Issuu

THE DENVER MAGAZINE

INSIDE

MESA VERDE Exploring Colorado’s Most Enchanting National Park PAGE 62

SEPTEMBER 2021 |

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7 MEXICAN-INSPIRED RECIPES YOU CAN MAKE AT HOME PAGE 76

THE LASTING LEGACY OF ELIJAH MCCLAIN’S TRAGIC DEATH BY ROBERT SANCHEZ

5 HIGH-COUNTRY TRAIN TRIPS PERFECT FOR LEAF-PEEPING PAGE 16

FEATURES

S E P T E M B E R 2021

Mesa Verde National Park’s Cliff Palace



“Where The

Ancestors Whisper To You”

If you’re willing to listen, Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park has plenty of secrets to reveal. More than 115 years after it was established to protect the archaeological sites left behind by the Ancestral Puebloans, we take you back in time with a comprehensive visitor’s guide. BY LINDSEY B. KING

Harvest Party

Throw your own Mexicaninspired feast—starring a fresh-from-the-garden bounty—using recipes from a fiesta at the home of two local food pros. BY PATRICIA KAOWTHUMRONG

When Elijah McClain’s 2019 death began attracting national attention during the summer of 2020, thousands of people from across the country mailed letters to Governor Jared Polis, begging for justice, fairness, and a bit of hope. We read every one. BY ROBERT SANCHEZ

5280

SEPTEMBER 2021

Room the Agency/Alamy Stock Photo

Dear Colorado...

DEPTS.

B E H I N D T H E S T O R I ES 12



D I N I N G G U I D E 100

COMPASS 15 ENTERTAINMENT

128

Colorado’s first sober music and arts festival promotes a more mindful take on the party high.

16 TRAVEL

This year, keep your eyes on the state’s colorful fall foliage— not oncoming traffic—during one of five leaf-peeping train rides.

EAT & DRINK

18 STYLE

Alpine Parrot is filling the gap in plus-size hiking apparel.

20 CULTURE

22 Q&A

A new crop of restaurants is perfecting well-known Thai specialties and introducing Denverites to dishes that are less common in the Mile High City.

30 Q&A

Meet Kim Moyle, the first woman to lead the Brown Palace’s six esteemed kitchens.

An exit interview with Michael Bartolo, the innovator behind Pueblo’s most famous pepper.

32 PROFILE

How 62-year-old Raquelitas became Colorado’s most ubiquitous purveyor of tortillas and chips.

24 FITNESS

The new head ski coach at the University of Colorado Boulder outlines a preseason regimen to get you powder-ready.

BY JENNY MCCOY

COLUMN 40 HEALTH

On a farm in Wellington, men struggling with addiction and homelessness find that tending crops and caring for animals help them nurture themselves. BY DALIAH SINGER

BACKSTORY

ON THE COVER

128 OKTOBERFEST SPIELE

Mesa Verde National Park’s Square Tower House

Local meisters share tips for dominating the iconic contests that define this month’s German-born folk festival.

16 5280 (ISSN 10826815) is published monthly by 5280 Publishing, Inc., 1675 Larimer St., Suite 675, Denver, CO 80202. Subscriptions are $16 for one year (12 issues). Back issues are available for $5.99 plus tax and shipping by visiting shop.5280.com. Periodical postage paid at Denver, CO, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS (see DMM 707.4.12.5). NONPOSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: Send address corrections to 5280 Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 37270, Boone, IA 50037-4270. Canadian Post Publications Mail Agreement No. #40065056 Canadian Return Address: DP Global Mail, 4960-2 Walker Road, Windsor, ON N9A 6J3. 5280® is a federally registered trademark owned by 5280 Publishing, Inc. 5280 also owns trademark registrations for TOP OF THE TOWN, DENVER’S TOP DOCTORS, DENVER MAGAZINE, COLORADO PARENT, and COUTURE COLORADO. © 2021 5280 Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

On the cover: Michele Falzone/Alamy Stock Photo. This page, clockwise from top left: Sarah Banks; Valentyn Volkov/Getty Images (beer); Getty Images (napkin); Jason Sinn; Courtesy of Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad; Paul Miller

A Westminster video game developer used the mountain towns in its backyard to inspire the setting in its latest release.

27 WHAT’S HOT

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BEHIND THE STORIES SPOTLIGHT

FROM THE EDITOR

It has been nearly four years since I visited the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City, but as we mark the 20th anniversary of that day this month, I took a moment to reflect on what most affected me from the exhibits. There were several displays that triggered anger and fear and sadness; it was the “Dear Hero” collection, however, that imbued me with some measure of hope. In the days and weeks following September 11, 2001, people, many of them children, from around the world sent letters and drawings to New York fire departments, thanking them for their bravery and service. That there was such an outpouring of humanity in the face of unfathomable hate reminded me that there are good folks out there who care deeply about those they’ve never even met. I felt a similar swell of optimism when I read senior staff writer Robert Sanchez’s “Dear Colorado…” (page 86). Elijah McClain died on August 30, 2019, several days after Aurora Police officers, without reasonable suspicion, forced him to the ground, placed him in a chokehold, and watched as he was injected with a powerful sedative. His killing went mostly unnoticed until George Floyd’s murder in May 2020. As the country learned more about McClain’s death, the need to respond—to do something, anything—compelled roughly 8,500 letter writers from outside of Colorado to pen missives asking Governor Jared Polis to deliver justice. Sanchez was the first and only reporter to read through all of them. Although his prose is poignant, Sanchez lets the words of everyday Americans deliver a powerful message, one that I hope both buoys Coloradans’ spirits and emboldens them to live compassionately.

L I N D S E Y B. K I N G Email: lindsey@5280.com Twitter: @linzbking

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SEPTEMBER 2021

Sandra Banchs Chef

Banchs, who leads the kitchen at Stanley Marketplace’s Comida, helped develop the recipes in “Harvest Party” (page 76). ON HER CULINARY MUSES:

”I’m inspired by my Puerto Rican roots and the people I have met throughout my career. I always try to mix in Puerto Rican ingredients.” FAVORITE FRESH PRODUCE:

”Plantains and a good slice of avocado are great complements to any meal.” WHERE SHE EATS WHEN SHE’S NOT WORKING:

“When the food truck Areyto is brewery-hopping, I go on a mission to find it and enjoy the flavors of Puerto Rico here in Denver.”

ON 5280.COM

 The Ultimate Guide To Climbing Thirteeners Whether you’ve already conquered all of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks or just want to avoid sole-to-sole traffic jams (looking at you, Mt. Bierstadt), visit 5280.com this month for guidance on summiting Centennial State mountains that are slightly shorter—but no less beautiful.

Clockwise from top left: Sarah Banks; Courtesy of From The Hip Photo; Sarah Banks; Matt Nager

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When the promise of outdoor, rustic adventures lure you to Cheyenne, Wyoming, you’ll find some surprises that will make you want to stop and stay awhile. Like historical 1800s buildings transformed into upscale restaurants serving world-class cuisine and flashy cocktail lounges with mixologists slinging artfully crafted spirits. There’s more to living the legend—come out west and experience it for yourself. cheyenne.org

CoMPASS

TRAVEL STYLE CULTURE Q&A FITNESS 



Mural by Remote (@remoteroc)

Mind Over Matter Colorado’s first sober music and arts festival promotes a more mindful take on the party high.

As DJs in Denver’s electronic dance music (EDM) scene, Mike and Amber Handby (pictured) were both offered free bar tabs as payment for playing shows. Over time, though, they questioned booze’s outsize role in party culture. “People say they need to drink to dance,” Mike says. “But dancing should be about unfiltered human connection.” Convinced sobriety and partying could coexist in a fulfilling way—and suspecting others might crave that communal experience minus the hangover—the husband-and-wife team launched Secret Dance Addiction, a Denver events company that throws drug-and-alcohol-free raves, in 2020. Each themed party (think: Bubbles & Bathrobes) starts with a moment of guided meditation to unite the crowd before the beat drops. Meshing mindfulness with dance has attracted enough revelers that the couple is hosting the state’s first music festival for teetotalers, Sundown Colorado, on September 11 at the River North Festival Grounds. Guests can boogie to spellbinding beats, sip nonalcoholic cocktails blended by Awake Denver (the city’s first sober bar), and explore a small sculpture garden featuring work from local artists. And if they need a breather from all that straitlaced raging? A series of on-site meditation classes will help attendees come down from the soberest high of their lives. —ANGELA UFHEIL

P H O T O G R A P H BY C H AY C E L A N P H E A R

SEPTEMBER 2021

5280

TRAVEL

Training Day

CRIPPLE CREEK & VICTOR NARROW GAUGE RAILROAD

Nothing against autumnal car rides or hikes, but leaf-peeping deserves your full, undivided attention. This year, keep your eyes on Colorado’s colorful fall foliage—not oncoming traffic or the rock-strewn trail beneath your feet— during one of these five train rides. —COURTNEY HOLDEN Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

The Journey: Out-and-back from Cripple Creek The still-active Cripple Creek & Victor Mine is considered the richest in Colorado history—and you’ll steam right up to it on this 45-minute, four-mile trip. Look for wild donkeys, descendants of the hard-working burros that hauled pay dirt out of the tunnels more than 100 years ago. Littles will love the locomotives’ cheerful color schemes, reminiscent of Thomas the Tank Engine and his vibrant cartoon train friends, and get a kick out of the engineer’s long-standing tradition of blow-

ing the whistle in the aptly named Echo Valley. $17 per adult, $12 per child ages three to 12; cripplecreekrailroad.com

The Journey: One-way options from Denver to Moab, Utah (or vice versa) From the moment you board at Union Station, the staff of the newin-August Rocky Mountaineer will treat you like a Vanderbilt. First, you’ll chug alongside the Colorado River, its banks lined with golden leaves, toward Glenwood Springs, where you’ll overnight in a partner hotel, such as Hotel Colorado. On day two, the forest gives way to tawny-hued canyons and thin rock spires

called hoodoos. Don’t pack a lunch: Hosts serve multicourse meals—like rosemary-crusted pork loin—and describe the sights, like the 6.2-mile Moffat Tunnel, outside your panorama-windowed passenger car. From $1,250; rockymountaineer.com

CUMBRES & TOLTEC SCENIC RAILROAD

The Journey: One-way (with motor shuttle options) and out-and-back routes between Antonito and Chama, New Mexico, or to the turnaround at Osier Station restaurant This National Historic Landmark’s vintage cars have long lured Hollywood: The coal-colored engines appeared in Wyatt Earp and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Full- and half-day rides offer you cinematic scenes, too, including a peek down the 800-foot walls of the Toltec Gorge as the train

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SEPTEMBER 2021

inches along its rim. Snag a glarefree photo of the changing foliage from the open-air gondola car. Half-day trips from $85 per adult, $45 per child; full-day trips from $105 per adult, $55 per child; cumbrestoltec.com

LEADVILLE, COLORADO & SOUTHERN RAILROAD

The Journey: Out-and-back from Leadville Visitors ascend about 700 feet into the reds, oranges, and yellows of the aspen-covered upper Arkansas River Valley at a leisurely 10 miles per hour—slow enough for an Instagram-worthy snap-fest on the 2.5-hour trip. Insider tip: At the depot, choose a seat facing town so you’ll be looking toward the valley, rather than turning your head, as you descend. From $42 per adult, $22 per child ages four to 12; leadville-train.com

ROYAL GORGE ROUTE RAILROAD

The Journey: Out-and-back from Cañon City With rugged canyon walls rising 1,000-plus feet overhead, this Arkansas River–adjacent route is a geologic and historical marvel: Two railroad companies skirmished in the 1870s to claim right of passage through the Royal Gorge to Leadville’s silver mines. Modern-day train operators spin tales of those times while you enjoy a scratch-made meal with ingredients largely sourced from Colorado (such as brioche from Denver’s Harvest Moon Baking Company and chicken raised at Red Bird Farms in Englewood) during the 1.5-to-2.5-hour ride. For Oktoberfest-inspired entrées and beers, choose the 12:30 or 3:30 p.m. departure between September 8 and October 21. From $59 per adult, $54 per child; royalgorgeroute.com

Clockwise from top left: Courtesy of Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad; Christopher Muller/Courtesy of Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad; Emotion Cinema/Courtesy of Rocky Mountaineer

ROCKY MOUNTAINEER: ROCKIES TO THE RED ROCKS

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STYLE

THESE PANTS WERE MADE FOR HIKING

The high-rise, curved waistband is designed to reduce pesky waist gape (that weird bunching at the back of your trousers). A built-in belt takes things a step further, making the waistband easy to adjust on the go.

For some women, the first step to topping the trails is scoring the right bottoms. If you’ve ever scoured retail racks for hiking pants that actually fit, you’re not alone. According to a May 2021 article in Outside Business Journal, recreation-focused apparel brands have been slow to bring plus-size clothing to market, which advocacy groups say hinders equity in the outdoors. Enter Alpine Parrot, a Denver-based online clothing shop that 36-year-old Raquel Vélez founded with the mission to make outdoor apparel solely for women sizes 14 to 24. Fueled by her own retail woes, Vélez’s two-year-old company designed its debut offering, the Ponderosa Pant, to be both fashionable and functional. As Vélez sees it, making britches in more inclusive dimensions makes the outdoors more accessible, no matter your size. —PHILIP CLAPHAM

The Ponderosa Pant ($139) features a carabiner loop and adjustable cuffs at the shin, allowing for a quick change from pants to capris to pants again.

Each pant is made of a fabric blend—94 percent nylon and six percent elastane (aka spandex)—that’s breathable, quick-drying, abrasion-resistant, and UPF 40. All fabric is made in the United States and dyed using a process that relies less on toxic heavy metals and minimizes environmental impact.

Is that a phone in your pocket? Probably, because each pair of pants includes five of them, all big enough to hold whatever size of smartphone you’re packing.

Vélez accommodates multiple shapes with two styles: The Mountain Fit is for folks whose hips are larger than their waists; the River Fit is for folks whose waist-to-hip ratio is closer to equal.

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P H O T O G R A P H BY PA U L M I L L E R

SEPTEMBER 2021

CULTURE

MOVING MOUNTAINS Don’t expect exact replicas of the San Juans or Maroon Bells. Instead, the designers took elements they loved, such as the way the sun rises over one peak or the ruggedness of another, from mountain ranges across the Rockies.

PUTTING DOWN ROOTS “Our environment team is so proud of all the tiny elements that are faithful to Colorado, down to the types of flowers and trees growing in the background,” Bassell says. That meticulousness meant Deck Nine researched more than 30 species of local vegetation, including everything from bristlecone pine to Boulder raspberry to mountain lupines to these quaking aspens.

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SEPTEMBER 2021

A SENSE OF PLACE The game starts with the player arriving in Haven Springs, so it was important for the design team to nail all the nuances that make Colorado’s mountain towns so inviting. To aid that endeavor, the production crew took hundreds of reference photos, capturing everything from Leadville’s Italianate Tabor Opera House to Breckenridge’s 19th-century storefronts to the way one Georgetown local stored a garden hose.

ON BRAND “I’ve noticed every small mountain town has an ice cream shop and a Tibetan store,” Bassell says, “and things like that are definitely referenced in the game.” There’s also a subtle nod to Casa Bonita in the dialogue that Coloradans will catch.

STREET CRED Reminiscent of Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall, Haven Springs’ Main Street is a pedestrianonly thoroughfare you explore as you unravel your brother’s mysterious death. Your choices will shape which people you find strolling by and what you can interact with.

Courtesy of Square Enix/Deck Nine Games (Haven Springs); Getty Images (television, game controller)

OOH, HAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH

Life Is Strange: True Colors, the latest entry in the award-winning, narrative-driven adventure video game series, is all about finding home. So it makes sense that the developer, Westminster-based Deck Nine, chose to set the game in its own backyard. Members of the production team scoured Colorado to gather the inspiration they needed to design the fictional mountain town of Haven Springs from the ground up. “Not many games are based in Colorado,” says Deck Nine producer Rebeccah Bassell, “so we see it as a love letter to our home state.” In anticipation of its release on September 10, Bassell breaks down some of Haven Springs’ real-life muses. —NICHOLAS HUNT

Q&A desirable traits [thicker walls, a spicier flavor, or an interesting shape] reappear in the next generation, and sometimes they don’t. Hopefully, you eventually get something that produces a consistent crop, but a lot of times things just don’t work out. Is the rivalry between Colorado and New Mexico chile farmers real? It’s kind of like professional wrestling. Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant would go after each other in the ring, and then backstage they’d be best friends. I think chile growers on both sides of the border appreciate each other. They know how hard it is to be a farmer, so anything that helps raise awareness is a good thing.

Pueblo loves its green chiles. So much so that each September, the city invites some 140,000 capsaicin converts to its annual Chile and Frijoles Festival (September 24 to 26; $5). While local farmers have been growing peppers for more than a century, chances are the ones you’ll be enjoying at this year’s event can be traced back to one man: Michael Bartolo, a local son made good as an agricultural research scientist at Colorado State University’s Arkansas Valley Research Center. After years of work, Bartolo officially introduced the Mosco, a meatier version of Pueblo’s namesake chile, in 2005. More amenable to roasting, it soon became the region’s dominant variety and even beat out New Mexico’s famous Hatch pepper as the green chile of choice for Whole Foods Markets throughout the Mountain West. Now that Bartolo is retiring, we spoke with him about his quest to create the perfect pepper. —NH

An exit interview with Michael Bartolo, the innovator behind Pueblo’s most famous cash crop.

5280: You didn’t intend to develop a new kind of pepper. How’d it happen? Michael Bartolo: When I returned to Colorado in the early ’90s after earning my doctorate in plant physiology at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, I inherited a bag of seeds from my uncle, Harry

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Mosco. He was a farmer, and he’d passed away a few years before. I planted them, and it was sheer luck that I was walking along one day and said, “Jeez, that’s an interesting pepper. I think I’ll take the seed for next year.” After another eight to 10 years of selections, I finally had a stable variety.

You’ve since created three more unique varieties. What does it take to bring a pepper to market? I don’t know if there is an ounce of skill involved in what I do. It’s trial and error, with a lot more error. I find a plant with unique traits, isolate it, and try to grow it year after year. Sometimes those

What’s your favorite part of harvest season? I just love looking at the chiles. I’ll spend hours at the research farm crawling through the rows of pepper plants on my hands and knees. I’m obsessed with finding the next interesting pepper. I know there’s one out there, and I just keep looking and looking. What’s the best way to enjoy a Pueblo chile? The simpler the better—just a roasted chile and a tortilla or piece of Italian bread. There’s something reassuring about that. Hopefully, that’s what St. Peter will be handing out at the Pearly Gates.

Courtesy of William A. Cotton/Colorado State University

Dr. Chile Pepper

What’s retirement going to look like? I’ll have my hands in the soil somewhere, messing with chiles, but I also want to be an advocate for agriculture. If we develop a better relationship with it, maybe it won’t go away in the wake of the unbridled growth we’re experiencing in this state. It’s already happening in Pueblo. Some of our richest chile-producing lands have been developed or had the water rights sold.

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FITNESS

RIPPED TO SHRED

Still sore about missing your summer beach bod goals? Don’t sweat it. With roughly two months until the earliest resort openings, there’s more than enough time to get your legs and lungs in shape for ski season, says Andy LeRoy, a slalom specialist, former Olympian, and the new head ski coach at the University of Colorado Boulder. Below, LeRoy outlines a preseason regimen to get you powder-ready. —HAYDEN CARPENTER

HARDEN YOUR CORE

CATCH YOUR BREATH

A strong aerobic base means you won’t waste time resting in the lodge. Aim to hike, bike, or run at a slow, steady pace five days out of every seven. If you can raise your heart rate for a total of 150 minutes a week, you’re looking good for the season. Mix in a few fourteeners, too. “If you haven’t been up to elevation all summer,” LeRoy says, “it can be a shock to the system when you get back on the mountain.”

HIT THE STAIRS

A strong torso can be the difference between face-planting when you hit an unexpected patch of ice, crud, or powder and sailing through. A 15- to 20-minute circuit of planks, push-ups, cherry pickers, windshield wipers, and bird dogs two to three times a week will give you the strength to send it with style.

SHAKE A LEG

Want to rip top-to-bottom runs? You can’t do it without strong legs. Lunges—forward, backward, and sideways—will develop that strength in a large range of motion, along with all-important knee stability. Weighted back squats or Bulgarian split squats target the glutes and the quads, muscles crucial for good form, while hamstring exercises, like curls, will help prevent common injuries, like ACL tears.

BUST OUT THE BLADES

“Skating is about the closest simulation of the forces, angles, and balance required for skiing,” LeRoy says. Carving turns, stopping sideways, and skating backward are great for mimicking the right biomechanics, but simply spending time on ice skates or in-line skates will activate the same muscle groups and hone your balance.

Scott Markewitz/Getty Images

To build the power and conditioning needed for quick legs and springy turns, LeRoy suggests heading to the stairs at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre or the Manitou Incline for some interval training. Blast up the steps at your max effort for 15 seconds, then walk or jog back down for 60 to 90 seconds to recover. Repeat until you can’t maintain the same pace.

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WHAT’S HOT Q&A PROFILE 



EAT DRINK &

From top: Ros Siam’s crab cheese won tons, red curry, nam tok, Thai iced tea, pad woon sen, and green curry

Thai It Up

Chefs have been cooking fiery green papaya salad and wok-kissed pad thai in Colorado for decades, but a new crop is perfecting well-known Thai specialties while also introducing Denverites to dishes that are less common in the Mile High City. Here, five of our favorite spots for going beyond drunken noodles. —PATRICIA KAOWTHUMRONG

ROS

SIAM

Jefferson Park Est. March 2020

The tenant of the charming Victorian house previously occupied by Sassafras American Eatery, Ros Siam specializes in palateawakening sustenance. While some of the entrées, such as the pad prik khing—green beans wok-fried with chile paste—pack serious heat, others exude tart, sweet, and earthy notes. If you’re craving spice, ask for a hotter variation of the nam tok: charbroiled beef tossed with toasted rice powder, mint, red onions, and lime. By curating a wide-ranging menu, Thai-born owners and siblings Attawut Intongkam and Suttichai Inthongkham (their last names were transliterated into different English spellings) aim to educate locals about the multifaceted cuisine of their homeland. CONTINUED

P H O T O G R A P H BY S A R A H B A N K S

SEPTEMBER 2021

5280

WHAT’S HOT From top: Hey Bangkok’s vibrant dining room; Vegan Thai Co.’s green curry; a spread of specialties at My Thai Cafe

stockbroker, who moved to Colorado from Bangkok nearly 16 years ago, opened Lucky Noodles in summer 2020 to share her family recipes. Those include renditions of rich green curry—bright with palm and coconut sugars, kaffir lime leaf, and peppery holy basil—and grilled pork kabobs marinated in a garlicky, cilantroroot-infused soy sauce. Don’t miss the iced coffee, a potent pick-meup sweetened with condensed milk. (Note: Lucky Noodles will be closed until October due to a death in the family.)

VEGAN THAI CO. Lincoln Park Est. April 2021

HEY BANGKOK Washington Park West Est. August 2020

At this convivial joint, the walls are bedecked with scenes from Bangkok’s iconic Yaowarat Road, making patrons feel like they’re dining at one of the country’s famed streetside eateries. Hey Bangkok is Denver’s third restaurant from Jay Dedrick and Siriporn “Duke” Tayaputch, owners of 23-year-old Swing Thai’s two locations, and features a concise 12-item menu. Dig into the khao mun gai—tender steamed chicken accompanied by gingerspiced rice, Thai-chile-heavy sauce, and a bowl of broth—at a table that resembles those used by Yaowarat’s food stalls.

MY THAI CAFE Jefferson Park Est. March 2021

My Thai Cafe is a delicious expansion of owner Zoe Le’s

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12-year tenure of cooking at U.S. Thai Cafe in Edgewater. The restaurant she debuted on North Federal Boulevard sports a modern interior filled with reclaimed wood, a full bar, and a lineup of noodles, stirfries, curries, and desserts. Our go-tos are the khao soi—fresh egg noodles swimming in spicy, golden-hued chicken curry— and the fried rice crowned with two snow crab claws. Save

room for the coconut egg custard, an indulgence served with sweet sticky rice.

Greg and Noi Hoefer are preparing specialties—with a plant-based twist—inspired by

LUCKY NOODLES City Park West Est. July 2020

One steaming bowl or plate of comfort at a time, Ploy Limpapath is getting Coloradans hooked on Thai street fare. The former

Noi’s upbringing in northern Thailand at their spot inside pandemic-born CloudKitchens, a collective of delivery- and takeout-only eateries (aka ghost kitchens). Order the likes of gently spicy massaman curry, which is loaded with tofu, potatoes, onions, and crunchy peanuts, or the pad woon sen, silky glass noodles laced with mushroom soy sauce and studded with cabbage, tofu, and tomatoes. The dishes are so hearty and flavorful, you won’t notice the absence of meat, eggs, or fish sauce.

Clockwise from top left: Sarah Banks; Courtesy of Vegan Thai Co.; Courtesy of My Thai Cafe

CONTINUED

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Q&A

The Next Course

Meet Kim Moyle, the first woman to lead the Brown Palace’s esteemed kitchens.

Kim Moyle never expected to be the Brown Palace Hotel and Spa’s first female executive chef. In fact, the Pennsylvania native wasn’t even aware of the milestone until she arrived in Denver last November to take the gig. But Moyle—who has helmed restaurant kitchens in Nashville, Salt Lake City, and, most recently, Grand County’s Tabernash—says shattering the 129-year-old institution’s glass ceiling is just a bonus. To her, it’s all about cooking great food. Patrons can taste Moyle’s earliest influences on the Brown Palace’s culinary program at Palace Arms, one of the property’s six restaurants, where she offers modernized steak house fare with whispers of Southern flair in a space furnished with Napoleonic decor. After the restaurant reopened in May following a 14-month renovation, we caught up with Moyle to chat about her background and what’s on the menu at one of Denver’s most storied hotels. —PK

5280: Do you think the food and beverage industry has evolved to be more accepting of women in leadership roles?

Kim Moyle: I hope so. If you were to ask me in the 1980s, I would have said, “Oh, gosh, no.” I started in the American Culinary Federation’s apprenticeship program in 1986, when not a lot of females went to culinary school. But it is nice to hear that there are a lot of women chefs in Denver who are doing great things. After culinary school, you spent 28 years as a chef at upscale hotel restaurants across the country, including Sundance Resort in Utah. How’d you land in Colorado?

I worked in Nashville at the Sheraton Music City for five years, but the weather was a little too humid for me and my husband. A recruiter and good friend reached out to me about a job at Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Tabernash, which reminded me a lot of Sundance, so I took it and worked there for 13 months before the Brown Palace position opened up. What are you excited to serve at Palace Arms?

There is a brisket I sous vide for 48 hours that we serve with buttered grits, Southern collard greens, fava bean mousse, peach barbecue sauce, and a little cornbread crumble. We are also sourcing Fitch Ranch beef and Mystic Mountain Mushrooms (pictured) from Grand County, and the products are just amazing. We’re trying to make it more approachable, so you don’t feel like you have to wait for a special occasion like an anniversary to come in.

DELICIOUS DAY AT THE BROWN PALACE

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7 a.m. Eye-opener at the Brown Palace Coffee Shop

10 a.m. Sunday brunch at Ellyngton’s

2 p.m. High tea in the Atrium Lobby

4 p.m. Sips and snacks at Ship Tavern

6 p.m. Surf and turf at Palace Arms

8 p.m. Cigars and whiskey at Churchill Bar

P H O T O G R A P H BY J A S O N S I N N

SEPTEMBER 2021

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PROFILE From left: Raquelitas’ corn tortillas; Rich Schneider

about 40 different tortilla and chip flavors (from green chile to hibiscus to Malbec) for upwards of 1,500 restaurants and vendors. The majority of those establishments are local: Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant, Reiver’s Bar and Grill, Shanahan’s, Blue Agave, the Broadmoor, and Casa Bonita (before it closed), to name a few. Order nachos at a Colorado 7-Eleven, and you’ll receive Raquelitas’ chips; buy a burrito before your flight out of DIA—at Mesa Verde Bar & Grill, at New Belgium Brewing, at La Casita Tamales—and odds are it’ll be wrapped in a Raquelitas tortilla. It’s unlikely Salvador De La Torre and his wife—both born in Colorado but raised in Mexico—envisioned such an empire when they purchased a tamale shop at Larimer and 19th streets in 1959. The couple kept the name “La Popular” (no relation to the restaurant on Lawrence Street today) and at first sold mostly to-go

Remarkable Rise The smell of roasting corn permeates the air as machines whir, click, and hiss. Outside, it’s a suffocatingly hot June afternoon, but inside the Raquelitas Tortillas factory in RiNo—where commercial-grade ovens blaze at 600 degrees— the heat is a welcome sign of booming business. Rich Schneider, a 61-year-old Raquelitas business partner and self-described “tortilla savant,” strolls through the 25,000-square-foot facility, where roughly two dozen workers supervise production lines and package freshly made tortillas into pink and teal boxes. Wearing jeans, an untucked Hawaiian shirt, and custom-made Vans emblazoned with tortillas, Schneider points out the various stages of the process: the vats that soak 800-pound batches of corn, the beige conveyer belt that spits out balls of dough in neat rows of six, the nine-tier cooling machine on which fresh-from-the-oven circles of goodness dry for approximately 190 seconds. It’s an impressive production, and whether or not you know it, chances are you’ve sampled the end result. The 62-year-old company churns through 55,000 pounds of corn per week to make

How 62-year-old Raquelitas became Colorado’s most ubiquitous purveyor of tortillas and chips. BY JENNY MCCOY

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PROFILE

Local corn used to make Raquelitas’ chips and tortillas

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food, including tamales, baked goods, and a small number of flour and corn tortillas. The De La Torres didn’t have enough revenue early on to hire employees, so they put their young sons, Raul and Danny, to work. After school, the kids helped operate the ovens. Raul, who was 10 at the time, was also tasked with selling tamales to bar patrons on Larimer Street. “Back then, the bars were rough,” Raul says. But he willed himself inside, fearing his mother’s wrath should he return home with unsold product. Peddling tortillas was an equally fraught endeavor. “We were chased out of restaurants, we were chased out of Safeways, we were chased out of a lot of retail outlets,” says Raul, now 70 and the president of Raquelitas. The problem, he explains, was that “nobody knew really what a tortilla was, except for the Mexican people.” So, the De La Torres took it upon themselves to educate the community, teaching a local family who owned several restaurants—Holly West, Holly South, Holly, and Holly Inn—how to make enchiladas and burritos in the early 1960s. “From there, they started putting [our products] in different restaurants,” Raul says. “And that’s how we actually started growing into the American community.” In 1982, Salvador retired, leaving Raul and Schneider to run the business, a task they say they were woefully unprepared for. (Schneider had been a family friend for several years and joined the company in 1979; Danny left La Popular in the 1970s to become a firefighter.) Raul and Schneider had only worked the production line and knew nothing about the business side— taxes, payroll, liaising with vendors—of what would become Raquelitas. Through experimentation and a fair amount of error—including learning to more

PROFILE

Tortillas on the conveyer belt at Raquelitas’ RiNo factory

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thoroughly vet customers after a string of them never paid for their orders—Schneider and Raul kept La Popular going. In the mid-1980s, they changed the company’s name to Raquelitas Tortillas, in honor of Raul’s daughter, Rachelle. They tweaked the recipes, too. “It’s been a science,” Raul says, “to get us to where we’re at.” Over the years, Raquelitas’ evolution has included changes to ensure nearly all of its ingredients are locally sourced, high-quality, and non-GMO—a move it made in the pursuit of superior ethics and flavor. The company now uses yellow heirloom corn grown on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation in southwestern Colorado, where tending the crops gives meaningful employment to residents. Though the product costs more than genetically modified corn, “it makes an even better tortilla and chip,” Schneider says, adding that the ingredient gives the products a richer flavor and stronger aroma. And the sunflower oil that enhances the pliability of Raquelitas’ flour tortillas—and is used to fry all of its chips—is pressed at Lamar’s Colorado Mills, which buys goods grown on 250 family farms. One thing Raquelitas hasn’t changed is its use of wet-milled corn instead of maseca, a widely used flour derived from corn that is cooked, washed, and dried. Maseca makes for easy tortilla crafting— it’s similar to just-add-water pancake mix—but it tends to absorb a lot of oil when fried and comes at the cost of diminished flavor and nutrients. “Maseca is the white flour of corn,” Schneider says. Alternatively, with wet-milled corn, “all that fiber, all the nutrients, all the folic acid, everything is there,” he says. “We’ve made chefs cry—seriously! It’s

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like hearing an old song.... That smell will bring you back to when you were a little boy looking up at your grandma.” The coronavirus threatened Raquelitas’ ability to continue providing that nostalgia, as sales dropped about 90 percent from mid-March through June 2020. When the surge in takeout began to buoy its restaurant clients, however, Raquelitas quickly pivoted to respond to their unique COVID-19 quandaries: For example, after hearing that delivery tacos were falling apart before arriving at diners’ homes, the company developed a more durable tortilla. Through the worst of the pandemic, Raquelitas also stayed committed to giving back. The business has continued to support Colorado Restaurant Foundation financial initiatives, such as a grant program that helped local establishments expand their outdoor dining options. Personally, Schneider spent much of the past year mentoring high school and college students via Zoom on the ins and outs of the food service industry. Those karma points are apparently paying off, as a little more than a year after Raquelitas nearly shuttered, business is busier than ever, thanks to recovering restaurant and tourism sectors. “We’re fighting to be able to keep up with the demand right now,” Raul says. Raquelitas’ clients, in turn, are hopeful the Denver institution will continue to thrive. Says Steve Richter, chief operating officer for the Rio Grande Find our Mexican Restaurant chain, Dining Guide, an extensive where Raquelitas’ corn chips list of area restaurants, on have been served for more page 100 than 25 years: “I don’t think and online at anybody else does what they 5280.com/ restaurants. do in this market.” m

Mural by Luis Valle (@el_chan_guri)

Schneider with Raul De La Torre and his wife, Mari, Raquelitas’ finance manager

H E A LT H

BY DA L I A H S I N G E R

Digging Deep On a 100-acre farm in Wellington, men struggling with addiction and homelessness find that tending crops and caring for animals help them nurture themselves.

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SEPTEMBER 2021

Courtesy of Denver Rescue Mission (4)

Clockwise from left: Harvest Farm in 1988. The need for the program’s ix baby goats shelter beneath a piece of Taylor Reed; fourfree, long-term services has grown more critical scrap metal that’s a slightly darker shade of legged farm residents; work therapy in the in recent years, though. Nearly 10,000 people are gray than the sky, from which a cold drizzle greenhouse; a barn at experiencing homelessness in Colorado, a number falls. The rain doesn’t seem to bother Tony, a Harvest Farm that rose by 2.4 percent in 2020. Fatal drug over2,000-pound bull resting in the dirt nearby, doses increased by 59 percent in the state last year, but there’s no sign of Harvest Farm’s resident according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and turkeys, pigs, or donkeys. The landscape is flat in WelEnvironment. And National Coalition for the Homeless data lington, an agricultural town about 12 miles northeast of show that 38 percent of individuals experiencing homelessness Fort Collins, and the horizon is lost in the low clouds on are alcohol dependent, while 26 percent are reliant on other this mid-April day. The 100-acre farm typically would substances. This worsening reality has made Harvest Farm even be abuzz with human residents preparing for planting more vital, especially as men arrive on the property at younger season. Instead, everyone has taken refuge inside. ages—the current average is 41 years old—than ever before. In the chow hall, small groups of men sit at long tables and “A lot of people are self-medicating because they’re outside chat over burgers. They converse about work and life and all the system. They don’t have the stability of a home environthe other things co-workers typically talk about. Yet, these men ment,” says Sara Fieldson, a case manager at Harvest Farm. aren’t conventional colleagues. They work at Harvest Farm, yes, “People don’t get to know them—they’re homeless and have but not to earn a living. They’re here for a new start. Harvest substance use disorder, and that’s what people see first.” The Farm is a recovery program run by Denver Rescue Mission road to recovery can often be a lonesome one, filled with (DRM) that helps men, up to 72 at any given time, struggling meetings in church basements and nondescript therapists’ with drug and alcohol addiction and homelessness achieve offices. Not here. Harvest Farm preaches achieving recovery sobriety, self-sufficiency, stable employment, and housing. by building self-worth and a supportive community—and DRM—a nonprofit that works with individuals expeby playing in the dirt. riencing homelessness in the Denver metro area—founded

H E A LT H TAYLOR REED IS HUNGRY. He’s driving through the rain to Harvest Farm’s admin building, where lunch from Panera Bread awaits, but the tall, brawny former high school quarterback couldn’t help himself— he snagged one of the burgers from the chow hall to tide him over. A smile spreads across his face. His brown eyes sparkle as he admits to this harmless bit of gluttony. It wasn’t all that long ago that his indulgences were less innocuous. Growing up in

the eastern Colorado town of Wiley, Reed drank heavily and used cocaine, eventually turning to heroin and methamphetamine. He tried to get sober, admitting himself for two 30-day stints at a rehab facility in Kansas. “As soon as I got out, it’d be a few months before I would relapse,” the now 29-year-old says. He tried to end his life by overdosing twice but survived. In 2018, he led the cops on a highspeed car chase that landed him in jail and, eventually, at Harvest Farm for treatment.

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Like Reed, most of the property’s residents are battling substance use disorder (a term signifying that substance use is causing significant impairment in daily life); some have been chronically homeless. They may have been referred by parole officers, detox clinics, or their families, or they may have reached out on their own. They hail primarily from Colorado, but they arrive from as far away as Florida and North Carolina. Most have already been through one or two stretches in rehab. Harvest Farm’s application isn’t complicated, but participants must commit to the process. The only requirements for being on the farm are that they are detoxed and don’t have any sexual offenses or other severe violent offenses on their records. Harvest Farm regularly adjusts its programming to better serve current needs. Recently, the staff has been gearing its therapies to address an increased prevalence of opioid use disorder and heroin and meth addictions. “There’s a significant rise of young men who are on a path of destruction that can get pretty severe pretty quickly,” says Seth Forwood, senior director at Fort Collins Rescue Mission and Harvest Farm. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency in 2017, and Colorado has not been immune to its devastation. “We think at least one percent of Coloradans could have opioid use disorder; it could be two percent,” says Dr. Robert Valuck, director of the Center for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. That equates to nearly 100,000 people—people Valuck says can be helped. “Treatment works, but we have to do it right. We have to make treatment readily available, which it’s not,” Valuck says. “That’s why programs like Harvest Farm are so important—to give people a chance to survive.” Harvest Farm residents progress through three phases: orientation, foundation, and transition. It’s a holistic approach that includes case management, life and career development classes, counseling, and Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Medication-assisted treatment for alcohol and opioid use disorders is available through a partnership with Front Range Clinic, an addiction treatment center. Spirituality is a major component, too; like all DRM programs, Harvest Farm is a Christian initiative, but people of any (or no) faith are welcome. The men live together in dorms and are assigned care teams that oversee their progress. As they move through the program,

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H E A LT H they earn more privileges, from accessing their cell phones to getting rides into town. In the final phase, participants are encouraged to get jobs off the farm—sometimes with a boost from DRM’s community connections—so they can start saving money and building a network of support to help them succeed post-graduation. Before they reach that final transition period, though, the men toil on the farm, learning new skills by joining the kitchen team and cooking three meals a day using ingredients grown or raised on-site; assisting with maintenance and landscaping tasks; or tackling agricultural chores, like caring for the livestock and maintaining the flora in the greenhouse and gardens. “The goal is for them to take ownership of what they do,” says Scott Newbold, the agricultural supervisor. “The lesson with addiction is that other things depend on you. What you do matters.” This sort of experiential recovery can be life-changing for men who may not feel the same comfort sitting in a therapist’s office, who grew up in a rural environment, or who could benefit from a venue far removed from their previous city lives. At Harvest Farm, they’re gifted the freedom of space and time.

It’s a way for DRM to help people beyond the urban core. The program lasts a minimum of six months, but many farmhands stay longer than a year. The land provides room to heal, and the animals are a therapeutic anchor. “Having the serenity and the space of a rural environment,” Forwood says, “it does a lot to address trauma symptoms in our men.” A year after graduating from Harvest Farm, roughly 70 percent of participants have maintained their housing and their sobriety, a significant measure of success. Reed is among the 147 men who have graduated in the past three years. He’s been sober since March 2018 and has been training to become a certified addiction technician and a certified personal trainer. He’s also one of Harvest Farm’s first peer leaders, as part of a new, grant-funded initiative that trains graduates to use their experiences to mentor current participants. Peer leaders live on the farm, though they typically also hold jobs off-site. Reed knows that re-entering the world beyond the farm’s fences is difficult and that setbacks are normal. He’s there, he says, to ease the transition: “I help them make baby steps toward being back out in society.”

IT’S JUST AFTER 8 A.M., and peer coach Dan Spencer, dressed in jeans and a red shirt, is reading from the Book of Philippians: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal….” He lowers his Bible and turns to face the men before him. He knows he needs to bring this ancient text into today. “When you feel alcohol and drugs knocking—press on. When you feel this place isn’t for you—press on. Stay the course,” he urges them. “You will be amazed at the blessings that will come into your life, but you’ve got to press on.” The men listen intently. Among them is Justin. The 42-year-old, who didn’t want to share his last name, has only been at Harvest Farm for a month, but it’s his second time in the program. After spending nine months on the farm and graduating in May 2020, he took what he calls a brief “vacation” from recovery. His alcohol use escalated, and he found himself alone and, as he puts it, drinking himself to death in bed. Two of his closest friends from Harvest Farm persuaded the staff to let Justin return to Wellington. Up to 85 percent of people with substance use disorder relapse. “It’s not something you

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5280

SEPTEMBER 2021

DENVE REMOD R’S ELIN SHOW G

H E A LT H get cured, like you broke your toe. That’s not how addiction works. The science is clear: It’s chronic, relapsing, remitting,” Valuck says. “Addiction is horrible and really hard, and if we don’t treat people long enough and don’t allow them to fail and stay in [treatment], then we have our heads in the sand.” To that end, Harvest Farm’s leadership team launched a graduate returnee track in June for those who relapse within a year. Having a strong community there to pick a person up when those slipups happen, as one did for Justin, is vital to maintaining sobriety over the long term. “It’s a healing thing to be around people who accept you even with your faults and missteps. Some of our men have never been in a community like that,” Forwood says. “This is a safe place for them to fail.” Although it’s unique in some ways, Harvest Farm isn’t alone in its approach. Residential rehabilitation centers that incorporate farming in some way can be found in Michigan, West Virginia, Vermont, and elsewhere. One of Harvest Farm’s biggest perks, though, is that it’s free to participants and not tied to health insurance. A July 2020 report by the Colorado Health Institute found that nearly 50 percent of

people who said they needed substance use treatment did not access it due to cost: On average, 30-day inpatient rehab programs run between $15,000 and $27,000, which may or may not be covered by private health insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare. If they could help more people access this free care, Forwood says, they would. However, DRM operates on donations, which can make growth an unpredictable process. For instance, DRM would be open to including a program specifically for women, but men are more acutely in need; data show men are more likely to experience homelessness in Colorado (and nationally) as well as to use illicit substances. While expansion is an ongoing conversation, there are some cost-prohibitive infrastructure issues that prevent DRM from growing the current Harvest Farm property. Steve Pietrafeso knows better than most how valuable Harvest Farm can be to restarting a life. Pietrafeso graduated in 2012 and now works as the farm’s evening supervisor and program coordinator. He’s been sober for eight years. He’s the guy who knows everyone’s story—and the one who reminds them that sobriety is possible even after they leave the fence-lined bubble of Harvest Farm.

Participants must achieve four metrics for graduation: sobriety, a steady income, community involvement, and stable housing. The housing piece has only become more difficult, as recent research from the National Low Income Housing Coalition and Colorado Coalition for the Homeless shows that the Centennial State is among the top 10 states with the least affordable and available housing units; for every 100 low-income households, there is a shortage of 70 affordable and available homes for rent. Pietrafeso doesn’t shy away from talking about these challenges, but he maintains that sobriety is the key. He’s fond of repeating: “Recovery is number one, and nothing else gets a number.” Justin forgot that maxim for a short time but took a different tack this go-round. He focused on what he needed to do to stay sober. He was, he says, allowing himself to be vulnerable. It worked. Justin recently graduated from the farm and moved to Alaska. “I felt like I owed it to myself and God and my family and the people who let me come back,” he says. “I didn’t want to waste it.” m Daliah Singer is a contributing writer for the magazine. Email feedback to letters@5280.com.

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5280

Springboard [spring-bohrd]

Noun Something that supplies the impetus or conditions for a beginning, change, or progress. “When you give to the Denver Health Foundation, your contributions become the springboard for each and everyone’s well-being in Denver.”

Learn more at DenverHealthFoundation.org

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

PRIVATE SCHOOL HANDBOOK SEPTEMBER 2021 Early Childhood Education to High School Directory with more than 80 Colorado Private Schools.

CONTENTS

Accelerated Schools of Denver................. 4 9

48 | School Map

Denver Academy...................................... 5 1

Using highways and parks as landmarks, check out where to find

Colorado Academy................................... 5 3

Aspen Academy....................................... 5 3

profiled schools on the map.

Graland Country Day School..................... 5 5 Havern School......................................... 5 5

49 | School Profiles

International School of Denver.................. 5 7

Select schools give more information about their campuses,

Mackintosh Academy............................... 5 7

missions, philosophies, and curriculums.

Montessori Academy of Colorado............. 5 8

50 | Colorado Private School Directory A quick reference guide to Colorado private schools.

Ricks Center for Gifted Children at University of Denver.............................. 5 8

56 | School Event Calendar

St. Anne’s Episcopal School..................... 5 9

Mark your calendars for open houses and events at local schools.

St. Mary's Academy................................. 5 9

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 | 5 2 8 0 P R I VAT E S C H O O L H A N D B O O K |

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PRIVATE SCHOOL HANDBOOK

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

SCHOOL MAP THORNTON

 ROCKY MOUNTAIN ARSENAL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

WESTMINSTER 76

ARVADA

270

 9

DENVER

PARK HILL



CHERRY CREEK

LAKEWOOD

ENGLEWOOD

470

LITTLETON

AURORA

GLENDALE

285

CHERRY CREEK STATE PARK

470

GREENWOOD VILLAGE

KEN CARYL

   

 6

GREEN VALLEY RANCH

285

470 STAPLETON

EDGEWATER

APPLEWOOD

DENVER INT’L AIRPORT

CENTENNIAL

FOXFIELD

470 HIGHLANDS RANCH

CHATFIELD STATE PARK

PONDEROSA EAST LONE TREE

STONEGATE

PARKER

25 CASTLE PINES

ROXBOROUGH

1 ACCELERATED SCHOOLS OF DENVER

5 GRALAND COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL

9 MONTESSORI ACADEMY OF COLORADO

2160 Cook Street, Denver

55 Clermont Street, Denver

2500 Curtis Street, Denver

2 ASPEN ACADEMY

6 HAVERN SCHOOL

10 RICKS CENTER FOR GIFTED CHILDREN

5859 S. University Boulevard, Greenwood Village

4000 S. Wadsworth Boulevard, Littleton

2040 S. York Street, Denver

3 COLORADO ACADEMY

7 INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF DENVER

11 ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

3800 S. Pierce Street, Denver

7701 E. 1st Place, Unit C, Denver

2701 S. York Street, Denver

4 DENVER ACADEMY

8 MACKINTOSH ACADEMY

12 ST. MARY’S ACADEMY

4400 E. Iliff Avenue, Denver

7018 S. Prince Street, Littleton

4545 S. University Boulevard, Englewood

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SEPTEMBER 2021

PRIVATE SCHOOL HANDBOOK

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

ACCELERATED SCHOOLS Education with a history of success OUR PROGRAM:

OUR VISION:

Accelerated Schools is an independent, co-educational day school for students in middle school and high school. Our positive atmosphere guides students that have not thrived in a traditional school setting to achieve social and academic skills. Our comprehensive learning environment supports the success of students with learning differences such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, OCD, depression, anxiety as well as gifted and talented students who need to be challenged.

We have created a student-centered learning environment led by teachers who are adaptable lifelong learners since 1974. We understand that all students have a set of necessary skills to learn for their future, as well as unique needs and goals to accomplish. We tailor our program to each student in order to address both sides of this educational paradigm. With an average class size of nine students, each student is enrolled with an individualized success plan based on their needs, interests, and remaining graduation requirements. Our students receive no failing grades; if students are below grade level in any given subject, the teacher emphasizes the curriculum in that skill until they meet the mastery requirements for that subject.

OUR GOAL: Accelerated Schools exists to provide a unique, alternative, and rigorous approach to learning. Our goal is to produce highly skilled students that have a positive attitude toward themselves. We strive to give each student the tools to improve their overall academic skills, help them to have greater self-esteem, and be goaloriented. We encourage and prepare them to be college-bound and have the confidence to move to the next level.

At Accelerated Schools, we offer High School and Middle School classes with open enrollment; any student may begin classes any day, year-round. If you find that your child has been unsuccessful in their current school, we are able to help.

ADMISSIONS: 303.758.2003 GRADES: 5–12 ENROLLMENT: 50-90 STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO: 9:1 TUITION: $24,350 (Middle School) $25,750 (High School)

2160 S. COOK STREET, DENVER, CO 80210 • (303) 758-2003 • ACCELERATEDSCHOOLS.ORG S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 | 5 2 8 0 P R I VAT E S C H O O L H A N D B O O K |

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PRIVATE SCHOOL DIRECTORY  Accelerated Schools of Denver

2160 S. Cook Street, Denver, CO 80210 ADMISSIONS: (303) 758-2003 acceleratedschools.org SPECIALTY: Individualized programs, providing a unique and alternative approach to learning. GRADES/AGES: Middle School–High School For full profile, see page 49. .............................................................................

Arrupe Jesuit High School

(303) 455-7449 | arrupejesuit.com High School .............................................................................

 Arma Dei Academy

341 East Wildcat Reserve Parkway Highlands Ranch, CO 80126 ADMISSIONS: (303) 346-4523 | armadeiacademy.com SPECIALTY: Arma Dei Academy’s mission is to glorify God by providing an excellent classical Christian education founded upon a biblical worldview which equips students to live purposefully and intelligently in service to God and others. GRADES/AGES: Preschool–High School, Homeschool Collaborative Program .............................................................................

 Aspen Academy

5859 S. University Boulevard Greenwood Village, CO 80121 ADMISSIONS: (303) 346-3500 ext. 125 aspenacademy.org SPECIALTY: Internationally acclaimed academics, personalized instruction, leadership and entrepreneurial development, and service learning. GRADES/AGES: Preschool–Middle School For full profile, see page 53. .............................................................................

Augustine Classical Academy

(720) 446-6286 | augustineclassical.org Preschool–High School .............................................................................

Ave Maria Catholic School

(720) 842-5400 | school.avemariacatholicparish.org Preschool–Middle School .............................................................................

Bishop Machebeuf High School

(303) 344-0082 | machebeuf.org High School .............................................................................

Bixby School

(303) 494-7508 | bixbyschool.org Preschool–Elementary .............................................................................

Blessed Sacrament Catholic School (303) 377-8835 | school.blessedsacrament.net Preschool–Middle School ............................................................................. ............................................................................. .............................................................................

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Bolder Pathway School

Christ the King Roman Catholic

Boulder Country Day School

 Colorado Academy

(720) 420-9266 | bolderpathwayschool.com Elementary–High School ............................................................................. (303) 527-4931 | bouldercountryday.org Preschool–Middle School .............................................................................

Boulder Valley Waldorf School

(303) 652-0130 | bvwaldorf.org Preschool–Middle School .............................................................................

Boulder Waldorf Kindergarten and Preschool

(303) 541-0671 | boulderwaldorf.com Preschool–Kindergarten .............................................................................

Bright Horizons Montessori at Denver Place

(303) 293-2743 | brighthorizons.com/denverplace Infant/Toddler–Kindergarten .............................................................................

Bright Horizons Montessori at Fiddler’s Green

(303) 302-9222 | brighthorizons.com/fiddlersgreen Infant/Toddler–Kindergarten .............................................................................

Bright Horizons Montessori at Greenwood Plaza

(303) 793-0190 | brighthorizons.com/greenwood Infant/Toddler–Kindergarten .............................................................................

Bright Horizons Montessori at Interlocken

(303) 466-4411 | brighthorizons.com/interlocken Infant/Toddler–Kindergarten .............................................................................

Bright Horizons Montessori on the Mall

(303) 446-8916 | brighthorizons.com/mall Infant/Toddler–Kindergarten .............................................................................

Bright Horizons Montessori at the Marina

(303) 290-8843 | brighthorizons.com/marina Infant/Toddler–Kindergarten .............................................................................

 Cherry Hills Christian School

3900 Grace Boulevard Highlands Ranch, CO 80126 ADMISSIONS: (303) 325-8175 cherryhillschristian.org SPECIALTY: Fully knowing all students, rigorous academics, servant leadership and grounding students in God’s truth. GRADES/AGES: Preschool–Grade 8 .............................................................................

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SEPTEMBER 2021

(303) 321-2123 | ckrcs.org Preschool–Middle School ............................................................................. 3800 S. Pierce Street, Denver, CO 80235 ADMISSIONS: (303) 914-2513 coloradoacademy.org SPECIALTY: Transformative teaching, character education, and leadership development. Academic, athletic, and artistic excellence; college preparatory. GRADES/AGES: Preschool–High School For full profile, see page 53. .............................................................................

Dawson School

(303) 665-6679 | dawsonschool.org Kindergarten–High School .............................................................................

 Denver Academy

4400 E. Iliff Avenue, Denver, CO 80222 ADMISSIONS: (303) 777-5161 denveracademy.org SPECIALTY: Inspiring and empowering diverse learners. GRADES/AGES: Elementary–High School For full profile, see page 51. .............................................................................

Denver Academy of Torah

(720) 859-6806 | datcampus.org Preschool–High School .............................................................................

Denver Christian School

(303) 733-2421 | denverchristian.org Preschool–High School .............................................................................

Denver Jewish Day School

(303) 369-0663 | denverjds.org Kindergarten–High School .............................................................................

The Denver Waldorf School

(303) 777-0531 | denverwaldorf.org Preschool–High School .............................................................................

 Escuela de Guadalupe Catholic School 660 Julian St., Denver, CO 80204 ADMISSIONS: (303) 964-0816 | escuelaguadalupe.org SPECIALTY: Escuela de Guadalupe is a dual language, Catholic school of excellence for grades Pre-K through 8 generating leaders for the world of tomorrow. GRADES/AGES: Preschool–Middle School .............................................................................

Evergreen Country Day School (303) 674-3400 | evergreencountryday.org Preschool–Middle School

.............................................................................

PRIVATE SCHOOL HANDBOOK

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

DENVER ACADEMY The Way YOU Learn Best DENVER ACADEMY CHANGES LIVES. Founded in 1972, Denver Academy (DA) believes that students thrive when taught the way they learn best. DA is one of the top schools in the nation dedicated to teaching students with diverse learning profiles including dyslexia, ADHD, twice-exceptional students, and those with other learning differences. Small classes of 12-14 students facilitate differentiated instruction. The 22-acre campus in Denver’s University Hills neighborhood is an exceptional learning environment and will provide outdoor classroom spaces for students as we continue to navigate challenges and restrictions due to COVID-19. Denver Academy’s robust curriculum

includes challenging academics, technology, arts programs, athletics, character development, and extracurricular offerings. Hands-on learning and cultural experiences enrich each student’s education. DA’s innovative approach is based on the balance of classroom management, information processing, and academic literacy. Flexible placement in several academic levels within each core subject allows faculty to teach to each student’s optimal level. At Denver Academy, students excel in their strengths and are equipped to overcome their challenges.

ADMISSIONS: 303.777.5161; enrollment@denveracademy.org GRADES: 1st–12th STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO: 6:1 TUITION: $31,175 (1st–6th) $33,670 (7th–12th) (Need-based financial aid available.)

4400 E. ILIFF AVENUE, DENVER, CO 80222 • (303) 777-5161 • DENVERACADEMY.ORG S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 | 5 2 8 0 P R I VAT E S C H O O L H A N D B O O K |

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

PRIVATE SCHOOL DIRECTORY Faith Christian Academy

(303) 424-7310 | fca-schools.org Kindergarten–High School .............................................................................

Fountain Valley School of Colorado

(719) 531-4541 | fvs.edu High School .............................................................................

Friends School

(303) 499-1999 ext. 227 | friendsschoolboulder.org Preschool–8th Grade .............................................................................

Front Range Christian School

(303) 531-4537 | frcs.org Preschool–High School .............................................................................

Garfield Montessori

(303) 388-8828 | garfieldmontessori.org Preschool–Kindergarten .............................................................................

Good Shepherd Catholic School

(303) 321-6231 | goodshepherddenver.org Preschool–Middle School .............................................................................

 Graland Country Day School

55 Clermont Street, Denver, CO 80220 ADMISSIONS: (303) 316-3530 | visitgraland.org SPECIALTY: Focusing on academic excellence, innovation, and character development— helping each child reach their potential. GRADES/AGES: Preschool–Middle School For full profile, see page 55. .............................................................................

 Havern School

4000 S. Wadsworth Boulevard, Littleton, CO 80123 ADMISSIONS: (303) 986-4587 ext. 120 havernschool.org SPECIALTY: Co-ed, for students with learning disabilities. GRADES/AGES: Kindergarten–Middle School For full profile, see page 55. .............................................................................

Hillel Academy

(303) 333-1511 | hillelacademyofdenver.com Preschool–Middle School .............................................................................

Hillside School

(303) 494-1468 | hillsidelearning.org High School .............................................................................

Holy Family High School

(303) 410-1411 | holyfamilyhs.com High School .............................................................................

Humanex Academy

(303) 783-0137 | humanexacademy.com Middle School–High School .............................................................................

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Iliff Preschool & Kindergarten

(303) 757-3551 | iliffpreschool.com Toddler–Kindergarten .............................................................................

 International School of Denver

7701 E. First Place, Unit C, Denver, CO 80230 ADMISSIONS: (303) 340-3647 | isdenver.org SPECIALTY: Multicultural, multilingual school with language immersion and International Baccalaureate education. GRADES/AGES: Preschool–Middle School For full profile, see page 57. .............................................................................

Jarrow Montessori School

(303) 443-0511 | jarrow.org Infant/Toddler–Elementary .............................................................................

The Joshua School, Boulder

(303) 974-7732 | joshuaschool.org Kindergarten–High School .............................................................................

The Joshua School, Denver

(303) 758-7171 | joshuaschool.org Kindergarten–High School .............................................................................

Kent Denver School

(303) 770-7660 | kentdenver.org Middle School–High School .............................................................................

The Logan School for Creative Learning

(303) 340-2444 | theloganschool.org Kindergarten–Middle School .............................................................................

Lutheran High School

(303) 841-5551 | lhsparker.org High School .............................................................................

 Mackintosh Academy, Littleton

7018 S. Prince Street, Littleton, CO 80120 ADMISSIONS: (303) 794-6222 mackintoshacademy.org SPECIALTY: Innovative International Baccalaureate education tailored for gifted and creative children. Emphasis on service, socialemotional growth, and sustainability. GRADES/AGES: Preschool–Middle School For full profile, see page 57. .............................................................................

 Montessori Academy of Colorado 2500 Curtis Street, Denver, CO 80205 ADMISSIONS: (303) 623-2609 montessoriacademyofcolorado.org SPECIALTY: Engaging each child through innovative academics, exploration of character, and a fearless, forward mindset. GRADES/AGES: Preschool–Elementary For full profile, see page 58. .............................................................................

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SEPTEMBER 2021

Montessori Children’s House of Denver, Mayfair

(303) 322-8324 ext. 129 | mchdenver.org Infant/Toddler–Middle School .............................................................................

Montessori Children’s House of Denver, Park Hill

(303) 322-8324 ext. 129 | mchdenver.org Infant/Toddler–Kindergarten .............................................................................

Montessori Children’s House of Denver, Stapleton

(303) 322-8324 ext. 129 | mchdenver.org Infant/Toddler–High School .............................................................................

Montessori School of Denver

(303) 756-9441 | montessoridenver.org Preschool–Middle School .............................................................................

Montessori School of Evergreen

(303) 674-0093 | montessori-evergreen.org Preschool–Middle School .............................................................................

Most Precious Blood Catholic School

(303) 757-1279 | school.mpbdenver.org Kindergarten–Middle School .............................................................................

Mountain Shadows Montessori School

(303) 530-5353 | mountainshadows.org Preschool–Elementary .............................................................................

Mullen High School

(303) 761-1764 | mullenhigh.com High School .............................................................................

Nativity of Our Lord Catholic School

(303) 466-4177 | school.nool.us Kindergarten–Middle School .............................................................................

Notre Dame School

(303) 935-3549 | notredamedenver.org Infant/Toddler–Middle School .............................................................................

Open Air Academy

(303) 296-8300 | openairacademy.com Infant/Toddler–Preschool .............................................................................

Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School

(303) 233-2500 | olfcs.com Preschool–Middle School ............................................................................. ............................................................................. ............................................................................. .............................................................................

PRIVATE SCHOOL HANDBOOK

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

ASPEN ACADEMY

Learning For Life Starts At A Young Age NATIONAL LEADER IN INNOVATIVE PRE-K TO 8TH GRADE EDUCATION. For more than 17 years, Aspen Academy has sought the best academic programs and provided personalized instruction for our students. It’s why we opened our doors for in-person learning to our students for the 2020-2021 school year. It’s also why we’ve written our own curriculum for leadership and entrepreneurship. And it’s why we call subjects including art, theater, language, fitness and dance “Essentials".

in innovative education. Through internationally acclaimed academics and small classes led by exceptional, awardwinning faculty, we provide a foundation of rich academics and leadership, where students are empowered to lead purposeful and extraordinary lives. Here, your child’s curiosity and joy of discovery will be cultivated along with a love of learning in school and in life. We would love the opportunity to meet you. Sign up for a tour today at aspenacademy.org/visit.

Aspen Academy in Greenwood Village, Colorado, is a national leader

ADMISSIONS: Please contact Kate Shaw, Enrollment Manager at 303.346.3500 x125 ENROLLMENT: 400 STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO: 8:1 TUITION: $18,480 Pre-K to 3rd | $19,120 4th-8th

5859 S. UNIVERSITY BLVD., GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO 80121 • (303) 346-3500 • ASPENACADEMY.ORG

COLORADO ACADEMY

Creating curious, kind, courageous, and adventurous learners and leaders BEING A PART OF COLORADO ACADEMY LASTS A LIFETIME. We are committed to the development of children, nurturing their talents and skills to drive understanding and inspire thoughtful individuals. We embrace inclusivity as we prepare all students to face an ever-changing and complex world. Our faculty are dedicated to advancing knowledge and igniting curiosity. CA students excel as academics, arts,

athletics and experiential education are core to the Colorado Academy experience. CA welcomes curious, kind, courageous, and adventurous students in PreKindergarten through Grade 12 from a variety of backgrounds. Visit coloradoacademy.org to learn more and to register for Admission Preview on October 14 or 22.

ADMISSIONS: 303.914.2513 GRADES: Pre-K–12th ENROLLMENT: 1,020 STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO: 9:1 TUITION: $25,950–$32,020

(Financial aid budget of over $4.2 million)

3800 S. PIERCE STREET, DENVER, CO 80235 • (303) 914-2513 • COLORADOACADEMY.ORG S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 | 5 2 8 0 P R I VAT E S C H O O L H A N D B O O K |

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PRIVATE SCHOOL HANDBOOK

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

PRIVATE SCHOOL DIRECTORY  St. Anne’s Episcopal School

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School

(303) 722-7525 | lourdesclassical.org Preschool–Middle School .............................................................................

Regis Jesuit High School Boys Division

(303) 269-8064 | regisjesuit.com High School .............................................................................

Regis Jesuit High School Girls Division

(303) 269-8164 | regisjesuit.com High School .............................................................................

 Ricks Center for Gifted Children,

University of Denver

2040 South York Street, Denver, CO 80208 ADMISSIONS: (303) 871-3715 | du.edu/ricks SPECIALTY: Differentiated educational programming for gifted students. GRADES/AGES: Preschool–Middle School For full profile, see page 58. .............................................................................

Rocky Mountain Christian Academy (303) 652-9162 | rmcaonline.org Preschool–Middle School .............................................................................

Running River School

(303) 718-2101 | runningriver.org Kindergarten–Middle School .............................................................................

September School

(303) 443-9933 | septemberschool.org High School .............................................................................

Shepherd of the Hills Christian School (303) 798-0711 | shepherdhills-school.org Preschool–Middle School .............................................................................

Shining Mountain Waldorf School (303) 444-7697 | smwaldorf.org Preschool–High School

.............................................................................

2701 S. York Street, Denver, CO 80210 ADMISSIONS: (303) 756-9481 ext. 209 | st-annes.org SPECIALTY: Nurturing, inclusive, and focused on character development. GRADES/AGES: Preschool–Middle School For full profile, see page 59. .............................................................................

 St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal School

1800 Pontiac Street, Denver, CO 80220 ADMISSIONS: (303) 322-4209 | stelizabethsdenver.org SPECIALTY: Engaging all students in the pursuit of academic excellence while leaning into important conversations and activities that broaden mindsets and challenge systems that promote inequality. GRADES/AGES: Kindergarten–Middle School .............................................................................

Steamboat Mountain School

(970) 879-1350 ext. 18 steamboatmountainschool.org High School .............................................................................

Tara Performing Arts High School

(303) 440-4510 | tarahighschool.org High School .............................................................................

Temple Grandin School

(303) 554-7363 | templegrandinschool.org Middle School–High School .............................................................................

Vail Mountain School

St. John’s Lutheran School

970) 477-7164 ext. 123 | vms.edu Kindergarten–High School .............................................................................

 St. Mary’s Academy

(303) 471-3000 | govalor.com High School .............................................................................

(303) 733-3777 | sjdenver.org Kindergarten–Middle School .............................................................................

Valor Christian High School

4545 S. University Boulevard, Englewood, CO 80113 ADMISSIONS: (303) 762-8300 | stmarys.academy SPECIALTY: The SMA family environment is guided in the Loretto School Values of faith, community, justice and respect. Academic excellence, global leadership, service, arts and athletics. GRADES/AGES: Preschool–Middle School (co-ed), High School (all girls) For full profile, see page 59. .............................................................................

Watershed School

St. Thomas More Catholic School

(303) 770-0441 | stmcatholic.org Preschool–Middle School .............................................................................

St. Vincent De Paul School

(303) 777-3812 | svdpk8.com Infant/Toddler–Middle School .............................................................................

Stanley British Primary School

(303) 360-0803 ext. 192 | stanleybps.org Kindergarten–Middle School .............................................................................

(303) 440-7520 | watershedschool.org Middle School–High School .............................................................................

The Wonder Academy

(303) 571-1005 ext. 112 | thewonderacademy.com Infant/Toddler–Preschool .............................................................................

Ziji Early Elementary School

(303) 530-0844 | zijiearlyelementary.org Kindergarten–Elementary ........................................................................... ............................................................................. ............................................................................. ............................................................................. ............................................................................. ............................................................................. ............................................................................. ............................................................................. .............................................................................

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GRALAND COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL Students who go Graland are forward thinkers who can go anywhere and do anything. OUR MOTTO: CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN. Graland goes to extraordinary lengths to give every child the best education possible, developing intellectual excellence, and strong character. Challenging academics, arts, athletics, community service, overnight trips, innovation, invention—Graland’s unique program prepares students to be engaged citizens and thoughtful leaders. We empower our faculty to be active leaders so they can help students reach their highest potential. We go further, dream bigger, and think deeper.

Graland is located in the heart of Denver and offers daily bus routes. We invite you to tour our campus, learn about our welcoming community, and #GOGRALAND by visiting our website: VisitGraland.org. One family out of every five receives tuition assistance. Tuition includes daily lunch and snack, books, technology devices, school supplies, and class trips.

ADMISSIONS: 303.316.3530 GRADES: Preschool, Kindergarten–8th ENROLLMENT: 700 STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO: 7:1 TUITION: $23,970-$30,650

(Need-based tuition assistance available)

55 CLERMONT STREET, DENVER, CO 80220 • (303) 316-3530 • VISITGRALAND.ORG

HAVERN SCHOOL Creating Confident Learners

HAVERN SCHOOL creates confident learners by nurturing the potential of students with diagnosed learning disabilities through specialized, small group instruction and integrated therapies.

• We serve students with diagnosed learning disabilities including dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and other learning difficulties related to language processing, ADHD, and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Since 1966, Havern School has provided a safe and caring environment that empowers students to embrace their unique learning profiles and become courageous leaders and self-advocates. We provide students with a customized, research-based curriculum, small group instruction, integrated therapies, and proven tools they need to succeed in school and in life. Our students realize their strengths, persevere through their struggles, and discover their potential.

• We maintain a low student-to-staff ratio, with explicit instruction delivered in small, skills-based groups by highly experienced, dedicated, and compassionate teachers. • We integrate speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, and social skills instruction into the students’ school day (included with tuition). • We follow an intervention-based model that celebrates progress and prepares students for the next steps of their educational journey.

ADMISSIONS: 303.986.4587 GRADES: Kindergarten–8th ENROLLMENT: 100 STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO: 4:1 TUITION: $29,000

(Need-based tuition assistance is available.)

4000 S. WADSWORTH BOULEVARD, LITTLETON, CO 80123 • (303) 986-4587 • HAVERNSCHOOL.ORG S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 | 5 2 8 0 P R I VAT E S C H O O L H A N D B O O K |

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SCHOOL EVENT CALENDAR TOUR

2021

Arma Dei Open House

Arma Dei Academy; classical Christian school in Douglas County We invite you to witness an Arma Dei education first-hand by attending an upcoming Open House event. You will have an opportunity to observe classes, experience the joyful environment of our school, browse through curriculum, hear from our Teachers and Leadership Team, ask questions of current parents, and learn what makes ADA distinctive. Experience Arma Dei today! Register at armadeiacademy.com .............................................................................  2021

St. Mary’s Previews

St. Mary’s Academy St. Mary’s Academy has led the way in education in Colorado since our founding in 1864. We develop the whole child through rigorous academics in a highly supportive and collaborative environment, integrated service learning, and master faculty committed to individualized attention. LOWER SCHOOL: October 14 & December 7; MIDDLE SCHOOL: October 5 & December 9; HIGH SCHOOL: September 21 & November 11. Contact Admissions at 303-762-8300. ............................................................................. TOUR

2021

Accelerated Schools Tour

Accelerated Schools Tours available weekly, call to schedule yours today. Call 303-758-2003 for more information. ............................................................................. TOUR

2021

Montessori Academy of Colorado

Montessori Academy of Colorado The Montessori Academy of Colorado is a metropolitan school that engages each child through innovative academics, exploration of character, and a fearless, forward mindset. Schedule a tour now by visiting TMAOC.com. ............................................................................. TOUR

2021

Escuela de Guadalupe Campus Tour

Escuela de Guadalupe Catholic School Tours are available by request Monday through Friday. To schedule a tour of Escuela de Guadalupe, please contact our Director of Admissions, Sandra Garcia, at 303-964-0816.

2021

TOUR

Ricks Center Campus Tours

Ricks Center for Gifted Children at University of Denver We are excited to once again welcome visitors into our building. We will be offering both individual, small groups, and virtual tours. Come in and learn about our approach to learning and find out what makes Ricks Center a place where we can empower intellectually gifted children to thrive and achieve their full potential. To sign up for a tour, please visit du.edu/ricks/admissions/visit ............................................................................. WEEKLY IN 2021

TOUR

International School of Denver Campus Tours

International School of Denver Join us! Come to campus to see our unique educational model in action. Visit isdenver.org/admissions to start your inquiry and find a time that works best for you. .............................................................................  OCT 7, NOV 2, DEC 10, 8:30–10:30 A.M.

Discover Graland: Open Houses

Graland Country Day School Join us to discover more about Graland’s exceptional program and inspiring teachers for PS, K-8. Hear from faculty and students, learn about our welcoming community and find out how Graland prepares students to go further than they ever imagined. Register today at visitgraland.org or by calling 303-316-3530. .............................................................................  OCT 7, NOV 4, DEC 2, JAN 6, FEB 3, MAR 3, 9–10 A.M. JAN 18, 5:30–6:30 P.M.

Aspen Academy’s Open Houses

Aspen Academy Join us for an Open House this fall or winter! Learn about the Aspen Academy experience, see classrooms in action, and have the opportunity to meet administrators. This is a great opportunity for families to ask questions and see a day-in-the-life for an Aspen Academy student. Register at aspenacademy.org/visit .............................................................................  OCTOBER 14 & OCTOBER 22

Colorado Academy Admission Preview

Colorado Academy CA is seeking curious, kind, courageous, and adventurous students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 from a variety of backgrounds. Admission Preview is a unique opportunity to learn about

our school community, and we look forward to connecting with your family. Visit coloradoacademy.org for more information .............................................................................  OCTOBER 26, 7 P.M.

Admissions Open House

Mackintosh Academy 7018 S. Prince Street, Littleton, CO 80120 Join us to learn about what bright, creative kids need from school, and how our inquiry-based International Baccalaureate program fits those needs. See our newly expanded campus and meet our staff who truly “get” gifted kids! In-person or virtual event format to be decided; please RSVP to receive updates. RSVP requested. RSVP to 303-794-6222 or mackintoshacademy.com/admissions5280 .............................................................................  NOVEMBER 6, 9 A.M.

St. Anne’s Parent Preview

St. Anne’s Episcopal School Join us for a campus tour and student Q&A panel to learn more about preschool through eighth grade at St. Anne’s Episcopal School. The Parent Preview begins at 9 AM in the School’s Dining & Performing Arts Hall. Virtual previews will be available throughout the fall. Visit www.st-annes.org/parent-preview for more information and to RSVP for the November 6 event. .............................................................................  NOVEMBER 13, 2021, 9 A.M.–12 P.M.

Denver Academy Open House

Denver Academy; 4400 E. Iliff Avenue, Denver Enjoy a personal tour of our 22-acre campus by a Student Ambassador. Meet staff and learn about our student-centered approach to education for diverse learners (including those with dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning differences) in grades 1 to 12. Find out more at denveracademy.org/openhouse .............................................................................  DECEMBER 4, 9–11 A.M.

St. Elizabeth’s All School Open House

St. Elizabeth’s School 1800 Pontiac Street, Denver, CO 80220 Join us for this weekend information session and a tour of our new, spacious home in Park Hill! Faculty, administration, parents, and current and former students will share about our mission, programs, and life at St. Elizabeth’s School. Families interested in all grades K-8 are welcome. Reserve your spot today! RSVP to Diane Grove: dgrove@sesden.org or 303-322-4209, ext 15

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INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF DENVER Multilingual education. Global mindset. Extraordinary impact. AT THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF DENVER, our students don’t just learn a second language–they become immersed in the culture of countries and communities around the world by learning from native speakers, participating in language festivals, and going on international trips. With our inquiry-based, studentcentered, globally-minded International Baccalaureate® (IB) framework, we prepare our students to become wellrounded and to think, behave, and see the world differently.

Our students learn how to think for themselves, be curious, ask questions, process information, and connect dots across disciplines and concepts, preparing them to thrive in a world both inside and outside the classroom. At the core, we are more than a school. We are a global community making the world a more compassionate and curious place, one student at a time. Come see our unique educational model for yourself. Join us for a tour this fall! K-8. Chinese. French. Spanish.

ADMISSIONS: 303.340.3647 GRADES: Preschool–8th ENROLLMENT: 700 STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO: 8:1 TUITION: $19,900 (Early Childhood Education, K1–K3) $19,700 (Lower School, G1–G5) $21,900 (Middle School, G6–G8) (Financial assistance available)

7701 E. FIRST PLACE, UNIT C, DENVER, CO 80230 • (303) 340-3647 • ISDENVER.ORG

MACKINTOSH ACADEMY

Preparing students to thrive in a world we can't yet imagine. For over 40 years, Mackintosh Academy Littleton has nurtured the keen minds and compassionate hearts of gifted and creative students. We combine years of experience with leading-edge curriculum and teaching practices, preparing students to thrive in a changing world. We emphasize innovation, inquiry-based learning, critical thinking, service and sustainability. • International Baccalaureate Primary Years and Middle Years Programmes • Nationally recognized U.S. Dept. of Education Green Ribbon School • Whole-child focus develops emotional intelligence, self-regulation and communication skills as well as intellect • Hands-on approach to learning nurtures creativity and innovation • Small class sizes in a caring, intimate community of learners KEEN MINDS. COMPASSIONATE HEARTS. GLOBAL ACTION.

• Vibrant arts, PE and Spanish programs integrate with classroom curriculum • Service learning empowers students to take action on real-world challenges • Tuition assistance and limited scholarships available CONTACT US FOR A TOUR (VIRTUAL OR IN-PERSON) OF OUR NEWLY-EXPANDED CAMPUS!

ADMISSIONS: 303.794.6222 ENROLLMENT: 125 GRADES: Pre-Kindergarten–8th STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO: 7:1 TUITION: $19,850–$20,930 (Morning PreK $12,330)

(303) 794-6222 • MACKINTOSHACADEMY.COM S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 | 5 2 8 0 P R I VAT E S C H O O L H A N D B O O K |

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MONTESSORI ACADEMY OF COLORADO Developing Future Leaders

THE MONTESSORI ACADEMY OF COLORADO is a metropolitan school that engages each child through innovative academics, exploration of character, and a fearless, forward mindset.

from their peers and help others, naturally going from novice to leader within their classrooms. Each MAC community builds on the next with new experiences, challenging materials, and endless opportunities to learn.

MAC offers an authentic and bestpractice Montessori education for Nido, Toddler, Primary, Integrated Kindergarten, and Elementary, serving students ages eight weeks to sixth grade. Credentialed Montessori teachers lead each classroom and our individualized learning curriculums allow all children to work at their own level in order to maximize their achievements. With mixed ages in all classrooms, children are excited to learn

From our robust academics to exploration of the Arts, MAC celebrates creativity and curiosity in all our students by encouraging hands-on, self-paced, collaborative learning through interactive experiences. We create an inclusive environment where students acquire self-efficacy, determination, and social and emotional intelligence from an educational foundation built on integrity, compassion, and support.

ADMISSIONS: 303.623.2609 GRADES: Preschool–6th ENROLLMENT: 250 TUITION: $19,185 - $27,910* STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO: Infant 3:1, Toddler 5:1, Primary 10:1, Elementary 10:1 *depending on child’s age and program

2500 CURTIS STREET, DENVER, CO 80205 • (303) 623-2609 • 5280.TMAOC.COM

RICKS CENTER FOR GIFTED CHILDREN AT UNIVERSITY OF DENVER Learning begins at the edge Located on the University of Denver campus, Ricks Center is a school, Preschool–8th grade, dedicated to gifted learners. • Flexible, differentiated curriculum designed around the whole child

• Active, engaged, hands on learning

PLEASE CALL OR INQUIRE ONLINE TO LEARN HOW RICKS CENTER MIGHT BE RIGHT FOR YOUR CHILD.

• Designated time to pursue questions and interests • Low student to teacher ratio • Teachers who know, understand and care deeply about gifted education and each individual student

ADMISSIONS: 303.871.3715 GRADES: Preschool–8th STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO: 10:1 TUITION: Varies depending on level

2040 S. YORK STREET, DENVER, CO 80210 • (303) 871-3715 • DU.EDU/RICKS • RICKSCTR@DU.EDU PSHB-58

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PRIVATE SCHOOL HANDBOOK

ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL Educating Minds, Enriching Hearts, and Expanding Horizons THERE IS NO PLACE QUITE LIKE ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL. Hidden just inside the city of Denver, our picturesque 7.5-acre campus inspires students on a daily basis. Our classrooms are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, and our dedicated teachers challenge students every day. Serving children in preschool through eighthgrade, we provide a consistent and nurturing experience from our earliest learners through middle school. Since 1950, we have provided an inclusive, nurturing, and uplifting environment where all children are supported. We aim to foster a community of character, humility, and kindness

while providing a balanced program that includes outstanding academics, athletics, and the arts. Our program includes art, music, drama, technology, language classes, an outdoor education program at our foothills campus, and physical education. Additionally, we offer extracurricular programs, service-learning opportunities, after-school care, and middle school sports. Grounded in the values and traditions of our Founding Sisters, our graduates are empowered by their sense of belonging. Most importantly, they know themselves, care for others, and strive to serve and improve their communities.

ADMISSIONS: 303.756.9481 GRADES: Age 3–Grade 8 ENROLLMENT: 435 STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO: 8:1 TUITION: $12,254-$27,972

(includes daily hot lunch; need-based tuition assistance available)

2701 S. YORK STREET, DENVER, CO 80210 • (303) 756-9481 • ST-ANNES.ORG

ST. MARY'S ACADEMY Lead. Create. Change.

ST. MARY’S ACADEMY is Denver’s premier Independent, Catholic school, spanning coeducational Pre-K to 8 and an all-girls high school. Established in Colorado Territory in 1864 by the Sisters of Loretto, we continue to be a forward-thinking educational leader focused on developing the whole child through challenging academics in a highly supportive and collaborative environment. Since our beginnings, we have welcomed children of every culture, religious tradition, and economic background. We are a school that puts faith beliefs and

spirituality into action, and we encourage our students to love, accept, and treat others with respect. Our Loretto School Values of faith, community, justice and respect guide us in all our work and are a fundamental reason why families throughout the Denver area choose an SMA education. They are values that transcend time and make good people and great leaders. Our students are kind, compassionate, and empowered individuals who work, learn and have fun together every day on our beautiful 24-acre campus, centrally located in Cherry Hills Village.

ADMISSIONS: 303.762.8300 ENROLLMENT: 670 GRADES: Pre-Kindergarten–8th High School (All Girls)

(Co-ed)

STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO: 7:1 TUITION: $17,210 (Pre-K), $21,170 (K–5th), $22,020 (6th–8th), $22,810 (9th–12th)

4545 SOUTH UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD, ENGLEWOOD, CO 80113 • (303) 762-8300 • STMARYS.ACADEMY S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 | 5 2 8 0 P R I VAT E S C H O O L H A N D B O O K |

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Calling All Good Causes October 14, 21 and 28 In Person / Virtual Event

We’re looking for deserving nonprofits with advertising needs from logos to campaigns. This October, we’re holding a multi-day Ad Hack where Colorado ad professionals come together to make a difference in our community, helping the selected organizations take their marketing to the next level. Tag local nonprofits or share this post to spread the word. If you’re part of a nonprofit that could use Ad Club’s support, head to https://adclubco.com/nonprofit-ad-hack to apply. PSHB-60

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If you’re willing to listen, Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park has plenty of secrets to reveal—and just as many mysteries to ponder. More than 115 years after it was established to protect the archaeological sites left behind by the Ancestral Puebloans, we take you back in time with this comprehensive visitor’s guide.

BY LINDSEY B. KING

Square Tower House

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INSIDE MESA VERDE

“Look all around you,” “Then close your eyes.

S H E SAYS .

Think about these mesas and canyons as a bustling community. Think about seeing women cooking, men hunting, kids playing, dogs barking, grandmas holding babies. You can smell the smoke from the cooking fires. You can hear the regular noise of daily life echoing out of these alcoves that are natural amphitheaters.” T.J. Atsye knows Mesa Verde National Park better than most, and that’s not just because she worked there for the better part of eight years, first for the museum association and then as a seasonal ranger. Atsye’s relationship with this landscape goes much deeper. As a Laguna Pueblo woman, 67-year-old Atsye is a direct descendant of the Ancestral Puebloans who made the area now protected by the park their home more than 1,000 years ago. Her family’s stories about The 64

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Place Up High With Many Windows are now her stories, passed down over the centuries through oral tradition. As a ranger, it was her job to then share those narratives with some of the park’s roughly 573,000 annual visitors. “I bring a Native woman’s perspective,” she says, “and I use that to help transport people from 2021 back to A.D. 1000.” Atsye is a gifted storyteller, but for those who are seeing the cliff dwellings built by the ancient Pueblo people for the first time, words can be superfluous. The sandstone-masonry villages tucked into massive mesa-side alcoves leave virgin viewers with concurrent feelings of incredulity (How is this even possible?) and discovery—as if they found a long-lost city all by themselves. In truth, they have come upon a treasure: Mesa Verde National Park was declared a UNESCO

BEFORE YOU GO

For a couple of months early in the global health crisis, Mesa Verde closed its gates. When the park reopened in May 2020, guided tours remained suspended. On May 2 of this year, however, a truncated roster of outings returned. Still, 2021 has been and will continue to be an atypical year. The ongoing pandemic has led to altered services, and road construction that began in March will continue to restrict access to the Cliff Palace Loop through at least October.

World Heritage Site in 1978, one of the first such designations for conserving places of outstanding cultural and natural value in the country. It is, in fact, the cultural aspect of Mesa Verde that makes it unique among Colorado’s national parks. Unlike Rocky Mountain National Park, where more than four million annual visitors can explore 415 square miles of unparalleled natural beauty with few guardrails, Mesa Verde’s 82 square miles are more circumscribed. Here, parkgoers must stay on designated trails, backcountry access and primitive camping are unavailable, and seeing many of the archaeological sites up close requires purchasing a ticket for a guided tour. There is no fishing, no horseback riding, no mountain biking. “People come here from Moab,” Atsye says, “and expect another recreational paradise. Mesa Verde isn’t that, but it is a living, breathing place. Everywhere you go, an ancient one was there.”

Previous spread, from left: Jeremy Wade Shockley; Getty Images. This page: Power of Forever/Getty Images

 Long House

INSIDE MESA VERDE

MAP QUEST

It’s a 15-minute drive west on U.S. 160 to reach Cortez.

With only one road in and out, Mesa Verde is easy to navigate—but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan your route ahead of time.

U.S 160 . ENTRANCE

To see ancient mesa-top village foundations, centuries-old farming sites, and the famed cliff dwellings, parkgoers must travel the Main Park Road roughly 15 miles from the entrance before making a decision about which mesa—Chapin or Wetherill—to visit. Most parkgoers select Chapin Mesa, home of Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in the park. “We’ve done a poor job of marketing Wetherill,” says Kristy Sholly, the park’s chief of interpretation and visitor services. “Wetherill has the second-largest dwelling in the park.” Advertising aside, visitors’ decisions usually come down Wetherill to time: From the intersection of Mesa Road Main Park Road and Wetherill Mesa Road, it’s a 45-minute haul to reach the sites on Wetherill and a 20-minute drive to those on Chapin, making it difficult to view everything in one day. Our suggestion? Stay two days to see it all.

WETHERILL MESA

Mesa Verde National Park

Main Park Road

STEP HOUSE

Chapin Mesa

Archeological Both Wetherill and Chapin mesas Museum LONG HOUSE are named after white explorers who CHAPIN happened upon—and excavated— MESA SPRUCE Badger many of the dwellings in the late TREE HOUSE Nordenskiöld House 1880s. The 12-mile journey to the Site #16 Community Trail Open year-round and far side of Wetherill is winding and Spruce home to two drivable starkly beautiful. At the end of the road Canyon loops with myriad pull(open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Labor Day Trail Long House outs and overlooks, through October), visitors will find sevPetroglyph Loop CLIFF PALACE Chapin is the indisputeral options for self-guided discovery. Point Trail (No Motor Vehicles) able winner when it The one-mile walkway to Step House Cliff Palace comes to density of delivers visitors to the only cliff dwellLoop Ancestral Puebloan ing reachable without a tour ticket. Mesa BALCONY Kodak structures. The one-way The Long House Loop is a five-mile Top SQUARE HOUSE House TOWER HOUSE Loop Mesa Top Loop lets paved trail that makes for a leisurely Sun Point drivers of modern-day 45-minute bike ride, if you brought View vehicles roll through 700 your two-wheeler. If not, parkgoers years of Ancestral Puebloan culture and architectural development in about 90 minutes, if they don’t can walk the path, which provides dawdle at each of the nine stops. Be forewarned, though: It’ll be a challenge to pull your group away access to the Badger House Comfrom Square Tower House Overlook, which affords a view of the tallest standing structure in the park; munity (sites that show the evolution of Sun Point View, a vantage that makes visible several cliff dwellings simultaneously; and Cliff Palace Pueblo homes from pit houses to small View, a photographer’s-dream-come-true look at the park’s most high-profile attraction. This year, the villages), the Nordenskiöld Site #16 (a Cliff Palace Loop is closed through at least October, which means tours to Cliff Palace and Balcony cliff dwelling named for another early houses are not being offered in 2021. In the past, the area around the Chapin Mesa Archeological excavator), Kodak House (a split-level Museum was a must-visit for several reasons, including the museum (closed for renovations) and a selfdwelling), and the overlook for Long guided tour of the Spruce Tree House cliff dwelling (closed due to rockfall hazards, although you can House, the second-largest cliff dwellstill get a good view of it). The best reason to stop at the area around the museum now—besides the ing in Mesa Verde. Daily tours to Long restrooms—is to access the popular Spruce Canyon and Petroglyph Point trails. House run through October 23.

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SANDS OF TIME

The Four Corners region has been home to humans for 10,000-plus years; however, the Ancestral Pueblo people first settled in Mesa Verde around 1,400 years ago. For more than seven centuries, they thrived as hunters and dryland farmers, crafted baskets and pottery, and built several styles of living quarters, eventually constructing their remarkable cliff dwellings. Then they departed, leaving archaeologists, and the world, to ponder: Why?

A.D. 750

The community prospers—and its population swells. On mesa tops, they begin erecting single-story, above-ground houses with upright walls made using poles and mud. The homes are constructed up against one another, creating long rows of dwellings; sometimes pit houses are built in front. The descendants of those who lived at Mesa Verde later become known as the Pueblo people, using the Spanish word for “village.”

A.D. 1000

The Pueblo people’s construction techniques and architectural prowess mature, allowing them to upgrade from pole-and-adobe homes to multistory structures made of stone masonry. Units of 50 rooms or more are not uncommon. They begin using small stone dams to capture water and manage runoff; these structures create fertile plots to grow not only corn but also squash and beans, a trifecta of crops known in many Native American tribes as “the three sisters.” Their pottery-making also evolves to include highly decorative vessels with black designs on white backgrounds. Entire mesa tops are cleared to make room for agriculture. Large pueblos with stone walls and A.D. 550

Formerly nomadic groups of people begin settling into a more sedentary way of life in the Mesa Verde region. Farming—primarily of corn—supplants hunting and gathering as the main food source, and the bow and arrow replaces the spear. They make superbly crafted, beautifully woven waterproof baskets (frequently made of split willow) as well as pottery that often has simple designs on gray backgrounds. People live in pit houses—semi-below-ground dwellings with vaulted roofs—typically located on the mesa tops, near their crops, but sometimes in cliff alcoves. A.D. 1200

Perhaps for protection or proximity to water sources, some Ancestral Pueblo people begin moving from their mesa-top villages into alcoves in the mesas’ cliffs. Using the same stone tools—often made of hard quartzite—they’d used for generations, the Pueblo people rigorously shape sandstone into rectangular blocks and use a mixture of soil and water as mortar. In the alcoves, they create elaborate multifamily villages, each dwelling having several rooms, some of which are for storing crops. Each family (or clan of families) has its own underground kiva, with its flat roof serving as a courtyard of sorts. The largest cliff dwellings have as many as 150 rooms.

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kivas—subterranean ceremonial and gathering spaces that may have evolved from pit houses—spread on the mesa top. Mesa Verde’s population soars around A.D. 1100, with some estimates suggesting it ultimately reaches several thousand at its peak.

A.D. 1285–1300

The Ancestral Puebloans emigrate from Mesa Verde. By 1300, the alcoves are mostly deserted. Archaeologists, historians, and some modern-day Pueblo people have theorized that drought, depleted resources, or skirmishes with other ancient peoples may have spurred the abandonment of the cliff dwellings.

INSIDE MESA VERDE

It Never Was A Disappearing Act For far too long, an unproven narrative that the Ancestral Puebloans simply vanished persisted. DNA evidence is scant, but there is plenty of historical and anthropological substantiation that modern-day Pueblo people are the direct descendants of Mesa Verde’s original residents, and they want the world to know this: They are still here.

From top: Courtesy of Spencer Burke/National Park Service; Robert Mesa/Courtesy of the Pueblo of Acoma

The retelling of human history is never perfect, mostly because people aren’t perfect. Yet it’s difficult to overstate how hurtful the conclusions—by some early U.S. archaeologists, by the National Park Service (NPS), by the media—have been for the Pueblo people. The story that Mesa Verde’s original inhabitants lived in the area for

more than 700 years and then suddenly disappeared likely stemmed from poor assumptions, ignorance, and the appeal of a good mystery; however, that doesn’t absolve anyone who has perpetuated the myth. “The dialogue of the ‘vanishing Anasazi’ probably came about in a few ways,” says Dr. Scott Ortman, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Colorado Boulder who studies the long-term histories of Indigenous peoples. One is that after the end of the Civil War,

Anglo settlers in the region incorrectly surmised area dwellings were of Aztec origin, muddying things from the start. Another is the manner in which archaeologists tried to track the movements of ancient peoples, often relying on the presence of material items; many of those possessions were simply left behind at Mesa Verde, buttressing the disappearance story. The NPS, for its part, found that the vanishing-act narrative was compelling to visitors and promulgated it. The media pounced on it as well. On top of all that, archaeologists in this country have long neglected to speak to Native Americans about their histories, which are often carefully handed down through oral tradition. “As a result, interpretations were ignorant of those histories,” Ortman says, “and it became another form of colonialism to deny their own understanding of their history.” The issue, of course, is that good tales have staying power. “People assume that these people don’t exist anymore,” says Acoma Pueblo Governor Brian Vallo (pictured), who has led that pueblo in New Mexico for three years. “That cannot be the narrative. What gets missed is that there is a direct connection to cultures that still exist today.” In fact, it is now widely acknowledged that Pueblo tribes in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas

 A Laguna Pueblo woman, T..J. Atsye is a descendant of the Ancestral Puebloans.

26 Tribes that have government-togovernment relationships with Mesa Verde National Park. As a representative of the U.S. government, the park service consults with tribes that either claim descendancy from the Ancestral Pueblo people or whose traditional lands later became part of the park to ensure historical accuracy in displays, to facilitate special visitation permits for ceremonial purposes, and to discuss archaeological findings, among other things.

trace their heritage back to the Mesa Verde region. While DNA evidence is meager—many Pueblo people oppose invasive testing on ancestral remains—archaeologists, ethnographers, and anthropologists say genetic sequencing is mostly unnecessary. Many aspects of Ancestral Pueblo culture persist in today’s Pueblo communities, including farming methods, religious practices, craft-making, and architecture. “Plus, nearly all Pueblo languages have their own names for Mesa Verde,” Ortman says. “Pueblo people also have stories about having ancestry in the Mesa Verde region, sometimes even about specific sites their families built.” Vallo is one of them. His word for Mesa Verde, in his Acoma dialect of Keres, is Kash’ka’trati. “My clan originated in Mesa Verde,” he says. “They built certain structures there. I am tied to that land.” T.J. Atsye is culturally bound to the 8,000-foot mesas, too. Her family is Laguna Pueblo, but her time as a park ranger also proffered a special bond with the “ancient ones,” as she calls them. She understands the allure of a good mystery but wishes people would reconsider their notions of America’s past. “There are pueblos in Arizona and New Mexico that have been continuously inhabited since the 1100s,” Atsye says. “This is where the Mesa Verdeans migrated to. We are them.” SEPTEMBER 2021

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Backcountry tours, which put parkgoers into the literal footsteps of the Ancestral Pueblo people, offer the most intimate way to experience some of Mesa Verde’s archaeological sites. We spoke with interpretive ranger Jackie Rabb about how visitors can connect with the ancient ones in enlightening ways on these limited-access outings. 5280: You’re a park ranger but also a trained archaeologist— how does that background come into play during tours? Jackie Rabb: Working as an archaeologist can be lonely. Being a

park ranger allows me to share ancient cultures and special places with actual people. I can teach the importance of preservation and educate people on cultural history. Walking through living history is a great way to do that, no?

Backcountry tours are special. It’s a small group, so we can do things that other tours can’t. We can hike the actual trails the Ancestral Pueblo people hiked to get to the alcoves. We can go down ladders like the ones they used. We can even use the handand footholds they carved into the sandstone over the centuries, as many of them are still there.

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BOOK IT

Park rangers lead backcountry tours to Mug House (daily, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.; $25), Spring House (September 5 and 12, 8 a.m.; $45), and Square Tower House (daily, 8:30 a.m.; $25). Tours are limited to 10 people, book up quickly, and require aboveaverage physical fitness. Space opens 14 days in advance at 8 a.m. Mountain time. Log in to your recreation.gov account at 7:55 a.m. two weeks before your desired tour date to get tickets.

How do you help visitors understand who the Ancestral Puebloans were?

I try to balance the science-based guesses about who they were and why they did what they did with what I’ve learned from what Pueblo people say today. I like to explain to people that the Ancestral Pueblo people were just like us. Yes, they were here 800 years ago, but if you put them in a city today in modern clothes they’d be no different than we are. They made decisions— about where to live, how to take care of their families, what to eat for dinner—just like we do every day.

Clockwise from top left: Lindsey B. King; Janette Asche/Getty Images; Courtesy of Jackie Rabb

Beyond The Ropes

 Clockwise from left: Mug House cliff dwelling; Petroglyph Point Trail; Jackie Rabb

INSIDE MESA VERDE

HISTORICAL HIKING

Petroglyph Point Trail is the park’s most popular trek—for good reason. While there are other paths worthy of your time—namely Prater Ridge and Spruce Canyon trails—Petroglyph Point Trail underpromises and overdelivers. Yes, you will encounter other hikers on this 2.4-mile loop that begins near the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum, but the company doesn’t diminish the joy of squeezing through sandstone formations, scrambling over boulders, viewing a 35-foot-wide petroglyph panel, and reveling in dizzying vistas of Spruce and Navajo canyons. Although the park rates the trail as moderately strenuous to strenuous, anyone who regularly hikes in Colorado likely will find the route easy enough to complete in roughly two hours. But there’s no rush. As you amble, take time to ponder the fact that much of this well-worn footpath has been used for more than 1,000 years.

Do you have a method for trying to get people to see Mesa Verde as it might have been?

Once we get to one of the cliff dwellings, I often have everyone stop talking and ask them to listen, feel, see, and smell for a minute. I ask them to imagine what life would’ve been like here. Families making dinner. People walking from one alcove to the next to see friends. Someone doing business with a visitor who’d come from far away. Women climbing the same ladders [guests] just came down but carrying water or corn or a baby at the same time.

Valerie Olson/Alamy Stock Photo

How else do you make it real for people who visit the park?

I try to make comparisons to things going on today. For example, one theory is the Ancestral Puebloans may have migrated from Mesa Verde after a prolonged drought made it difficult to raise crops. Well, here in southwest Colorado, we are in the middle of a megadrought right now. We know how that feels. That helps people connect to what happened centuries ago.

GET IT RIGHT

All parks have rules. But at a cultural park, knowing the unwritten do’s and don’ts can both save you from being tactless and make your visit much more enjoyable. MUST-DO’S

MUST-DON’TS

Options for buying drinks and snacks inside the park are limited—especially this year. Bring a cooler full of provisions that you can leave in your car and enjoy after tours and hikes.

Although you may have heard or read the term “Anasazi” as a way to refer to the Ancestral Pueblo people who inhabited Mesa Verde, the term—a Navajo word that can translate to “ancient enemy”—is outdated and considered pejorative by modernday Pueblo people. “Ancestral Puebloans” and “Ancestral Pueblo people” are more culturally sensitive and appropriate terms.

Visitors are often surprised about the driving distances within Mesa Verde. From U.S. 160, the highway just outside the park, you should allow an hour (no joke) to get to any of the archaeological sites at the far ends of Chapin or Wetherill mesas. Add at least 30 minutes to that if you want to stop at the Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center that’s located just off the highway exit, near the Mesa Verde National Park sign. (The center was still operating at limited capacity at press time.) The roads inside the park are narrow and winding, but if you are a particularly slow driver—or you’re just taking in the views—pull over to let others pass. Take every opportunity you see to use a restroom, even if nature isn’t calling at that exact moment. Not every trailhead nor every tour meeting place has facilities.

ASK POLITELY

If you look closely, you might find the remnants of Ancestral Puebloan life in the dirt. Potsherds, stone knives, bone awls, and other artifacts could show up at your feet. Should that happen, feel free to pick them up and take a look, but don’t remove them from the park. Collecting artifacts on federal land is a crime—not to mention a wildly insensitive move. Trails in the national park are wellmaintained and easy to follow; however, don’t let your size 12s scoot off the path, especially if you see small pink flags, which are there to alert you to the presence of fragile, rare, or even endangered flora, like the Chapin Mesa milkvetch (pictured above), a butter yellow plant that only grows in the Mesa Verde area.

“When I enter a modern-day kiva, I ask permission out of respect and cultural tradition,” says T.J. Atsye, who is Laguna

Pueblo and a one-time ranger at Mesa Verde National Park. “I do the same thing when I enter a cliff dwelling. I ask permission to pass by.” Atsye, who often calls Mesa Verde the place “where the ancestors whisper to you,” explains that Pueblo people believe their ancestors are all around them, like many people feel the presence of their departed family members at a cemetery or maybe in a loved one’s favorite spot. Atsye understands not everyone has the same beliefs, but she suggests taking a quiet moment to address those who have passed on but whose spirits can still be felt in these sacred places. “Be sincere, be genuine, be respectful,” she says. “Let them know you are here to see their beautiful homes. They will listen to you, and you might feel their warmth wrap around you.” SEPTEMBER 2021

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INSIDE MESA VERDE

Mesa Verde’s most famous dwelling is currently inaccessible—so we’re giving you the two-cent tour. It’s one thing to see Cliff Palace, the park’s largest and arguably most spectacular residence, from the overlooks on Mesa Top Loop. It’s another thing completely to be inside it—to experience the visceral sensations of the alcove, to climb ladders like the ancient ones once climbed, and to see the views they saw from their front porches. As pandemic restrictions eased, the park had planned for timed-entry, ranger-assisted tours at Cliff Palace to allow parkgoers to visit the roughly 150-room village. Unfortunately, road construction on Cliff Palace Loop has stretched on far longer than officials had anticipated and will likely restrict access to Cliff Palace well into late fall, when tours are no longer possible due to weather. You can still get great views of Cliff Palace from several overlooks on Mesa Top Loop, but there’s no substitute for seeing the structures (like grain storage areas) and natural features (such as seep springs, which provided water to the cliff-dwellers in an area devoid of rivers) up close. Still, we decided to perform interpretive ranger duties by annotating this image of the park’s grand dame. Once you have a sense of the architecture, engineering, and ingenuity the Ancestral Puebloans employed in the construction of their homes, it’s easy to envision Mesa Verde as the center of one of the Southwest’s most vibrant cultures. —Geoff Van Dyke 70

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Even centuries later, smoke stains from cook fires are still evident on the ceilings of some of the alcoves. Archaeologists have discovered that in addition to corn, beans, and squash, the ancient Pueblo people domesticated and likely ate turkeys.

SECOND-STORY SUPPORTS

It’s sometimes difficult to understand the full scope of these dwellings because time and the elements have eroded much of what was once there. In many cases, the second stories of these complexes have disintegrated; however, archaeologists know upper levels existed because of the timber beam supports that are (remarkably) still visible today.

DOORS

What most parkgoers see as windows are really doors. Archaeologists have noted that in several instances, large stone slabs were used to seal the doors, and that in other spots, the Ancestral Puebloans hung yucca fiber mats over the openings for privacy or to keep cold air out.

MULTIROOM DWELLINGS

Ancestral Puebloan families often shared several rooms and had their own kiva. Cliff Palace may have housed as many as 150 people. Seth K. Hughes Credits Tk

The Big House

ROOF BLACKENING

BOOK IT

Although tours to Cliff Palace aren’t currently available, timed-entry, ranger-assisted tours to Long House are ($8, daily through October 23 at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; max 35 people). The 2.25-mile round-trip hike to the park’s second-largest dwelling requires average physical fitness as well as the ability to climb ladders. Space opens 14 days in advance at 8 a.m. Mountain time. You’ll need to be online and already logged in to your recreation.gov account at 7:55 a.m. two weeks before your desired tour date to have a shot at getting tickets.

DESERT VARNISH

These dark stains form when iron or manganese, a mineral found either within the rock or in windblown dust, is fixed to the cliff face by bacteria. The bacterial action often occurs on the portions of rock that are wet from runoff water, which causes the streaking effect.

KIVA

LADDERS

Credits Tk

To scale the area’s cliffs and move around within their alcove villages, the Ancestral Puebloans used ladders much like the ones park officials have fashioned for visitors to use today. Not only did excavators find remnants of these wooden staircases, but archaeologists have also documented notches in the sandstone where the implements likely rested over the centuries.

A kiva is a circular room, often partially below ground, that had a flat roof. It was typically outfitted with a hearth, ventilator shaft, benches, and a sipapu—a symbolic representation of the portal through which the ancestors emerged into this world. Kivas were likely used for domestic and ceremonial purposes and as gathering places. Often, the interior walls were covered with plaster and emblazoned with pictographs.

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The ancient Pueblo people left behind many artifacts of daily living, but none so striking, perhaps, as their black-on-white pottery. Like any great ancient civilization, the Ancestral Puebloans created a stable food supply, exhibited advancements in technology over time, adhered to a system of religion, had a social framework, built large structures, created population centers, and enjoyed a highly developed culture. They made farming equipment, fashioned tools out of stone, sewed clothing with bone awls, and wove blankets from turkey feathers. They also made functional art. “The Ancestral Pueblo people made different types of pottery,” says Kay Barnett, an archaeologist with the park. “Their corrugated vessels—kinda like their everyday pots and pans for cooking—were made out of tiny clay coils, were often dark gray without embellishment,

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The black paint used for decorative designs was made from either minerals (like the iron in crushed hematite rock) or organic materials (such as plants like beeweed or tansy mustard).

and had a dimpled appearance.” The Ancestral Puebloans, however, also made smoother, more artistic black-on-white pottery that appears to have been used for serving or to carry and store water. The intricate designs—beautiful in their execution using yucca fiber paintbrushes—typically included rectangular geometrical shapes, various triangles, dots, crosses, swirls, curved parallel lines, and terraced figures. Although potsherds still litter the lands that comprise the park, another remnant of prehistoric pot-making was found when a major water line was replaced along the western side of Chapin Mesa in 1992. “They found kilns,” Barnett says. “Nine of them. Some as long as 12 or 13 feet and as wide as five feet. Even today, we don’t

Heritage Image Partnership Ltd./Alamy Stock Photo

The Things They Carried

 To achieve a whitish background, Ancestral Puebloan potters used a light gray clay to build their wares and then perfected the use of slip, a thin layer of very fine clay applied before firing, to create the lightest color possible.

INSIDE MESA VERDE

think we’ve found all of the kilns that are probably in the park.” Many of the artifacts discovered over the decades by early excavators and park authorities— pottery included—are typically on display in the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum. Unfortunately, a faulty HVAC system has kept the museum closed for all of 2021. Mesa Verde officials are embracing the opportunity to fully redesign and update the space, taking care to include modern-day Pueblo perspectives in the new exhibits. “We are hopeful the museum will reopen with temporary exhibits in 2022,” says Kristy Sholly, chief of interpretation and visitor services, “and we will work to update the displays in the subsequent years.”

Courtesy of CyArk

DISPLAY CASES

With the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum closed for the foreseeable future, history junkies should consider viewing Pueblo artifacts elsewhere, either before or after their visits to the park. Mesa Verde’s visual information specialist, Spencer Burke, suggests taking in the exhibits at the Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center & Museum in Dolores, just a 20-minute drive from the park entrance. He also recommends the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum in Blanding, Utah, 88 miles away. “They have some of the most incredible Pueblo artifacts I’ve seen anywhere,” he says. For Denverites looking for a closer-to-home option, History Colorado Center has Mesa Verde artifacts on display in its Living West and Zoom In exhibits.

NO BIG DIGS

66% Proportion of Mesa Verde National Park’s 52,000 acres that has burned in wildfires since 1996. Although wildfires can devastate any national park, the blazes at Mesa Verde—caused by lightning 95 percent of the time—can be especially destructive to archaeological sites. Fire can induce spalling, the peeling away of rock surfaces, which can be particularly damaging to petroglyphs and pictographs. After fires have been contained, erosion and lack of vegetation above alcoves can lead to harmful cascades of water, ash, mud, and detritus falling into the dwellings during rainstorms. Fire can have an interesting side effect, though. After the 1996 Chapin 5 fire, archaeologists began executing postfire surveys to assess damage; those inspections uncovered numerous archaeological sites that had been hidden for centuries under dense vegetation. Between 1997 and 2007, 676 previously unknown sites were recorded.

Excavation is (mostly) off-limits at Mesa Verde, but that doesn’t mean archaeology and conservation are, too. It’s reasonable to think that scientists would continue to unearth treasures at major archaeological sites until they were exhausted. That’s not the case at Mesa Verde. “The tribes we have relationships with prefer we don’t excavate for curiosity’s sake,” park archaeologist Kay Barnett says. “Instead, we like to do noninvasive archaeology and employ modern preservation and conservation techniques.” The archaeologist explains that while a lot of important research can be done without being destructive—particularly through the study of rock art and tree-ring dating—the park does take action to excavate sites disturbed during construction projects (like this year’s roadway improvements) as well as to preserve the most high-profile cliff dwellings. Stabilization crews assess the alcoves at the beginning of each season and use a variety of methods to address stone deterioration, mortar loss, and damage caused by wildlife. In some cases, as with Spruce Tree House, which has been closed since 2015 due to instability, extreme measures may be required. “The alcove itself has a crack that goes through the rock to an arch,” Barnett says. “If the arch fell, Spruce Tree House would be flattened. We are going to try to rebolt the arch, likely in summer 2022.” Barnett acknowledges it would be devastating if Spruce Tree House were to be lost but adds that’s part of the story of Mesa Verde. It’s also what many modern-day Pueblo people want: They believe the dwellings should return to the earth in their own times. Still, there are ways to conserve Spruce Tree House, and other antiquities like it, for posterity, even if gravity ultimately has its way. For roughly 15 years, Mesa Verde has worked with CyArk, a nonprofit based in Oakland, California, that uses laser scanning technology to digitally document the world’s cultural heritage. The 3D models CyArk fashions—it did a full rendering of Balcony House in 2017, available at nps.gov/meve—allow viewers to experience sites they cannot visit or which could disappear overnight. “What CyArk creates,” Barnett says, “are accurate, lasting records of something very special.” CyArk’s rendering of Balcony House

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HELLO DARKNESS

STAR POWER

Astronomical Knowledge Mesa Verde’s recent designation as an International Dark Sky Park only reinforces what the Ancestral Puebloans knew 1,000 years ago: Observation of celestial bodies is a sacred affair. As of 2016, the vast majority of Americans could not see the Milky Way from their homes, and fewer than one percent had reliable views of a dark sky. “We’re lucky here at Mesa Verde,” says visual information specialist Spencer Burke. “We can see the Milky Way every night, just like the Ancestral Puebloans did when they lived here. Just thinking that we see the same sky they saw gives me goose bumps.” Of course, Burke and his cohorts had to do some work to return the skies to their A.D. 1100 state. To be approved as the 100th International Dark Sky Park by Arizona’s International Dark-Sky Association, Mesa Verde had to use lower color temperature bulbs, redirect lights downward, and install motion-sensor lamps. “I was initially overwhelmed with what we had to do,” Burke says. “There are hundreds of lights in the park. But the difference was immediately noticeable. It was already pretty dark here, but now it’s like, ‘Wow.’ ” 74

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The park’s campground is a sky-watcher’s paradise. Set down in a canyon between two 400-foot swells of rock, Morefield Campground is the only place to set up a tent—or hook up an RV— inside the park. As campgrounds go, Morefield is clean and easy to navigate and has a full-service village with a gas station, showers, a cafe, and a camp store that’s well-stocked with adult beverages. The sites are outfitted with tables, tent pads, fire pits, and dark skies. For the best stargazing— and quietest camping—select a site in the Taos, Zuni, or Jemez loops. visit mesaverde.com

Visitors will also be wowed by the show—the pullouts along Main Park Road and the parking lots near the Far View Lodge are ideal for nighttime viewing—but knowing how the ancient Pueblo people saw the heavens may be equally mesmerizing. Several archaeoastronomical studies have suggested that there could be dozens of astronomical alignments in the park. In other words, the Ancestral Puebloans may have built structures for detailed observation of the sky. Although the modern-day study of such alignments can be controversial—critics and archaeoastronomers alike suggest current findings may be skewed by the ethnographic preferences of our own society for certain celestial bodies, and not necessarily those of ancient peoples—a 2015 analysis determined that Sun Temple, a structure located along the Mesa Top Loop, was likely used for astronomical examination of celestial bodies known to be sacred to the Pueblo people. “It’s very possible that the Ancestral Puebloans, who were farmers,” Burke says, “were keeping track of the seasons. Their architecture could have helped track the celestial calendar so they knew when to plant and harvest.” Burke says more research is needed to further our understanding of how the Ancestral Puebloans monitored the skies, but for now, he’s satisfied that parkgoers can see what the ancient ones saw. “I like to imagine,” he says, “the Pueblo people liked to look up at the stars in amazement just like we do.”

Ana Larkin/Alamy Stock Photo

On September 10 and 11, Mesa Verde will host Dark Sky–related events at the Morefield Campground Amphitheater to honor the fact that in April the park was designated as the world’s 100th International Dark Sky Park. Visit nps. gov/meve to learn more.

INSIDE MESA VERDE

E AT, S L E E P, R E P E AT

Mesa Verde National Park is located roughly 10 miles from Cortez and approximately eight miles from Mancos. Although those are the two most populous towns in rural Montezuma County, finding places to fuel up and bed down isn’t always easy. We offer our suggestions. —GVD YOU SHOULD REST AT…

THEN YOU SHOULD DINE AT…

Starry Nights Ranch Bed & Breakfast, where you’ll relish farm-to-table breakfasts, cozy lodge rooms (or the Cowboy Cabin), and a short drive to Mesa Verde National Park.

Absolute Bakery & Cafe, a hippie-ish (in the best possible way) spot in downtown Mancos, which will satisfy your cravings for sweets, coffee, and from-scratch sandwiches and pizza. The Cubano is a can’t-miss, as are the Mexican wedding cookies.

From top: Christopher Marona/Courtesy of Aramark; Courtesy of Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch

Far View Lodge, the only accommodations within the park. Prepare for bare-bones rooms, paper-thin walls, and the possibility of mice looking to raid your provisions. But know that despite those downsides, you are very close to the park’s main attractions, so it might be worth the less-than-luxurious setup.

Far View Terrace Cafe, essentially a cafeteria with mass-produced food and drinks like pizza, cheesesteaks, coffee, and soft drinks. (Far View also stocks some locally brewed beers in cans.)

Retro Inn, a funky-cool renovated motor lodge located in Cortez. The inn—which can serve as a convenient home base for all of your Four Corners adventures—is inexpensive, kitschy, and has a bright, whimsical paint scheme.

Loungin’ Lizard, a cantina known for comfort food like fried chicken and meatloaf. Don’t forget to grab a pint at nearby WildEdge Brewing Collective, a well-regarded brewery with a wide array of beer styles and a small food menu.

Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch, a picturesque spread located in McElmo Canyon. Stay in one of five cabins, enjoy complimentary fresh eggs for breakfast, use the meditation room (pictured below), and if Garry Adams, one of the proprietors, offers you a property tour, don’t turn him down.

Sutcliffe Vineyards, a small, independent vineyard a few minutes by car from Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch. You may be lucky enough to have John Sutcliffe himself serve you a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and a charcuterie board.

WHEN YOU VISIT

All the details for your trip to Mesa Verde. Operating hours: The park is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Main Park Road is always open; however, roads that lead to archaeological sites close at sunset. Entrance fees: From May 1 to October 31, a $30 payment per vehicle is good for seven days. From November 1 through April 30, it’s $20 per vehicle for seven days. An annual pass to Mesa Verde costs $55 (or an America The Beautiful federal recreation sites annual pass is $80). recreation.gov Current conditions: The ongoing pandemic and roadwork during summer and fall 2021 continue to restrict access to certain services and sites. Visit nps. gov/meve, then click on Alerts to get the most up-todate information. Listen and learn: Mesa Verde has an informative audio tour as well as a podcast series called Mesa Verde Voices. Visit nps.gov/ meve, then click on Learn About the Park, then Photos & Multimedia, then Multimedia Presentations for the links. m

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Harvest Party Party This Mexicaninspired feast stars a fresh-from-the-garden bounty at the home of two local food pros. BY PATRICIA KAOWTHUMRONG PHOTOGRAPHY BY AARON COLUSSI STYLING BY NATALIE WARADY

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On a sun-kissed morning in September, Rayme Rossello is searching for the plumpest poblanos for chile rellenos in anticipation of an upcoming outdoor soirée at her Boulder home. The owner of Comida at Stanley Marketplace hunts for the peppers in her sprawling garden, where they grow alongside everything from squash, herbs, and garlic to cantaloupe, watermelon, and strawberries. Cooking with fresh produce, particularly in the summer and fall, has always been a vital part of entertaining for her and her husband, Erik Duffy, who owns heritage pork retailer Tender Belly. To throw the ultimate garden party at their home—which sits on 14 remote acres flanked by views of the Continental Divide and North and South Arapaho peaks—Rossello enlisted her dear friend and Comida chef Sandra Banchs. Together, they curated a Mexican-inspired menu of veggie-topped tacos, spicy pimento cheese, bacon-stuffed chile rellenos, and more. “I was born and raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico, but since moving to the States my culinary background has been interlaced with Mexican influences. So I try to always blend a bit of both cultures’ ingredients into my dishes,” Banchs says. “I wanted to make something semitraditional that felt like a comforting family meal between good friends and relatives.”

Menu Serves 6 to 8

RECIPES BY SANDRA BANCHS AND RAYME ROSSELLO

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Spicy Hummingbird Cocktail Pimento Cheese Sandra’s Dirty Rice Chile Rellenos Elote Calabacitas Tacos Churros with Serrano Honey

Harvest Party

PIMENTO CHEESE Rossello often uses chopped roasted red peppers in place of pimentos.

Yields about 3½ cups

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature or softened 4 oz. pimento peppers 2 Tbs. mayo ¼ tsp. garlic powder ¼ tsp. onion powder ¼ tsp. cayenne 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped 1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped ½ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. pepper

Because Rayme Rossello and Erik Duffy (pictured above, center and right) live about 50 minutes from Denver, getting to their home requires considerable effort for loved ones, like chef Sandra Banchs (pictured above, at left), who reside outside of Boulder. “We live far away from the majority of our friends and family, so when somebody makes the trek, I want them to feel at home,” Rossello says. That means having a spread of prepared cocktails and readyfor-sharing appetizers—like guacamole and pimento cheese dip, a decadent dish inspired by Rossello’s Southern roots—for guests to enjoy upon arrival.

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Combine all ingredients in a standing mixer with a paddle attachment and blend until almost smooth. Serve with tortilla chips or fresh vegetables.

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Harvest Party

SANDRA’S DIRTY RICE Banchs’ cumin-scented variation of the popular Creole dish is studded with pico de gallo.

Yields about 5½ cups

For the seasoning oil: 1 cup olive oil ¼ cup minced garlic 2 Tbs. dried oregano For the rice: 2 Tbs. seasoning oil 4 cups cooked white rice 1 cup black beans ½ cup store-bought or homemade pico de gallo 2 Tbs. salt ½ tsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. dried oregano ½ cup chopped cilantro Your favorite hot sauce

Rossello and Duffy, who married in 2016, share a love of being outdoors. In fact, the pair cook, eat, and even sleep outside as often as possible. “Our bed is set up on the porch right outside the kitchen,” Rossello says. “It has the most amazing views.” In the summer and fall, Rossello and Duffy’s meals are centered around whatever’s thriving in their garden. That commitment to using seasonal produce results in vibrant dishes like chile rellenos, fried in a delicate egg-white-and-chickpea-flour batter, which guests like Dameda Finney (at right) appreciate digging into.

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Happy Hideaway

Make the seasoning oil: Add the minced garlic and oregano to the olive oil. Heat 2 tablespoons of the seasoning oil over mediumhigh heat in a deep skillet; once the garlic is fragrant, add the rice and beans. Stir until combined, and then add salt, cumin, and oregano. Stir continuously so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the skillet. When it is warmed through, add pico de gallo and cilantro and serve immediately with hot sauce.

CHILE RELLENOS To make lardons, slice thickcut bacon (Rossello uses Tender Belly, of course) into 1-inch matchsticks and fry until crispy and golden brown. The chiles can be roasted and stuffed one day in advance and frozen on a tray lined with wax or parchment paper.

Makes 8

For the chiles: 8 medium-size poblano peppers 2 cups Oaxaca cheese, shredded 1½ cups lardons For the ranchero sauce: Olive oil 10 tomatoes ½ medium white onion 3 serrano peppers 4 garlic cloves 10 dried guajillo peppers 1½ tsp. tomato paste 2 tsp. ground cumin 6 cups water ¼ fresh epazote sprig or ¹/₈ tsp. dried epazote 1 Tbs. fresh lime juice 2 Tbs. kosher salt For the breading: 4 eggs, whites and yolks separated 4 Tbs. chickpea flour ¹/₈ tsp. kosher salt Vegetable or peanut oil for frying

Prepare the chiles: Roast the poblanos over an open gas flame (or under your broiler, turning them often) until their skins blister on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the chiles from the fire and place them in a sealable container or a bowl covered with plastic to

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ELOTE Mexican crema has a richer flavor profile than sour cream, and Tajín is a spice blend of chile peppers, lime, and sea salt. Both are available at local Mexican grocery stores like Mi Pueblo Market.

Makes 8

For the lime crema: 1 cup Mexican crema ½ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup fresh lime juice For the corn: 8 ears of corn, husks intact 2 Tbs. Tajín seasoning 1 cup crumbled queso fresco

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Make the crema: Combine the Mexican crema, mayonnaise, and fresh lime juice; store in a squeeze bottle or jar. Prepare the corn: In a large stock pot, bring water to a rolling boil. Parboil the corn in batches for two minutes and transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Let the ears dry on a plate for about 10 minutes. Heat your grill to medium-high and char the husked corn for 12 to 15 minutes, turning often. To serve, peel the husks back or remove them entirely, depending on your desired presentation, and top generously with tangy lime crema before sprinkling with Tajín seasoning and crumbled queso fresco.

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Harvest Party

SPICY HUMMINGBIRD COCKTAIL Cool Hand Co. shrubs—concentrated syrups made from fruit, sugar, and vinegar—are available online, and dried hibiscus flowers are sold at local Mexican grocery stores. Any blanco (white) tequila will work for the recipe, but Rossello recommends Boulder-based Suerte Tequila.

Makes 12

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For the jalapeño-infused tequila: 1 750-milliliter bottle 100 percent agave blanco tequila 6 jalapeños, halved and quartered with seeds intact For the agua de Jamaica (sweet hibiscus iced tea): ½ cup hibiscus flowers 1 qt. hot water ¼ cup sugar For the cocktail: 1½ oz. infused tequila ¾ oz. Cool Hand Co. Strawberry Hibiscus Jalapeño Shrub 4 oz. agua de Jamaica Ice Sugar Lime, sliced into wheels

Infuse the tequila: Add sliced peppers to the tequila and let it sit for three to four days; the longer you leave the peppers in, the spicier it will get. Strain. Make the agua de Jamaica: Mix the hibiscus flowers, hot water, and the sugar in a pitcher or carafe; let it sit for about 20 minutes before straining. The tea will last up to two weeks stored in the refrigerator. To serve: Shake the tequila, strawberry hibiscus shrub, and agua de Jamaica with ice; pour over fresh ice in a sugarrimmed glass and garnish with a lime wheel.

For the Birds Rossello and Duffy named their garden Hummingbird Haven after the large flock of speedy winged beauties that frequent the patch of greenery. Rossello’s refreshing, eponymous cocktail gains spicy, sweet, and tart flavors from a blend of jalapeño-infused tequila, strawberry-hibiscus shrub, and hibiscus tea. “It’s a beautiful, highly slammable cocktail,” she says. “The agua de Jamaica also makes a great nonalcoholic drink.” The Spicy Hummingbird’s floral and fruity notes are perfect paired with Mexican fare like charred elote coated in lime crema and any type of taco.

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Harvest Party

CHURROS WITH SERRANO HONEY The serrano honey must be made seven days in advance. For the serrano honey: 1 cup honey 2 serrano peppers, sliced For the churros: 4 cups water 1 cinnamon stick 4 cups all-purpose flour ¼ tsp. salt 1 cup sugar 2 Tbs. cinnamon

Blended Flavors

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In Mexico, calabacitas tacos are traditionally made with their namesake green squash, along with corn and onions—but Rossello and Banchs say you can use whatever is coming out of your garden. Here, a blend of zucchini, carrots, and watermelon radishes is sautéed in a fragrant oregano-garlic oil and smoky chipotle wine butter to make a hearty tortilla topper. For a sweet finish, honey harvested from Rossello and Duffy’s beehive (the couple also has three dogs and 14 chickens) tops Banchs’ rendition of churros: light and fluffy fried wonders coated in cinnamon and sugar.

Make the serrano honey: Add the serrano peppers to the honey; let it sit at room temperature for 7 days before straining. Store in a jar or airtight container. Make the churros: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil with 1 cinnamon stick; lower the heat and simmer until the water turns golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add flour and salt to a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. With the mixer at a low speed, slowly add in the hot cinnamon water until the dough is sticky but smooth; it will resemble wet cement (you can also just mix it with a wooden spoon). Cover the bowl with cheesecloth and let it sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. Empty the dough into a pastry bag with a standard (medium) star or round tip attached. Heat 3 inches of oil in a deep pot to 350°; pipe strips of dough into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Mix the cinnamon and sugar on a large plate and coat each hot churro with the mixture. To serve: Drizzle the hot, sugar-coated churros with the serrano honey.

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CALABACITAS TACOS If you don’t have Vinho Verde, a Portuguese wine, any light, dry white wine will work. The leftover chipotle wine butter is a delicious coating for proteins like chicken.

Makes 16

For the chipotle wine butter: ¼ lb. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature or softened ¹/₈ cup Vinho Verde 1 Tbs. minced garlic 1 Tbs. minced red onion 1 Tbs. minced red peppers 1 Tbs. minced poblano peppers ¼ cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, puréed For the tacos: 2 Tbs. seasoning oil (see Sandra’s Dirty Rice recipe on page 80) 2 Tbs. chipotle wine butter 1 lb. of your favorite garden vegetable blend, such as squash, carrots, zucchini, and watermelon radishes Salt and pepper 1 can black beans, drained and puréed 16 4-inch corn or flour tortillas Chopped cilantro Lime crema (see elote recipe on page 82) Toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)

Make the chipotle wine butter: In a standing mixer, beat the butter at a low speed using the paddle attachment until

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Dear Colorado…

P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y M AT T NAG E R

SEPTEMBER 2021

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It took Shannah Wischik 15 minutes to write 141 words. She composed them late one night last summer from her home in Seattle, under the dimmed lights of her kitchen table overlooking her children’s backyard play set. She wrote the words with a fine-tipped, blue ink pen on white printer paper. Wischik was exhausted that evening—mentally, physically, emotionally. Three young children and a pandemic will do that. Some nights, from a mile away, she could hear the echoes of flash-bang grenades launched at people protesting the police in her city. She held her children tightly in those times, not because she feared for their immediate safety, but because she worried about their futures. She was 42, a former financial reporter turned stay-at-home mother. If you ask, she’ll say it was an Instagram post urging people to write to Colorado’s governor that made her slip that letter into an envelope. She’d never heard of Jared Polis before June 2020. But Wischik had spent several days learning about the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man from Aurora, Colorado. His story was only now becoming known amid the wave of protests nationwide over the country’s ongoing epidemic of police brutality against Black men and women. There had been so much to understand about McClain’s life and death, not the least of which were the awful details of that night on August 24 in Aurora, when he was walking home from a convenience store with iced tea for a younger sibling. Wischik read that McClain had been wearing a ski mask because his anemia made his body run cold; that he was likely dancing to music on his phone; that someone saw a man in a mask, moving unevenly in the street, and that the person phoned the police. The call led to a violent takedown of the young man, which led to the large dose of ketamine that was injected into his body and ultimately induced a series of heart attacks that ended his life a week later. Wischik never got through the audio recording of the police encounter from that night—of McClain politely begging for his life. She knew McClain was a masseur, that he played his violin for shelter cats, that he was different. His death haunted her, as it did the tens of thousands of people who were posting about it on their social media feeds. Wischik, who is white, knew she couldn’t fully know what it was like to be Elijah McClain’s mother. She wondered about the hurt Sheneen McClain was feeling, what it would be like to lose a child and never expect justice. So, on a night in late June, with her children asleep, Wischik sat at her kitchen table and began to write.

Elijah didn’t deserve to be killed. He truly deserves justice, and our black brothers and sisters need our love and protection right now. I want my 3 little girls to live in a world where the people who can help change this problem of racism truly step up and take the steps necessary. Please be one of the helpers. With love and respect, Shannah Wischik Nearly 1,300 miles away, in Denver, letters like Wischik’s came in a trickle, and then all at once. They came from places like Eagle River, Alaska, and Peaks Island, Maine; from Clay Center, Kansas, and Brooklyn, New York. The letters came from men and women and children, from a photographer in Kentucky who would use her letter to start a conversation with her mother about racial inequality; from a school nurse in Texas who lost friends when she posted a photo of her letter on Facebook; from a British architect in Atlanta who had never before mailed a letter in the United States; from a bodybuilder in Arkansas who had begun to chat about the Black Lives Matter movement during workouts. Almost a year later, in a room at History Colorado Center, seven white boxes at my side were filled with their words. I put a letter opener’s blade to one envelope after another. And I read. Since 2001, the governor’s mail has been sent to the state’s Integrated Document Solutions office, a white building on East 62nd Avenue in north Denver. Thousands of pieces of state mail are processed there every day. The mail is scanned, sorted, and then sent out to state agencies, some of which reside at the Capitol downtown.

I wish I wasn’t writing this letter right now. I just put my 3 young children to bed and I’m tired too. I could be watching Netflix right now. But this is important. I heard about Elijah McClain’s life and his death at the hands of police officers in your lovely state, and although I’m just one person, and I don’t even know if you’ll read this, I had to try. Please help. 88

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Getty Images (postmark)

Dear Mr. Polis,

The governor’s mail, which is regulated by laws and policies that determine its collection and retention, almost always eventually lands in the hands of the Colorado State Archive. Go to the archives today, and you’ll see letters to the chief executive dating back to Colorado’s territorial days. In the case of the Elijah McClain correspondence, though, History Colorado got a call from the governor’s office in September 2020 saying they had thousands of letters regarding McClain. History Colorado had been working to diversify its collections to better represent minority and underserved communities in the wake of nationwide protests against police brutality. McClain’s life and death certainly deserved attention. “The letters fit perfectly into what we are doing,” archivist Shaun Boyd told me. Two cardboard boxes containing thousands of letters and postcards were dropped off that same month at History Colorado Center, the 200,000-square-foot museum and research center on North Broadway. Another box arrived a month later. Each of the three boxes was marked “Elijah” in black marker. Boyd sorted each letter by state, placed each state’s bundle of messages into acid-free file folders, and then put the folders into white archival boxes. The work took nearly 40 hours. The letters took up four boxes, each a little more than a foot long and one foot wide. Postcards took up two more boxes, and sealed cards occupied another. When Boyd finished her work, she stored the boxes on shelves inside the museum’s second-floor archives. When I arrived at the Stephen H. Hart Research Center months later to see them, more than 14 linear feet of correspondence awaited me. In total, the seven boxes contained 4,153 letters and cards and 4,442 postcards. About a fifth of the envelopes had been opened—a few hundred of them by Boyd, as she tried to gauge what people across the country were saying about Colorado’s response to Elijah McClain’s death. “It was a profound experience,” she said. “It felt important, of this moment.” Over three weeks early this summer, I spent 49 hours at the library, opening envelopes and reading. Holding the letters and cards in my hands, the intimacy was intense. The words vibrated with urgency. I reached out to more than 100 people who sent letters to Polis. I wanted to know why they wrote to the governor and what they hoped their words would accomplish. “I didn’t know what else to do,” was a common response. Many said this was the first time they’d written to an elected official. “It felt like I was writing a letter to Santa Claus,” said Kat Bernardo, 40, who sent her letter from San Jose, California. “You’re hopeful, but you also don’t know how optimistic you should be.” As was the case with most of the letter writers who spoke with me, Bernardo was white and female. She’d seen the governor’s

Thousands of letters and postcards sent on behalf of Elijah McClain reside at History Colorado Center.

address online in social media posts that asked for people outside the state to write Polis and demand accountability from those responsible for McClain’s death. The letter writers had seen photos of the young man: of McClain looking pensive in glasses and a red-and-white plaid shirt; of him with a coat hood over his head, smiling brightly; of the young musician, eyes closed, playing his violin. Some writers had listened to the audio of McClain’s last conscious moments, of the man apologizing to the same officers who continued to beat him. Some typed McClain’s final words and put them into envelopes. Others wrote the words out by hand. They were polite. They were angry. They were disappointed. They were sarcastic. They were demanding. They were hopeful. “The normal channels of justice weren’t moving quickly enough,” 29-year-old Katey Peck told me one afternoon from Honolulu. Peck said she generally focuses within her own communities—she splits her time between Hawaii and Virginia. But McClain’s life and death hit her differently. “There was something about him,” she said. “You hear his story, and you learn about the person he was, and it’s impossible to not be consumed by him.” SEPTEMBER 2021

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Dear Governor Polis, I hope this letter finds you and your loved ones in good health…. [T]his is the first time I have ever written to a public official. I have never felt as sickened or stirred to action as I do by the murder of Elijah McClain, and I write on behalf of this young man and all the people who have been affected by his death. …Elijah McClain was a 23-year-old man with limitless potential. I firmly believe that he should still be alive today. Please take accountability and lead your community along a path of reconciliation and healing that is desperately needed. The nation, and the world, are watching. Sincerely, Katey Peck Like most of those who wrote the governor, Arjun Kaicker learned about Elijah McClain after first hearing about George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Kaicker had begun his life outside the United States near London; he and his wife, Anisa TelwarKaicker, now lived together in Atlanta. For years, the pair had read news reports of police brutality against minorities. Still, the weight of the country’s racial reckoning had awakened something in each of them. “We wondered how endemic this was,” said Kaicker, a 50-year-old architect. “Like, how bad is it, really?” In midsummer of 2020, a friend had told McClain’s story to the couple. The nature of the attack on the young man—the fact that any citizen could be injected with potentially heart-stopping sedatives because police ordered it—seemed an affront to everything the couple had believed about American freedoms. “The facts of the end of his life were brutal,” Kaicker said. “I know you don’t have to be an angel to deserve respect. And, yet, Elijah McClain seemed like an angel.” The more Kaicker read about McClain, the more outraged he became: “We all have humanity, but Elijah’s humanity just seemed to shine through. Vividly. Brightly.” Kaicker pulled up YouTube and listened to the audio of the attack. He heard McClain begging for his life, heard him vomit and then apologize to the very people who had hurt him. “That young man played violin for rescued cats, for God’s sake,” Kaicker told me on the phone one afternoon this summer. His voice cracked. He was speaking through tears. “This struck me suddenly and deeply,” he continued. “He was so young. He had so much life, but then—.” One day in September 2020, a friend sent Kaicker a link to a website that told McClain’s story and encouraged people to write a letter. He hadn’t written a physical letter in at least five years; he didn’t even have stamps in his house. The websites promoted the use of strong language when writing the governor. They suggested listing demands: firings, resignations, arrests, convictions. Kaicker opened a Word document on his laptop and dashed off a quick note. “I made myself imagine the governor of Colorado opening my letter and sitting down and reading it,” Kaicker said. He showed the draft to his wife. Kaicker didn’t like the word “demand,” so he replaced it with the word “ask.” After another draft, he thought that word seemed weak, feeble. “I needed to be polite, but forceful,” he said. Kaicker checked an online thesaurus and saw the word “implore.” His wife reread the letter. He revised his words again. 90

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When he finished his final draft nearly a week later, he bought stamps at a nearby CVS pharmacy. He printed the governor’s address and attached it to the white envelope. Then he put the envelope in his mailbox. “I don’t know what I was expecting,” he said. We are writing on behalf of Elijah McClain. We implore that Mayor Mike Coffman and City Attorney Daniel Brotzman fire all those responsible for Elijah’s death, making up those that took physical action against Elijah, as well as those who failed to intervene, as well as provide justice for his family. We also implore that Attorney General Phil Weiser file criminal charges in a swift manner against all those responsible. It has been over a year now. Please act now. Sincerely, Arjun and Anisa Kaicker Ask any of the thousands of writers whose words ended up in Colorado, and they’ll say everything needed to be perfect, every sentence and paragraph. They’ll say they thought about the space along the margins, the choice of paper, the color of pen, even the stamp. Everything was considered. Julianna Swed, a 35-yearold school nurse from Hutto, Texas, said she used a brown envelope because she thought the color would stick out among the sea of white she hoped had flooded the governor’s office. Susan Champlin, a writer from New York, said she selected the American Gardens stamp, because she thought the gardens’ beauty would put the recipient in the right frame of mind to open the letter. Azure Dill, who lives in Virginia, said she hand-wrote her four-page letter with her favorite light blue ink pen. She lined her blank paper with a ruler and a pencil to make sure her sentences were straight. My name is Azure. I am 13 years old and would like to share my thoughts. I have caught glimpses of the injustices going on around the world…. One particular death stood out to me and I hoped my opinion might influence a few lives. Life is not fair. I have been told that from a very young age…. [G]rowing up being the middle child of six kids, I learned to grasp the fact that sometimes life is not fair. But recently after reading about several stories, I began to wonder if life could be more fair than it is. Treating people differently because of the color of their skin is just dumb…. It took four amendments to the constitution for people to recognize that the color of someones skin does not matter. I don’t know

Sheneen McClain reads some of the letters sent to the governor about her son.

what discrimination feels like but I do know that when one person kills another person, they are at least, arrested. …Justice needs to be served. Lives need to be affirmed. Change the way things are happening. Be fair. Arrest the men that killed Elijah McClain. #Blacklivesmatter

She’d written her letter when her family still lived in Florida, Azure told me one day this past June. “I thought I should say something because what happened to Elijah wasn’t right,” she said. Her mother was on the phone with her. Katy Dill knew her daughter had written Colorado’s governor, but she’d never heard the words. She was proud and melancholy all at once. “I have an amazing daughter,” Dill said. “But how bad does it have to be when a teenager feels like she has to be the person asking for justice?” Some took a few seconds to write their notes. Others took days. Their young children drew rainbows on blank pieces of paper; they attached the ubiquitous photo of McClain playing his violin. They wrote on the backs of their CONTINUED ON PAGE 110 SEPTEMBER 2021

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FORT COLLINS

Farmhouse at Jessup Farms

Coloradans—and visitors to our beautiful state—tend to be an indecisive bunch. We mean that as a compliment. Travelers here want to bike in the morning and eat farm-fresh food in the evening; amble through a world-class art exhibit by day and then drink awardwinning beer at an outdoor concert by night. We want to do it all because we can. And no Centennial State city exemplifies that adventurous spirit better than Fort Collins. Located 60 miles north of Denver International Airport, the former agricultural hub has transformed in recent years into a cultural, food, and outdoor recreation hot spot. It’s both the state’s Craft Beer Capital and one of the country’s most exciting cities for creatives. It’s overflowing with family-friendly activities and a haven for entrepreneurs looking to test new ideas. It’s a college town (hi, Colorado State University) and home to

Travel was sidelined last year, but FoCo, as it’s been dubbed, is back in business and ready to welcome you with open arms and a pint of your favorite brew. Here’s how to make the most out of three days in town. Trust us: You’ll want to take an extra vacation day to squeeze in all the fun.

Day 1

Ride Around Town Stretch your legs while getting to know this city at the foot of the Rocky Mountains

Sleep in—you’re on vacation, remember?—and then enjoy a late breakfast at La Creperie.

Owner Jean Claude Lucas hails

from Brittany, France, where his father operated a bakery. Lucas continued the family tradition stateside, and his scrumptious meat-filled galettes and croissant- and brioche-based breakfast sandwiches are certain to fuel the day’s adventures.

Colorado’s only designated wild and scenic river (the Cache le

Thanks to flat terrain and more than 280 miles of bike lanes and

Poudre). “Fort Collins is the place to be for anyone seeking new

trails, the best way to get to know this town is on two wheels.

experiences,” says Katy Schneider, Visit Fort Collins’ director of

Rent a bike at Recycled Cycles

marketing. “From the city’s first craft brewery, Odell Brewing

Trail to the Spring Creek Trail, which runs east and west through

Company, to the Lincoln Center, there’s plenty to explore.”

the center of town for nearly eight miles.

and then ride along the Mason 3

Worthy stops along

“FORT COLLINS IS THE PLACE TO BE FOR ANYONE SEEKING NEW EXPERIENCES.”

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the route include the Gardens on Spring Creek, an 18-acre

Night, Night

Rest easy at one of these four hotels.

botanic garden filled with native plants and a Butterfly House, and CSU’s Annual Flower Trial Garden, football stadium, and landmark Oval lined with elm trees and historic, neoclassical buildings.

If you are: constantly creating new Spotify playlists Book a room at: the Elizabeth Hotel, where rooms are outfitted with record players and there’s an Instrument Lending Library and on-site music venue

Pump the brakes at the university because lunch is served. Ramskeller Pub, inside the Lory Student Center,

has

been serving pub food (think: chicken wings and pizza) and 11 rotating taps of local brews since 1968.

If you are: a history buff

Keep the beer flowing during an afternoon circuit of top

Book a room at: the Armstrong Hotel, which first opened in 1923 and still showcases some of the original architectural features (and an underground cocktail and music lounge)

local breweries through either Beer & Bike Tours or a

Book a room at: Edwards House. The historic, boutique inn is just off the beaten path; the rooms are elegant; and breakfast is included. If you are: looking to rough it (just a little bit) Book a spot at: Fort Collins/Lakeside KOA, which offers cabins and tent and RV sites. Pickleball, shuffleboard courts, mini golf, and more are sure to keep the whole family entertained.

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choose which breweries to visit or opt for local experts to lead the way. Dinner awaits at the Farmhouse at Jessup Farms, which serves rustic-modern farm fare—much of which is grown in Northern Colorado—in a renovated, 19thcentury farmhouse. Arrive early to peruse the wares in the other Jessup Farm Artisan Village

shops. After,

swing by the ice cream parlor after for a sweet bite. That sugar rush will give you the boost you need to close out the night: Groove to live music at in the historic Old Town neighborhood,

Holiday Twin Drive-In.

Day 2

Get Cultured Spend a relaxing day experiencing FoCo’s creative side.

Art is the theme of the day, so there’s no better place to kick things off than the Emporium, the main restaurant inside downtown’s the Elizabeth Hotel.

Local and

regional art set the scene for your French press and

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or sit back and relax during a flick at the 53-year-old

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house-made biscuits and gravy. The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery 9

sits just a half-mile away. There you

can while away the morning examining immersive exhibits that cover everything from science and agriculture to music and indigenous cultures. The Exploration Zone is a favorite of kids, who can get hands-on while learning about light, color, and more. Head four blocks south to view the contemporary exhibits at the Museum of Art Fort Collins.

(A new collection

of sculptures and paintings by Lorri Acott and Adam Schultz runs until October 17.) The family-owned Blue Agave Grill

sits next door, meaning

margaritas and tempura-battered fish tacos are just steps away. There are too many galleries, museums, and historic sites to visit in one day, but you can get a taste of the city’s

Armstrong Hotel

CONTEMPORARY SOUTHWESTERN

FORT COLLINS 9 7 0 . 6 31 . 8 0 7 6

SHOP DINE 5 0 + T E Q U I L A S I N H O U S E | 13 M A R G A R I TA S & M O R E | G L U T E N - F R E E I N S P I R E D

LO C A L I N D E P E N D E N T C O LO R A D O - G R OW N

EXPLORE DOWNTOWN FORT COLLINS IS YOUR DESTINATION.

DowntownFortCollins.com/destination

96 • INSIDER'S GUIDE to FORT COLLINS

F R OM S C R ATC H K I TC H EN

H A PPY H OU R PR I C ED TO-GO MA R GA R I TA S

PATI O, DI NE-I N, TAKE OU T, AND DE L I V E RY

B L U E AGAV E G R I L LC O LO R A D O . C O M

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

FORT COLLINS

world-class art offerings with afternoon stops at the Gregory

Wrap your day with another of Fort Collins’ most abundant art

Allicar Museum of Art (a free venue on the CSU campus), the

forms—music. Ace Gillett’s pairs handcrafted cocktails with

Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising (also at CSU),

DJ-spun vinyl and other live music in a subterranean lounge

the Global Village Museum of Arts and Cultures, and any of

beneath the Armstrong Hotel.

the dozen-plus galleries spread across historic downtown. Weather too nice to stay inside for long? Take a self-guided tour of the myriad public art; the interactive, two-story mural

Day 3

in Old Firehouse Alley is a local favorite. Discuss your favorite works over dinner at Little on the Mountain.

The neighborhood eatery serves seasonal dishes

Play Outside Extend your time away by escaping into the great outdoors.

Milk does a body good—even more so when it comes from Morning Fresh Dairy Farm, a fifth-generation farm that’s been

inspired by locally grown ingredients. Because, yes, art can

operated by the Graves family since 1984. Taste the goodness

also be edible.

in espresso drinks, bagel sandwiches, and Noosa Yoghurt at

Family Fun

A starters’ guide of ideas to keep your kids entertained.

Stand-up paddleboard at Horsetooth Reservoir Pony ride at the Farm at Lee Martinez Park Scenic horseback ride around Red Feather Lakes with Beaver Meadows Stables

Ride the historic Fort Collins Trolley Discover hours of entertainment at Fort Fun, home to laser tag, escape rooms, go-karting, and more Look for bison in Soapstone Prairie Natural Area

FORT COLLINS’ PREMIER FINE FURNISHINGS BOUTIQUE

Custom Upholstery

Decor

Lighting

Artwork

Gifts

200 A Linden Street, Fort Collins CO 80524 970.893.9090 | www.domistylehome.com |  @domistylehome Read more at 5280.COM

INSIDER'S GUIDE to FORT COLLINS • 97

FORT COLLINS

Insider's Guide

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Horsetooth Reservoir

and kayaking are popular here, too. If you’re seeking a pro-led

the on-site Howling Cow Café. It’s time to choose your own adventure. In the mood for a hike? Up your step count along 26 miles of trails in Lory State Park. Shoreline Trail is an easy one-mile route to the edge of Horsetooth Reservoir, while Arthur’s Rock Trail is a more difficult, 1.7-mile trail to the namesake summit.

In Cache

adventure, sign up for a mountain bike tour with Front Range Ride Guides; half- and full-day options are available. In the mood for something less heart pumping? Drive along Colorado Highway 14 between Fort Collins and Walden—the road is a designated Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway.

la Poudre River Canyon, Greyrock Trail is a rite of passage for

Back in town, pick up lunch at locally owned Elevated

locals, rising nearly 2,500 vertical feet over seven miles. The

Sandwiches.

payoff: panoramic views of the canyon and surrounding peaks.

some time walking around Old Town. The pedestrian-friendly

Fishing for brown trout and, in the summer, whitewater rafting

heart of downtown—the model for Disneyland’s Main Street

You’ll want a mobile meal so you can spend

TURN AN ORDINARY ROOM INTO A

GAME ROOM!

FRONT RANGE P O O L TA B L E CO.

frontrangepooltables.com 1600 E. Mulberry St., Fort Collins 970.419.0816 | Monday–Saturday

98 • INSIDER'S GUIDE to FORT COLLINS

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Cache la Poudre River

FORT COLLINS

Top of Horsetooth Rock

USA—is filled with boutiques, coffeeshops, and the city’s best nightlife. Don’t forget to stop by Nuance Chocolate

to pick up an edible souvenir;

all of the chocolate is made directly from beans roasted and ground in Fort Collins. Your nightcap is a quintessential Northern Colorado experience: catching at show at Mishawaka Amphitheatre

(known to locals as “the Mish”).

Situated in Poudre Canyon, the music venue—there’s one outdoor stage and one indoor—doubles as a full-service restaurant. It’s an oh-soColorado way to wrap up your trip, with a burger in one hand, an Odell beer in the other, and music reverberating against a scenic river backdrop.

Magic in a bottle. Elevate any dish with Bina Mehta’s gourmet hand-roasted Indian spice blends.

Hand-blended and packaged in Fort Collins, CO

www.BinaMehta.com

Read more at 5280.COM

Turmeric & Spice Cookbook Discover the wisdom of Ayurveda and Indian Cuisine.

INSIDER'S GUIDE to FORT COLLINS • 99

DINING GUIDE $

U N D E R $ 10



$ 11 T O $ 15



$$$

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25 B E S T

SYMBOL KEY NEW

Indicates a restaurant featured in 5280 for the first time (though not necessarily a restaurant that has just opened). 25 B E S T

Indicates inclusion in 5280’s 2019 list of Denver’s best restaurants; we did not release a 2020 list due to COVID19 disruptions and closures. These selections are at the discretion of 5280 editors and are subject to change.

A Adobo at First Draft

$$$$

$ 26 A N D H I G H E R.

Blackbelly

Annette

$$$

Aurora / American Caroline Glover brings a warm dining experience to Stanley Marketplace with Annette. Enjoy a family-style menu featuring seasonal salads, toasts, and wood-grilled fare. Reservations accepted. Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas St., Ste. 108, Aurora, 720-710-9975. Dinner, Brunch Ash’Kara

$$$

Boulder / American Chef Hosea Rosenberg’s meaty menu focuses on charcuterie, small plates, and daily butcher specials. Try the crispy pig ears with red pepper jelly. Check out the butcher shop and grab-and-go market, Blackbelly Butcher, located next door. Reservations accepted. 1606 Conestoga St., Boulder, 303-247-1000. Dinner

$$$

Cole / French Pair a glass of wine with the likes of steak frites, pâté with house-baked sourdough, and other comforting French specialties at this romantic neighborhood bistro. Reservations accepted. 13701 N. Williams St., 720617-7911. Dinner, Brunch

25 B E S T

Cattivella

Barolo Grill

Beckon

SEPTEMBER 2021

$$$$

Dimestore Delibar $$$

Central Park / Italian Chef Elise Wiggins offers rustic, wood-fired Italian fare from a sprawling chef’s counter at Cattivella. Reservations accepted. 10195 E. 29th Dr., Ste. 110, 303-645-3779. Dinner

Highland / American This restaurant, bar, convenience store, and market serves deli fare in an eclectic setting. Reservations not accepted. 1575 Boulder St., Unit A, 303-537-5323. Lunch, Dinner

25 B E S T

Dio Mio

RiNo / Italian One thing you can count on at Alex Figura and Spencer White’s fast-casual Italian eatery: perfect pasta. Reservations not accepted. 3264 Larimer St., 303-562-1965. Dinner

E Edge Restaurant & Bar

Lincoln Park / Mexican This Denver favorite serves Mexican food with an emphasis on authenticity. Try the chile relleno burrito. Reservations not accepted. 714 Santa Fe Dr., 303-623-3926. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

$$$$

Downtown / Steak House This restaurant inside the Four Seasons Hotel Denver serves creative steak house fare by chef Jessica Biederman. 1111 14th St., 303-389-3050. Lunch, Dinner

El Taco de Mexico

RiNo / Contemporary Chef Duncan Holmes brings an elevated, intimate dining experience to Larimer Street. The menu changes frequently, and excellent wine pairings are available. Reservations required. 2843 Larimer St., 303-749-0020. Dinner

100 5 2 8 0

Corrida

Boulder / Spanish Housed on the rooftop level of the Pearl West building, this elegant Spanish steak house offers stunning Flatiron views and fabulous cocktails and wines. Reservations accepted. 1023 Walnut St., Ste. 400, Boulder, 303-444-1333. Dinner

$$$

Cherry Creek / Italian Dedication to authenticity translates to the food and extensive wine menu at this elegant eatery, which is focused on the cuisines of Northern Italy’s Tuscany and Piedmont regions. Reservations accepted. 3030 E. Sixth Ave., 303-393-1040. Dinner

25 B E S T

Comal Heritage Food Incubator

Globeville / International You’ll find family recipes from Latin America and Syria at this restaurant, which has a rotating menu and provides job training to local women. Reservations not accepted. 3455 Ringsby Ct., Ste. 105, 303-292-0770. Lunch

Highland / Middle Eastern Chef Daniel Asher offers a playful take on Israeli and Middle Eastern cuisine at this plant-bedecked eatery. Order the falafel. Also try the Boulder location. Reservations accepted. 2005 W. 33rd Ave., 303-537-4407. Dinner, Brunch

25 B E S T

Brasserie Brixton

RiNo / Latin-Asian Chef Blaine Baggao draws inspiration from his Filipino heritage and childhood in Roswell, New Mexico, to produce Latin-Asian specialties inside First Draft Taproom & Kitchen. 1309 26th St., 720-520-7869. Lunch, Dinner

25 B E S T

$ 16 T O $ 25

Visit our online listings at 5280.com/ restaurants.

Southern Subs

Nola Jane Restaurant & Bar opened in February on Market Street and brought a taste of New Orleans to LoDo. The menu sports crawfish étouffée, blackened catfish, and (our favorite) the Debris po’ boy, which features ultratender, slow-braised beef coated in a velvety gravy. Get it with the acid-kissed collard greens to offset the sandwich’s richness.

25 B E S T

Frasca Food and Wine

$$$$

Boulder / Italian This fine-dining mecca has racked up scores of accolades over the years (including nods from the James Beard Foundation). Reservations accepted. 1738 Pearl St., Boulder, 303-442-6966. Dinner

Sarah Banks

PRICE KEY

(Average Entrée)

Want More Dining Options?

Activities and adventure abound… ride a bike courtesy of St Julien, hike or rock climb in the adjacent mountains. THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS TO DO HERE — DISCOVER FOR YOURSELF

9 0 0 Wa l n u t S t r e e t

| B o u l d e r, C o l o r a d o | 7 2 0 . 4 0 6 . 9 6 9 6 | w w w. s t j u l i e n . c o m

DINING GUIDE Fox Run Cafe

Full Afterburner Calzones

Congress Park / American This homey cafe has simple, delicious fare including coffee, freshly baked pastries, salads, and sandwiches. Reservations not accepted. 3550 E. Colfax Ave., 303-5374584. Breakfast, Lunch Speer / Pizza This quirky eatery offers pizza pockets named after iconic figures in fighter pilot culture. Reservations not accepted. 32 N. Broadway, 720-900-5282. Lunch, Dinner

Istanbul Bakery & Cafe

Hey Bangkok

The Ginger Pig

Golden Europe

Berkeley / Asian Chefs Natascha Hess and Carrie Baird serve Asian-inspired street food with playful twists at this casual spot. Reservations not accepted. 4262 Lowell Blvd., 720-324-8416. Lunch, Dinner Arvada / European Polish, German, and Czech family recipes are served in a dining room decorated with steins. Reservations accepted for parties of six or more. 6620 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, 303-425-1246. Lunch, Dinner

Highland / Cafe Toasts, salads, juices, smoothies, and other nourishing breakfast and lunch options

Washington Park West / Thai From the owners of Swing Thai, this joint offers street-food-style fare in a vibrant ambience. Order the pad kra pao. Reservations not accepted. 301 S. Pennsylvania St., 303-777-0559. Lunch, Dinner 25 B E S T

Hop Alley

Washington Virginia Vale / Middle Eastern Ismet Yilmaz prepares authentic Turkish pastries. Reservations not accepted. 850 S. Monaco Pkwy., Ste. 9, 720-536-5455. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

H NEW

The Green Collective Eatery

are on the menu at this cheery fast-casual cafe. Reservations not accepted. 2158 W. 32nd Ave., Unit 100, 720-708-6865. Breakfast, Lunch

Jerusalem Restaurant

University / Middle Eastern You can’t beat this spot’s tasty, affordable, and traditional Middle Eastern fare. Reservations accepted. 1890 E. Evans Ave., 303-777-8828. Lunch, Dinner

$$$

RiNo / Chinese From Tommy Lee of Uncle, this neighborhood hangout serves dishes rooted in Chinese tradition with a touch of distinctive flair. Try the dan dan mian. Reservations accepted. 3500 Larimer St., 720-379-8340. Dinner

Jovanina’s Broken Italian

$$$

Downtown / Italian This gorgeous LoDo eatery expands on traditional Italian fare by incorporating unexpected, seasonal ingredients. Reservations accepted. 1520 Blake St., 720-541-7721. Dinner

Imperial Chinese

$$$

Baker / Chinese This stalwart offers Cantonese, Mandarin, and Sichuan dishes in an elegant setting. Try the Peking duck. Reservations accepted. 431 S. Broadway, 303-698-2800. Lunch, Dinner

The Kitchen

$$$

Downtown / American This community bistro features consciously sourced ingredients and a raw seafood bar. Also try the Boulder location. Reservations accepted. 1520 16th St., 303-623-3127. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch

5280 M A G A Z IN E P ROM OT ION

OCT 2

OCT 8 - 17

2021 Carousel Ball

Colorado Ballet Presents Giselle

Hyatt Regency Denver | 6:00 p.m.

Ellie Caulkins Opera House

Carousel Ball guests will enjoy dinner, silent and live auctions, and entertainment by REO Speedwagon (previously announced). Award Honorees include Steve and Shelley Lucas & Julie and Dan Feiten, MD. Proceeds benefit the Children’s Diabetes Foundation and the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes.

Experience this romantic tragedy that continues to inspire audiences worldwide. Will the Wilis succeed in dancing Count Albrecht to death? Will Giselle be able to save her true love? The stunningly skilled athletes of Colorado Ballet bring the beauty and heartbreak of Giselle to the stage.

Information and tickets at childrensdiabetesfoundation.org/event/2021cb.

Information and tickets at https://tickets.coloradoballet.org.

102

5280

SEPTEMBER 2021

Photo credit: Sarah Tryon and Yosvani Ramos by Rachel Neville

GRAND TASTING

For info and tickets visit denverfoodandwine.com

DINING GUIDE

L La Calle Taqueria Y Carnitas

New Saigon

Valverde / Mexican This is a must-visit destination for taco lovers. Try the tacos al pastor and carnitas and take advantage of the fresh salsa selection. 1565 W. Alameda Ave., 720-583-6586. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

La Loma

Downtown / Mexican This local favorite offers a menu of classic Mexican eats such as flautas, tacos, and fajitas in a convivial downtown location. Pair your meal with one of the refreshing house margaritas. Reservations accepted. 1801 Broadway, 303-433-8300. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch

NEW

Lucky Noodles

M Mango House

Aurora / International This immigrant- and refugee-led food hall is home to six outstanding culinary concepts, including Urban Burma, Jasmine Syrian Food, and Rocky Mountain Sudanese Restaurant. Reservations not accepted. 10180 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora, 303-900-8639. Lunch, Dinner Mercantile Dining & Provision

My Thai Cafe

Jefferson Park / Thai This Jefferson Park eatery offers an expansive menu of signature Thai dishes in a modern space. Try the chicken satay, khao soi, or pad woon sen. Reservations accepted. 2524 N. Federal Blvd., 720-5986798. Lunch, Dinner

N Nest Café & Bar

SEPTEMBER 2021

Ohana Island Kitchen

Highland / Seafood This Hawaiian-inspired eatery serves top-notch tuna poke, Spam musubi, roasted pork, and more in a casual setting. Reservations not accepted. 2563 15th St., 303-7186580. Lunch, Dinner

The Original

Osaka Ramen

25 B E S T

$$$$

Quiero Arepas

Cherry Creek / Steak House This upscale eatery serves a smart mix of steak house cuisine and American-Italian favorites. Order the spicy rigatoni alla vodka or the corn gnudi with king crab. Reservations accepted. 241 Columbine St., 303-5328888. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch

Platt Park / Latin American Venezuelan corn flatbreads, or arepas, are on the menu. La Havana, featuring slow-roasted pork loin, ham, and local Muenster with a creamy mayo-mustard-pickle sauce, is our favorite. Reservations not accepted. 1859 S. Pearl St., 720-432-4205. Lunch, Dinner

Palace Arms

$$$$

Downtown / Steak House This recently renovated restaurant inside the Brown Palace Hotel and Spa serves modern steak house fare prepared by chef Kim Moyle. Reservations accepted. 321 17th St., 303-294-3659. Dinner Perdida

$$$

Washington Park / Mexican From the team behind Park Burger, Perdida offers cuisine inspired by the Baja coast in an airy space filled with surf-town-inspired decor. Pair the shrimp tacos with a house margarita. Reservations accepted. 1066 S. Gaylord St., 303-529-1365. Lunch, Dinner

Boulder / Vietnamese Pho Mi serves Vietnamese noodle soup inspired by owner Edwin Zoe’s travels to southeast Asia. Try the smoked brisket variety. Reservations not accepted. 2014 10th St., Boulder, 720-580-1100. Lunch, Dinner

The Plimoth

Ros Siam

Jefferson Park / Thai This restaurant sits inside a charming Victorian house (complete with an inviting patio) and offers an array of flavorful Thai dishes. Reservations not accepted. 2637 W. 26th Ave., 303-953-0291. Lunch, Dinner Rosenberg’s Bagels & Delicatessen

P NEW

$$$

Quality Italian

NEW

RiNo / Japanese Jeff Osaka’s modern ramen shop features original noodle soups, bento boxes, and creative small plates. Reservations not accepted. 2611 Walnut St., 303-955-7938. Lunch, Dinner

Q House

City Park West / Chinese Enjoy a modern take on Chinese cuisine executed by chef Christopher Lin, an alum of Momofuku in New York City. Try the braised pork rice. Reservations accepted. 3421 E. Colfax Ave., 720-729-8887. Dinner

Downtown / American This diner serves classic favorites with an elevated twist in 1950s-inspired digs. Reservations accepted. 1600 20th St., 720-769-1414. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch

Pho Mi

West Highland / American This counter-service spot inside Nurture marketplace offers a menu of smoothies, coffee, salads, tartines, dosas, and other wholesome fare. Don’t miss the bar’s refreshing cocktails. Reservations not accepted. 2949 Federal Blvd., 303-390-1252. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch

10 4 5 2 8 0

$$$

Downtown / American Award-winning chef Alex Seidel offers upscale, contemporary farm-totable fare, including pasta dishes and family-style shared plates for the table. The restaurant also features counter-service dining for lunch, as well as a marketplace of locally sourced foodstuffs. Reservations accepted for dinner. Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop St., Ste. 155, 720-460-3733. Lunch, Dinner NEW

Nola Jane Restaurant and Bar

Downtown / Southern Choose from the likes of po’ boys, hush puppies, fried okra, and other Southern favorites at Nola Jane, which also has an excellent cocktail menu. Reservations not accepted. 1435 Market St., 720-592-1942. Lunch, Dinner

$$$

City Park West / Thai Owner and Bangkok native Ploy Limpapath cooks her favorite family recipes at this laid-back eatery. Try the tom yum noodle soup. Reservations not accepted. 1201 E. Colfax Ave., Ste. 102, 720-917-1000. Lunch, Dinner

25 B E S T

NEW

Athmar Park / Vietnamese This spot serves an extensive menu featuring delicious rice paper wraps, banh mi sandwiches, pho noodle soup, seafood dishes, rice bowls, and more. Reservations not accepted. 630 S. Federal Blvd., 303-936-4954. Lunch, Dinner

$$$$

Skyland / American Locally farmed and foraged ingredients result in an ever-changing menu of seasonal dishes. Reservations accepted. 2335 E. 28th Ave., 303-297-1215. Dinner

Five Points / Deli Get your fix of New York–style bagels at this Five Points deli. Don’t miss the Standard, a bagel topped with cream cheese, gravlax, tomato, and onion. Also try the Aurora and Boulder locations. Reservations not accepted. 725 E. 26th Ave., 720-440-9880. Breakfast, Lunch

The Rotary

$$$

Hilltop / South American The brick-and-mortar outpost of the former Avanti Food & Beverage stall specializes in Churrasco-style rotisserie: flavorful meats slow-cooked over a wood fire. Reservations not accepted. 217 S. Holly St., 303-537-5327. Lunch, Dinner

S 25 B E S T

Safta

$$$

RiNo / Mediterranean Chef Alon Shaya brings his modern Israeli fare to Denver. Reservations accepted. The Source Hotel & Market Hall, 3330 Brighton Blvd., 720-408-2444. Lunch, Dinner Señor Bear

$$$

Highland / Latin American This charming LoHi spot draws from the vibrant cuisines of Latin America and has excellent tropical cocktails. Reservations accepted. 3301 Tejon St., 720572-5997. Dinner, Brunch

IN-DEPTH REPORTING DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES

DINING GUIDE 25 B E S T

Spuntino

$$$

Highland / Italian Enjoy a locally sourced menu at this Italian-inspired, husband-and-wife-owned spot. Try the seasonal pasta or any dish with Southern Indian influences. Reservations accepted. 2639 W. 32nd Ave., 303-433-0949. Dinner Supermoon

Super Mega Bien

$$$

RiNo / Latin American Chef Dana Rodriguez of Work & Class offers a combo of large-format items and Pan-Latin small plates. Order the braised lamb with grilled cactus salad. Reservations not accepted. The Ramble Hotel, 1260 25th St., 720-269-4695. Dinner

NEW

Toro

Tavernetta

Uchi Denver

The Universal

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SEPTEMBER 2021

Sunnyside / American This breakfast and lunch joint is a farmhouse-chic spot for an early-day meal. Try the corn bread rancheros. Reservations not accepted. 2911 W. 38th Ave., 303-955-0815. Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch

Thank You

V NEW

Vegan Thai Co.

Lincoln Park / Thai Vegan renditions of Thai dishes, including wok-fried noodles and hearty curries, are on the menu at this delivery- and takeout-only restaurant inside CloudKitchens, a ghost kitchen space. Try the pad see ew or pineapple fried rice. 810 Vallejo St., 720-500-6920. Lunch, Dinner

W The Wild

$$$$

Downtown / Italian The team behind Boulder’s acclaimed Frasca Food and Wine offers the same attention to hospitality at this more casual Denver restaurant. The space is home to dishes from across Italy and a deep wine list. Reservations accepted. 1889 16th St., 720-605-1889. Dinner

5280

$$$

Downtown / Seasonal This steak house features whole-animal butchery and an excellent charcuterie program, and sources its honey from a rooftop beehive. Reservations accepted. The Oxford Hotel, 1659 Wazee St., 303-262-6070. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch

$$$$

Curtis Park / Japanese James Beard Award– winning chef Tyson Cole combines unexpected flavors for his unique take on Japanese food. Reservations accepted. 2500 Lawrence St., 303-444-1922. Dinner

106

Urban Farmer

$$$

Cherry Creek / Latin American This Latin-inspired restaurant from chef Richard Sandoval serves favorites like ceviche, empanadas, and lomo saltado. Reservations accepted. 150 Clayton Lane, Ste. B, 303-253-3000. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch

25 B E S T

Berkeley / Native American Indigenous fare goes Chipotle-style at this quick-service restaurant. Try the fry bread taco loaded with beef, bison, or chicken. Also try the Greenwood Village location. Reservations not accepted. 3536 W. 44th Ave., 720-524-8282. Lunch, Dinner

$$$$

Boulder / American Formerly Arcana, this restaurant serves Asian-inspired shareable dishes and larger entrées. Try the spicy rice cakes with coconut golden curry. Reservations accepted. 909 Walnut St., Boulder, 303-444-3885. Dinner

25 B E S T

Tocabe

Downtown / American A cheery, light-filled space with a walled-in patio and menu of caffeinated beverages, cocktails, wines, pastries, and light snacks make this cafe and bar a sweet all-day hangout. Reservations not accepted. 1660 Wynkoop St., Suite 100, 720-456-6507. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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DINING GUIDE 25 B E S T

The Wolf’s Tailor

$$$$

Sunnyside / Contemporary Basta chef Kelly Whitaker fuses Asian and Italian techniques and ingredients at this hip Sunnyside eatery. The results, such as 7X brisket braised in dashi and red wine and house-extruded mafaldine pasta with koji tomatoes, are unique and delicious. Reservations accepted. 4058 Tejon St., 720-456-6507. Dinner Work & Class

$$$

RiNo / American Chef Dana Rodriguez’s elevated meat-and-three concept offers a delicious hybrid of American and Latin cuisine in raucous, repurposed-shipping-container digs. Don’t miss the blue corn empanadas. Reservations not accepted. 2500 Larimer St., 303-292-0700. Dinner

X Xicamiti La Taquería Bistro

Golden / Mexican This long-standing joint serves cooked-to-order burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and alambres (skillet dishes) made with recipes inspired by Walter Meza’s childhood in Mexico. Try the suizas quesadillas. Reservations not accepted. 715 Washington Ave., Golden, 303-215-3436. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

INTERESTED IN A SPONSORED LISTING?

Y Yahya’s Mediterranean Grill & Pastries

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR DIRECTORIES?

City Park West / Mediterranean This family-run restaurant serves silky hummus, a variety of excellent grilled kebabs, and from-scratch sweets. Try the beef koobideh, lamb kabsa, kafta kabobs, or Hummus Be-Shawarma. Reservations not accepted. 2207 E. Colfax Ave., 720-5328746. Lunch, Dinner

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Zeppelin Station

Zomo

RiNo / International This industrial-chic food hall is home to globally inspired food and drink vendors, including Nixtamos, La Rola Urban Colombian, Thai-Kun, Graves Good Burger, and Soy Pinoy. Reservations not accepted. 3501 Wazee St., 720-460-1978. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch Englewood / Asian Owners Alysia Davey and Ryan Anderson serve family recipes inspired by their Vietnamese and Chinese roots. Don’t miss the Kansas State Fair egg rolls. Reservations accepted. 3457 S. Broadway, Englewood, 720-739-8882. Lunch, 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 Publishing, Inc., 1675 Larimer St., Suite 675, Denver, CO 80202 or dining@5280.com.

SEPTEMBER 2021

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sweat for at least 20 minutes. Gently peel off and discard the skins, then rinse each pepper, cut a small slit down one side, and remove and discard the seeds and veins. Combine the Oaxaca cheese with the lardons and carefully stuff each chile with 4 to 5 tablespoons of the mixture. Set aside. Make the ranchero sauce: Heat your oven to 425°. Lightly coat the tomatoes, garlic, serrano peppers, and onion with olive oil; roast until golden, about 30 minutes. Add all the roasted ingredients to a heavy-bottomed pot with the guajillo peppers, cumin, and tomato paste; stir and cook over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add water and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and blend until smooth with an immersion or countertop blender. Strain through a mesh strainer and season with salt and more lime to taste. Make the breading: Whip egg whites until soft peaks form; beat in two yolks at a time, until just incorporated, while ensuring the batter doesn’t lose its volume. Fold in the chickpea flour and salt. Heat 3 inches of oil over medium heat until a small drop of batter sizzles when you add it to the oil (or to 350°). Dredge the chile rellenos (no need to thaw them if you froze the stuffed chiles beforehand) in the breading and fry until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. To serve: Spoon ranchero sauce onto each plate and set one relleno on top. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 85

CALABACITAS TACOS

smooth, then slowly pour in the wine. Add in the garlic and mix for 1 minute before slowly incorporating the onions, chopped peppers, and chipotle purée. Blend until the butter is smooth; it should be a light burgundy color. Slice the vegetables into uniform 1- to 1½-inch pieces; heat a large skillet over medium-high and add the oil and chipotle butter. Once the butter is melted, add the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are lightly brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. To serve, lightly char the tortillas on the grill. Smear a spoonful of the black beans on each warm round and top with vegetables. Garnish with lime crema, cilantro, and toasted pumpkin seeds. m 108

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envelopes: “Please,” “help,” “justice.” They were teenagers. They were twentysomethings, thirtysomethings, fiftysomethings. They were preachers and doctors and students and actors and writers and teachers and stay-at-home parents. They were out of work. Some used printers. Others used pens. Yet others used markers. Christina Creel wrote to Polis from the kitchen of her Brooklyn apartment in July 2020. “My heart was broken,” the 26-year-old account manager said. Like others across the country, she’d followed George Floyd’s case and the immediate push among Minnesota politicians to prosecute those responsible for his death. She’d seen the police-shooting death of Rayshard Brooks in Georgia and the swift investigation of an officer there. “It seemed like things were being done on all these police-abuse cases across the country,

except for Colorado,” she said. “It was like no one was doing anything.” Creel followed daily news about McClain. She was heartened to see the governor assign a special prosecutor to investigate the young man’s death but was disappointed it had taken a year—and a nationwide petition, hundreds of thousands of emails to the state, and ongoing social media pressure— to spur any real movement. Creel didn’t receive a response after her first letter. She set a reminder on her phone: “Send Colorado mail.” She wrote a second letter, and then a third. “At some point, I realized these weren’t getting read,” she said. Governor Polis, I am writing you today for the 4th time to demand action in the murder of Elijah McClain. Since last writing, Aurora banned the use of ketamine by law enforcement. While this is a huge victory, it brings to the forefront the extent to which leadership is willing to go to in order to protect the officers responsible. CO leadership will do everything except bring Elijah’s killers to trial.... As the four concurrent investigations

and one lawsuit mount against APD, it is irresponsible to keep these men at the service of Aurora’s community. In solidarity, Christina Creel The time and effort and sentiment put into the letters written by people like Creel was evident. I wanted to know whether the governor had seen them and what he thought about the thousands of people outside of Colorado who’d put envelopes in the mail and demanded that he do something. Polis’ spokesman, Conor Cahill, did not make the governor available for comment after multiple requests for an interview. Cahill said, via email, that Polis had spoken to Sheneen McClain, Elijah McClain’s mother, “to make sure he had a sense of her idea of what justice for Elijah means, and to make sure that while people heard the voices of the demonstrators and others, that the wishes of the family were also honored.” Cahill initially said the governor’s office responds to all in-state and out-ofstate correspondence, but added later that Polis received an “overwhelming” number

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of letters about McClain’s death and that in-state correspondence was given priority. After spending three weeks with the letters, it’s clear very few out-of-state letters were ever read by the governor’s office. From the thousands of letters I opened at History Colorado, perhaps only a couple of hundred had been marked with the initials “EM” in black ink. Only a few of the more than 4,000 envelopes were marked “EM out of state.” Another envelope— which was one of several sent from a group in New Orleans—read, “we will send one letter to this org.” In some cases, letter writers included an email address or a phone number to make it easier for the governor’s office to respond. Of the 26 people across the country who spoke to me about their letters, none had received a letter or an email in return—including Greta Blau. Dear Governor Polis,

L OVE

L OV E

I am a 52-year-old white mother of four boys from Connecticut. I am writing to you to ask Colorado decision makers to fire and/or bring charges against those responsible for the murder of Elijah McClain…. …One year without justice is far too long, and I am haunted by the transcript of Mr. McClain as he’s being killed by the police. I am also haunted by his photos. He looks like he was a joyful person just trying to get by like the rest of us. Why did he have to die? Please tell me this. Explain to me why no one has been held accountable for this loss of life. Please…. Very Truly Yours, Greta Blau

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Blau included three photos of McClain she found online; she attached them to the bottom of her letter. “I wanted them to look at Elijah’s face,” Blau told me on the phone one night this summer from Connecticut, as she drove home from her job as an assistant probate court clerk. “I wanted them to see he’s a person and he’s happy. He has emotions. He has life. This is the person you’re OK with having police kill?” She had a question for me: “Did they even open my letter?” “No,” I told her. “Oh,” she said, and thought for a moment. “You know, the fact they couldn’t even open the envelope makes me sick to my stomach.” When Kaicker, the Atlanta architect, wrote Polis, he also wrote to Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, to Aurora’s City Council, and to the city’s police department.

Lots of people said they’d done the same thing and never got a response. “It’s disappointing, of course,” Kaicker told me. Yet, even knowing his letters might never have been opened, Kaicker was glad he’d taken the time to write. “In my line of work, when you’re putting together a building, you don’t look at every brick,” he said. “You just see an amazing building. And yet, you needed every brick to make that.” I told him about the thousands of letters I’d seen; how a cart was needed to transport them. “Maybe, in some way, every one of those letters are like bricks,” he said. “Maybe it takes all of us to build something that makes a lasting change.” I was halfway through the mail from New Jersey one morning in early June when Sheneen McClain walked through the second-floor double glass doors at History Colorado and was ushered to a conference room by Boyd, the archivist who’d organized the correspondence. Boyd had invited McClain to the museum to see the letters in advance of my writing about them. Before sitting down with McClain’s mother, Boyd grabbed the metal rolling cart on which the white boxes sat. She took a breath and headed toward the conference room. About an hour later, she emerged. “She’s willing to meet you,” Boyd told me. McClain was sitting alone on one side of a long table, maybe six feet from the boxes. She wore jeans, a black mask over her face, and a black shirt from an event last year that commemorated her son’s life, which read “#JusticeForElijah.” She’s a small woman, with warm brown eyes that reduced to a squint when she smiled. She nodded when I asked if I could sit next to her. I stammered out a greeting, but the words caught in my throat. “I’m sorry,” I said. Her eyes squinted. “That’s OK,” she told me. “Take your time. I understand.” She’d seen some of the letters, read a few postcards. When she drove here from Aurora on this morning, she wasn’t sure how she’d feel about all this, or what she might see. “I was a little cautious,” she said. Her son had been hers for 23 years, and she’d felt alone in that quiet aftermath a year after his death. But now, it seemed to her as if everyone wanted a piece of his legacy, that the protests of 2020 created a mad crush to somehow know him as she knew him. “He wanted to heal the world behind the scenes as a massage therapist,” McClain said. She motioned to the stacked boxes on the cart. “We never would have imagined that.”

DEAR COLORADO... She still drove around the city in her Dodge Journey, with the words “911 Killed My Son, 911 Is A Joke” painted on the rear window. Even though Polis reopened the investigation into her son’s death, she says it happened far too late and only because of outside pressure. After nearly two years without a single criminal charge against any police officer from that night, nothing anyone said or did felt like justice to her. Amid all those feelings, she also was upset that it took George Floyd’s death to bring the initial attention to her son’s story here at home. She thought some of the mentions of Elijah on social media cheapened the cause, that they came across as inauthentic and attentionseeking. “Where were they way back when we needed them?” she wondered. But then she showed up at the museum and she went through the double glass doors and she sat in the conference room and she saw all those letters. She saw those boxes and those folders, with the names of every state written on them. She saw the handwritten addresses. She saw the pictures of her son that some people drew on their postcards. None of that seemed perfunctory to her. “Sometimes, I wondered if anyone really cared,” she said, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. “Then I saw this.” Even with the demands on her over the past year, McClain says she’s had a lot of time to think. What would her son make of the memorials and marches and hashtags in his name? He was a kind young man, of course, but he was also quiet. He didn’t seek attention. The beauty of his life was in its subtle power. Sheneen McClain raised her son by herself, and because of that, she viewed her son’s legacy in ways no one else could possibly see—her son’s spirit, his essence, in ways that could never be understood by anyone other than her. And yet seeing the boxes with the thousands of letters and postcards, her son’s life continued to reveal itself to her. Those words, in a way, gave her son’s legacy new life. If he couldn’t speak, perhaps these letters could speak for him. Before she left, McClain said she might want to donate some of her son’s photos to the museum. Boyd said she’d be honored to accept them. She assured McClain that they’d be preserved forever. “I’m sure he didn’t think he’d be part of Colorado’s history this way,” McClain said. Her eyes squinted.“You know,” she said, “I think he can change the world.” m Robert Sanchez is 5280’s senior staff writer. Email feedback to letters@5280.com.

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Featuring

COLORADO HOMES The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to, county records and the Multiple Listing Service, and it may include approximations. Although the information is believed to be accurate, it is not warranted and you should not rely upon it without personal verification. Affiliated real estate agents are independent contractor sales associates, not employees. ©2021 Coldwell Banker. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logos are trademarks of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. The Coldwell Banker® System is comprised of company owned offices which are owned by a subsidiary of Realogy Brokerage Group LLC and franchised offices which are independently owned and operated. The Coldwell Banker System fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act.

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DENVER | PRICE UPON REQUEST Meticulously cared-for 5br/5ba Tudor home. Private backyard oasis w/flagstone patio. Main floor features the warmth of refinished select oak hardwood floors, grand living room w/stately fireplace, formal dining room, office, chef’s kitchen & family room. Master suite opens to a private balcony w/sitting area & a spa-like en-suite master bath. Finished basement w/2,000+ sqft of living space. Linda Bram 720.435.0857 linda.bram-winne@coloradohomes.com

BOULDER | $2,700,000 Stunning custom retreat on over 35 acres in the gated community of Buckingham Hills. Formal foyer w/vaulted ceilings, views & spiral staircase. Features 3br, 2 fireplaces, office & media/theater room w/bar. Chef’s kitchen includes Dacor double ovens, 5 burner gas cooktop, 2 islands, 2 sinks, extensive granite counter space & sunroom. Outdoors has a hot tub, firepit, terraced rock gardens & pond. Susan Coleman 720.938.2793 Ulrike Halpern 303.550.4401 | ulrike.halpern@coloradohomes.com

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guiding you home since 1906

DENVER | $1,799,000 Spectacular property sits on a 19,700 sqft lot & backs to the Wellshire golf course. Updated kitchen w/ss Dacor appliances. Fireplaces in the living room & family room. Master suite w/walk in closet & 5pc. master bathroom. Finished basement.

BOULDER | Price Upon Request Enjoy the outdoor majesty of a 3br/3ba home surrounded by natural beauty and located in an Orange Orchard. The kitchen is a cook's delight. The home highlights fresh paint, refinished hardwood floors, a sunroom, spacious backyard with a hot tub.

Chriss Bond 720.771.7369 chriss.bond@coloradohomes.com | ChrissBond.cbintouch.com

Richard Harris 720.331.9855 ra.harris@comcast.net | HarrisHomesColorado.com

IDAHO SPRINGS | $1,200,000 This Rustic American Motel was built in 1946 and boasts amazing mountain views & rustic cabin & cottage themes in each room. Included onsite is a 2br/1ba, 1,200+ sqft single family residence. Centrally located next to all the best amenities in town. Vicki Wimberly 303.210.8577 Carmen Elam 469.231.4497

DENVER | $1,150,000 Updated 4br/3ba Crestmoor home sits on a sunny, large corner lot at 10,400 sqft. Living room w/oversized windows & wood-burning fireplace. Updated basement. Backyard complete with mature trees, garden beds & dog run. Amazing location & amenities! Natalie Farn 303.434.8937 natalie.farn@coloradohomes.com | NatalieFarn.cbintouch.com

DENVER | $985,000 Wonderful property w/breathtaking views & 3-car garage, backing to Raccoon Creek Golf Course. Walk-out ranch boasts an open floor plan including an office, fireplace, kitchen w/granite counters, updated deck & finished basement! Gated in Grant Ranch!

GOLDEN | $895,000 Inviting 4br/3ba 3,100+ sqft home features a family room w/tile surround gas fireplace & custom built-ins. Kitchen w/custom cherry cabinetry, slab granite & SS appliances. Owner bedroom suite w/walk-in closet & 3/4 bath & finished basement w/flex room.

Cheryl Lohuis 303.522.6161 cheryl.lohuis@coloradohomes.com | AColoradoHome4U.com

Ann Donley 303.903.2046 anndonley1@gmail.com | TheDonleyGroup.com

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PARKER | $888,900 5br/5ba home. Main level has a front office, living room, formal dining and family room w/a fireplace. Kitchen w/eat-in dining and pantry. Master bedroom w/5-piece en suite bath and walk-in closets. Complete w/finished walk-out basement and backyard.

DENVER | Price Upon Request Charming 5br/3ba ranch is truly a rare city gem with a private pool! Stunningly renovated kitchen w/quartz island, SS appliances & more. Spacious family room. Fully finished basement.

Adriana Morandini 720.491.1617 adriana.morandini@coloradohomes.com | AdrianaDenverHomes.com

Ashley Morrison 224.532.3483 ashley.morrison@cbrealty.com | MorrHomes.cbintouch.com

LONGMONT | Price Upon Request Stately 4 bedrooms and 3 baths home boasts an updated kitchen, formal dining & living room with fireplace, sunroom, den with fireplace, primary suite with en suite bath & private balcony & incredible backyard!

ELIZABETH | $800,000 4 bedroom and 4 bath home. Main floor master bedroom with master bath. Basement family room with a wet bar, full bath and flex room. Complete with Trex deck, hot tub, covered deck and 1,820 sqft 3-bay RV shop.

Dave Janis 303.442.5001 dave@davejanis.com | JanisProperties.com

Rodney Allen 303.995.9330 RodneyAllenRE@gmail.com | RodneyAllenRE.com

DENVER | $795,000 Beautiful 3br/3ba Victorian w/over 3,300 sqft. Ground floor incorporates a living & dining room w/fireplace. Sky-lit primary suite w/en suite bathroom & balcony. Lower level boasts additional living space. South-facing solarium. 440 sqft guest suite.

ARVADA | $764,900 Ranch duplex conveniently located. Unit 1 with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. Unit 2 with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. Each unit has its own attached 1-car garage & spacious fenced yard. Amenities: maple cabinets & wood floors.

Justin Griffin 303.501.2314 justin.griffin@cbrealty.com | JustinGriffinRE.com

Caryn Geiger 303.249.8149 caryn.geiger@coloradohomes.com | CarynGeiger.com

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GOLDEN | $725,000 3br/3.5ba home. Family room w/wood burning stove. Kitchen w/pantry and breakfast bar. Master suite w/walk-in closet, 5-piece master bath and deck. Enjoy an unfinished basement and separate studio apartment above the garage. Complete w/multiple decks.

THORNTON | $718,500 Heritage Todd Creek, a 55+ golf course community, 3br/2.5ba ranch located on a cul-de-sac includes a partially finished basement & main floor of 2,167 SF of living space boasting a gourmet kitchen w/oversized island, office & great room. 3-car garage!

Kelly Ellis 303.921.5420 ellisteam@comcast.net | ColdwellBanker.com/KellyEllis

Linda Gilbert 720.232.1990 linda.gilbert@coloradohomes.com | LindaGilbertHomes.com

LAKEWOOD | $700,000 Incredible opportunity to own a duplex. Each unit has 3br/2ba, 1 oversized attached garage & a storage shed, 2 additional parking spaces & a fenced yard w/back deck. Vaulted ceilings & large windows w/desirable open floor plan. Finished basement.

DENVER | Price Upon Request 3br/2ba home. Kitchen w/all new appliances, backsplash and granite counters. Private yard has a lovely outdoor space. Oversized 2-car garage w/room for storage or workshop space. The lovingly updated features of this cozy home will win your heart.

Shannon Byerly 303.919.2611 shannon@yourfreshstartrealtor.com | YourFreshStartRealtor.com

Kris Hansen 303.956.6068 kris.hansen@coloradohomes.com | KrisHansenRealEstate.com

LITTLETON | $690,000 6br/4ba home w/an open floor plan. Updated kitchen w/custom tile and SS Bosch appliances. Upstairs w/3 bedrooms, a laundry room and small loft. Walk-out basement w/2 more bedrooms, updated full bath and full bar. Complete w/a backyard.

HIGHLANDS RANCH | $689,000 Beautiful 5br/3ba home features a light-filled living & dining room w/bay window. Newly remodeled kitchen w/center island, quartz counters & ss appliances. Family room w/fireplace. Master suite w/walk-in closet & 5pc master bath. Finished basement.

Kristine Stirling 303.881.4768 kristine.stirling@coloradohomes.com | KristineStirling.com

Sonya Peterson 303.587.7969 sonyakpeterson@gmail.com | SonyaSellsDenver.com

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ARVADA | $679,900 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath home with an open layout. Living room with a fireplace. There is a kitchen and dining area. Master suite with mountain views and a master en-suite bath. Complete with a covered patio.

DENVER | $650,000 2br/2.5ba unit w/an open office space. Kitchen w/slab granite and stainless appliances. Master bedroom w/a balcony. Complete w/an outdoor terrace. Building has many amenities such as a rooftop pool, fitness center, Jacuzzi and poolside kitchen.

Hallie Rand 720.810.2931 hallie.rand@coloradohomes.com | HallieRand.com

Beth Radetsky 303.368.5885 beth.radetsky@coloradohomes.com

DENVER | $650,000 2br/3ba unit. Kitchen w/high-end SS appliances, slab granite counters and an island. 2 master bedroom suites w/large closets and en-suite baths. Complete w/2 indoor garage spaces. Building has a rooftop pool, Jacuzzi, fitness center and grand lobby.

THORNTON | $648,000 Delightful 2br/2ba ranch home in Heritage Todd Creek! Featuring hardwood flooring, kitchen w/double ovens, gas countertop range & island, open floor plan, great room w/gas fireplace, office/den, spacious master w/luxury bath & walk-in closet.

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Linda Gilbert 720.232.1990 linda.gilbert@coloradohomes.com | LindaGilbertHomes.com

CASTLE PINES | $625,000 Situated on a premium corner lot, 3br/3ba ranch home offers quality craftsmanship. Kitchen w/quartz counters, tiled backsplash & upgraded appliances. Living room w/fireplace. Primary suite w/luxurious bathroom. Finished basement. 2-car garage.

PARKER | Price Upon Request Large, remodeled 3br/3ba ranch across from open space includes loft, unfinished basement & 2-car garage. Open floor plan offers a main floor primary suite, office, formal dining room, great room w/fireplace & beautiful kitchen w/42” maple cabinets.

Shannon Byerly 303.919.2611 shannon@yourfreshstartrealtor.com | YourFreshStartRealtor.com

Lynn Hodges 303.913.0166 lynn.hodges@coloradohomes.com | LynnHodgesCO.com

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CASTLE ROCK | $600,000 Amazing 3br/3ba home with a spacious, open floor plan & has a lot of natural light. On the main level you will find the large kitchen w/granite countertops & a gas range, 2-story great room, office & updated half bath. Upstairs a loft & master suite. The Rowley Group 303.841.1021 info@therowleygroup.com | TheRowleyGroup.com

ARVADA | $592,000 Beautifully updated, turnkey 3br/4ba home. High end professional kitchen, open concept basement, office & back yard entertainment area. Control 4 Smart Home. Teak hardwood flooring. Travertine tile. Granite Countertops. Large master suite. Lindsay Curran 720.739.0983 lindsay@lchomesco.com | LCHomesCO.com

AURORA | $570,000 Beautiful 5br/4ba features vaulted ceilings, hardwood flooring, open floor plan, living room, kitchen w/granite countertops, kitchen island & newer appliances & media room w/fireplace. Main level primary bedroom suite w/luxurious attached bath.

HIGHLANDS RANCH | $565,000 Oasis in the suburbs w/beautifully landscaped yard! 3br/4ba home is stylish & functional. Master bedroom w/private deck showcasing foothills views. Main level has an open concept with the kitchen, living & dining room. 2 lower level family rooms.

Shannon Byerly 303.919.2611 shannon@yourfreshstartrealtor.com | YourFreshStartRealtor.com

David Hanna 303.475.3141 david.hanna@coloradohomes.com | DavidHannaHomes.com

DENVER | Price Upon Request 3br/3ba home adjacent to open space features a wrap-around porch, 2-tiered, open concept living space, hardwood flooring, fireplace & kitchen w/SS appliances & granite counters. Oversized primary bedroom w/walk-in closet & 5pc bathroom. 2-car garage.

ARVADA | $550,000 Welcome to Lake Arbor in Arvada, a phenomenal location. 3br/2ba home has many updates. Gas fireplace & laundry room. Updated kitchen w/new appliances. Washer & dryer included. Bonus room. 2 more sheds in the back yard for extra storage.

Kelsey Martinez 720.560.8071 kelsey.martinez@coloradohomes.com | KelseySellsDenverCO.com

Miguel Miranda 720.883.8650 miguel.miranda@coloradohomes.com | MirandaLuxHomes.com

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LITTLETON | $540,000 Beautiful two-story, four bedroom, three bathroom home located on a quiet street in a desirable neighborhood! Spacious kitchen with Silestone countertops and newer appliances. Lovely birch hardwood floors on main level, stairs and upstairs landing. Queen Team 720.260.4554 queenteam@coloradohomes.com | QueenEstates.com

PINE | $525,000 3br/3ba home. Living room w/a wood burning fireplace and a walkout to the back deck. Kitchen w/eat in nook and dining room. Master suite w/a walk-in closet and 3/4 bath. Complete w/a basement, 2-car garage, 1-car garage and built-in carport. Vicki Wimberly 303.210.8577 Carmen Elam 469.231.4497

CENTENNIAL | $525,000 Beautifully maintained 4br, 3ba home in a quiet cul-de-sac location. The main level living & dining rooms have vaulted ceilings. The updated kitchen has stainless steel appliances. Enjoy the large patio area plus the grassy play space in back yard.

LAKEWOOD | $525,000 Beautiful 5br/3ba Brick Ranch in sought after Green Mountain Village! Main floor features inviting Living Room with Oak Hardwood Floors, Recessed Lighting & New Dual Pane Windows. All on a great .31 Acre private corner lot. A Must See Property!

Julie Konrade 303.886.2773 julie.konrade@coloradohomes.com

Stephanie Freadhoff 303.589.3777 Stephanie@GoFHG.com | ColoradoHomeForYou.com

GREELEY | $510,000 5br/3ba home in West Greeley. Kitchen w/a gas stove, an island, quartz and countertops, a panty and a coffee bar. A split ranch floor plan provides privacy for the primary suite. Complete w/a finished basement and a 3-car garage.

FORT COLLINS | $500,000 4br/2.5ba home in South Fort Collins sitting on a large lot. Open main floor w/a living room, family room, dining area and breakfast nook. The kitchen w/newer SS appliances. Unfinished basement provides room to expand. Complete with a 3-car garage.

Erich Menzel 970.402.8457 erich.menzel@coloradohomes.com | HomeSalesInLoveland.com

Jimmy Stewart 970.290.3755 jimmy@thekeygroupre.com | TheKeyGroupRE.com

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DENVER | $500,000 Wonderful brick ranch in Park Hill with a full basement, 2-car garage, covered patio & beautifully landscaped corner lot. Convenient central location minutes to shopping, restaurants, and entertainment at Oneida Park & Founders' Green & Amphitheater.

LITTLETON | $450,000 3br/2ba home w/hardwood flooring. Kitchen w/an eating space, stove, microwave, dishwasher and refrigerator. Family room area w/a wood burning fireplace. Master bedroom w/a 3/4 bath. Complete w/an unfinished basement, backyard and 1-car garage.

Matt Brinkhoff 303.324.0241 matt.brinkhoff@coloradohomes.com | MattsColoradoHomes.com

Colleen Teitelbaum 303.668.8186 teitelbaumcolleen@gmail.com | CocoTeitel.com

BRIGHTON | $450,000 3br/2ba home w/Hickory floors in the formal living and dining room. Kitchen w/tile floors, a newer stainless steel refrigerator, and gas range. Family room w/a gas fireplace. Lower garden level w/a rec room and laundry room. Nice backyard. The Cybyske Home Team 303.635.1100 Lisa@cybyske.com | Cybyske.com

AURORA | $425,000 3br/2ba home w/2 large living spaces. Kitchen w/oak 42-inch cabinets, tile backsplash, counters and flooring. There is a study as well as a laundry/mechanical room in the lower-level. Complete w/a 1-car garage, a large backyard and a covered patio. Garvin Laverick 720.245.9956 GarvinLaverick@gmail.com | LaverickRealEstate.com

EVERGREEN | $400,000 This lush property offers a master suite, skylighted office w/Murphy bed, guest bedroom, kitchen, balcony, dining & living room w/moss rock fireplace & convenient powder room. The ground level hosts the family room w/access to your 2-car garage.

AULT | $400,000 3br/2.5ba home w/an open floor plan and hardwood floors. Kitchen w/a walk-in pantry, European style Alder cabinetry with 42-inch upper cabinets and crown molding and SS appliances. Large unfinished basement w/rough-in. Complete w/a 2-car garage.

Terry Robinson 303.898.3658 info@early-group.com

Jimmy Stewart 970.290.3755 jimmy@thekeygroupre.com | TheKeyGroupRE.com

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DENVER | $390,000 Immaculate 2br/2ba condo in Legends at Lowry w/RARE attached 1-car garage. Kitchen includes all SS appliances, lots of 42" dark cherry cabinets, island, pantry & granite tile counters. High ceilings & lots of windows. South facing covered balcony.

COLORADO SPRINGS | $375,000 3br/3ba home in Southeast Colorado Springs. Kitchen w/SS appliances and tile backsplash. Lower level w/a dry bar. There is a covered patio, fenced yard, firepit and views of the mountains and Pikes Peak! Complete w/a 1-car garage and 2-car carport.

Garvin Laverick 720.245.9956 GarvinLaverick@gmail.com | LaverickRealEstate.com

Rob Thompson 719.337.7254 rob.thompson@coloradohomes.com | RobThompsonHomes.com

COLORADO SPRINGS | $350,000 Close to shopping, restaurants, parks & schools, beautiful tri-level 3br/2ba home is located right in the middle of Colorado Spring featuring updated tile in the bathrooms & newer roof & Central A/C. Oversized level lot w/wood deck & storage shed.

EVERGREEN | $325,000 Private mountain retreat in Upper Bear Creek! Evergreen cabin on 1.5 acres, featuring an enclosed front porch, hardwood floors, a large living area & a newer roof. Guest house offers additional living space, a workshop & a stone patio & firepit.

Rick Westmoland 719.351.3268 rick.westmoland@cbrealty.com | WestmolandHomes.com

Carmen Elam 469.231.4497 carmen.elam@coloradohomes.com | HomesByCElam.com

EATON | $315,000 3br/1ba Ranch Style Home in Eaton's West Side. Living room w/a wood burning stove. Kitchen w/gas range and wood cabinets. The East facing front porch w/a large sunroom. There is potential for a finished basement. Complete w/a backyard and back patio.

DENVER | $250,000 2br/2ba end unit! Close to Rocky Mountain Park! Recently remodeled. Minimal utility expenses as the HOA includes everything except electricity & internet. Storage lockers can be rented month to month. Laundry is available on certain floors.

Jimmy Stewart 970.290.3755 jimmy@thekeygroupre.com | TheKeyGroupRE.com

Ashley Warren 720.938.1129 ashley.warren@coloradohomes.com | AshleyWarren.cbintouch.com

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guiding you home since 1906

DENVER | Price Upon Request 2br/2ba, 2 story loft style penthouse in one of Denver's finest urban neighborhoods. Kitchen w/red Berloni cabinets and high-end appliances. Complete w/a private balcony. Kathryn Farrow 720.987.8660

BOULDER | $630,000

COMMERCE CITY | $619,700

Opportunities come and go but seldom do you find a unit that feels Stunning 5br/4ba home offers an office, gourmet kitchen w/new this private as this 2br/2ba condo. New carpet & fresh paint. SS appliances & granite counters, living room w/tile stone fireplace, Very light & bright & feels open. Includes a garage. master suite w/updated 5pc bath & finished basement. Tom Precella 720.350.0070

Tyler Draheim 720.737.2185 Marilyn and Larry McFall 720.232.8212

DENVER | $600,000

HIGHLANDS RANCH | $600,000

CONIFER | Price Upon Request

High ceilings & stunning locally made 130 year old exposed brick. Updated kitchen w/SS appliances. Open floor plan. Updated modern bathroom & bedrooms have plenty of closet space.

Impeccably maintained 3br/3ba home offers hardwood floors & is multi-level with a nice separation between the living & dining room & another from the kitchen to the family room.

Majestic 35-acre custom homesite in a peaceful park like setting that features aspen trees, pine trees, grassy meadows, rock outcroppings and spectacular views.

Bryan Lipman 303.720.9897

Jennifer Oldham 720.234.3863

Jamie Bradley 720.560.5430

GREENWOOD VILLAGE | $590,000

LONE TREE | $565,000

DENVER | $563,000

Fantastic 5th-floor condo equipped with many amenities: an outdoor pool, fitness center, 24-hour concierge service, wine cellar, 2 storage units & designated garage parking space.

3br/3ba townhome w/an open floor plan. Kitchen w/SS appliances and an eat-in banquette. There is a finished basement and master bedroom. Complete w/outdoor living space on every level.

2br/2ba condo in the heart of LoHi w/an open layout. Kitchen w/stainless appliances, quartz counters and glass tile backsplash. Master suite w/a lot of closet space. Complete w/a patio.

Natasha Motyka 303.408.5897

Kimberly Forte 303.668.9388

P.J. Farrell 303.884.5368

AURORA | $550,000

WESTMINSTER | Price Upon Request

LAKEWOOD | $525,000

3br/3ba home has an open floor plan w/a main floor master 3br/3ba townhome. Open and bright floor plan. Living room en-suite and a double-sided fireplace between the living room and w/fireplace and balcony. Main floor master suite. Large garden level dining area. Complete w/a full basement and a 2-car garage. family room and guest suite. Easy main level laundry.

4br/3ba home. Open floor plan w/a living room, kitchen and dining room. Garden level has a family room w/a fireplace, a bath and access to a 2-car garage. Complete w/backyard and patio.

Debbie Joseph 303.842.8331

Debbie Cooper-George 303.944.8494

Mary Ann O'Toole 720.530.6878

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LAKEWOOD | $525,000

DENVER | $525,000

DENVER | $520,000

3br/2ba home in Green Mountain Village w/hardwood floors. 2br/2ba home boasts wood floors, exposed pine beams, kitchen Kitchen w/stainless appliances and marble counters. Enjoy an w/SS appliances, wood counters & Mediterranean inspired tiles, incredible master suite. Complete w/a backyard and a new driveway. recently remodeled bathroom & lower level family room.

3br/1ba home w/an excellent floor plan and refinished oak floors. Full basement w/a flex space, a bedroom and laundry. Complete w/a backyard, a covered patio and a 2-car garage.

P.J. Farrell 303.884.5368

Katie Gade 303.503.9109

Scott Beville 303.905.6872

PARKER | $499,000

DENVER | $499,000

BROOMFIELD | $469,900

Updated 2-story w/3-car garage, granite kitchen counters, hardwood flooring, updated appliances & backyard w/deck, garden area, dog run & shed. Washer/dryer & refrigerator included.

Beautifully landscaped gardens introduce this spacious 2br/2ba cottage w/multiple living areas & updated kitchen & baths. Sunroom. Backyard deck. 2-car garage provides ample storage.

Beautiful 2br/2.5ba townhome w/2-car tandem garage. Open Kitchen w/granite counters, flat paneled cabinets, SS appliances & island. Amenities include clubhouse, fitness room & more.

Norma Adair 720.291.3300

Chase Huddleston 303.585.0895

Chum Tran 303.931.4012

DENVER | $400,000

ENGLEWOOD | $399,000

BRIGHTON | $399,000

Great Investment Opportunity. This double lot offers many options and the location is unbeatable. The Globeville neighborhood is up and coming and homes are a rare find!

Charming 2br/1ba bungalow w/oversized backyard. Ideal location. Kitchen w/walk-in pantry. Open living room/dining room area. All appliances included. Plenty of storage in the basement.

Brighton 4br/2ba home offers many updates! Kitchen has been totally redone. Remodeled bathrooms. New laminate flooring. Master w/walk in closet & bathroom. Backyard w/cement patio.

Donna Jarock 303.718.6285

Deana Rosales 720.990.3720

Scott Brown 720.989.8841

COLORADO SPRINGS | $375,000

DENVER | $357,850

LA SALLE | $320,000

2br/2ba home features countless builder upgades, dream kitchen w/upgraded cabinets, counters & appliances, large master suite w/views, sitting area, walk in closet & en-suite bath.

1br/1ba condo offers an open floor plan. Bedroom w/a double closet and a full bath. There is a laundry room w/a washer/dryer and walk-in-closet. Complete w/a gated patio and yard space.

Pretty country property has almost 2 acres & trees. Vintage mobile home with addition that features mountain and pasture views. Has central air, pellet stoves. Detached 2-car garage.

Jennifer Montoya 719.232.3397

Annie Hall Team 720.346.4188

Cathy Schuster 303.478.6364

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guiding you home since 1906

COLORADO SPRINGS | $300,000

AURORA | Price Upon Request

Gorgeous low-maintenance 3br/2.5ba condominium is large & Updated 3br/1ba rancher featuring a living room w/vinyl plank spacious. Open loft, living room w/bay window & kitchen w/high flooring, hearth room w/wood-burning stove, eat-in kitchen w/white capacity refrigerator & new stove. Located near High School. cabinets & decorative chair rail & covered patio.

COLORADO SPRINGS | $319,900

Charming 2-story 2br/2ba condo. Vaulted ceilings, fireplace, BR & BA on both levels w/walkout balcony & patio. Updated kitchen w/open island & built in features. Updated bathrooms.

James Payne 630.346.0711 Anissa Figueroa 805.570.8952

Jennifer Montoya 719.232.3397

Eric Oblander 303.886.7070

AURORA | Price Upon Request

COLORADO SPRINGS | $275,000

DENVER | $265,000

Gated community w/pool. 1st floor unit is handicap accessible. Floor plan layout offers 9’ ceilings & large rooms. Lots of natural daylight. Efficient kitchen design. 2-parking spaces.

This recently painted 3br/1ba home w/wood floors and bay window. Kitchen w/butcher block counters. Complete w/a backyard and storage shed. Close to shopping, movie theater and downtown.

Remodeled, top floor 1br/1ba in West Wash Park w/an open layout and hardwood floors. Kitchen w/stainless appliances, granite counters and new cabinets. Complete w/a deeded parking spot.

Michael Williams 303.667.7176

Matthew Beaman 719.321.5279

P.J. Farrell 303.884.5368

GUIDING YOU TO THE PLACE WHERE THE BEST GETAWAYS ARE STAYS RIGHT HERE

Guiding you home since 1906.

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BACKSTORY

Oktoberfest Spiele

Local meisters share tips for dominating the iconic contests that define this month’s German-born folk festival. 

STEIN HOISTING

This Bavarian competition isn’t what you might call a thinking man’s game. No, stein hoisting requires little more than great delts. That’s because a traditional German stein weighs three pounds, plus a liter of suds. Hoisting it means holding it out with a straight arm, parallel to the ground. The last man (or woman) left holding the payload wins. So what’s the best method for winning the longest cheers ever? Three-time winner and Berthoud resident Jake Kucera never lifts a stein until the day of competition. “It’s bad luck to actually train with it,” he says. Call him superstitious, but Kucera’s time of 16 minutes and 48 seconds in 2019 means you also must call him the champ.

128 5 2 8 0

Oktoberfest 2020—here and worldwide—was yet another event lost to that funsucking void known as the pandemic. Denver’s annual celebration, one of the largest in the country based on beer consumption alone, saw its first complete halt since it began in 1969. If ever there were a year when overt folksiness and zany festivities were needed in our lives, though, it’s 2021. Fortunately, mile-high Germanophiles can once again don their lederhosen and stroll Larimer Street between 20th and 22nd streets during the final two weekends of September to gorge on pretzels, guzzle Pilsner, and participate in a blitzkrieg of competitions. Here, a few of our favorite events paired with advice from the experts on how to prepare for a win. —PHILIP CLAPHAM 

YODELING

So you secretly stan Fräulein Maria of The Sound of Music. Who doesn’t? But getting your warble to carry over the Alps in a twangy upper register means you’ll need some practice “breaking” your voice. Greeley cowboy crooner Gary McMahan says a decent yodel begins in one’s diaphragm with a vowel sound, like “ay,” then glides up into a squeaky “ee” to create that iconic Swiss quaver. McMahan suggests mimicking Mickey Mouse’s falsetto and repeating, “Come here, Pluto, c’mon boy,” until you’re ready to tackle “The Lonely Goatherd.” Since most folks on Larimer Street stick with a basic “yo-delay-ee-oo,” a few reps during your morning shower could help you secure the 2021title.



BRAT EATING

This contest requires an accordionlike stomach. It’s also not for the squeamish. Former Colorado Mammoth defenseman Brad Richardson had the unfortunate luck during Oktoberfest 2011 to go up against competitive eater Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, who recently won his 14th Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, devouring 76 franks in 10 minutes. Richardson, who recalls only being able to eat about four wieners to Chestnut’s 38 in eight minutes, offers this advice: “Close your eyes or wear horse-racing blinders to avoid witnessing others choking down their brats,” he says. “It’s a disgusting, disgusting thing to watch, and it’ll probably impede your ability to keep the dogs down.”

I L L U S T R AT I O N BY M I C H A E L I V E R J A C O B S E N

SEPTEMBER 2021

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5280 Magazine September 2021