LOCAL 108 THE OVERSIMPLIFIED GUIDE TO: WINNING OPENING DAY
Five tips for having a ball at the Rockies’ home opener.
Photograph by David Williams Music City Hot Chicken inside Trve Brewing Company
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YOUR DOG CALLED. HEIANTS TO MOVETO BUENA VISTAI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jessica LaRusso
ART DIRECTOR
David McKenna
DIGITAL DIRECTOR
Maren Horjus
Discover your whole body health with cutting-edge functional medicine and advanced technology. At Kaminaka Health, we provide a personalized, integrative approach to help you achieve your optimal health and wellness. We offer comprehensive doctor consultations and assessments; tailored IV treatments; Natural Isomolecular Hormone Replacement Therapy, and custom detoxification therapies. Experience a new level of health under the expert care of Dr. Ralph E. Holsworth.
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EDITORIAL
DEPUTY EDITOR
Spencer Campbell
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Robert Sanchez
SENIOR EDITOR
Michelle Shortall
FOOD EDITOR
Mark Antonation
SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Jessica Giles
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Barbara O’Neil
COPY EDITOR
Lois M. Baron
RESEARCHERS
Laurenz Busch, Amanda Price, Julia Ruble, Taj Smith
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Laura Beausire, Lisa Blake, Jay Bouchard, Julie Dugdale, Amanda M. Faison, Courtney Holden, Patricia Kaowthumrong, Lindsey B. King, Sarah Kuta, Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan, Jenny McCoy, Craig Meyer, Allyson Reedy, Sara Rosenthal, Daliah Singer
PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN
PHOT O EDITORS DEPUTY ART DIRECTOR
Sarah Banks, Charli Ornett Sean Parsons
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Marvin Anani, Samuel Chen, Sam Island, Simone Massoni, Paul Miller, Marian Femenias Moratinos, David Williams
BILLING & COLLECTIONS MANAGER Jessica McHeard MAY 17-18, 2025
26.2 13.1 10
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’Wich Craft
5280 often covers divisive topics. In the past couple of years alone, we’ve written features about Colorado’s status as an abortion haven, Denver’s immigration crisis, and gun violence in local schools. I acknowledge, then, that it’s a little silly to be nervous about sending this issue to the printer. But here I am, imagining the blowback. The name-calling. The controversy.
Yes, I’m pretty sure “Best Sandwiches In Denver” (page 58)—a roundup of some of the tastiest local versions of regional specialties from around the globe—is going to incite reader rage. How did you idiots miss Odie B’s? Where’s the lobster roll? What kind of monster puts mayonnaise on an Italian combo???
I have an answer ready for the last question, at least: Joshua Pollack. His Bridge & Tunnel Restaurant Group brings New York City eats to Denver via Rosenberg’s Bagels & Delicatessen, Famous Original J’s Pizza, and Lou’s Italian Specialties, where he makes my favorite Italian sub. When I called him to talk about the Louie, I told him that I had no problem with the slick of mayo he employs as a lipid barrier to keep the bread from getting soggy. I felt compelled to share, however, that to my mother-in-law—a third-generation Italian American who grew up an hour outside of NYC, on the Connecticut side—its inclusion is an unforgivable, tirade-worthy desecration.
JESSICA GILES Senior associate editor
^ Westminster’s Aspen Lodge Bar & Grill, a heavy-metal-andChristmas-themed spot that’s the unlikely home of an outstanding Philly cheesesteak
Pollack gets that a lot. “We have the joy of serving many New York transplants, and my people tend to be the most outwardly opinionated people in the country,” the North Jersey native says. “When people are like, That’s blasphemous, I’m like, Well, that’s how I grew up eating it. You can order it without. But no, they want to sit there and tell you why it doesn’t belong on the sandwich.”
The thought of being on the receiving end of those kinds of lashings is what makes me anxious about publishing this feature. But the next thing Pollack said stuck with me, too: “That’s why I love doing what I do. People are
so passionate about this food. Even when people freak out and write a bad review, I just smile, because it means so much to them.”
So, kindly leave out the name-calling but please bring on the feedback, especially if you don’t agree with our picks. Tell us which spots and delicacies we left out. Like Pollack, we promise to smile—and maybe even to update our online story with your best recs.
JESSICA L a RUSSO Editor-in-Chief
jessica@5280.com
For senior associate editor Jessica Giles, who primarily edits and writes for 5280.com, shaping this month’s health and workout feature (“Find Your Fit,” page 70) for the print magazine was a fresh challenge. “The editing is tighter, the writing is snappier, and design plays a much bigger role,” she says. Thanks to her previous experience as a group fitness instructor and a lifelong passion for exercise, though, Giles was eager to step up to the task—literally, in the case of the class she took at Bodied (a step aerobics studio that also employs small boards on wheels for stability exercises). “Our instructor cued us to put both feet on the board, get in a plank, pull our feet toward us into a pike, and then roll back out into a plank,” Giles says. “My abs said, Not today.” Giles managed to get herself into the pike, but when she straightened her legs, the board shot out from under her feet and into the shelves of weights in the back of the room. Despite the mishap, Giles encourages everyone from couch potatoes to weekend warriors to try group fitness. “Movement is not punishment, and your workouts shouldn’t feel that way,” she says. “There are so many different kinds of fitness studios in Denver that one of them is bound to leave you sweaty and smiling.”
From top: David Williams; Sarah Banks
OUT WITH A BANG
You may have spent the winter perfecting your pizza, but the spring presents another shredding skill to conquer: pond skimming. This month, most resorts in Colorado will host end-of-season blowouts featuring the event, in which participants attempt to ski down a steep slope and across a small body of water in front of rowdy revelers. But don’t be intimidated. To ace this slush cup, simply gain enough downhill speed to propel yourself across the icy pool and keep your weight centered to avoid the most common types of wipeouts—belly flops and turtle shells (read: skidding across the water on your back). Then again, getting wet is the best way to make a splash. “Honestly, the most boring thing that can happen is an ordinary, successful traverse across the pond,” says Tyler Lindsay, Aspen Skiing Co.’s senior events and marketing manager and the emcee of the pond-skim challenge at Snowmass Ski Resort’s free closing-day soiree (April 19). His favorite skimmers last year? A trio of teenagers who mounted three sets of bindings onto a single pair of skis, resulting in an epic wipeout. At the very least, Lindsay says, put on a quirky costume: “We don’t want people so loose that they’re injuring themselves, but we want to foster an environment where people can let their freak flags fly and be their whole selves.”
—MICHELLE SHORTALL
A brave skimmer sends it in a Teletubbies costume at the Keystone Slush Cup.
Finding Keepers
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, nearly 10 million tons of furniture end up in U.S. landfills each year. One way to shrink that stat this Earth Day? Shop secondhand seating, case goods, and decor. We asked longtime thrifter Katie Reinhart—who owns Refound Goods, a local online marketplace that specializes in used furnishings—to share her tips for scoring preowned home goods with heirloom appeal. —MS
Clockwise from left: Katie Reinhart; vintage and upcycled pieces from Studio44 Design, Serpentine Lines, and Black Sheep Vintage Designs
1
Brand names matter when buying secondhand goods. If you love mid-mod style, for example, Reinhart suggests hunting for items by icons like Drexel Declaration, Broyhill, Lane Furniture, and American of Martinsville.
2
Refound Goods thoroughly vets its sellers, but on platforms like Facebook Marketplace, scammers abound. “Trust your gut,” Reinhart says, “and be really vigilant about not sharing any personal information or exchanging money before you’ve seen an item in person.”
3
Struggling to score the canary yellow leather chair at the top of your wish list? “There’s a lot of patience required in secondhand shopping,” Reinhart says. “These pieces are mostly one-of-a-kind, so finding the right fit takes time. Try to enjoy the process.”
4
Two essential markers of quality: craftsmanship and materials. Skip the particle board and look for dovetail joints and solid wood to ensure a piece’s integrity.
5
Local refinishers and resellers are great sources for vintage items that don’t require any DIY dexterity. In Denver, Black Sheep Vintage Designs retrofits vintage stereo consoles, Studio44 Design curates funky furnishings, and Serpentine Lines restores midcentury pieces.
Clockwise from left: Paul Miller; Courtesy of Studio44 Design; Courtesy of Serpentine Lines;
Courtesy of Black Sheep Vintage Designs
The Death Of Diversity?
CU Denver’s Antonio Farias on how the federal administration’s war on DEI will affect Colorado universities.
This past January, less than two years after the U.S. Supreme Court made it illegal for colleges and universities to use affirmative action in admissions, President Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders that targeted broader DEI policies at schools (and many other places). His Education Department sent a letter to universities in February that expressly threatened to ax their federal funding should they factor race into scholarships, hiring, or “all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.” Colleges seem to be capitulating: The University of Colorado Boulder drew headlines when it changed the name of its DEI department to the Office of Leadership Support and Programming. To find out how these changes may impact students, we spoke with CU Denver’s Antonio Farias—whose own title recently shifted from vice chancellor for diversity, equity, and inclusion to vice chancellor for access and campus engagement. —SPENCER CAMPBELL
5280: From 2001 to 2021, the number of Hispanic students attending public four-year colleges in Colorado nearly tripled. Why the spike in enrollment?
Antonio Farias: I think a couple of years ago it came out that the most popular name for kindergarten children was no longer John or Jake; it was José or Miguel. So there’s been a significant shift in our population. I think the bottom line
is [Hispanic] birth rates are increasing and other birth rates are decreasing. That translates to higher education.
You’re saying it had nothing to do with affirmative action?
The whole rigmarole around access and DEI—it impacts a very small fraction of the nearly 4,000 higher education institutions in this country. The real
impact of [affirmative action] is at the very elite part of the funnel—the Ivy Leagues and the Stanfords of the world—where only a very small percentage of applicants get in.
Will Trump’s executive actions against DEI have an impact on Colorado universities?
They will, especially in the research space. At CU Denver, we’re among the top five percent of universities that do research, and also roughly 25 percent of our students are Hispanic. As [federal funding for research] shrinks, it’s going to have outsized impacts on our students.
We had this amazing student, a Latina from Denver. She’s first generation, low income. While at CU Denver, she received a biomedical research scholarship funded by one of the national institutes of health. She graduated as a complete rock star and went to the University of Michigan for her Ph.D. She’s now at CU Anschutz doing fertility work that is way beyond my understanding—other than it will save lives. All of that is because of federal funding.
Are schools renaming their DEI departments to maintain access to federal funding?
From top: A mural on CU Denver’s campus; Antonio Farias, vice chancellor for access and campus engagement at CU Denver
I don’t think that’s the case. There’s a lot of people out there with tin hats trying to connect dots and create conspiracies. What we’re trying to do is become more accessible in the language we use. DEI is not intended to get unqualified people into college. It’s about expanding opportunities. We have to go on the assumption that talent is spread evenly across all population groups. If that’s the case, then it’s our responsibility to unlock that talent by creating more opportunities for everybody.
So the assumption that race-based admissions or DEI led to more diversity at universities, that’s just wrong? People simply took advantage of their opportunities?
Yeah, people get it wrong. We like villains and heroes. People are addicted to outrage. Basic hard work is not exciting, but for the students that we serve at CU Denver, it means everything.
From top: Marvin Anani (mural by Thomas “Detour” Evans); Paul Wedlake/Courtesy of University of Colorado Denver
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Cracking The Cannabis Code
Could a DNA test show me how to finally unlock pot’s potential? It was worth a try.
I don’t sleep. Not well, anyway. Specialists I’ve seen say the curse is likely attributable to anxiety and have suggested over-the-counter meds like Advil PM and prescribed Lunesta and Ambien— all to no avail. Because I live in Colorado, friends have encouraged me for years to give cannabis a chance to cure my insomnia, but the gummies I’ve tried failed to deliver lullabies or moments of euphoria. I came to wonder if I was simply immune to the wiles of weed.
In January, I learned there was a way to know for sure. Denver’s three-yearold Police & Thieves dispensary, which has locations in Montclair and Cherry Creek, had just begun offering a service for people like me, who either haven’t had much experience with pot and/ or who might like to understand how cannabis specifically affects their bodies. In theory, that knowledge would allow participants to use the substance more effectively for things like pain, anxiety, inflammation, and sleeplessness. Bleary-eyed and desperate for a good snooze, I had nothing to lose.
The CannaCurious program ($228) began with a cheek-swab DNA test to analyze how fast my body metabolizes both THC, the psychoactive chemical in cannabis, and CBD, a nonpsychoactive compound that reportedly treats several health conditions including anxiety and insomnia, among other cannabinoids. I then took an online survey to identify my personal goals (hello, better z’s!) before meeting with store lead Stassja Gomez, who walked me through the DNA results.
According to my genes, she explained, I’m a rapid metabolizer of CBD and a typical but efficient metabolizer of THC—and that I’d very likely not been taking a high enough dose of either compound to rock me to sleep. The recommendation: Experiment with strains that have at least a 2:1 CBD to THC ratio. She also suggested I try products with anti-inflammatory cannabigerol (CBG), to ease any aches that might be keeping me up, and cannabinol (CBN), a cannabinoid with sedative properties
that she jokingly calls “CBNightNight.”
After 45 minutes with Gomez, I departed the dispensary with four products—two of which were included in the program price and two of which, in the name of science, I couldn’t help but take home.
Long story short: I’m not immune to cannabis. For me, the winner was half of a Wana Optimal Stay Asleep Dream Berry gummy (20 milligrams CBD, 10 mg THC, five mg CBN and CBG), which delivered a mild, enjoyable head high plus a drowsiness that triumphed over my mind-spinning,
allowing me to enter la-la land with miraculous speed and stay there for six uninterrupted hours. (If that doesn’t sound long to you, you are not an insomniac.) TasteBudz’s Cannabinoid Suite Blackberry Chamomile gummies (10 mg CBN, five mg CBD, one mg THC) were a close second, because I never felt stoned, only delightfully heavy-eyed. I had less pronounced results with Mary’s Medicinals’ Remedy Tincture and Batch’s Become Mellow vape, but that could be because gummies provide newbies like me an easier way to control dosage.
Finding the perfect prescription of cannabis for you will always involve some guesswork, Gomez says, “but we’re removing a little bit of the unknown.” For that, all I can say is: Thank you, and goodnight. —LINDSEY B. KING
All That Jazz
How Denver got (and maintained) its groove.
This month, the inaugural Denver Jazz Fest, April 3 to 6, will bring royalty (hello, five-time Grammy winner Dianne Reeves) and homegrown talent (like the Ken Walker Sextet) to venues across the metro, including Dazzle, Nocturne, and the Boulder Theater. The event aims to make Denver an epicenter of jazz, but according to Charleszine “Terry” Nelson, who worked at the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library in Five Points for 23 years before her retirement in 2024, the city has been steeped in swing for a century. Here, the self-proclaimed History Diva of the West outlines four key evolutions in the Mile High City’s celebration of bebop and blues. —BARBARA O’NEIL
1920 s
Harle m of the West Discrimination was illegal in Colorado in the 1920s, but that didn’t stop racist hotel owners from turning away touring Black musicians. They found a safe place to stay in Five Points, which became known as “the Harlem of the West” due to its concentration of Black culture and entertainment. National acts, such as Ella Fitzgerald and Duke
Ellington, often played their main shows at the neighborhood’s swanky Rossonian hotel before walking across the street to the laid-back Casino Ballroom (now Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom) for a late-night encore.
1950 s Juneteenth Music Festival
After opening Rice’s Tap Room and Oven in the 1950s, local businessman Otha Rice began hosting Juneteenth gatherings complete with live jazz, blues, and soul food at his Welton Street club. The annual party evolved into Denver’s
Juneteenth Music Festival in 2012. Today, over 70,000 attendees gather on Welton for the free, family-reunion-style festival that features jazz, R&B, and hip-hop artists, a 5,000-person parade, and Blackowned businesses and food vendors.
1980
s City Park Jazz
In 1986, a small group of City Park residents eager to restore the sense of community in their neighborhood (which had become overrun by tourists visiting the Denver Zoo) began hosting impromptu jazz concerts in the park. The pop-ups drew crowds of their own, leading to the launch of City Park Jazz, a nonprofit that hosts 10 free performances each summer at the Ferril Lake bandstand. The Sunday evening shows invite exclusively local acts, including Colorado Music Hall of Famer Hazel Miller and her band the Collective, which play to Denverites picnicking on blankets and in camp chairs.
2000
s
Fi ve Points Jazz Festival
Clockwise from top left: Grammywinning vocalist Dianne Reeves; the 2015 Five Points Jazz Festival; jazz great Duke Ellington
Denver deemed Five Points a Historic Cultural District in 2002 in honor of its rich jazz lore and prolific Black history. The following spring, the city held the first Five Points Jazz Festival in the parking lot of the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library. “It was a snowy day, so we thought we’d have maybe 50 people,” Nelson says. “Two hundred and fifty showed up.” The one-day event’s sounds of Latin jazz, swing, funk, and blues reverberated throughout Welton Street for 21 years before its final run last June. (Event organizer Denver Arts & Venues says the fest will be replaced with a year-round grant program that will distribute funds to local jazz artists and jazz-related programs.)
Clockwise from top left:
Courtesy of Jerris Madison; Brent Lewis/ The Denver Post via Getty Images; Denver Public Library
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PHOTOGRAPH BY SARAH BANKS
Older & Bolder
Nearly 10 years in, RiNo’s Hop Alley is as hip as ever, thanks in part to an audacious chef’s counter experience.
—ALLYSON REEDY
There’s an industry joke that says an eatery’s age is measured in dog years. That would make Hop Alley, the RiNo Chinese spot turning 10 later this year, a septuagenarian. And yet it still somehow tastes and feels like the cool kid on the scene.
Tommy Lee opened Hop Alley in late 2015, when local diners and food media were glorifying—neurotically, sometimes obnoxiously—the chaste simplicity of farm-to-table cuisine. Hop Alley was…not that. The flavors were, and remain, in-your-face and complicated. The kitchen tricks out
shrimp with earthy, zingy fermented bean paste and uses a heavy hand when sprinkling tongue-numbing Sichuan peppercorns into numerous dishes. And there’s salt—so much salt.
A decade in, more than a third of the dishes remain from the restaurant’s opening menu, and the vibe—all gritty hip-hop energy—hasn’t budged. So how is it still one of the most stylish restaurants going?
For one, Lee (also of Uncle ramen shop fame) was ahead of the curve: a fairly early RiNo adopter who wasn’t afraid to blast Biggie on the speakers or
hang up a portrait of Ice Cube. Same with the messy boldness of the flavors, which took a sharp turn when almost everyone else was exalting that farmto-table purity.
But there have been some changes. An early-2023 expansion added room for 20 more diners, and a six-seat chef’s counter debuted in February 2024. The counter essentially operates as a separate restaurant, where two chefs flex on a rotating eight-to-10-course menu that dips in and out of Asia for its influences.
My favorite dishes at those exclusive bar stools were the hiramasa crudo with salted plum granita, compressed apples, and buttermilk; the creamiest miso banana ice cream with brûléed
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH BANKS
^ From left: Gai lan with crispy shallots; owner Tommy Lee
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banana and briny caviar; and the celery-root-stuffed pasta served in a pool of white wine sauce with a smattering of pickled mustard seeds. If you can’t imagine what those dishes might taste like, well, I’m right there with you. And I think that’s the point. You’re not spending $170 a head—before drinks, tax, and tip—to eat a perfectly cooked steak. You want to taste things you’ve never before experienced and may never again.
The hospitality is just as rarefied as the food at the counter, where the chefs and sommelier are totally dedicated to you, from customized pacing to chitchat preference to overall direction—while still providing theatrical flourish with each plate and drink. It’s a lot of money for dinner, especially when restaurants with a similar service style, like the Michelin-starred Wolf’s Tailor and the new Sushi by Scratch, cost about the same, but it’s certainly one of the most extraordinary dinners I’ve had in a while.
More predictable is Hop Alley’s regular menu, where chile oil dumplings and la zi ji—chunks of fried chicken thigh with toasty whole dry chiles and citrusy, mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns so potent the mere scent of the next table’s order got my tongue tingling—remain top sellers. Beware the dumplings; they’re seriously spicy. The seven calla-lilyshaped bundles have an ideal doughto-pork-filling ratio, but the sauce will have even heat seekers sweating.
At the top of my list from a recent visit, though, is a relatively new item.
The unfortunately named boiled beef is so much more vibrant and complex than its moniker lets on. Thin slices of flank steak are slow-simmered in doubanjang (fermented black bean and chile paste) broth alongside whole garlic cloves, kale, onion curls, and Sichuan peppercorns. Make sure you save some rice—cleverly delivered in traditional takeout boxes—for this one, because you’ll want to scoop up every drop of the deep crimson broth, even if it means temporarily losing your taste buds to those peppercorns.
Vegetable options are plentiful, both in number of choices and portion sizes. I like the gai lan: wilted Chinese broccoli dressed in schmaltz, Duck Salt, and oyster sauce and capped with Funyuns-esque fried shallots. The large size makes this one better for a group; my table of two was left with a soggy Funyuns-topped mound of broccoli by the end of dinner.
While the chef’s counter pacing was tailored to us, the regular restaurant’s was weird. One entrée arrived quickly, before the dumplings and broccoli and at least 20 minutes ahead of the beef. This also isn’t the spot for ordering individually, so make sure you’re accompanied by friends who don’t mind slurping from a shared bowl.
That’s part of the enduring appeal of Hop Alley, though: a camaraderie born of diners down with the clamor of adventurous flavors and a lively setting. Hop Alley is still packed and relevant 10 years in because it’s always done things its own way—and boldness never goes out of style.
HOP ALLEY
3500 Larimer St. hopalleydenver.com
The Draw: Riotous Chinese food in a hip-hopinspired setting
The Drawback: Plates can arrive in an odd order; some may find dishes too salty
Noise Level:
Medium
Don’t Miss: Sichuan boiled beef, la zi ji, chile oil dumplings, and, for high rollers, the chef’s counter
DARING PAIRINGS
Asian restaurant wine lists have long been overlooked, but Hop Alley’s caught the attention of the James Beard Foundation, which shortlisted it in the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program category earlier this year. We asked sommelier Jacob Roadhouse how he picks bottles that live up to the restaurant’s most iconic dishes. —AR
From top: Chile oil dumplings; chef’s counter seating
To go with: The tongue-tingling Sichuan peppercorns in the la zi ji You want: Powerful, high-acid, full-bodied wines, like expressions of Chenin Blanc from France’s Loire Valley
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Locked Out
In September, against a backdrop of razor wire and imposing concrete walls rising from Colorado’s remote Eastern Plains, incarcerated men inside Sterling Correctional Facility took part in an ice cream fundraiser. Pints of chocolate, superchunky cookie dough, and something called Sea Salt Carmel Craze went for $5. Extra-large Neapolitan sandwiches cost $3, as did cookies and cream bars. Everything sold out immediately.
The event was sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12226, one of about 6,000 VFWs worldwide but the only one inside a prison. It was a unique assemblage: a collection of military combat veterans that included 24 inmates and four corrections officers from the Sterling facility, which houses men convicted of some of Colorado’s most violent crimes. For 11 months, the group had met often, discussing a hat and scarf drive for unhoused veterans, a coloring book collection for a children’s hospital, and a Veterans Day event. The end-of-summer ice cream fundraiser was their most ambitious project and would benefit the VFW’s Veterans & Family Support Program, which provides health care, housing, and emergency relief to struggling veterans and their families.
An inmate who served as the post’s commander spread flyers across the sprawling 2,111-person facility. News of the sale proliferated through the housing barracks, called “pods,” the chow hall, and even the prison’s protective-custody wing. “It felt like the event of the year,” Tom Stewart, the post commander, told me during one of our many monitored 20-minute phone conversations. When the frozen treats arrived, Stewart checked the inventory. He was accompanied by Carol Thomas, a Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC) captain at the prison and a Navy veteran with 36 years of military experience. Thomas, state commander for the Colorado VFW, had been instrumental in the Sterling post’s creation, working as a liaison
When the VFW opened a chapter inside northeastern Colorado’s Sterling Correctional Facility, the post was celebrated as a victory for prison reform nationwide. Then a popular YouTuber found out about it.
BY ROBERT SANCHEZ
among the inmates, the DOC, and the national VFW, which approved the prison charter in 2023. Thomas and Stewart spent at least 12 hours reviewing orders and making hundreds of deliveries throughout Sterling’s concrete corridors.
Founded in 1899, the VFW is one of the nation’s oldest veterans organizations, with more than 1.6 million members across the United States. Though most people
Source photo: Courtesy of Jeff Rice/ Sterling Journal-Advocate (men saluting)
think of cheap beer and flag-lined, woodpaneled ballrooms when imagining local chapters, posts are much more than watering holes. The gathering places serve as critical sources of support for service members—respites that offer privacy, resources, and camaraderie.
The beer aside, Post 12226 meetings provided many of the same benefits, only they were attended by men in prison-issued forest green uniforms and a corrections officer who watched over them. Some men made friends and talked about their military service. For others, the get-togethers simply afforded a break from the stresses of prison life, the isolation from their families, or difficult bunkmates.
Amid the ongoing debate about whether prolonged, relentless punishment is the surest way to maintain order in America’s prisons, Post 12226 was promoted as an exemplar of how things might change for the nation’s 181,500 incarcerated veterans if they simply had a place to sit and talk with like-minded people. “Our motto is, ‘No One Does More for Veterans,’ ” then-VFW Department of Colorado Commander John Keene told VFW Magazine this past August in a story celebrating the Sterling post. “There are no qualifiers in that. It just says ‘vets.’ In my mind, a veteran is a veteran.”
During Sterling’s first year, the VFW rated the prison chapter among the nation’s best posts, lauding the outfit for its enthusiasm and fastidious record-keeping. Stewart earned special recognition for his leadership, and Thomas was awarded the organization’s Distinguished Fraternal Award for her work supporting the incarcerated men. “I am very humbled, and I appreciate everybody’s assistance in this,” Thomas said during her acceptance speech. “We are bringing all veterans back to the fore-
“There are no qualifiers in that. It just says ‘vets.’ In my mind, a veteran is a veteran.”
front.” The prison-based project had been so successful there was talk of opening VFW posts in correctional facilities nationwide. It wasn’t a surprise, then, when the VFW mentioned Sterling in its October update to elected national officers. But the statement didn’t acknowledge that the men had raised $5,400 for the Veterans & Family Support
Program, and it didn’t praise their recent awards. Instead, the VFW announced that Post 12226 had closed forever.
RICHARD HY HAD never heard of Sterling, Colorado, when he received a friend’s text in August. Inside was a link to a story about Post 12226. The piece included names of post members, and Hy’s friend had done some research online. “Two of these guys are babykillers,” the friend wrote.
Hy, a 37-year-old detective with New York’s Buffalo Police Department and an Army reservist who has completed two combat deployments, runs the popular YouTube channel Angry Cops in which he delivers military and law enforcement news through a barrage of shouted insults, crude humor, and belligerent mockery. Though Hy has been banned by TikTok and blacklisted on Facebook, he’s exceptionally popular on YouTube. His videos usually attract more than 200,000 views each, and his 1.4 million subscribers rank him among that platform’s apex creators.
One YouTube video, titled “Afghanistan Fire Sale! Everything Must Go!,” features Hy in a keffiyeh as he plays a thick-accented merchant named “Makmuhd.” It has more than
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750,000 views. A Reddit fan page dedicated to Hy’s work often includes posts with racist Photoshopped images and memes.
Hy’s notoriety has earned him legion fans— as well as disciplinary investigations from the Buffalo police and the New York Attorney General’s Office. In 2021, Hy claimed he’d been passed over for promotions because of his online work. This past September, the attorney general’s Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigation Office reported Hy had been
“repeatedly discourteous and unprofessional during encounters with civilians and escalated... encounters, including by using physical force.”
After reading the story on Post 12226, Hy did his own research. Newspaper articles showed Stewart, the post’s commander, was serving an 80-year term for shaking his girlfriend’s toddler to death. One post member had reportedly been twice convicted of sexually assaulting minors. A Purple Heart recipient, who’d served tours in Iraq and Kuwait as an
Army Ranger, used an AR-15 to kill a man in a Denver alleyway. Hy was shocked. “They lost their marbles,” he says of the VFW.
Hy filmed a 17-minute video about Post 12226 and put it on YouTube on September 15. “The VFW is hurting for members so bad that they’re going to prison in order to recruit veterans,” an unshaven Hy yells into the camera. “It’s not hard to be involved in a little bit of controversy when the people in the VFW post in prison are convicted murderers, rapists, and pedos!” Hy showed mug shots of Stewart and other Post 12226 members. He described their crimes. He made fun of the post’s fundraising efforts.
“I don’t know how much money they’re fundraising,” Hy says in his video. “We getting an extra bag of Cheetos from the commissary and giving them to kids?... And what community are they outreaching to? They’re literally locked up. Their community is a community of felons, murderers. What are we doing here?” Hy ended with a call to action: “If I happened to be a post commander of a VFW somewhere, I think I would raise hell and say these sycophants don’t represent me, and we don’t want them in our brotherhood.” He included a link for viewers to contact the VFW.
The video got more than 250,000 views and 17,000 likes. Over 1,700 YouTube comments piled up. “The only VFW these things should belong to,” one user wrote, “is Veterans For the Woodchipper.”
STERLING CORRECTIONAL FACILITY has often served as an unlikely laboratory for modest reforms. In 2019, it opened a pod exclusively for military veterans. An inmate performance of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest received national attention in the New York Times that same year, after the production went on tour to other Colorado prisons. The Reimagine program, which began in 2023, enlists inmates serving life sentences as mentors for incarcerated individuals preparing for reintegration into society, giving long-term prisoners a purpose while also reducing recidivism.
A VFW post would fit the same mold, Stewart thought. “It doesn’t make a person irredeemable because of the fact that they committed a crime,” the 48-year-old says. “They made a mistake, they’re gonna pay for their mistake, and then they want to get out and live productive lives.”
Stewart served aboard the USS Tripoli in the mid-1990s and was convicted in November 2005. He now works as a master handler at Sterling in its Prison Trained Canine Companion Program. He and other incarcerated veterans floated the prospect of a VFW post sometime around 2014, but the idea never
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gained traction. “I didn’t want to do another book club,” Stewart says. “I wanted to give back in some way.” He connected with Thomas, the DOC captain, in 2022. “We knew if we were going to do this that we had to be better, more prepared, more solid, because of where we were at,” Stewart says. “We had to show we’re not the run-of-the-mill people in prison.”
Stewart studied the organization’s bylaws then enlisted Ryan Krueger, an inmate and prison journalist who later wrote the VFW Magazine story, to help answer questions about the potential post. The VFW wanted to know who would have access to the chapter’s bank account (only Thomas), whether inmate leadership would have authority over correctional officers and other nonincarcerated members (they would not), and whether noninmates might physically restrain their post brothers during prison lockdowns (yes, but only if the moment called for it). The organization had strict rules about members having served in a combat zone, and existing members who were convicted of felonies could face disciplinary action, but nothing in its bylaws excluded an incarcerated person from joining. The VFW formally accepted the post at its July 2023 national convention.
Post 12226 began meeting once or twice a month that fall. “It was a place where you could step out of the day-to-day of prison life, where you could salute the flag and sit across from another like-minded guy and just talk,” Krueger says. Members stood at attention when the American flag was presented, then gathered around a large table inside a room where prison employees once did roll call before their shifts. The group had to stick to the agenda; no one was allowed to bring up outside issues.
“We had to show we’re not the run-of-the-mill people in prison.”
Days after the Angry Cops video went live, Thomas pulled Stewart aside. He says she told him the Sterling chapter was getting heat but that the VFW wouldn’t waver in its support. Stewart asked to see the YouTube video, but the captain said it’d be better if he didn’t. So, he called his sister, who played the video against her phone’s receiver. “The raw emotion was, ‘This guy is a piece of crud,’ ” Stewart says of Hy. “After that, I was like, ‘I don’t care what this
dude says, because I know what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.’ What’s going to make him shut up is we were going to be the absolute top post.”
Al Lipphardt, the VFW’s newly elected national commander-in-chief, talked to Stewart on the phone. Lipphardt said the post had to “stay strong,” according to Stewart. “He told me not to worry,” Stewart remembers. “He said, ‘We got the stuff out here. You just worry about the stuff in there and making this the best it can be.’ ” (Lipphardt did not respond to an email seeking comment.)
Soon, though, the VFW was besieged by outraged emails. The organization initially released a Facebook message in support of Post 12226 but removed it after irate users bombarded the note. Existing social media posts about the chapter also were inundated with negative comments:
“We veterans do not condone this type of behavior and don’t want to be associated with it.”
“That nonsense about rehabilitating them is crap.”
“Shut it down.”
On October 11, less than a month after Hy published his video, VFW Adjutant
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General Dan West penned a letter to the group’s membership: Veterans serving time on felony convictions would no longer be eligible to join the organization. Because of the change, West added, Post 12226 fell below the VFW’s mandatory 10-member minimum requirement. (West told 5280 the VFW’s Bylaw Committee is reviewing the new rule prohibiting incarcerated veterans from joining, though there is no plan to reinstate the Sterling post or create a new post at another correctional facility.)
Stewart heard about the closure from Thomas before the pair began distributing ice cream across the prison. “It was devastating,” he says. Thomas told the rest of the group a couple of days later. One inmate broke down in tears. “We did nothing wrong,” the man said.
Most confounding to the post’s membership, Stewart says, was the silence that followed. No one from the VFW called or wrote to explain the decision. The DOC also stayed quiet. “It’s like we never existed,” Stewart says. In an email to 5280, Thomas referred questions to the DOC. A DOC spokesperson declined to comment. Former Colorado VFW head John Keene, who had initially offered his support to the fledgling chapter, also declined to comment.
A few weeks after Post 12226 closed, a letter from the VFW arrived at the prison. Stewart’s aunt had helped him scrape together $375 for his lifetime VFW membership, and raising the money had been a point of pride for him. Inside the envelope was a refund. “That was the gut punch,” Stewart says.
HY HEARD ABOUT the post’s shutdown from his YouTube followers. “This isn’t an individual effort,” he told me. “It’s the people who clicked on a link or sent an email or went to their VFW posts and said, ‘What is Colorado doing?’ ” Hy added that he was never opposed to putting a VFW in a prison but nonetheless called the organization “retarded” for its decision. “They did it the wrong way by putting the wrong people in it,” he says. “Sometimes people belong in jail, and jail isn’t a playground.”
A week after talking to Hy, I spoke to West, the VFW adjutant general. West had supported Post 12226, and he was doing his best to be sanguine about the situation. “VFW members are proud of their service,” he said. “They have high standards. And part of those standards is, you have to be worthy.” He still thinks the Sterling post’s former members are worthy.
West served in the Marine Corps for 11 years and was part of a frontline combat group deployed to the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm. After a career in some of the world’s most dangerous places, he felt powerless and uneasy when he re-entered civilian life. A couple of years later, he discovered the
VFW. “To put it bluntly, the VFW kept me out of prison—kept me out of the cemetery,” West wrote to members in 2022, explaining that he was the living embodiment of the organization’s mission.
He didn’t want to downplay the crimes committed by the inmates at Sterling. “They were convicted of some horrific stuff,” he said. Still, he added, they are human beings. And they’re still veterans. “You can condemn these men for what they did, but you should still reach out to them and help them become better people,” West said. When Post 12226 opened, West often thought about the men who’d served with him in combat. Many later found themselves addicted to drugs or alcohol or inside prison cells. “Still,” he said, “at some point, they had my back.”
I mentioned to West that I’d spoken to Stewart. I explained that the former post commander felt like he’d let down the rest of Sterling’s members, how he held himself responsible for ruining the program for other prisons, and how he worried he’d cut a safety net for someone who might have needed it. “You tell them they didn’t ruin anything,” West said. “When you’re the first to do something, you’re going to get a lot of criticism, you’re going to get a lot of ridicule. But then, 20 years later, they honor you.”
Stewart isn’t so sure. He talked to Thomas, the DOC captain, a couple of times in February. He says she told him she might start a new veterans group at Sterling—one that wouldn’t be limited to combat vets. Still, Stewart is pessimistic about the chances of anything getting done. “The majority of the post absolutely lost all faith, hope, and trust whatsoever in the captain,” Stewart says. “They feel like they’ve lost everything.”
Despite his bitterness following Post 12226’s closing, Stewart keeps nearly everything from his time as its commander inside his eight-by12-foot cell. He has the bylaws and other VFW books. He has the notes from the ice cream fund-raiser. “That was so much money,” he says. He talks wistfully about the meetings, how he was getting to know a Purple Heart veteran a little more, how members were opening up to one another. He talks about a corrections officer who was preparing to become the group’s 29th member—and its first woman member—just before the post closed. He talks about the structure of a two-hour meeting and how everything seemed stable and safe in that moment. “When I’m [with the VFW], I’m a productive member of society; I’m rehabilitating myself,” he says.
For one year, his 19th in prison, Stewart found a sense of pride in his life. Something had stirred in him, and he’d wanted to be a better man. For one year, at least, he felt useful. m
Robert Sanchez is 5280 ’s senior staff writer. Send feedback to letters@5280.com.
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FACES OF
This year’s Faces of 5280 features elite professionals across various fields. These individuals are top performers who are pushing boundaries and setting standards. They are leaders, innovators, and game-changers who have made significant contributions and gained recognition for their outstanding achievements. Join us in celebrating the best of the best, and be inspired by their stories of success.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETE EKLUND
THE FACE of BUILDING WEALTH THROUGH REAL ESTATE
RReal estate isn’t just about buying and selling homes—it’s about building wealth, creating opportunities, and making smart, strategic moves that pay off for years to come. That’s what drives me.
As the founder of City2Summit Realty, I’ve built a boutique brokerage that puts my clients first, offering a high-touch, customized experience that delivers results and builds equity and wealth for the future. With 25-plus years in marketing, negotiation, and real estate, I go beyond transactions and provide a proven process and strategy for financial success.
A Results-Driven Approach. I help clients sell faster, buy smarter, and maximize profits with:
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Deep Market Knowledge. Unmatched Expertise. As a Park Hill resident and Denver market expert, I don’t just sell homes—I understand them from the ground up. I bring an intimate understanding of the area’s real estate trends, home values, and investment opportunities. With hands-on experience in home construction and building multimillion-dollar developments, I help clients identify hidden value, make smart renovations, maximize ROI, and invest wisely.
I’m ranked in the top 1% of real estate professionals in Colorado and nationwide, and I’m honored to have been recognized as a Most Trusted Real Estate Expert, among many other industry distinctions—helping clients build their future.
THE FACES of SPORTS MEDICINE
TTreating Team USA and the athlete in all of us, The Steadman Clinic is a world-renowned orthopaedic clinic with facilities located in Aspen, Basalt, Edwards, Frisco and Vail, Colorado. As a designated National Medical Center for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, The Steadman Clinic and Steadman Philippon Research Institute provide superior orthopaedic treatment plans for Team USA athletes. Our practice has led to significant advancements in the science and practice of orthopaedics and regenerative sports medicine. In collaboration with Steadman Philippon Research Institute, our 26 elite physicians practice the latest, evidence-based treatments, continually improving techniques, procedures, and outcomes.
The goal of The Steadman Clinic is to deliver the highest standard of orthopaedic care and personal attention to every patient—recreational and professional—seeking our help. Our success in helping our patients reach their goals is what attracts people from all walks of life, from all over the world, to The Steadman Clinic.
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RAYMOND H. KIM, MD
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RANDALL W. VIOLA, MD
THOMAS R. HACKETT, MD
PETER J. MILLETT, MD, MSC
THOS A. EVANS, MD
MATTHEW T. PROVENCHER, MD, MBA
DUSTIN ANDERSON, MD
SONNY S. GILL, MD
JOSEPH J. RUZBARSKY, MD
MICHAEL GALLIZZI, MD
C. THOMAS HAYTMANEK, JR, MD
JOEL M. MATTA, MD
ARMANDO F. VIDAL, MD
LESLIE B. VIDAL, MD
JARED T. LEE, MD
JONATHAN A. GODIN, MBA, MD
KAVI SACHAR, MD
WAQQAR KHAN-FAROOQI, MD
JONATHON D. BACKUS, MD
MALIA CALI, MD
KRIS JOHN ALDEN, MD, PHD
NATHAN CAFFERKY, MD
ALI S. NOORZAD, MD
STUART D. KINSELLA, MD, MSTR
TThe Harris Law Firm cares about its clients, its employees, and the world around us. This is evident in their non-billable outreach and support for clients, regular employee WeCareSM training, and support in the community, both locally and abroad. For over 30 years, the firm has been providing outstanding family law, tax law, and estate planning services to the Colorado community. Clients go to The Harris Law Firm for guidance, support, and assistance during both exciting times and challenging times. With a team of over 30 attorneys and a wealth of experience handling more than 9,000 cases, The Harris Law Firm is well-equipped to tackle any family law, tax law, or estate planning matter.
Partners of The Harris Law Firm: Rich Harris, Peter Goldstein, Jennie Wray, Dan Droege, Sarah Rizzolo, Katy Ellis
WWendy’s CUSTOMER-FIRST philosophy is the reason she is highly successful. There are many qualities and skills that go into being an excellent real estate professional: integrity, in-depth community and market knowledge, marketing savvy, effective negotiation skills, being ethical, and a high-quality professional network. All of these are hallmarks of Wendy’s expertise. Wendy finds that providing the very best service is always about putting her clients first. This means being accessible, paying attention to details, being a good listener and a good communicator, and responding quickly to clients’ needs in order to have smooth and seamless transactions.
As a third-generation Denver native, Wendy knows the city and neighborhoods. This, along with her extensive knowledge, experience, passion, and high values blend together so that clients trust her to help them navigate the bumpy waters of today’s real estate world.
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AAdam Sands has built a name for himself in Colorado’s commercial financing and business banking industry. His expertise quickly propelled him into several leadership roles, ultimately leading to his appointment as Chief Banking Officer at FirstBank, one of the nation’s largest privately held and top-performing banks. Today, the company operates a $16.1 billion loan portfolio and is known as the state’s largest locally headquartered bank.
Adam Sands, Chief Banking Officer
Thanks in part to Adam’s contributions to the bank’s overall growth strategy, FirstBank has successfully established itself as a leader in commercial lending. As a result, the bank contributed nearly $2 billion toward local businesses in 2023, helping fund some of Colorado’s most prominent developments and growing companies, including Union Station, Mission Ballroom, and Stanley Marketplace.
Adam’s commitment to fostering small business growth has led to FirstBank’s recognition as one of the Top Small Business Administration (SBA) 504 Lenders in Colorado. Additionally, Adam received multiple NAIOP Awards for his contributions to some of the state’s most high-profile developments and was recognized as Denver Business Journal’s 40 under 40 for his significant impact on the local nonprofit and business community.
THE FACE of PERSONAL INJURY LITIGATION
SStephen Burg is a shareholder and a trial attorney with Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine. As the Practice Group Leader of the firm’s Personal Injury Department, Stephen is focused on representing victims of automobile and motorcycle crashes, trucking collisions, product liability injuries, gas explosions, wrongful death, sexual assault and exploitation, and harmful drugs and medical products. One of Mr. Burg’s recent trials resulted in a $18,105,000 verdict.*
A dedicated advocate for those who have been harmed by the carelessness of others, Stephen Burg has a long-standing reputation for his formidable skills as a litigator and a negotiator. He has a passion for holding negligent parties accountable for their actions and for maximizing financial recoveries for his clients.
Mr. Burg has been recognized for his legal excellence both nationally and locally. He was named as a “Recommended Attorney” by the U.S. Legal 500 and has been consistently recognized by the National Trial Lawyers as a “Top 100 Trial Lawyer” since 2012. He has also been selected by his peers as a Best Lawyer in America, a Colorado Super Lawyer, and a 5280 Top Lawyer.
*Past results do not guarantee future success.
BURG SIMPSON ELDREDGE HERSH & JARDINE
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WWalter and Christie Isenberg are dedicated leaders in business and philanthropy. Walter is the co-founder and CEO of Sage Hospitality Group, which operates over 100 hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues across 18 states. Sage employs more than 7,000 associates and exceeded $1 billion in revenue in 2024.
Christie is the founder and president of AMP the Cause, a nonprofit improving the lives of children and families in Colorado. Inspired by their upbringings, both are deeply committed to giving back, making philanthropy a core value in their businesses.
Their connection to the Children’s Diabetes Foundation (CDF) began through friends affected by Type 1 diabetes. They have supported CDF by activating opportunities at Denver Union Station , and Christie has contributed to CDF’s fundraisers through auction support. Through their leadership, they continue to foster a culture of service, ensuring their organizations make a lasting impact in the communities where they work and live.
DDr. Susan Kutis has been dedicated to the dental field for over 20 years, building strong, lasting relationships with her patients. As the owner of Blue Sage Dental, her priority is to provide conservative, functional, and high-quality care using the latest techniques to achieve optimal results. Known for her compassion, expertise, and commitment to excellence, she consistently exceeds patient expectations in both treatment and customer service. Her dedication has earned her Top Dentist recognition in both Chicago and Denver.
A leader in dental education, Dr. Kutis invests in advanced training at prestigious international institutions, setting Blue Sage Dental apart as one of Colorado’s top cosmetic and family dentistry practices. She has also made a significant impact on the profession, serving as president of the Metropolitan Denver Dental Society (MDDS), where she helped organize one of the largest dental conferences in the western U.S. Additionally, she is an educator for the Pacific Aesthetic Continuum and the former chair of the Colorado Dental Association Foundation.
Dr. Kutis’ reputation for exceptional dental care keeps patients coming back for years. To see before-and-after photos of her cosmetic work, visit bluesagedental.com.
I“Interior Design” is a phrase that has become synonymous with the upper echelon. It has been labeled unattainable for most yet a desired service nonetheless.
Enter: Denver-based interior design firm
Inside Stories, led by owner Miranda Cullen.
Inside Stories was established in 2015 as an alternative to offerings typical of a full-service interior design firm. Today, with 20 talented team members, Inside Stories services projects coast to coast. What started as a micro-design revolution has broadened to encompass anything our clients can dream up. From a paint consultation to a luxury, custom-built home, projects of all sizes are welcome. Our unique approach has uncovered a way to make interior design accessible to anyone. Inside Stories delivers a customizable service that allows flexibility in budget and timing requirements without compromising on aesthetic or customer service.
At Inside Stories, we believe everyone deserves a personalized space where they can thrive.
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(303) 783-9327
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Left to right: R.J. Ertmer, Amy E. Huff, Alex Beltz, Deanne R. Stodden, David A. Reeves, Valerie D. Bromley, Matthew R. Sullivan, Jenny L. Thornton
THE FACES of ANIMAL RESCUE
(303) 536-0118 1946 County Road 53 Keenesburg, CO 80643 wildanimalsanctuary.org THE WILD ANIMAL SANCTUARY
TThe Wild Animal Sanctuary is the largest nonprofit carnivore sanctuary in the world with over 1,000 rescued animals including lions, tigers, bears, wolves, leopards, and other large carnivores, plus wild mustangs—all living in their own large natural habitats.
Established in 1980, the Sanctuary operates three locations within Colorado with more than 40,000 acres for abused, abandoned, and/or confiscated animals. The Sanctuary specializes in rehabilitating captive wildlife so they can be released into natural habitats where they’ll roam freely and live with others of their own kind for the rest of their days.
The main facility in Keenesburg, Colorado, is open to the public for education every day from 9 a.m. to sunset. Guests may learn more about the Captive Wildlife Crisis from a 1.5-mile elevated walkway.
More information on the mission, how to support, and details for visiting is available at www.WildAnimalSanctuary.org.
THE FACES of TRUE CUSTOM™ FURNITURE
WWhen it comes to furniture shopping, Bassett Furniture stands apart. With a passion for design, Pam Marolt spent her early career staging luxury homes and curating personalized interiors. She and her husband, Ted, opened their Lone Tree Bassett location in 2005, quickly becoming one of the top dealers in the nation.
Their locally-owned stores in Lone Tree and Thornton offer exceptional service, high-quality craftsmanship, and the expertise of Bassett University-trained design consultants. Bassett Furniture specializes in True Custom™ pieces, not mass-produced furniture, ensuring superior quality while supporting American artisans and local businesses. In a world of online shopping, there’s nothing like a free, inhome design consultation to bring your vision to life.
Whether you need a full home makeover or the perfect finishing touch, the Marolts are ready to help you create a space you love. As Pam says, “We don’t just sell furniture; we sell lifestyles.”
SANDWICHES IN DENVER BEST
From a bodega-style BEC with SPK to a bánh mì in a perfectly crusty baguette to a caramelized-onion-filled Philly cheesesteak, these are our favorite local takes on regional specialties.
EDITED BY JESSICA L a RUSSO
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
DAVID WILLIAMS
KATSU SANDO Kumoya
The Japanese pork katsu sando counts among those craveable dishes that draw attention on social media before they’re even readily available in a given market. The allure? Fluffy, snow-white slices of milk bread called shokupan conform like a topographic map around a thick slab of breaded and fried pork cutlet. Add some glistening greens and a drippy sauce, and you have a TikTok star. But the katsu sando’s online ubiquity stands in inverse proportion to its presence in Denver restaurants. It goes back to that shokupan; it’s crucial to the overall texture, appearance, and taste of many Japanese sandwiches, but it’s tricky to bake. Pastry chef William O’Leary is one of the few locals attempting it, specifically for 18-month-old Highland sushi bar and izakaya Kumoya’s katsu sando. Here, the bread is sliced relatively thin and shorn of its crusts before being layered with crisp-coated Berkshire pork (tender and thoroughly toothsome), light napa cabbage slaw, Asian pear, savory-sweet tonkatsu sauce, and a swipe of curry aïoli. The sandwich comes cut into fat quarters run through with bamboo skewers to maintain their eye-pleasing symmetry and geometry. If this is your introduction into yoshoku—Japanese versions of Western foods—enjoy the sando as a shared appetizer before diving into Kumoya’s always-impressive list of more traditional sushi and small plates. Or grab a stool at the sultry back bar and keep the whole thing to yourself, sided with a cocktail or a glass of chewy, unfiltered nigori sake. —Mark Antonation
PORK TENDERLOIN
Bull & Bush Brewery
The pork tenderloin sandwich may have been created by an Indiana restaurateur of German descent in the early 1900s, but some of its best expressions today are served in Iowa, where fair food absurdity is celebrated year-round. In fact, on the menu at Glendale’s Bull & Bush Brewery—which opened in 1971 and added a suds operation in 1996—it’s called the Iowa State Fair Sandwich. Here, the numbers that make this iteration a blue-ribbon winner. —JL 4:1
Minutes Bull & Bush’s cooks spend every day hammering pork tenderloins with a mallet to get the meat wide and thin
The ratio of the breaded pork loin to the bun, which appears comically small (and rightly so)
Vegetables on the sandwich; a pile of lettuce, tomato slices, and pickles is respectfully served on the side so as not to frighten produceaverse Midwesterners
FRIED HOT CHICKEN Music City Hot Chicken
Hot chicken is not so much a dish as it is a rite of passage, like a midwinter cold plunge or a fraternity hazing ritual. Born in Nashville’s Black communities nearly a century ago—and now a nationwide obsession—the sandwich in its best form is a slow-burning gustatory revelation. At this moment in Denver, no one does it better than Music City Hot Chicken. Started in Fort Collins in 2016, the threeyear-old satellite in the back of Broadway’s heavy-metal-themed Trve Brewing Co. is a small kitchen that flashes like a beam of white light at the end of a dark tunnel. Follow it and order the simply named chicken sandwich: a slab of moist and perfectly fried thigh bathed in one of seven heat levels. While we appreciate the Colorado-specific green chile blend (lowest on the heat scale), our go-to is the classic Nashville Hot, whose orangehued sauce made from arbol chiles is near the midpoint on Music City’s spectrum. Don’t be fooled, though: This is some seriously spicy stuff. The included slaw is an earthy addition that brings the sandwich back to its country roots, but it won’t put out the fire. —Robert Sanchez
TOKYO
DENMARK
SMØRREBRØD
Suti & Co.
Traditional Danish-style sourdough rye bread (or brød) is earthy and dense, packed with cracked whole grains and seeds, and far more substantive than a New York–style rye. Plastered with butter (or smør), it’s filling enough to stand on its own. But when the slab is topped with protein and bright garnishes, it becomes a satisfying meal that can carry you from lunch to dinner, which is how the treat supposedly originated among laborers in 19th-century Denmark. At Boulder’s two-year-old hygge hotbed Süti & Co., the openfaced sandwiches were such a hit on a once-a-week plan that chef Andrea Uzarowski etched them into the menu full time. She artfully arranges various toppings like avocado, egg salad, salmon, and tomato atop slices of fresh brød from Louisville’s Moxie Bread Co. We love the whimsical look and flavorful combo of smoked beet spread, pickled cucumber, and hard-boiled egg sprinkled with savory granola—a classic example of the Danish commitment to form and function. —Maren Horjus
COLORADO
PUEBLO SLOPPER ack's Bar & Grill L
The trading card tidbits you need to know about this elusive hometown hero, which we tracked down at Jack’s Bar & Grill in northwest Arvada. —Allyson Reedy
First appearance: Pueblo, Colorado
Origin story: The Slopper was born as early as the 1950s, but like the sandwich, the rest of its history is a bit messy. Gray’s Coors Tavern and Star Bar, divey watering holes in Pueblo, both claim to have invented the open-faced cheeseburger doused with green chile (chopped onions optional).
Moniker: Legend has it the name came from a customer saying it “looked like slop.”
Current lair: Fifteenyear-old Jack’s Bar & Grill—a casual venue with morning, noon, and night eats—is one of the few spots in metro Denver selling Sloppers as Sloppers. (Note: You may find them lurking on other local menus, disguised as Mexican hamburgers.)
Superpower: When owner Jack Miller, who went to college in Pueblo, can get them, peppers grown in southern Colorado give his green chile a smoky heat. Miller also splits the traditional burger into three hockey-puck-size sliders (sans top buns). Weakness: The Slopper explodes on contact if picked up by hand but is easily sliced apart with a fork and knife.
PHILADELPHIA
CHEESESTEAK
Aspen Lodge Bar & Grill
Year-round Christmas trees and twinkly lights, Iron Maiden on the speakers, and a menu that features hummus and gyros may not sound like hallmarks of a spot that serves a great cheesesteak. But stick with us: This Westminster strip mall bar and grill, opened more than a decade ago, is where you’ll find one of the best around. That’s because chef-owner Mesut Cetin digs the Philadelphia-born sandwich, and when the Turkey native digs something—like the holidays or heavy metal—he goes all in. “I love a Philly cheesesteak sandwich; that’s the bottom line,” Cetin says. “I love Christmas, I love Iron Maiden, I’m a ’70s and ’80s guy. I put everything I love into this restaurant.” For his take, Cetin grills and chops the meat, some bits crispy and some tender, on a flattop with nothing more than salt and pepper. He loads it up with an unholy amount of caramelized onions and a blanket of delightfully gooey (if nontraditional) Swiss cheese that melts into every beefy nook and cranny. It’s all served steaming on a crusty roll with a side of bottomless hand-cut fries. Pressed to divulge a secret ingredient, Cetin swears there isn’t one; to prove it, he invites diners to watch him cook in Aspen Lodge’s open kitchen. Maybe cheesesteaks just taste better under the glow of twinkly lights. —AR
Big Apple Bodega
My husband is a pretty mild-mannered guy, but a few topics are guaranteed to fire him up: the Hartford Whalers leaving his home state of Connecticut, the Eagles (he hates the effing Eagles), and the lack of NYC-bodega-style breakfast sandwiches in Denver. A double-digit price tag, a 10-minute wait, or a microwaved egg are all rant-inducing offenses. “It’s not that hard. You just get the flattop going and crank them out.” “Why is there so much meat?” “I’m going to start baking hard rolls.” He speaks from experience, having spent college summers at a deli in the tri-state area, whipping up BECs (bacon, egg, and cheese) for commuters on their way into the city. So, I was optimistic about Big Apple Bodega, a food truck recently turned South Broadway brick-and-mortar. Although proprietor Brian Murphy, who grew up on Long Island, focuses on variations of the chopped cheese sandwich—another NYC specialty with ground beef, grilled onions, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and ketchup—he makes $6 BECs on weekends. My hubby’s assessment? The round roll is solid, even though it lacks poppyseeds; the over-medium eggs are a vast improvement on scrambled; the speed and modest proportions are just right for what should be a quick, on-the-go breakfast; and being asked “SPK?” (New Yorker for salt, pepper, and ketchup) is a nice touch. I thought they were tasty, too—but the best part was enjoying them in contented silence. —JL
MUFFULETTA Spinelli's Market
My ancestors came to the United States in the early 1900s from Palermo, Italy, right around the time fellow Sicilian Salvatore Lupo is rumored to have invented the muffuletta in New Orleans’ French Quarter. While the sammie’s origins aren’t up for debate, just about everything else is (including whether to serve it hot or cold). I asked Kardi Constance, general manager of Italian deli Spinelli’s Market in Park Hill, to dissect her version—the city’s best, in this Sicilian’s not-so-humble opinion. —Jessica Giles
Bread: The round loaf that gives the sandwich its name is topped with sesame seeds, crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. Spinelli’s uses ciabattini rolls from Breadworks Bakery & Cafe in Boulder.
Olive salad: Spinelli’s tangy spread includes Kalamata olives, Spanish olives, roasted red peppers,
Mexican oregano, fresh parsley, and lots of oil. While some restaurants add spicy giardiniera, Constance opts for a dash of red wine vinegar.
Meats: A traditional muffuletta includes thinly sliced genoa salami, ham, and mortadella, but Spinelli’s skips the ham. All the better to taste the pistachio-studded mortadella, which the deli
imports from Italy. In addition to a few slices of provolone, the deli piles about a quarter-pound of meat on each sandwich.
Temperature: You’ll find it both ways in New Orleans. Constance prefers it cold, so that’s how it comes at Spinelli’s. The deli will warm it, though, if you’re one of those.
Nearly a decade ago, Jesus Cruz and his family took over an unassuming restaurant space under the awning of a downtown Englewood Conoco station, turning it into Garibaldi Mexican Bistro, where the menu includes a tribute to the antojitos of Mexico City. Among the tempting street snacks, you’ll find a variation on the torta that wears its bold sauce on the outside. The pambazo takes its name from pan bajo, a simple, fine-crumbed bread that has fed the people of Mexico City for centuries. Here, the baguette-shaped roll gets dunked in a brickred salsa made with guajillo chiles; split open and stuffed with traditional chorizo and soft-cooked potato; and then crisped quickly on the griddle. The other ingredients—shredded lettuce, crema, a sprinkle of cheese—serve to quench the incendiary sauce. The result is a barrage of salty, spicy, smoky, and creamy flavors that can seem as chaotic and intimidating as a first impression of Mexico City but as comforting and welcoming to those who return again and again. —MA
NEW ORLEANS
NEW YORK CITY
MEXICO CITY
TORTA Garibaldi Mexican Bistro
REUBEN Leven Deli
Though the Reuben is widely thought of as an NYC specialty, it may have actually been born in Omaha, Nebraska— whipped up for one Reuben Kulakofsky during a hungerinducing game of poker. However, plenty argue it was first concocted by Arnold Reuben, a New York delicatessen owner, and it’s that tradition to which seven-year-old Leven Deli, located near the Denver Art Museum in the Golden Triangle, adheres. Its Reuben swaps the traditional corned beef for tender pastrami, which the restaurant makes via a 12-day process that involves aging, curing, and smoking a cut of brisket rubbed with a custom blend of spices. “It’s a true labor of love,” owner Anthony Lygizos says. Sliced and piled high, the pastrami is loaded up with a creamy house-made Russian dressing that gets a pop of acidity from pickled mustard seeds. A heap of crisp whitecabbage slaw is insulated by a melty slice of Jarlsberg cheese to prevent the cardinal sin of sandwiches, soggy bread— which would be a shameful fate indeed for Leven’s house-made, naturally leavened rye with a hint of fermented onion and plenty of caraway seeds.
—Michelle Shortall
BARBECUE BRISKET
Post Oak Barbecue
A native of the Lone Star State, I’m often disappointed by barbecue spots that boast about their Texas bona fides only to serve up oversauced, overseasoned rumps of meat. Texas brisket, like Texas itself, stands on its own. Barbecue sandwiches are allowed tiny embellishments—pickles, sauce, bun, raw onion—but anything fancy is an indicator that the purveyor is more California than country. You can imagine my dismay, then, when I learned Post Oak’s Texas Style sandwich is saddled with deep-fried onions, a sure desecration of the sacred cow. Nick Prince, Post Oak’s owner, expected such skepticism, which is why he spent weeks experimenting with breading that’s light enough to highlight, rather than overwhelm, the flavor of the barbecue. He succeeded, which is good news because brisket is the star at Post Oak, and it shines bright. The Tennyson outfit’s beef is sourced from the “home country,” as Prince calls the state of his birth, and smoked over genuine central Texas post oak for 14 hours. As far as spices go? Salt, pepper, and garlic powder; that’s it. For the Texas Style sammie, the tender, smoky slab is dressed with sour pickles, a dollop of tangy sauce, and those heretical onions. Even I have to admit they enhance the beef’s smokiness by delivering a slight salty crunch to every bite. It tastes just like the real thing—only better. —Spencer Campbell
FRENCH DIP
Pony Up
The inventor of the French dip was from France, but that’s the extent of la République’s role in the sandwich’s provenance: Philippe Mathieu ran a diner in Los Angeles where, in 1918, he accidentally dropped a French roll into a roasting pan full of oven-hot juices. At seven-year-old LoDo pub Pony Up, owner Angela Neri re-creates several versions of that unexpected marriage. Our favorites include one traditional preparation and two more progressive offerings, creating a dip à trois to suit a variety of tastes. —SC
The Alameda Street
Named after the street on which Mathieu’s LA restaurant resides, this tribute to the original comprises roast beef, mayo, and rosemary on ciabatta with a side of beef jus. The meat is slow-cooked to a tender medium rare, and the bread has a toasty crust and a spongy crumb to sop up the savory sauce.
The Frenchie Inside Pony Up, Denver’s Patrick Kane McGregor painted a mural of King Louie, Neri’s French bulldog, who inspired this rendition. Its prime rib and ciabatta are, like Louie, dressed royally: crowned with Gruyère and crispy onions and accompanied by decadent French onion jus.
The Saigon
This bánh-mì-inspired variation has become an overwhelming favorite of patrons, thanks to pork shoulder that’s roasted overnight and pillows of fat that crisp the edges. Spicy mayo and pickled jalapeño slices bring heat to the meat, and an umami-rich pho broth deepens the flavor of the ciabatta-sheathed Saigon.
NEW YORK CITY
LOS ANGELES
Lou's Italian Specialties
As a Midwestern teen, my Subway order was turkey on white, extra mayo. So, how did I end up at Lou’s Italian Specialties in Curtis Park for the Louie—ham, capicola, genoa salami, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, oil, and vinegar on crusty City Bakery bread—on the way home from Rose Medical Center after delivering my firstborn? The same way I landed in that hospital in the first place: my husband. A New Englander with a family tree full of Luigis, he turned me into an Italian combo devotee. It was rough, then, when I had to go off cold cuts (pesky pregnancy restrictions). I asked Joshua Pollack, the proprietor of six-year-old Lou’s, what inspired his take on the sandwich with many variations—and many names—in Italian American communities across the Northeast. —JL 5280: Sub, hoagie, hero... what do you call it?
Joshua Pollack: It’s a hoagie for me. When I moved away from North Jersey, it was the first time I ate fast food. In the Northeast, there are dozens of momand-pop shops in every little town. I try to uphold the food lineage of those families, who brought their cooking techniques to New York City when they immigrated.
What inspired the Louie?
Back home, there were three main delis in my rotation, and they all had a similar combination of about three meats. They traditionally have tomato. I like red onion. And then, this is a very important part: We call it shredduce. You gotta have that shredded lettuce, because the next step is straight-up oil and vinegar and some salt, pepper, and oregano. The
CHURRASCO
shredded lettuce holds the oil in place.
It also has mayonnaise. This is controversial. It is. But it was on the hoagies I grew up eating. A thin layer makes it so the oil and vinegar don’t sog out the sandwich. That little bit of mayonnaise mixing into the flavor became part of my nostalgia. We hear about it, though, when someone says no mayo and we accidentally put mayo on it.
Cachai Chilean Food
One of the things I miss most about Chile is the bread. In my hometown of Valdivia, bakeries are everywhere, and amateur makers sell their loaves and flats on nearly every corner. (It’s estimated that Chileans eat an average of 216 pounds of bread per person annually—second only to Germans.) Thus, carb cravings are basically my birthright, and it was a particularly strong one that led me to Cachai Chilean Food. Although cousins and Chile natives Mayra Chacon and Valentin Julio serve hot dogs and empanadas from their 18-month-old food truck, most patrons line up during the weekday lunch rush for the 16 variations of churrascos, Chile’s signature sandwiches, which are often loaded with sliced meat and salted vegetable toppings (traditionally, green beans). While they’re considered quick street eats back home, Cachai elevates them by stuffing soft hamburger buns with steak, shredded beef, chicken, or pork and topping them with flavorful additions like avocado and tomato. The churrasco dinámico—thinly sliced skirt steak, sauerkraut, avocado, salsa Americana, mayo, and tomato—satisfies my longing for my favorite Valdivian sandwich shop every time. —Barbara O’Neil
This handheld has French and Vietnamese roots, so perhaps it’s not surprising that the best version in Denver does, too—even if it took more than a century to get here. In the late 1800s, French colonizers brought Gallic baguettes to the region they called Indochina; eventually, the denizens of Saigon adapted the European sandwich to local tastes (softer bread, tangy pickled vegetables, spicy peppers). Fast-forward to 2010, when Thoa Nguyen left her family’s iconic Federal Boulevard restaurant, New Saigon, to study pastry-making in Paris. Twelve years later, she opened Bánh & Butter Bakery Café, a bright, airy spot in Aurora. There and now, the Vietnamese cold-cut sandwich brings it all together: three different cuts of pork, a creamy, umamirich pâté, extra-crunchy pickled sweet-and-sour veggies, and slices of mild jalapeños, all layered into Nguyen’s crispy-chewy house-made baguettes. As a nod to the bánh mì’s origins as a breakfast street food, you can add a fried egg, but we prefer to save room for another mashup: cream puffs in Asian-inspired flavors such as ube and pandan coconut. —Charli Ornett m
VIETNAM
CHILE
Banh & BakeryButter Cafe
FIND YOUR FIT
After being relegated to their basements during the pandemic, exercise enthusiasts are returning en masse to group fitness classes in search of their swole mates. Want in on the gains? We’ve rounded up the most effective—and entertaining—gyms for cardio, strength training, recovery, and more in and around the Mile High City.
EDITED BY JESSICA GILES
HUSTLE + HEART
We’d bet good money you’re seated while reading this. How did we know? Because one in four Americans spend more than eight hours a day on their rear end, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All that time on your tush can result in high blood pressure, obesity, and an increased risk of heart disease—the leading cause of death in the United States. The good news? “Exercise is one of the best things you can do to reduce the risk of some of the biggest killers in America,” says Dr. William Cornwell, medical director of sports cardiology at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Exercises that elevate your heart rate are particularly beneficial because they put good stress on your lungs and ticker. In fact, regular aerobic activity can help your heart maintain youthful function into your 70s and 80s, Cornwell says. Experts suggest adults aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous cardio a week—and in Denver, you can do so much better than the treadmill. Here are three of our favorite places to get our hearts pumping.
Block21 Fitness
I spent my entire childhood training to be a professional ballet dancer. That meant living in a leotard 40 hours per week, vying for first place in competitions, and enrolling in a rigorous ballet academy instead of traditional high school. By the time I was 16, taking my place at the barre each morning filled me with more angst than enjoyment; the mirror never seemed to reflect anything but my inadequacies. Ultimately, I was driven away from the sport I loved by the constant pressure to be perfect—and always falling short.
So, when I booked a class at Block21 Fitness, a cardio dance studio in Capitol Hill, I felt a familiar wave of anxiety. I hadn’t set foot in a studio in seven years. What if I didn’t nail the
choreography? What if the mirror taunted me like it did when I was a teenager?
I claimed a spot in the back row and fell into my old ballet stretching routine. But when the instructor, Kenny Beahm, turned on the music, it was no Tchaikovsky. What ensued was 50 minutes of unabashed booty shaking. Block21’s signature class is a follow-the-leader format made up of 80 percent dancing and 20 percent strength exercises. Instructors repeat the movements throughout the song, so if you don’t pick it up the first time, you likely will the third or fourth. We body-rolled to Shy Smith’s “Soaked,” made it rain during “$100 Bill” by Big Freedia, and dropped it to the floor as Sage the Gemini rapped “Gas Pedal.” Twenty minutes in, I was soaked—and, surprisingly, smiling.
“In a typical dance-technique class, there’s so much thinking,” says Sally Urban, who founded the studio in 2019. “It’s really easy to overanalyze and become critical and have that little voice in your head run wild. The whole idea [at Block21] is that you can just turn your brain off and go.” After a few songs spent side-eyeing my classmates to make sure no one was looking at me (they weren’t), that’s exactly what I did.
There were plenty of times when I messed up the choreography, nearly bumped into my neighbors, and felt a little silly. But I found that my mistakes were part of the magic. Here, instructors ask for a playful spirit, not perfection. “And if anything doesn’t work for you,” Urban says, “you can always twerk on the wall.” —JG
I SURVIVED
Workout: Dancing Address: 930 N. Lincoln St.
Cost: $30 for a single class
Courtesy of Viv Cycle;
Courtesy of Biz Young
Viv Cycle
Workout: Indoor cycling
Address: 3611 Walnut St.
Cost: $26 for a single class
Inside a dark room off Walnut Street in RiNo, Nadine Potter screams beneath a single spotlight as she maxes out the speakers’ volume. Potter looks as though she’s DJing the biggest stage at Coachella, but really, she’s pushing 40 people to their limits on stationary bikes. “There’s something truly sacred about stepping through those doors, getting up on the podium, turning off the lights, and letting the music play,” Potter says. “Something happens to my soul.”
She co-founded Viv Cycle with Ann Tribone in July 2019. Together, they’ve shaped Viv into a high-energy boutique fitness studio that feels more like a nightclub than a workout class. That’s
thanks in part to its use of beatbased indoor cycling, meaning the rhythm dictates the choreography and how fast you pedal. Five different spin classes range from Just Jogs, which focuses on endurance, to Heavy Hitters, which prioritizes slower songs and heavy resistance. But the signature 45-minute Viv Ride lets cyclists try every tempo.
“It’s a party on a bike every time,” Potter says. You might tap it back to old-school rap, burn out your biceps to Benny Benassi during the five-to-six-minute upper-body section, and then belt out hits from the early 2000s like you’re at a karaoke bar.
“The community here is something special. You’ll notice people talking and bonding, many of whom didn’t know each other before,” Potter says. “It feels like all the coolest, kindest people end up at Viv.” And because the schedule also includes strength training, mat Pilates, yoga, sound baths, and a slew of social events, you can hang with your new besties in and out of the saddle. —Sara Rosenthal
Bodied
Workout: Step aerobics
Address: 2101 W. 44th Ave.
Cost: $28 for a single class
Leave the leg warmers at home: This is not your mom’s Jane Fonda workout. Dreamed up by Veronica Peterson (better known as V around the studio), Bodied puts a modern spin on the nostalgic ’90s step aerobics trend. “What I love about step is that it’s very high intensity—you are dripping sweat by the end of it, and your heart is pounding—but it’s super low impact,” says Peterson, who opened the Sunnyside studio in August 2023. Backed by the beats of contemporary artists like Cardi B and Taylor Swift, instructors begin the 45-minute signature class with about 20 minutes of step to raise your heart rate and warm up your muscles for the impending strength section.
That’s when you’ll meet your new frenemy: the Heroboard. Despite being just slightly larger than a laptop, the rolling platform packs a punch similar to that of a Pilates reformer machine. As if single-leg lunges and planks to pikes weren’t hellish enough on solid ground, performing them on four wheels fires up your core and challenges your balance. Bodied coaches often add dumbbells and resistance bands during this section for upperbody training and glute gains, giving you a true full-body workout.
Whether they nailed every triple toe tap and knee drive or spent the whole class giggling with their girlfriends, clients tend to walk out of Bodied with a newfound swagger, Peterson says, and not just because their legs are Jell-O. “My absolute favorite [compliment] is when people tell me that Bodied has helped them feel confident,” she says. “You can see them exiting the room feeling so strong and so sexy.” —JG
Power + Purpose
For many Coloradans, the great outdoors is their gym. When you spend your weekends running up Mt. Sanitas, skiing Vail’s Back Bowls, and pedaling through Trestle Bike Park, why bother with barbells? But strength training could be the key to safely sending it on your outdoor adven tures, says Lauren Heap, personal training manager at the CU Anschutz Fitness Center. Lifting weights can help prevent injuries, strengthen unilateral muscles crucial to sports like hiking and biking, and improve your bone density. “Let’s make it hard here in the gym so that when you go out into the world, you can enjoy it—so that it feels easier and you’re not so focused on how tired you feel,” she says. Whether you want to perfect your frontside 180 or simply be able to carry your kids from the lift to the lot, these strength-training gyms will prepare you to step up your stoke.
Alpine Training Center
It’s not unusual to spot a troupe of runners in Boulder, but on an icy February afternoon, a group lugging 30-liter backpacks as they sprinted through an office park in the shadow of the frosted Flatirons caught my attention as I drove by. Next up for them was step-ups and tire drags, “which are a lot easier when the parking lot is slick—they’ll like that,” Connie Sciolino, the owner of Boulder’s 15-year-old Alpine Training Center and one of its decorated trainers, told me.
Sciolino, a former ski racer, launched her gym to help “outdoor athletes—skiers, rock climbers, ice climbers, mountain bikers, ultrarunners, mountaineers—maximize their performance and their enjoyment,” she says. She employs a year-round approach that includes phases for maintaining in summer and conditioning in fall, so athletes can chase bigger goals and better results without losing a step in the offseason. It’s a model that appeals to
competitive athletes and weekend warriors alike. I count myself among the latter, choosing to while away my Saturdays in the Indian Peaks and my PTO on farther-flung epics across the West. And when I do head out, I simply want to enjoy the climb—and not slow anyone down.
But I’ve spent the past three years bringing the next generation of Colorado climbers into the world, which means I’m not necessarily Grand Traverse–ready. My schedule is simply much less mine than my toddlers’ these days, and my mountain missions look more like predawn skins on close-tohome fire roads than icy ascents up remote peaks. Unlike other gyms, which might sequester me into an individualized program and gradually increase the intensity, however, Sciolino is adamant about keeping training groups together—out-of-shape moms and Jerrys included. “We throw new people into the workout because athletes motivate each other and hold each other accountable,” she says.
For my session, designed for backcountry skiers, that meant that I did the same workout as my classmates—but modified. After an aerobic warmup of jump rope and burpees, Sciolino adjusted my weights and reps for squat cleans and mobility work. We finished with a brutal superset of squats and pushups.
The folks in my class ran the gamut. There was a gal training for the Audi Power of Four Ski Mountaineering Race and a dude I’m pretty sure was gunning for the Olympics. But there were also several (very fit) desk jockeys. Sciolino tweaked everyone’s agenda to ensure we all lasted the hour, and even though my final pushups could best be described as an embarrassment, the exhortations directed my way sounded oddly familiar—like something my partner might say as I’m kicking my last few steps into a crusty couloir at 14,000 feet. —Maren Horjus
I SURVIVED
Workout: Strength and conditioning
Address: 1840 Commerce St., Boulder
Cost: $30 for a single class
Colfax Strong Strength & Conditioning
Workout: CrossFit
Address: 1516 Emerson St.
Cost: $159 biweekly for the first three months of Strength and Conditioning classes; $93 biweekly for the Barbell Club
Most gyms don’t just welcome drop-ins; they’re desperate for them. That’s because guests sometimes become members—i.e., recurring revenue. Colfax Strong, a CrossFit gym in Uptown, is a bit more guarded about who gains admittance. Though critics deride CrossFit as a cult due to its practitioners’ undying devotion to the WOD (workout of the day), a more serious criticism lies in its propensity for bodily harm: In a recent National Institutes of Health study, 48 percent of respondents reported suffering at least one injury during their CrossFit careers.
That’s part of the reason Colfax Strong requires newbies to meet with a coach individually four times (the cost is included in the membership) to ensure their technique is true before participating in the signature Strength and Conditioning class. It’s offered eight times Monday through Thursday and presents as a typical CrossFit workout—albeit one that’s vigilant against injury. (When we visited, the instructor spent 10 minutes teaching us how to safely bail from a squat.) If you want to focus on Olympic lifting, enroll in the Barbell Club, which meets three times a week. The club requires three personal training sessions ($100 each) before you can start power snatching with your new pals.
Whichever course you take, Colfax Strong’s ultimate goal for your fitness is the same. “We want to build a foundation for your everyday life,” says Chad Pinther, who co-owns the gym with his wife, Esther. “Doing a squat the right way is going to translate to picking up the groceries or your baby—safely and for the long term.” —Spencer Campbell
Worth the Fight Boxing & Fitness Studio
Workout: Boxing
Address: 1999 Pennsylvania St.
Cost: $30 for a single class
Gladys Santiago was so nervous to attend her first boxing class, she brought her nearly 60-year-old mother along. The up-tempo music spilling out of the boxing gym in her Queens neighborhood had enticed Santiago, but her fear that fitness buffs might judge a gay Latina midway through a weight-loss journey made her wary of booking a bag. “There’s a saying that the heaviest weight in the gym is the front door,” she says.
More than a decade later, Santiago and her wife, Emily Stork, strive to ensure the door to their Uptown gym, Worth the Fight Boxing & Fitness Studio, remains featherweight. Beyond it, they run 50-minute boxing and kickboxing classes for all levels that conclude with high-intensity interval training or yoga. Woven into the framework of three-yearold Worth the Fight is a vibe that screams “you belong here” louder than any instructor calling out punch combos. Teachers review boxing stances 15 minutes before every class, reassuring any of the 20 attendees who might have jitters. Newbies who want to sort out their jabs and crosses can book a 30-minute personal training session and one week of unlimited classes for $60.
But just because the instructors are welcoming doesn’t mean they’ll go easy on you. Boxing is a combined cardio and strength workout, so expect footwork drills that will improve your agility in the ring and out on the trail; explosive punch sequences that fire up your arms and core; and some sweat sesh silliness. (Santiago is known to holler “duck” and swipe at boxers with a foam pool noodle.) The easygoing atmosphere often promotes catharsis, helping participants punch through the temptation to break sobriety or moving them to tears after realizing they’ve finally discovered a safe place to sweat. “I’ve been in fitness spaces where I felt like the odd one out,” Santiago says. “That empathy is just pulled into the fabric of our brand.”
—Angela
Ufheil
In addition to engaging different muscles and your mind, an unconventional workout class can inject a little more joy into your exercise routine. “I don’t think that fitness has to be one long-time boring thing, where you’re doing the same thing over and over again,” says Laura McDonald, a certified clinical exercise physiologist and owner of personal training provider E2O Denver. Luckily, the fitness industry is always dreaming up new, creative ways to make movement fun. From perfecting the art of the lap dance to flying around the room on a bungee cord, there are plenty of classes in the Denver metro area that combine physical exertion with something unexpected. Choose a workout that adds diversity to your typical fitness regimen, McDonald says. If you’re training for a marathon, opt for a non-weight-bearing challenge like a vertical climbing machine class. If you’re an avid cyclist, try holding yourself upside down on a pole. But beware: You just might find a new obsession.
Pharonik Pilates
On an episode of Saturday Night Live in January, host Timothée Chalamet played the instructor of a bungee fitness class who leads a group of energetic women in a vigorous round of dangling and bobbing. All that “effort” results in five calories burned—collectively—leading the skit’s straight man to ask, “Is this supposed to be hard?”
You know a fad has reached its cultural crescendo when SNL deigns to lambaste it. But the viral workout hadn’t yet reached my Instagram feed when I walked into Pharonik Pilates—a southeast Aurora studio that began offering a beginner’s bungee course way back in 2018—and I was terrified. The studio’s website promises to work “almost every muscle in your body, focusing on your core strength.” I figured it achieved this miraculous effect through some diabolical use of the bungee, which, to me, resembled a medieval torture device.
Indeed, I spent the first few minutes of class feeling like a piece of meat. Not because of the
immodest anti-chafing shorts Pharonik lends participants (they didn’t help), but rather because my six compatriots and I stood in a line as the teacher fastened us, one by one, to thick black cords tethered to the ceiling, like T-bones being hooked in a meat locker. Then she instructed us to squat—and that proved to be the most devilish move of all. I’ve been trained to think of a squat as easy down, hard up. The bungee’s resistance results in the opposite effect: You have to bear down to stretch the cord to the floor before it pops you back up, nearly off your toes. The same shift is needed for lunges and pushups. This change in mindset, though, is nothing compared with the reality-reassessment required to fly.
When the instructor casually commanded us to defy gravity, my classmates and I eyed one another nervously. The coach then ran toward the front of the class, jumped, and, as the bungee caught and snapped, flung backward. She maintained a perfect plank throughout, creating a Superman effect that left the rest of us stunned—and eager to join her in the air. Although my first effort was bumbling, by the end of the hourlong class we were performing passable renditions of a basic bungee routine—squat, lunge, run, jump, FLY!—and cackling as we zoomed past each other like pendulums in a clock.
I SURVIVED
Workout: Bungee
Address: 22946
E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora
Cost: $48 for a single class
Like Chalamet’s straight man, I’m not sure bungee is the most difficult workout. The only part of my body that felt as if it had been tortured was my hips, which bore small slashes from the harness. Bungee is, however, the most fun exercise regimen I’ve discovered since Mrs. Dunavant introduced me to dodgeball in the third grade. Only at Pharonik, you’re the projectile hurtling through the air. —SC
This spread, from left:
Courtesy of Pharonik Pilates;
Courtesy of Studio
CLMBR; Scott Brayshaw/Courtesy of Tease
Studio
Studio CLMBR
Workout: Rhythmic climbing
Address: 155 Saint Paul St.
Cost: $30 for a single class
In the heart of Cherry Creek, flanked by cafes and luxury boutiques, Studio CLMBR bursts with energy before the rest of the neighborhood is even awake. Starting at 5:30 a.m. three days a week, participants pump their arms and drive their legs to contemporary beats on vertical climbing equipment set in a dark room with pulsating lights. A class might feature Lizzo and Lady Gaga or Eminem and Ludacris, but the tracks are all carefully programmed for particular cadences. The machines (which look a bit like traditional stair climbers, except with handles that slide up and down with each step and resistance knobs) facilitate a full-body workout that safely builds strength and cardiovascular endurance. “It’s
less about speed and more about resistance and strength,” says Samantha Jones, head trainer at Studio CLMBR.
The gym was once part of the Rise Nation family, but in 2021 the Denver-based CLMBR team took over the space as its popularity grew nationally. As the first vertical climbing company to offer machines and Peloton-esque connected fitness classes to at-home users, CLMBR attracted investment from A-listers like LeBron James and Jay-Z. Ultimately, it was acquired by smart-home fitness company Forme in 2023.
Luckily for fans of the format who don’t want a climber in their living room, the studio remained, and today, CLMBR offers more than its name suggests, with a free-weight area where core, conditioning, and lifting classes are held. But we’re still partial to the original workout, which is so effective and efficient, most classes are just 30 minutes long. That leaves plenty of time to make like a real Cherry Creeker and treat yourself to a bougie smoothie at Organic Squeeze down the block. —Jay Bouchard
Tease Studio
Workout: Pole and dance classes
Address: 3534 Walnut St.
Cost: $26 for a single class
The lobby walls covered in a rainbow of shiny platform heels are your first sign that Tease Studio isn’t your standard workout spot. If you somehow miss those, the nine floor-to-ceiling poles in the mirror-walled room beyond will clue you in. “Pole is our first love,” says Ashlee Renee, who bought the 17-year-old RiNo gym from its founder a decade ago. “Everything else we do was added to make us better at pole.” Today, that includes aerial yoga, reformer sessions, cardio and strength classes with cheeky names like Look Good Naked, and dance options such as salsa, burlesque, chair, and Hard Rock Heels (which is exactly what it sounds like).
Renee understands if that lineup sounds intimidating. When she took her first class—lap dance—it was only because she’d been gifted a Groupon. “I was really uncomfortable,” she says. “Nothing was necessarily screaming at me to come back”—that is, until she saw a group of clients practicing pole moves on her way out. “They were all shapes, all sizes, all ages,” Renee says. “I was fascinated by how supportive they were. There was such a sense of confidence that I’d never felt with myself.”
She returned in search of that spunk and quickly got hooked on the physical and emotional benefits of Tease. Now the captain of this sexy ship, Renee is on a mission to make everyone feel empowered, from getting clients comfortable with lots of exposed skin— essential for grip—to building the muscle and body control it takes to shimmy up and dangle off a pole. And those heels? While they make it easier to master moves by keeping dancers in relevé, they’re part of the self-esteem boost, too: “They make your calves look great. Your ass gets bigger,” Renee says. “I mean, come on: You just look so good.” —Jessica LaRusso
RESET + RECOVER
Experts agree: The most effective workout regimen is the one you’ll stick to. Although practices like Pilates or yoga are easier on your joints (and, perhaps, less intimidating than a boot camp or hiphop dance class), don’t mistake low impact for low efficacy. “Low-impact exercises really help you tune into how your body is moving,” says Jessica Klain, a physical therapist and founder of Physio, Yoga and Wellness in Denver. “They allow you to activate the stabilizer muscles that help you do the bigger movements better—help you ski better, help you run better, help you hike better.” Even hardcore Coloradans who spend their weekends backpacking through the Maroon Bells can benefit from spending time in the following more mellow fitness settings. “As adults, we typically don’t have a wide variety of motion in our day-to-day life,” Klain says. “We need to spend time specifically working on it so we have the available range of motion to do the activities that we want and need.”
Ape Co Movement School
I stared at my body in a wall-length mirror inside Ape Co Movement School’s Edgewater studio, concentrating on the task at hand: moving my neck side to side, as if on a sliding track, keeping my head level without using my shoulders.
Each time I tried, though, nothing happened. Well, something happened, but not to my neck. My upper body swayed back and forth, my shoulders rose and dipped, and the top of my head teetered. But the base of my neck? Motionless. I might as well have been trying to wiggle my ears.
Whatever muscles I was supposed to be using had surely been lost to time and atrophy.
It’s a good thing, then, that the instructors at Ape are skilled at helping students find and engage the body’s rarely used parts. The school’s mission is to help people increase their everyday range of motion so they can move with ease outside of the gym. “We try to remind people that they can learn new things, get stronger, and get more flexible,” founder Matt Bernstein says.
A former CrossFit athlete, Bernstein opened the first Ape Co location in Boulder in 2016 to offer a holistic approach to exercise—one that’s a little more playful than powerlifting. The classes are informed by disciplines like gymnastics, acrobatics, and dance. New students begin with Ape’s Foundational Movement Practice curriculum, which includes exercises like handstands and partner-assisted pullups. A typical movement class might involve dribbling tennis balls, swinging on still rings, or crawling across the studio floor on all fours.
Thankfully, I had better luck with the drills that followed neck sliding. I learned how to stand on one shoulder and combine it with a somersault. I hung on a pullup bar and manipulated my core and leg muscles to hit targets my partner set. And by the end of the class, I’d activated muscles and tendons I didn’t even know I had.
My wrists and feet were loose. My hips were unlocked. My reach was longer. And I went home with new stretches and skills to practice. A week later, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and tried that neck exercise again. Still nothing. But hey, at least I have something to work on. —JB
SURVIVED
Workout: Mobility
Address: 5461 W. 20th Ave., Edgewater; 4745 Walnut St., Suite 200, Boulder
Cost: $25 for an intro class
This spread, from left: Courtesy of Mackenzie Ross; Jes Kimak/Courtesy of the River Yoga; Taylor Vincek/Courtesy of Boost Pilates
The River yoga
Workout: Yoga
Address: Multiple locations
Pricing: $32 for a single class
To get a feel for how diverse the River’s yoga is, just take Lisa Parente’s class. One moment you’re moving through cobra pose to downward facing dog as the speakers play the soothing sounds of trickling water; the next, you’re lunging to the beat of energetic techno tracks. The hot-yoga instructor’s sessions are imbued with her passion for both sound healing and EDM production, an unorthodox combination that creates a teaching style entirely her own. And she’s not the only coach with her own conventions.
“I think the best teachers show up when they can be themselves,” says Danielle Barbeau, who owns all three of the studio’s locations, in the Golden Triangle, Sunnyside,
and Five Points. “We’re not in the business of creating yoga robots.” Instead of cookie-cutter classes, you’ll find that all of the 54 instructors at the River, founded in 2012, bring their own personality to the practice: For example, Marisa Kowalski is intentional about breathwork during sessions, while Dan Moody focuses on the fundamentals of yoga flows.
And because the staff is allowed to come as they are, it gives clients the freedom to do the same. The result is a diverse fitness studio with space for everyone. Not yet ready to contort yourself into a compass pose? Let coach Steph Winsor lead you in a deep stretch class, where you’ll relax tight muscles in a balmy studio. Looking for an extra ethereal experience? Sign up for the warm candlelight river flow, where you’ll follow a gentle sequence of movements and sink into Savasana beside the soft flicker of flames. At the River, yoga isn’t about fitting in—it’s about finding what fits you. —Barbara O’Neil
Boost Pilates
Workout: Pilates
Address: Multiple locations
Cost: $32 for a single class
You don’t have to be a Pilates princess sporting a glowy spray tan and matching workout set to reap the benefits of this reformer class. Anyone is welcome to hop on a trendy torture, er, toning machine at one of Boost Pilates’ five locations (in LoHi, RiNo, Cherry Creek, and Sunnyside, with another opening in Baker this month) and see just how swear-word-inducing a series of precise, controlled movements can be. Over the course of 50 minutes, you’ll complete a warmup followed by sections devoted to your core, legs, and upper body on a Balanced Body Allegro Reformer with customizations designed by Boost, like a nice wide platform you can rest on when you start to get the shakes.
Instructors recommend different numbers and combinations of springs for beginner, intermediate, and advanced clients. Silver springs, exclusive to Boost, offer the least amount of resistance, followed by yellow, blue, red, and green. Coaches are quick to encourage you to alter the workout based on how your body feels: If your quads are exhausted from a weekend on the slopes, swap out your red spring for a blue. Haven’t broken a sweat halfway through class? Up the difficulty by adding resistance or taking on a more advanced movement modification.
And while Pilates might have a reputation for being painstakingly slow, don’t expect a leisurely pace at Boost. “We’re more of a HIIT-style Pilates, because we use weights, we use props, and we have cardio bursts,” says Karen Hunt, who launched the Boost brand in Houston in 2017. (Co-founder Nathan Allan brought the concept to the Mile High City in 2021.)
You’ll lunge with dumbbells, light up your inner thighs with a Pilates ring, and tone your arms with the help of a weighted ball. And while all these fun accessories add variety to Boost’s format, instructors also incorporate traditional time-under-tension sequences sure to make your muscles quake. So, if you want to slow down time, take a Pilates class. Thirty seconds has never felt longer. —JG m
Today’s megafires are annihilating forests across the West. Can Coloradans give these devastated landscapes new life?
BY ELISABETH KWAK-HEFFERAN
A ponderosa pine seedling planted in the Cameron Peak Fire burn scar
MAYA DAURIO’S MEMORIES ARE SHADED BY P ONDEROSA PINES.
As a child, she spent her summers about 30 miles up Poudre Canyon on her family’s property, a refuge called Pinehurst for the forest of vanilla-scented evergreens that blanketed the hills behind their house. The trees witnessed her baptism when she was two months old. Their trunks formed “living rooms” and “kitchens” during games of house with her cousins. She spent hours of her teenage years trying to catch her aunt’s free-roaming horses, occasionally succeeding and swinging herself up for a bareback ride through the woods.
When a wildfire ignited near Cameron Pass on August 13, 2020, some 40 miles away, Daurio and her relatives weren’t worried. Pinehurst,
which had been in their family since 1895, was well removed from the inferno; surely the fire wouldn’t run that far down the canyon. But the Cameron Peak Fire roared faster and farther through northern Colorado than anyone expected. A Ph.D. student in Vancouver, Daurio watched an online map in real time as the fire’s perimeter crept closer to Pinehurst. In early September, the blaze finally engulfed the property.
Daurio didn’t make it back to Pinehurst to see the devastation for herself until the following summer. “It was completely shocking,” she says. The family house and all its outbuildings had vanished. The outhouse where generations of her family had hung their diplomas and college degrees was gone. Naked slopes dotted with blackened trunks replaced the verdant forest she remembered. A 500-year-old ponderosa—a tree that likely survived multiple other wildfires through the centuries—had been chopped down by firefighters who found it smoldering on the inside. Ten months later, the place still smelled like it was burning.
The Cameron Peak Fire became the state’s largest recorded wildfire, incinerating 208,913 acres of Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest, Rocky Mountain National Park, and private lands. It consumed almost 500 buildings, affected more than 1,000 miles of waterways, and caused subsequent floods and debris flows in Poudre Canyon that killed six people and thousands of trout. The unusually hot, destructive blaze burned so furiously in places that it scorched the soil, killed many trees outright, and annihilated any source of seed that would enable the forest to regenerate naturally. But as devastating as the Cameron Peak Fire was, its imprint is only one piece in an ever-growing mosaic of burn scars across the West.
The region’s forests are adapted to fire. It’s a natural and necessary part of the ecosystem. Today’s megafires, though, burn longer and hotter than blazes in the past due to decades of ill-considered fire suppression and the drought and heat of climate change. Some species, like aspen and lodgepole pine, have thus far grown back on their own. Others, though—limber pine, Douglas fir, ponderosa pine—struggle to overcome high-severity infernos like the Cameron Peak Fire and the East Troublesome Fire (the state’s second-largest wildfire, also in 2020) because their seeds are heavier and don’t disperse as easily. Left alone, large swaths of torched forests could convert to grasslands or shrublands. One 2024 analysis estimated that there are 3.8 million acres in the West in need of reforestation, a number expected to double or triple (depending on whether people do anything to curb climate change) by 2050.
There are a number of ecological incentives for keeping the West forested. Trees stabilize soil, preventing flooding and landslides. They keep sediment out of rivers and streams, protecting aquatic habitats and drinking water. Forests help preserve mountain snowpack, replenishing groundwater reserves. They provide a home for wildlife, from bugs and birds to elk and black bears. And trees sequester carbon, a crucial tool in the fight against climate change.
Beyond science, though, the desire to preserve forests feels deeply personal. “Forests are like Colorado’s DNA,” says Catherine Schloegel, watershed forest manager for the Colorado branch of the national
nonprofit the Nature Conservancy. “We love to hike in them, bike in them, ski through the trees. They’re a huge reason why we live here. The legacy of Colorado is our forests.”
Many are working to protect that legacy, albeit far too slowly. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) estimates it met only six percent of its postfire reforestation needs annually from 2012 to 2022, mainly because the country’s pipeline for trees, from collecting seeds to growing saplings to planting them to monitoring their survival, hasn’t kept up with demand. But a dedicated ecosystem of foresters, scientists, entrepreneurs, and environmentalists in Colorado aims to change that—not just here, but across the West.
I. GATHERING
All the signs pointed to seeds. It was summer 2019, and Schloegel was spotting green cones the size of her hand sprouting from bough after bough in the ponderosa pine forest around her home in Boulder. A few phone calls confirmed others across the state were seeing the same thing. This was a lucky omen indeed. Cones mean seeds, and seeds are in short supply.
The shortage can be traced back to the contraction of the Rocky Mountain timber industry, beginning in the 1980s. Because loggers replant what they cut down—they’re legally required to, but future profits also depend on more trees—a robust industry had resulted in lots of seeds being collected and stored. But when the lumberjacks disappeared, so too did the seed stockpiles. “There’s no amazon.com to order your seeds [from],” Schloegel says. To make matters worse, you can’t plant varieties from just anywhere and expect them to thrive in the wild. Most foresters seek native, locally adapted seeds gathered from as close to the intended planting site as possible to give seedlings the best shot at survival.
Things get even trickier with ponderosa pines, which reproduce at an irregular clip. Ten years can pass with the species putting out few or no cones. Then, suddenly, a cone bonanza breaks out. Scientists don’t fully understand this phenomenon, called masting, or know what sparks it. Consequently, organizing a cone-collecting project “is like planning a big event like a wedding,” Schloegel says, “but we don’t know what year the wedding will be in.”
The Nature Conservancy decided to get into the cone-collecting game in 2019 after its
Clockwise from left: The aftermath of the Cameron Peak Fire; pine cones collected during the 2019 mast year; the Nature Conservancy’s Catherine Schloegel (left) and volunteer Amy Williams; cones from a tree
research began raising alarm bells about Colorado forests’ abilities to regenerate on their own after wildfires. Schloegel took charge of the project. When it became clear 2019 was a mast year, she chose Ben Delatour Scout Ranch in Poudre Canyon for her first collection site. She made regular trips into the ponderosa woods there throughout August to monitor the developing cones. Then, when they matured in early September, “I called everyone I’ve ever met and asked them to help,” Schloegel says. Over a five-day period, volunteers dispersed into the ranch’s forest at dawn, each holding a bucket for pine cones. It was strenuous, hot work that lasted until the sun went down. Their reward? Fifty pounds of ponderosa seeds, all adapted to thrive in the Poudre River watershed.
Though local ponderosas haven’t had a mast year since 2019, collectors have still been able to harvest cones in more limited numbers. The Fort Collins–based nonprofit Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed rounds up several dozen volunteers most years to gather from trees in targeted elevations and climate zones. Armed with 40-foot pole saws, they roam ponderosa forests in private lots and state parks. They’ve amassed about 20 pounds of seeds since 2022, many of which have already grown into seedlings.
Private businesses are also getting into reforestation. Dean Swift, a bespectacled septuagenarian with a slow drawl, grew up working at his parents’ tree nursery in Denver. He opened his own seedcollecting and -processing operation in 1971. “I couldn’t figure out what else to do when I got out of college,” he says. From his home base in Alamosa, Swift travels to forests across Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and South Dakota every fall to gather cones from a variety of conifers and ecotypes. Swift doesn’t often climb trees or carry saws. Instead, he taps an unusual partner. “Squirrels cut the cones down and stash them away for their winter food,” he says. Swift and his contract crews spend field days on their hands and knees, raiding middens (always leaving enough for the rodents). “Squirrels cut the cones when they’re mature, not before,” Swift says. “They’re totally infallible.”
For decades, Swift exclusively supplied ornamental growers, such as Christmas tree farms and landscape nurseries. But as wildfires and beetle epidemics have ravaged the West’s ponderosa forests, he’s seen demand increase for reforestation of everyday trees. Swift has supplied seeds to projects in New Mexico’s Santa Clara Pueblo and on private land near La Veta, just across the Sangre de Cristo Range from his office. Last year, for the first time, he made a trip specifically to gather Douglas fir and ponderosa pine seeds in anticipation of rising reforestation demand.
“It was very small quantities—three pounds of this, five or 10 pounds of that,” Swift says. “But ponderosa pine is in the neighborhood of 12,000 seeds per pound. A few pounds can go a long way.”
To repopulate the West’s burned forests, they will need to.
II. SOWING
When Matt McCombs was a kid, he and his father planted 20 trees in their half-acre backyard in Littleton. It was the younger McCombs’ job to water them. “I hated it,” he says. McCombs started his career in politics (he was an aide to former U.S. Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado) and veterans affairs (he’s an Iraq War vet). But he eventually discovered that public lands played a crucial role in connecting people and government. “There’s nowhere else where you can have more influence over what’s important to the American people than as a district ranger in the U.S. Forest Service,” McCombs says. He joined the USFS in 2009. A dozen years later, he became the state forester and director of the Colorado State Forest Service. Today, From top: Claire Knight/Courtesy of OneCanopy; Courtesy of Eric Tokuyama; Cory Dick/Courtesy of Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (2); Courtesy of the Nature Conservancy Colorado
McCombs likes to drive by his childhood home when he’s in the area to admire the tiny suburban forest he and his dad planted.
If McCombs has his way, Colorado will soon replicate that success on a much grander scale. Housed at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, the 130-acre Colorado State Forest Service Nursery has been doing reforestation work for the past 20 years or so, since foresters realized that areas burned during 2002’s Hayman Fire, which torched 138,000 acres between Lake George and Deckers, weren’t recovering as expected. McCombs believes the state’s tree-growing facilities, currently undergoing a $15.4 million renovation, can become “a major player in the national reforestation strategy.” Upon completion in 2026, the nursery will sport new greenhouses and shade structures, modernized equipment, a new seed freezer, more employees, and the ability to produce up to two million seedlings per year—a big leap up from the previous annual output of about 650,000. McCombs calls it “the architecture of recovery.”
“We know that the megafires will return,” McCombs says, adding that the Colorado State Forest Service Nursery is in the perfect position to restore the resulting burn scars. The nursery’s improved facilities reside at a relatively high elevation, which is useful for growing seedlings for mountain terrain, and the nursery’s neighbors at CSU include scientists at the Warner College of Natural Resources, the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, and the USFS’ Rocky Mountain Research Station. “My philosophy is that we don’t have any excuses to be anything other than an epicenter for reforestation policy, research, and application,” McCombs says. He hopes the new state nursery will create seedlings for the USFS, among other clients, and he has been in talks with the agency about taking on federal contracts. (At press time, no deals had been finalized, but the USFS contributed $5 million in grants for the cost of the renovation.)
The country will certainly need more seedlings. According to a 2021 paper by the Nature Conservancy, the USFS, and a number of universities, reforesting all the acres that need it in the United States would require growing 1.7 billion more trees every year, twice our current nursery production. Nurseries are a key piece of the reforestation pipeline, because you can’t just toss seeds across the landscape and hope for the best. The Nature Conservancy’s soon-tobe-published research about burn scars on the Front Range found that that method, called direct seeding, resulted in a germination rate of less than one percent. In contrast,
From top: OneCanopy’s germination greenhouse; volunteers help replant after the Cameron Peak Fire; a seedling in the Cameron Peak Fire burn scar
a 2024 study, to which Schloegel contributed, reported an 80 percent survival rate, on average, for nursery-grown seedlings planted across nine wildfire scars in Colorado. (Schloegel is quick to assert that direct seeding can still be beneficial for harder-to-reach areas.)
The USFS leads reforestation efforts across the country because it has both vast tracts of public lands under its purview and expansive infrastructure for tree growing. Six federal nurseries, located mostly in the West, produce seedlings for all kinds of land disturbances—not only wildfires, but also hurricanes, timber harvests, and insect infestations. The Charles E. Bessey Nursery in Nebraska alone grows 1.5 million baby trees every year, currently including almost all the ones bound for national forest land in Colorado. The need for new trees is so great, however, that the feds now have to buy seedlings from other growers to fill the gaps.
About 20 miles south of the state facility, in Loveland, a patch of tiny Douglas firs headed for the Western Slope anchors one corner of a 14,000-square-foot greenhouse. Outside, baby limber pines selected for their genetic resistance to white pine blister rust await their forever homes on the shoulders of Longs Peak. This nursery, a private enterprise called OneCanopy, produces 350,000 seedlings per year for reforestation projects throughout the Rockies. “But we could get to two million without changing much,” says Katelynn Martinez, the company’s director of operations and business development. Indeed, that’s the plan.
Founded in 2022, OneCanopy feels like a cross between a hightech operation and a scrappy startup. On a gloomy afternoon this past November, employees with earplugs babysat a $150,000 seedplanting machine the size of a living room. (The assembly-line-style contraption produces seedling trays five times faster than humans can.) Yet, in the freezer next door, the company stored seeds—which it buys from collectors, including Swift—in Tupperware containers and repurposed pickle jars.
OneCanopy has grown trees for everyone from federal agencies, such as the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management, to state entities, like Colorado Parks & Wildlife, to wildfire restorers on private lands across the state. “The goal is to be the number-one seedling producer in the Rocky Mountain region,” Martinez says. “And we’d love to be a one-stop shop for reforestation.” That would mean expanding the business to include reforestation project management, like planning and planting.
Despite both the Colorado State Forest Service Nursery’s and OneCanopy’s ambitions, however, there’s no rivalry between the two: There are enough burn scars to go around. “If we get to the point where we’re competing, I’d say that’s a win for all of us,” Martinez says, “because that means we’ve tackled the problem.”
III. PLANTING
Fat snowflakes drifted down from the sky as Daniel Bowker arrived in Poudre Canyon for a planting day in May 2022. The late-spring flurry was unexpected but welcome: Extra moisture is always a good thing. This will be awesome for the seedlings, thought the forest program manager for the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed.
He and his colleagues from the nonprofit delivered a crash course in tree-planting best practices to a volunteer crew of about 15 Odell Brewing Company employees. The group scrambled up a snow-slicked slope behind a burned-out house, while Bowker pointed out the best spots for the ponderosa seedlings they’d brought: just northeast of a stump or rock for shade on broiling afternoons, out of the wind, and in tiny depressions that hold water. “We’re using the best available science and planting practices to make sure we’re
&
Wedding Celebrations Guide
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue? Modern couples have other ideas. They’re creating their own traditions and planning weddings that are sentimental and fun, with plenty of entertainment for guests. READ ON for some of this year’s top nuptial trends.
88
90
LOVE STORY
Your wedding should be a unique celebration of you, but you can borrow inspiration from these six trends.
THE MORE, THE BETTER
Contemporary brides aren’t satisfied with one wedding dress. Instead, they are opting for multiple looks.
ON THE MENU
90
More and more, couples are making refreshments a centerpiece of their festivities.
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Love STORY.
HOMETOWN PARTIES
Destination weddings were all the rage post-pandemic, but now that people can satisfy their travel bug on the regular, many are opting to have weddings closer to home at sites that carry personal significance. Lucky for Colorado couples, there are countless beautiful locales that qualify.
FILM PHOTOGRAPHY
It’s 2025 and we can all capture photos 24 hours a day with our phones. Perhaps that’s why current brides and grooms are opting to throw it back to the days of film photography. There’s a romance and nostalgia to it that couples are drawn to.
STARTING NEW TRADITIONS
Bouquet tosses and cake cutting aren’t totally out the door, but many couples are opting to make those time-honored traditions their own, by saying their vows privately, incorporating their cultural customs, or skipping formal family portraits.
SUSTAINABLE EVENTS
"Eco-friendly" remains a buzzword in the wedding world. Couples are trying to cut down on single-use plastic (bye, glow sticks), hiring caterers who are focused on reducing food waste, thrifting decor, and sending digital invitations.
Texture and fabric are the name of the design game this year. Draped installations—on tabletops, pouring from the ceiling, and on walls—brings the drama while creating an inviting space.
ALL ABOUT LACE
Lace is a wedding classic, and modern brides are still loving it for their ceremony dresses. This year, the more natural-looking matte lace is particularly popular, as is lace detailing on gloves, long sleeves, or high necklines.
The more, the better.
Contemporary brides aren’t satisfied with one wedding dress. Instead, many are choosing to show off with two or three looks throughout their big day. So how exactly do you go about picking a trio of perfect outfits? Heed this advice.
• Think about the various phases of your wedding day (ceremony, reception, afterparty) and consider the settings and the vibe. That will help you determine whether a traditional dress or a plunging jumpsuit is more appropriate, for example.
• Choose ensembles that complement one another. You want a cohesive look throughout the day.
• For ease, opt for accessories that work with all of your outfits. A smart move: Bring a pair of more comfortable shoes for later in the evening.
• Consult with your wedding planner on the timeline for the day so you can determine the best times to change. You don’t want to miss any crucial moments or hold up the party.
TIP: Practice changing between outfits in advance.
On the menu.
No one attends a wedding for the food, but more and more, couples are making refreshments a centerpiece of their festivities. Take a cue from these three delectable ideas.
THE DRINKS
Sure, you could do his and hers signature drinks. Or you could opt for pre-batched cocktails, which mean guests don’t get stuck waiting in line when they could be on the dance floor. Of course, mocktails remain a must, too.
THE CAKE Vintage style has made a triumphant return, with colonnades and colorful piping making regular appearances in 2025. Creative details, such as a dome-shaped cake design or pressed flowers adorning the confection, are also of-the-moment.
THE LATE-NIGHT SNACKS
Offering guests an extra nosh toward the end of the festivities isn’t new, but couples are fancifying the late-night food trend with goodies like gourmet popcorn, build-your-own ramen bars, and elaborate snack stations. Boxes that allow guests to take confections back to their rooms or that the couple has filled with a nextmorning bite, are extra nice.
Year-Round Mountain Weddings Select Weekends Available for 2026
Photos By Sarah Porter
Dining Gu ide
Indicates a restaurant featured in 5280 for the first time (though not necessarily a restaurant that has just opened).
Indicates inclusion in 5280’s 2024 list of Denver’s best restaurants. These selections are at the discretion of 5280 editors and are subject to change.
ABEJAS
$$$$
Golden / Seasonal Enjoy seasonal new American plates at this community restaurant. The ever-changing menu features farm-fresh produce, sustainable fish, and organic meats, and the bar highlights small wineries and local brewers. Reservations accepted. 807 13th St., Golden, 303-952-9745. Dinner, Brunch
ACE EAT SERVE
$$$
Uptown / Asian This Uptown restaurant and table-tennis hall features Asian-inspired cuisine and 10 ping-pong tables. Try the tuna tartare spring rolls. Reservations accepted. 501 E. 17th Ave., 303-800-7705. Dinner, Brunch
AFRICAN GRILL & BAR
$$
Lakewood / African Explore a bevy of dishes from across Africa at this warm and inviting restaurant run by the Osei-Fordwuo family. Peanut soups, samosas, and jollof rice are just some of the crave-worthy options available here. Reservations accepted. 955 S. Kipling Parkway, Lakewood, 303-985-4497. Lunch, Dinner
ALMA FONDA FINA
$$$$
LoHi / Mexican This contemporary Mexican restaurant wows with its creative, shareable plates, which often feature homemade masa and salsas. The camote asado (roasted sweet potato) is an excellent way to start off your meal. Reservations accepted. 2556 15th St., 303-455-9463. Dinner
ANNETTE
$$$
Aurora / American James Beard Award–winning chef Caroline Glover’s Annette delivers a lineup of seasonal salads, pastas, wood-fired proteins, and other comforting bites in a modern, inviting space. Reservations accepted. 2501 Dallas St., Suite 108, Aurora, 720-710-9975. Dinner
ASH’KARA
$$$
LoHi / Middle Eastern Chef Daniel Asher offers a playful take on Middle Eastern cuisine at this plant-bedecked eatery. Order the falafel and a shareable tagine. Reservations accepted. 2005 W. 33rd Ave., 303-537-4407. Dinner, Brunch
AVANTI FOOD & BEVERAGE
LoHi / International Current tenants of this food collective include Amá Modern Mexican
$$
and Knockabout Burgers. The first floor reopened in March after a remodel and the addition of four new concepts. 3200 Pecos St., 720-269-4778. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
BAEKGA
$$$
Lowry Field / Korean Chef-owner Sean Baek serves flavorful Korean eats at this Lowry Town Center spot. Don’t miss out on the lunch specials: hearty portions of protein and rice that come with plenty of banchan (side dishes). Reservations not accepted. 100 Quebec St., Suite 115, 720-639-3872. Lunch, Dinner
BÁNH & BUTTER BAKERY CAFÉ
$ Aurora / French Thoa Nguyen crafts French pastries inspired by her Vietnamese heritage at this East Colfax cafe. Go for the bánh mì and dazzling crêpe cakes, each made with 25 to 30 layers. Reservations not accepted. 9935 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora, 720-513-9313. Breakfast, Lunch
BECKON
$$$$
RiNo / Contemporary Chef Duncan Holmes brings an elevated, intimate dining experience to Larimer Street, where the only seating is chef’scounter seating. The seasonal menu changes frequently, and excellent, thoughtful wine pairings are available. Reservations accepted. 2843 Larimer St., 303-749-0020. Dinner
BLACKBELLY
$$$ Boulder / American Chef Hosea Rosenberg’s meaty menu focuses on charcuterie, small plates, and daily butcher specials. Try the koji-cured heritage pork chop. Also check out the adjacent butcher shop and market, which serves breakfast and lunch. Reservations accepted. 1606 Conestoga St., Boulder, 303-247-1000. Dinner
BLUE PAN PIZZA
$$
West Highland / Pizza Find Detroit-style pizza like the Brooklyn Bridge—pepperoni, Italian sausage, and ricotta and Romano cheeses—at this tiny spot. Also try the Congress Park location. Reservations not accepted. 3930 W. 32nd Ave., 720-456-7666. Lunch, Dinner
BRASSERIE BRIXTON
$$$$
Cole / French Pair the likes of steak frites, pâté with house-baked sourdough, and other comforting French specialties with a glass of wine at this neighborhood bistro. Reservations accepted. 3701 N. Williams St., 720-617-7911. Dinner
CARNE
$$$$
RiNo / Steak House The newest restaurant from chef Dana Rodriguez, this “steak home” grills exquisite cuts of beef at a range of price points. Also explore its internationally inspired menu of shared plates and composed entrées. Reservations accepted. 2601 Larimer St., 303953-1558. Dinner
CHOLON
$$$
LoDo / Asian This upscale restaurant from chef Lon Symensma serves modern twists on Pan-Asian cuisine. Don’t miss the French onion soup dumplings. Also try the location near Sloan’s Lake. Reservations accepted. 1555 Blake St., 303-353-5223. Lunch, Dinner
DAUGHTER THAI KITCHEN & BAR
$$$
LoHi / Thai This date-night-ready Thai restaurant from Ounjit Hardacre serves beautifully plated dishes and inventive cocktails with an elegant ambience to match. Reservations accepted. 1700 Platte St., Suite 140, 720-6674652. Lunch, Dinner
DÂN DÃ
$$
Aurora / Vietnamese Time-tested family recipes delight at An and Thao Nguyen’s Vietnamese eatery dedicated to comfort food. Don’t miss the dazzling spring roll towers and bubbling clay pots. Reservations accepted. 9945 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora, 720-476-7183. Lunch, Dinner
DENVER MILK MARKET
$$
LoDo / International Sage Hospitality’s 11-venue collection of bars and restaurants features everything from fresh pasta to poke bowls to lobster rolls. 1800 Wazee St., 303-792-8242. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
DOUGH COUNTER
$$
University Hills / Pizza This fast-casual pizzeria specializes in Sicilian- and New York–style pies. For the former, we especially like the Triple Threat, which is striped with marinara, pesto, and vodka sauces. The house-made chicken tenders are also delightful. Reservations not accepted. 2466 S. Colorado Blvd., 303-9978977. Lunch, Dinner
DRAGONFLY NOODLE
$$ LoDo / Asian This eatery from restaurateur Edwin Zoe serves a multinational variety of bao and noodle dishes. Order any of the bowls of ramen with house-made noodles. Reservations not accepted. 1350 16th Street Mall, 720-5438000. Lunch, Dinner
EDGEWATER PUBLIC MARKET
$$ Edgewater / International Satisfy your cravings for everything from wild game sandwiches to Ethiopian fare at this collective of nearly two dozen food stalls and boutiques. 5505 W. 20th Ave., Edgewater, 720-749-2239. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
EFRAIN’S OF BOULDER
$ Boulder / Mexican This institution is known for its lively atmosphere, low prices, and pork green chile that draws locals and New Mexico transplants alike. Reservations not accepted. 2480 Canyon Blvd., Boulder, 303-440-4045. Lunch, Dinner
SYMBOL KEY
PET PHOTO CONTEST
Siri Tank
Momo
EL FIVE
$$$
LoHi / Mediterranean Justin Cucci’s fifth-floor Edible Beats concept boasts panoramic views, a menu of creative tapas, and Spanish-style gin and tonics. Reservations accepted. 2930 Umatilla St., 303-524-9193. Dinner
EL TACO DE MEXICO
$
Lincoln Park / Mexican This Denver favorite, which won an America’s Classics Award from the James Beard Foundation in 2020, serves traditional Mexican food. Try the chile relleno burrito. Reservations not accepted. 714 Santa Fe Drive, 303-623-3926. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ELWAY’S
$$$$
Downtown / Steak House This sleek restaurant named after the Broncos great serves classic steak house fare in upscale environs. Reservations accepted. 1881 Curtis St., 303-312-3107. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
FARMHOUSE THAI EATERY
$$
Lakewood / Thai This cozy spot offers flavorful specialties from multiple regions, including papaya pok pok and khao kha moo. Reservations not accepted. 98 Wadsworth Blvd., Suite 117, Lakewood, 303-237-2475. Lunch, Dinner
FISH N BEER
$$$
RiNo / Seafood Kevin Morrison offers approachable, fresh seafood and a hearty beer list at this casual oysterette. Reservations accepted. 3510 Larimer St., 303-248-3497. Dinner
FLAGSTAFF HOUSE
$$$$
Boulder / Contemporary Located on the side of Flagstaff Mountain, this eatery boasts a huge wine list and spectacular views. Reservations accepted. 1138 Flagstaff Road, Boulder, 303-4424640. Dinner
FRANK & ROZE
$
Hale / Cafe This stylish cafe serves sustainably sourced coffee from the world’s best growing regions. Try the breakfast sandwiches. Reservations not accepted. 4097 E. Ninth Ave., 720-3282960. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
FRASCA FOOD AND WINE
$$$$
Boulder / Italian The elegant fare at Frasca, an ode to Friuli–Venezia Giulia in Italy from master sommelier Bobby Stuckey and chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, always impresses. Splurge on executive chef Ian Palazzola’s ninecourse menu. Reservations accepted. 1738 Pearl St., Boulder, 303-442-6966. Dinner
G-QUE BBQ
$$
Westminster / Barbecue This fast-casual joint serves award-winning hickory-smoked pork, brisket, ribs, and more. Multiple locations. Reservations not accepted. 5160 W. 120th Ave., Suite K, Westminster, 303-379-9205. Lunch, Dinner
THE GREENWICH
RiNo / Italian Restaurateur Delores Tronco brings a slice of her favorite New York City
$$$
neighborhood to RiNo. Reservations accepted. 3258 Larimer St., 720-868-5006. Dinner
GUARD AND GRACE
$$$$
Downtown / Steak House Chef Troy Guard’s modern steak house offers a chic setting for its elevated fare. Reservations accepted. 1801 California St., 303-293-8500. Lunch, Dinner
HEY KIDDO
$$$$
Berkeley / Contemporary From the team behind the Wolf’s Tailor and Brutø, this eclectic, globally inspired restaurant presents fine dining fare in relaxed environs. Reservations accepted. 4337 Tennyson St., Suite 300, 720778-2977. Dinner
HOP ALLEY
$$$$
RiNo / Chinese From Tommy Lee of Uncle, this neighborhood hangout’s daily menu is composed of dishes rooted in Chinese tradition with a distinctive flair. Don’t miss the exclusive chef’s counter experience, where the cuisine is a thrilling new experience every night. Reservations accepted. 3500 Larimer St., 720-379-8340. Dinner
ISTANBUL CAFE & BAKERY
$ Washington Virginia Vale / Middle Eastern Friendly owner Ismet Yilmaz prepares both sweet and savory Turkish pastries. Multiple locations. Reservations not accepted. 850 S. Monaco Parkway, Suite 9, 720-787-7751. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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IZAKAYA DEN
$$$
Platt Park / Japanese Ultra-fresh sushi, sashimi, and creative small plates are on the menu at this local favorite. Reservations accepted. 1487-A S. Pearl St., 303-777-0691. Lunch, Dinner
JAX FISH HOUSE & OYSTER BAR
$$$
LoDo / Seafood Enjoy sustainable seafood in an upbeat atmosphere. Specialties include the raw oyster bar and seasonally composed plates. Multiple locations. Reservations accepted. 1539 17th St., 303-292-5767. Dinner
KIKÉ’S RED TACOS
LoHi / Mexican This brick-and-mortar location of the popular Mexican food truck is known for its queso tacos, which come stuffed with cheese and your choice of meat. Doctor up your order with the rainbow of sauces at the salsa bar. Reservations not accepted. 1200 W. 38th Ave., 720-3970591. Lunch, Dinner
KUMOYA JAPANESE KITCHEN
$
influenced fare. The pink-peppercorn-laced farinata (chickpea pancake) is a delicious mainstay of the frequently changing menu, and the amarofocused cocktail program is also delightful. Reservations accepted. 405 Main St., Suite B, Lyons, 303-823-2333. Dinner
MOLOTOV KITSCHEN & COCKTAILS
$$$$ City Park / Eastern European The ever-changing menu at this kitschy restaurant in City Park from chef Bo Porytko celebrates the cuisine of Ukraine. Try creative takes on borscht and Eastern European dumplings. Reservations accepted. 3333 E. Colfax Ave., 303-316-3333. Dinner
MY BROTHER’S BAR
$$$
Highland / Asian Sushi chef Corey Baker serves rare-in-Denver nigiri and dry-aged fish in a cozy setting. Don’t miss the sandoitchis: milk bread sandwiches with breaded pork or seafood. Reservations accepted. 2400 W. 32nd Ave., 303-8626664. Dinner
LA FORÊT
Gan grew up eating in the Philippines. Try the grilled chicken inasal. 810 Vallejo St. Lunch, Dinner
POINT EASY
$$$$
Whittier / Contemporary This stylish, inviting farm-to-table eatery produces feasts made with thoughtfully sourced ingredients, many of which are grown locally. Pair the calamari- and tomatostudded bucatini nero with a specialty cocktail. Reservations accepted. 2000 E. 28th Ave., 303233-5656. Dinner
POTAGER
$
LoHi / Pub Enjoy beers and burgers with classical music in one of Denver’s oldest bars. Order the JCB burger with jalapeño cream cheese. Reservations not accepted. 2376 15th St., 303455-9991. Lunch, Dinner
NA FAVOLA
Greenwood Village / Italian The Italian proprietors behind this friendly trattoria use simple, carefully sourced ingredients from their homeland to create fresh pasta dishes and light, crisp Roman-style pizzas. Reservations accepted for groups of six or more. 5909 S. University Blvd., 983-999-4139. Lunch, Dinner
$$
$$$$
Speer / French Transport yourself to the forest at this cocktail-centric French restaurant decorated with floor-to-ceiling aspen trunks. Head in during pastis hour to sample the anise-flavored apéritif with small plates, or dine on dishes like stag au poivre or rabbit vadouvan. Reservations not accepted. 38 S. Broadway, 303-351-7938. Dinner
LOU’S ITALIAN SPECIALTIES
$$
Curtis Park / Italian This takeout spot by Joshua Pollack of Rosenberg’s Bagels & Delicatessen takes after classic tri-state area Italian delis. Try the Louie, a sub packed with salami, capicola, and ham. Reservations not accepted. 3357 N. Downing St., 720-287-3642. Lunch, Dinner
LUCINA EATERY & BAR
$$$
South Park Hill / Latin American Bold flavors from Latin America, the Caribbean, and coastal Spain tantalize at this lively restaurant. Try the mofongo (plantain mash) or the two-person paella with rotating toppings, only served on Fridays and Saturdays. Reservations accepted. 2245 Kearney St., Suite 101, 720-814-1053. Dinner
MAJOR TOM
$$$$
RiNo / American This lounge from the team behind Beckon offers a Champagne-centric drink menu and delectable shareable bites. Enjoy largerformat plates at a table inside, or throw back some oysters on the beautiful patio. Reservations accepted. 2845 Larimer St., 303-848-9777. Dinner
MAKFAM
Baker / Chinese The Chinese food at this streetfood-inspired, fast-casual eatery eschews tradition for a whole lot more fun. Try the jian bing (scallion pancake) sandwiches. Reservations not accepted. 39 W. First Ave. Lunch, Dinner
MARIGOLD
$$$
Capitol Hill / Contemporary This rustic Capitol Hill restaurant has specialized in fresh, seasonally driven food since 1997. The menu changes once a month. Reservations accepted. 1109 N. Ogden St., 303-246-7073. Dinner
QUIERO AREPAS
$ Platt Park / Latin American The gluten-free menu at this Platt Park eatery offers delicious selections like the pollo guisado arepa, a cornflour flatbread that comes stuffed with shredded chicken, black beans, and cheese. Also check out the Boulder location. Reservations not accepted. 1859 S. Pearl St., 720-432-4205. Lunch, Dinner
RAS KASSA’S
NOBLE RIOT
$$$
RiNo / American Find charcuterie boards, fried chicken, and other bites at this sommelieroperated natural wine bar. Reservations accepted. 1336 27th St., 303-993-5330. Dinner
NOISETTE RESTAURANT & BAKERY
$$$$
LoHi / French Chefs Tim and Lillian Lu serve elegant renditions of French home-style cooking in a romantic, light-drenched space. Tear into the perfectly crisp baguette to set the Parisian scene for your dining experience. Reservations accepted. 3254 Navajo St., Suite 100, 720-7698103. Dinner, Brunch
NOLA VOODOO TAVERN AND PERKS
Clayton / Southern New Orleans native and owner Henry Batiste serves his grandmother’s recipes for gumbo and po’ boys at this Louisianainspired spot. Reservations accepted. 3321 Bruce Randolph Ave., 720-389-9544. Lunch, Dinner
ODIE B’S
$$
Lafayette / Ethiopian Find shareable Ethiopian cuisine in a comfortable environment. Order a meat or vegetarian combo plate and a glass of honey wine. Reservations not accepted. 802 S. Public Road, Lafayette, 303-447-2919. Dinner
REDEEMER PIZZA
$$$
$$$
RiNo / Pizza Spencer White and Alex Figura, the duo behind Dio Mio, bring perfectly blistered, New York City–style sourdough pizza to RiNo. Reservations accepted. 2705 Larimer St., 720780-1379. Dinner
RESTAURANT OLIVIA
$$$$ Washington Park / Italian This cozy yet modern neighborhood spot specializes in fresh pastas of all varieties. The ravioli and other stuffed pastas are must-orders, and a specialty Negroni doesn’t hurt, either. Reservations accepted. 290 S. Downing St., 303-999-0395. Dinner
RIOJA
$
Sunnyside / American Sandwiches reach their prime at this fast-casual restaurant. Try twists on classics like the fried chicken sandwich with deviled egg spread and the mixed bag of fries (with four different styles together). Also try the RiNo location. Reservations not accepted. 2651 W. 38th Ave., 303-993-8078. Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch
OTOTO
$$
$$$$
Lyons / European This small, light-filled restaurant serves seasonally driven, French- and Italian-
$$$
Platt Park / Japanese From the team behind Sushi Den, this eatery breaks away from its Den Corner counterparts by focusing on more casual Japanese eats. Try the yellowtail collar grilled over white oak charcoal. Reservations accepted. 1501 S. Pearl St., 303-942-1416. Dinner, Brunch
PABORITO
$$
Lincoln Park / Filipino Located inside the Vallejo Food Pick-Up, this takeout-only spot serves the flavorful fare owners Jayson Leaño and Geraldine
$$$$
LoDo / Mediterranean James Beard Award–winning chef Jennifer Jasinski creates high-end, Mediterranean-influenced cuisine. Also try the lunchtime Flavor Dojo menu, which offers healthy bowls. Reservations accepted. 1431 Larimer St., 303-820-2282. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
ROAMING BUFFALO BAR-B-QUE
$$
Rosedale / Barbecue Colorado craft barbecue is the specialty at this laid-back spot. Innovative meats like bison back ribs and pulled Colorado lamb are available by the pound. Reservations not accepted. 2387 S. Downing St., 303-7222226. Lunch, Dinner
SAFTA
$$$$
RiNo / Mediterranean Acclaimed chef Alon Shaya’s airy eatery serves modern Israeli fare, including hummus, labneh, and other dips accompanied by wood-oven pita. Also check out the weekend brunch buffet. Reservations accepted. 3330 Brighton Blvd., Suite 201, 720408-2444. Brunch, Dinner
SAP SUA
$$$
Congress Park / Vietnamese This smart eatery from husband-and-wife duo Ni and Anna Nguyen finds its culinary footing in Vietnamese flavors. Herbaceous offerings like culantro-capped tomato toast and lemongrass pork shoulder are favorites of those who frequent the Congress Park restaurant. Reservations accepted. 2550 E. Colfax Ave., 303-736-2303. Dinner
SPUNTINO
$$$$
Highland / Italian Enjoy the eclectic and locally sourced menu at this Italian-inspired, husbandand-wife-owned spot. Go for any of the dishes with Southern Indian influences—a product of chef Cindhura Reddy’s heritage—like the signature capellini aglio e olio. Don’t miss the housemade gelatos for dessert. Reservations accepted. 2639 W. 32nd Ave., 303-433-0949. Dinner
STONE CELLAR BISTRO
$$$
Arvada / Contemporary Visit this farm-to-table spot in Olde Town Arvada for beautifully presented dishes made with local produce by chefs Jordan Alley and Brandon Kerr. Don’t miss the foie gras parfait or the hot honey fried chicken. Reservations accepted. 7605 Grandview Ave., Arvada, 720-630-7908. Dinner
SUNDAY VINYL
$$$
LoDo / European This Union Station restaurant offers warm hospitality, exquisite cuisine, and an extensive wine list—all to the soundtrack of a vinyl-only playlist. Order the high-meets-low
caviar-topped hash brown patty and something from the indulgent selection of sweet treats. Reservations accepted. 1803 16th Street Mall, 720-738-1803. Dinner
SUNFLOWER ASIAN CAFE
$$
Littleton / Chinese Upon arriving at this family-owned eatery, ask for the traditional Chinese menu, which features eastern Chinese Huaiyang dishes and sizzling Sichuan specialties. Reservations not accepted. 91 W. Mineral Ave., Suite 100, Littleton, 303-798-0700. Lunch, Dinner
TAMAYO
$$$
LoDo / Mexican This longtime Larimer Square hot spot, which reopened in March after being closed during renovations, has a modern menu that is derived from the flavors and ingredients of chef-owner Richard Sandoval’s native Mexico. Check out the rooftop lounge and the selection of more than 100 tequilas. Reservations accepted. 1400 Larimer St., 720-9461433. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
TAVERNETTA
$$$$
LoDo / Italian The team behind Boulder’s acclaimed Frasca Food and Wine offers the same attention to hospitality at this more casual Denver restaurant. The charming space is home to dishes from across Italy and a deep wine list. Hand-made pastas and focaccia are a must. Reservations accepted. 1889 16th St., 720-605-1889. Lunch, Dinner
TEALEE’S TEAHOUSE AND BOOKSTORE
$$
Five Points / International Head to this charming teahouse-bookstore-market in Five Points for loose-leaf and specialty teas and allday fare like soups, salads, sandwiches, and freshly baked pastries. Don’t miss the daily quiches. Reservations accepted. 611 22nd St., 303-593-2013. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
TEMAKI DEN
RiNo / Japanese Chef Kenta Kamo and Sushi Den’s Toshi Kizaki team up to bring delectable temaki (hand rolls), aburi (flameseared) nigiri, and craft beverages to this restaurant and sushi bar inside the Source in RiNo. Reservations accepted. 3330 Brighton Blvd., Suite 110, 225-405-0811. Dinner
TRAVELING MERCIES
$$
$$$
Aurora / Seafood Annette’s Caroline Glover expands her offerings in Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace with this petite yet airy oyster and cocktail bar, a finalist for a 2025 James Beard Award for Best New Bar. Order the anchovy and baguette with French churned butter. Reservations accepted. 2501 Dallas St., Suite 311, Aurora. Dinner
US THAI CAFE
Edgewater / Thai Fresh ingredients, spicy dishes, and a chef with deep culinary knowledge make for an exciting, if mouth-tingling, dining experience. Reservations accepted. 5228 W. 25th Ave., Edgewater, 303-233-3345. Lunch, Dinner
$
SCENE CALENDAR
18 APR 24
31st Annual Dining Out For Life
Participating restaurants across Denver & Colorado Springs Dine Out. Give Back. Dining Out For Life® is back! Dine at one of 100+ restaurants across Denver and Colorado Springs—25% of your bill will benefit Project Angel Heart’s program providing meals to Coloradans living with severe illnesses.
Information and participating restaurants at DiningOutForLifeCO.org.
Pepper ‘Em with Love Gala for Pepper’s Senior Dog Sanctuary
Mission Ballroom | 6:00 p.m.
Join us for a benefit featuring an unforgettable concert performance by one of the best-selling female groups in recorded music history, Wilson Phillips! Enjoy the experience that includes cocktail hour, live and silent auctions, dinner, an inspiring program, and benefit concert.
Information and tickets at psds.org/events.
VINH XUONG BAKERY
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Athmar Park / Vietnamese This familyowned bakery has roots in Denver that stretch back more than 25 years. Vinh Xuong serves up delicious banh mi sandwiches and other tasty Vietnamese treats. Reservations not accepted. 2370 Alameda Ave., 303-922-0999. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
WATER GRILL
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LoDo / Seafood Fresh seafood is flown in daily to this chic restaurant specializing in shellfish and raw bar offerings. Prepare to be wowed by whole crab and other eye-catching presentations. Reservations accepted. 1691 Market St., 303-727-5711. Dinner
WATERCOURSE FOODS
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Uptown / American This vegetarian icon has been serving wholesome food since 1998. The zesty soups, salads, and wraps are healthy and delicious. Reservations accepted. 837 E. 17th Ave., 303-8327313. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
WEATHERVANE CAFE
City Park West / American Enjoy a small but sumptuous menu of breakfast items, sandwiches, and salads at this cozy Uptown cafe. Reservations not accepted. 1725 E. 17th Ave. Breakfast, Lunch
WELLNESS SUSHI
soupless ramen. Reservations not accepted. 2504 E. Colfax Ave., 720-306-4989. Lunch, Dinner
WHITTIER CAFE
Whittier / Cafe This espresso bar, which supports social-justice-related causes, serves coffee, beer, and wine sourced from various African nations and a small menu of pastries, breakfast burritos, panini, and more. Reservations not accepted. 1710 E. 25th Ave., 720-550-7440. Breakfast, Lunch
THE WOLF’S TAILOR
YACHT CLUB
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Sunnyside / Contemporary This Michelin-starred spot from chef-restaurateur Kelly Whitaker transforms local ingredients into a globally minded, prix fixe tasting menu, with an eye toward fermented ingredients and Colorado grains. Don’t skip pastry chef Emily Thompson’s dessert course. Reservations accepted. 4058 Tejon St., 720-456-6705. Dinner
WYNKOOP BREWING COMPANY
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LoDo / Pub Enjoy fresh beer and pub favorites such as the bison burger at one of Denver’s original brewpubs. Reservations accepted. 1634 18th St., 303-297-2700. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
XIQUITA
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Congress Park / Japanese Vegan sushi stars at this fast-casual joint by husband-and-wife duo Steven and Phoebe Lee. Don’t miss hot options like the
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Cole / American Enjoy classic and creative cocktails at this loungelike bar alongside an array of snacks. Reservations not accepted. 3701 N. Williams St., 720-443-1135. Dinner
YAHYA’S MEDITERRANEAN GRILL & PASTRIES
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City Park West / Mediterranean This familyrun restaurant serves silky hummus, grilled kebabs, and from-scratch sweets. Reservations accepted. 2207 E. Colfax Ave., 720-532-8746. Lunch, Dinner
YUAN WONTON
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North Park Hill / Asian House-made dumplings earn top billing at this ambitious eatery from chef Penelope Wong. Head in on Fridays for a dim-sum-themed lunch that showcases the best of Wong’s hand-folded delicacies. Reservations accepted. 2878 Fairfax St., 303-3205642. Lunch
ZOCALITO LATIN BISTRO
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Uptown / Mexican Chef Erasmo Casiano serves soulful fare inspired by the cuisines and ingredients of Mexico City. Don’t miss the ancient flavors of the nixtamal masa dishes and the clever takes on cocktails. Reservations accepted. 500 E. 19th Ave., 720-287-2701. Dinner
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Downtown / Mexican Formerly located in Aspen, chef-owner Michael Beary’s upscale Oaxacan eatery found a home in the heart of Denver. Don’t miss the rellenos. Reservations accepted. 999 18th St., Suite 107, 720-923-5965. Dinner
These listings are in no way related to advertising in 5280. If you find that a restaurant differs significantly from the information in its listing or your favorite restaurant is missing from the Dining Guide, please let us know. Write us at 5280 Elevated, Inc., 1675 Larimer St., Suite 675, Denver, CO 80202 or dining@5280.com.
not just out there making people feel good, planting trees that have no chance of surviving,” Bowker says. Fully trained, the planting crew stuffed seedlings into backpacks and back pockets and dispersed across the property, using tree-planting tools called dibble bars to dig holes and settle each seedling into its new home. Four hours later, the slope was officially reforested. Everyone high-fived and headed down the canyon for a celebratory beer.
Volunteer planting crews like this are one solution to another major obstacle in America’s reforestation pipeline: a shortage of people willing, and skilled enough, to do the work. (That’s also true for seed collecting and nursery growing.) “Everyone thinks about planting seedlings in the ground as a fun thing, in terms of natural resource management,” says Marin Chambers, a research associate at the Colorado
Forest Restoration Institute, which is part of CSU and gets federal funding to advise land managers on wildfires and forest health.
“But the honest truth is that it’s incredibly grueling work, and in postfire environments, there’s an added level of safety [concerns].”
On top of hauling 40-pound bags of seedlings across rugged terrain, planters also have to contend with the threat of toppling trunks. That’s a big reason why the vast majority of plantings happen within two miles of a road and on flatter landscapes.
Kyle Rodman, a research scientist for Northern Arizona University’s Ecological Restoration Institute, says land managers will have to think creatively to solve the labor problem. Perhaps they could turn seasonal tree-planting gigs into year-round careers by adding seed collection, thinning, prescribed burning, and even firefighting to the job description. Or maybe youth corps could pitch in for seasonal surges. Technical colleges might add reforestation training programs, he suggests. But, notes Chambers, “we can teach all the students all the things, but until we have a demand signal from management agencies willing to hire those people...that’s the challenge.”
Which raises the question: Where will the money for increased reforestation projects come from? Fortunately, a recent influx of cash is helping the USFS level up its efforts on federal lands. Previously, the government paid for most of its replantings through a pot of money called the Reforestation Trust Fund. That pot, filled by a tariff on softwood imports, was capped at $30 million per year. The REPLANT Act of 2021, which was part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, lifted that cap, a move projected to pour up to $260 million into the fund annually.
The money has allowed the USFS to begin tackling its 3.6-million-acre backlog of landscapes in need of recovery, putting 23 million seedlings in the ground over 63,295 acres nationwide in 2023. Colorado is home to 1,998 of those acres. (At press time, future staffing levels for the USFS were unclear due to large federal layoffs, but experts worry that fewer employees will be available to carry out reforestation projects.)
Still, someone will need to make a profit on reforestation to get it done at scale, argues Solomon Dobrowski, a professor of forest landscape ecology at the University of Montana. “It’s going to be a drop in the bucket compared
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to the need,” he says of the REPLANT Act. “If you can build an economic engine to support [reforestation] that is something beyond timber, that’ll accelerate it dramatically.” A leading idea for what that engine might be? The carbon credit market—not a new concept, but one that’s beginning to cover more ground in Colorado.
In 2018, the Spring Creek Fire burned 108,045 acres in southern Colorado, including Karen Pursch’s gated community of
Tres Valles West, outside of La Veta. Her home was spared, but 250 acres of mature ponderosa pine woods in the community’s common area were reduced to matchsticks. “You’d see nothing but burned trees,” Pursch remembers. “It was really sad.” Four years later, however, Netherlands-based Land Life put 40,000 baby ponderosas into the ground there. A for-profit business, Land Life didn’t charge the landowners a dime. Instead, an undisclosed private company looking to reduce
its carbon footprint picked up the tab, with Land Life doing the heavy lifting. By financing a reforestation project, the company in question claimed a credit (aka an offset) for all the carbon the new trees would sequester over their lifetimes. “It’s a win-win situation,” Pursch says.
The Tres Valles West planting is one of nine carbon-credit reforestation projects Land Life has completed in Colorado since 2021, for a total of 1.5 million trees over 6,456 acres. Some of the seeds came from Dean Swift, the Alamosa seed collector; OneCanopy grew many of the seedlings. “The timber markets in the Rocky Mountain region have been suppressed,” says Brian Lawson, Land Life’s North American director. “Landowners have to look to other innovative ways of financing replanting and restoration.”
IV. GROWING
IT REALLY WAS THIS BIG.
About 30 miles up Poudre Canyon, on a steep, north-facing slope, grows a baby tree. It’s a ponderosa pine, only about three and a half years old and four inches tall. Resembling a tuft of spiky green hair sprouting from a twig, the seedling is years away from developing the jigsaw bark of a mature ponderosa. This tree could one day reach 150 feet or more in height. Five hundred years from now, it might shade squirrels and deer—and the memories of future generations of Daurios.
Almost five years after the Cameron Peak Fire, living trees—400 of them, to be precise—have returned to Pinehurst. The seeds came from the Colorado State Forest Service Nursery in Fort Collins, which raised them into seedlings. The Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed, along with those 15 Odell employees, planted them. They’re set to be joined by 500 to 800 more baby trees this spring.
The first time Maya Daurio spotted a new tree growing at Pinehurst, she couldn’t help but cry. “It’s absolutely thrilling to see new seedlings,” Daurio says. “We recognize the value—both for ourselves, of wanting to be involved in cultivating a new generation of forest, but also the importance of doing that for a healthy ecosystem overall.”
Even as the country’s reforestation process spins up, the people behind the research, planning, and planting are clear-eyed about our ability to restore what we’re losing. “Things will burn,” Dobrowski says. “Things will change. You won’t have the same kind of forest.” Certain trees might struggle to survive in hotter, drier places, like the Southern Rocky Mountains. Farther north, south-facing slopes could lose some of their typical species. Deciduous trees could creep up hillsides in places, displacing the conifers we’re used to seeing.
Still, we plant trees. “Will we be able to reforest every place that burns in the future?” asks Rodman of the Ecological Restoration Institute. “Probably not. But being able to target places that we value—that’s a realistic goal.” Reforesters can identify areas that are at high risk of devastating future wildfires— based on variables like tree density and climate projections—and prioritize collecting seeds from those places. If and when fire does occur, the recovery process can begin immediately. Dobrowski also points to more efficient tactics. “Don’t go out there and try to plant 300 trees per acre,” he says. Instead, strategies like nucleated plantings, in which small clusters of seedlings eventually provide seeds for natural regeneration, can do the work, even if it takes centuries rather than decades.
Many reforesters are also experimenting with a technique called assisted geneflow: taking seeds from warmer, lower-elevation spots and planting their seedlings a bit upslope
in anticipation of future climate conditions. The Nature Conservancy and the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed have been trying it. In fact, the baby trees planted at Pinehurst, which sits at 7,500 feet in elevation, came from seeds gathered about 500 feet lower.
The Daurios might not live to see those trees grow into a mature forest. But their grandchildren will. “There’s hope in a baby tree,” McCombs says, tears forming in his eyes. “They’ve got a fighting chance to endure beyond your own life. There are very few things in this life that have that kind of promise, other than your own children. It’s just about the most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced. It’s something worth fighting for.” m
Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan is a freelance writer based in Montana. She has planted five trees in her yard and has plans to add two more this spring. Send feedback to letters@5280.com.
Matt McCombs, state forester and director of the Colorado State Forest Service
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION | APRIL 2025
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A World-Class Championship.
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Between thrilling rounds on the historic East Course, fans can enjoy a lively social atmosphere throughout the grounds.
With incredible views and hospitality options featuring craft cocktails and local flavors, there’s something for everyone.
Join fellow fans to witness golf's legends compete while soaking in the signature Broadmoor hospitality. Whether you're here for the golf, the scene, or both—the 2025 U.S. Senior Open delivers an unforgettable summer experience.
Plan your week now at USSeniorOpen.com and be part of a championship where great moments happen both on and off the course.
Tee it up year-round in Aurora.
In Aurora, five award-winning golf courses await enthusiasts of all skill levels, providing a picturesque backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. The courses, open to the public yearround, boast full-service pro shops, practice facilities, and dining options. Among them, Springhill offers a quick-play executive layout perfect for refining short game skills with its 10 par-3s challenging golfers of every proficiency level. Aurora Hills, the city's original municipal course, is praised for its affordability and walkability, while Meadow Hills features tree-lined fairways emphasizing strategic shot placement and
breathtaking mountain views from the 10th tee box. Murphy Creek, a prairie-links course, offers varied tee options, spacious greens, and wide landing areas evoking a nostalgic ambiance. Saddle Rock, the mountain course within the city, showcases extensive native areas and elevation changes for an unforgettable round, accompanied by splendid views of Pikes Peak on clear days.
After a satisfying round, patrons can unwind in one of Aurora's excellent restaurants, offering delightful patio seating to savor panoramic views alongside delicious fare and refreshing beverages.
For more information or to book a tee time, visit GolfAurora.com.
Winning Opening Day
John Winger is a self-proclaimed sports masochist: The 70-year-old has attended every Opening Day matchup at Coors Field since the stadium’s debut in 1995. Despite the Rox’s interminable futility, Winger remains a rabid fan—one who was happy to share his tips for enjoying the first home game of the season on April 4, when Colorado hosts the Athletics. —LINDSEY B. KING
“My first stop is Union Station,” Winger says of his pregame pregaming plan. “There’s usually live bands and decent food. This is typically a twobeer stop for me.” He then moseys over to Ballpark hot spots like ViewHouse, the Refinery, and Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row.
But don’t let one too many lagers make you late. Winger likes to get to Coors Field about 45 minutes before the first pitch to enjoy a different kind of pregame activity: a fireworks show and a flyover by the Colorado Air National Guard’s F-16 Fighting Falcons.
An early arrival also allows you to hit the New Era Store in left field to buy an Opening Day souvenir baseball, stock up on 25-ounce cans of brew from Wazee Market near section 137, and grab made-to-order tacos from Gringos Tacos near the right field foul pole before settling into your seat.
Winger is typically partial to his season tickets on the third baseline because the high-elevation sun cooks the other side of the diamond. “It’s easily 15 to 20 degrees hotter over there,” he says. But April weather in Colorado can be downright frigid, so selecting seats that guarantee rays is a wise move.
To Winger, the best part of game day is, well, actually watching the game. “I know folks like to go to the party deck and walk around the stadium,” he says, “but I like to take in that first game. After all, hope springs eternal on Opening Day.”
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