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mywindsor MAY 2020

G UI D IN G YO U TH ROUGH T HE BES T OF WINDSOR

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COMMITTED Get to know Paul Rennemeyer, Windsorâ€™s new mayor

LOCALS HELPING LOCALS

Windsor Lake Coffee amps up efforts to help community during COVID-19 pandemic

Windsor Cub Scout pitches in to help healthcare workers SUNSET SOLIDARITY Weld bagpipers play at sundown to bring people amid pandemic together while engaging in social distancing

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mywindsor | MAY 2020

contents

| MAY 2020

06 | HELPING OUT Windsor Cub Scout pitches in to help healthcare workers

12 FULLY COMITTED

Get to know Paul Rennemeyer, Windsor’s new mayor

16 | LOCAL HELP Windsor Lake Coffee amps up efforts to help others, and themselves

08 | NIGHTTIME MUSIC Weld County bagpipers join Sunset Solidarity

10 | LOCAL RECYCLING Windsor closes recycling center after analysis

18 | VEGAN GOODS Local woman relies on faith to sow seeds for vegan baker

20 | FINE DINING Chimney Park brings refined dining ‘without all the fuss’ to Windsor

22 | FINAL THOUGHT Gone Fishing

MAY 2020 |

mywindsor | 3

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mywindsor MANAGING EDITOR Jerry Martin CREATIVE SUPERVISOR Kevin Deganhart ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN Nichole Mathiason WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS Anne Delaney, Kathleen Duff, Bobby Fernandez, Alex McIntyre, Cuyler Meade, Emily Wegner

MYWINDSOR MAGAZINE 501 8th Ave., Greeley, CO 80631 www.GreeleyTribune.com/MyWindsor For all editorial, advertising and circulation inquiries, call (970) 352-0211. Send editorial-related comments and story ideas to: JMartin@GreeleyTribune.com. For advertising inquiries contact David Thiemann at DThiemann@GreeleyTribune.com. Published by Greeley Publishing Co., publisher of The Greeley Tribune

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TO APPLY Windsor mayor-elect Paul Rennemeyer stands for a portrait outside Town Hall in Windsor. Read more on page 12.Photo by Alex McIntyre

helping out

| MASK GUARDS

Windsor Cub Scout pitches in to help healthcare workers amid coronavirus pandemic

The elastic mask guard straps Windsor fourth grader and Cub Scout Gavin Kendrot made with his father, Shawn, as part of an effort to help healthcare workers feel a little more comfortable while wearing face masks to protect themselves during coronavirus pandemic.

BY ANNE DELANEY

Windsor fourth grader and Cub Scout Gavin Kendrot holds up a mask guard he and his father, Shawn, made for northern Colorado healthcare workers amid coronavirus pandemic.

mywindsor | MAY 2020

10-year-old Windsor boy wanted to help local healthcare workers’ in their fight against coronavirus, and Gavin Kendrot teamed up with his father to make their work days a little easier. In the last 10 days, Gavin Kendrot and his father, Shawn, have used a 3D printer to make more than 100 mask guards for northern Colorado medical workers. “I like to help the community,” Gavin Kendrot said. “And it would hurt my ears to wear a mask eight hours a day.” The elastic straps attach to the mask straps, pulling them tighter

on the head and easing rubbing and chafing on workers’ ears. Gavin Kendrot, a Grandview Elementary fourth grader and member of a Windsor Cub Scout pack, was motivated to take on the project when he parents saw a Facebook post about a similar effort. As a Scout, Gavin was eager to get involved locally. He’s been in scouting for four years and is a member of Cub Scout Pack 57 in Windsor. Shawn Kendrot, a Cubmaster and den leader of Gavin’s pack, helped Gavin with the 3D printer. Gavin bought the printer last year with money he earned after helping the

Cub Scouts in its annual fundraising effort. “I think it’s awesome,” Shawn Kendrot said of Gavin’s gumption. “It goes to the scouting spirit.” Gavin raised more than $18,000 selling popcorn last year for the Scouts’ fundraiser. He used some of the money he earned from the work to buy the 3D printer. “It was a lot of hours going doorto-door,” Shawn Kendrot said. “It was many hours of getting people to purchase from him. It was Gavin, working hard to put the time and effort into it.” Amanda Kendrot said after Shawn

AMANDA KENDROT

and Gavin made an initial batch of the mask guards, the family reached out to local healthcare facilities to ask if workers were interested in receiving the mask guards. Dr. Gregory Golden, a NCMC pulmonologist and one of the Kendrot’s neighbors, picked up a batch of maskguards from the Kendrot’s porch and took them to his colleagues. “My co-workers were amazed that a young person was wanting to help in this way,” Gloden said in a news release from Longs Peak Council, Boy Scouts of America in Greeley. Gavin and Shawn have requests for a few more mask guards, and they are sending others to a hospital in Texas through connections with a family friend. “We’re really proud of him. It’s nice he can work with his dad,” Amanda Kendrot said, adding Gavin learned a lot about the 3D printers in school. “They’re so computer savvy.”

North Colorado Medical Center nurses hold up mask guards made by Gavin Kendrot, a 10-year-old Windsor fourth grader, and his father, Shawn. Over the last 10 days, the Kendrots have used a 3-D printer to make the guards that are designed to minimize rubbing and chafing of face mask straps.

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mywindsor | 7

nighttime music

| BAGPIPES

Weld County bagpipers join Sunset Solidarity during novel coronavirus pandemic BY ANNE DELANEY

LEFT: Windsor resident Mike West plays the bagpipes at sunset along the Poudre River Trail in Windsor. West is participating in Sunset Solidarity, a widespread movement among bagpipers who play every night at sundown in order to bring people together while engaging in social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. RIGHT: Mead High School student Ashton Steele plays the bagpipes at sunset on the roof of his home in Mead. Sunset Solidarity is a widespread movement among bagpipers who play at sundown as a source of strength, hope and courage during the COVID-19 pandemic.

very evening around sunset, Ashton Steele and Mike West play their bagpipes at different ends of Weld County. In Mead and Windsor, the 14-year-old Steele and West, with nearly four decades in fire service, lend their talents to communities within earshot of the dramatic and distinct instrument while joining Colorado pipers in a movement during the novel coronavirus outbreak. Known as Sunset Solidarity, the idea charges pipers to play at sundown as a sign of strength, courage and hope in the fight against the coronavirus and disease it spawns, COVID-19. “We use it at the end of the day. We made it through the end of the day and are fighting the good fight,” said West, fire chief at Front Range Fire Rescue with stations in Johnstown, Milliken and unincorporated Weld County. Dating to the 1700s in Scotland, the

mywindsor | MAY 2020

bagpipes have a history of being a part of war and battle, and the instrument then is an ideal choice to join a fight against a virus. The instrument has “accompanied warriors into battle to instill courage where courages struggles to exist,” according to the Western United States Pipe Band Association. While the roots of Sunset Solidarity run deep with firefighters and law enforcement in Colorado, the movement has spread to other states including Illinois, Indiana and Washington. Greeley resident Desmond O’Boyle of NPR station KUNC is also participating in the sunset piping, according to his Facebook page. West is a member of the Colorado Emerald Society, a social organization formed of men and women in public safety professions to help foster Irish heritage and tradition. The society includes a pipe and drum band of about 75 individuals throughout the state, West said. They get together to play

virtually every Sunday. West uses his nightly performances on the Poudre River Trail in Windsor to practice for the weekly sessions. He sets up near the pelican statue east of the 7th Street bridge overlooking Water Valley Lake. “The pipes are loud and they carry across the water, and this gives me space,” said West, who played in front of at least one-half dozen social distanced spectators early this week. West said the movement is not limited to firefighters, law enforcement and others in public safety professions. Civilians have also taken up the cause and one of those is Steele, a freshman at Mead High School. Since March 30, Steele has climbed up on his the roof of his family’s home in Mead while wearing the full uniform of the Colorado Youth Pipe Band — including tartan kilt — for a 10-minute performance and attracting attention of the community. He recently played at Historic Highlandlake ALEX McINTYRE

Church, drawing approximately 25 fans in cars, in nearby homes and on porches. “There were a lot of tears and especially when he played Amazing Grace, and every time he finished a tune everyone broke out in cheers and crying,” said Pauli Driver-Smith, president of Historic Highlandlake, Inc., a nonprofit that protects and maintains the church and Pioneer Cemetery. “I’m just a fan of this kid and what he’s doing,” Driver-Smith added. “He’s bringing so much joy and hope to the Mead community.” Steele has been playing the bagpipes since he was nine. The instrument, though, is in his blood as a young man with Scottish heritage. His mother, Laura, is a Celtic harpist, and his older brother, Alex, 17, doesn’t play an instrument but he is a golfer — a sport tied to Scotland. Laura and Alex both tried the bagpipes and didn’t get very far. The pipes are known as a difficult instrument, Laura said, with four reeds and requiring a lot of physical stamina. “It’s kind of in its own world in music in

ALEX McINTYRE

general,” said Laura, who also plays the violin and piano. “It’s really rough.” Ashton Steele said he tried the trumpet but the instrument didn’t hold his attention, so he decided to switch to the bagpipes. It’s an instrument he calls “finicky” with nine notes and dozens of embellishments. “It’s the challenge it gives you,” he said. “This is always something new every time I pick it up.” Steele joined the Colorado Youth Pipe Band about three years ago. He performs and plays with the band and also takes private lessons with Jamie Cuthill, a professional solo competitor who plays with the Queen City Pipe Band in Denver. Steele received an email from the Western United States Band Association about the Sunset Solidarity movement, and he said he liked the concept and wanted to be involved. “It brings joy and hope,” he said. “I didn’t expect it to be popular. It’s unexpected. I like the idea behind and what it does for people in our town.”

Windsor resident Mike West plays the bagpipes at sunset along the Poudre River Trail in Windsor. West is participating in Sunset Solidarity, a widespread movement among bagpipers who play every night at sundown in order to bring people together while engaging in social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

MAY 2020 |

mywindsor | 9

recycling

| CLOSURE NOTICE

Windsor closes recycling center after analysis BYCUYLER MEADE

The Town of Windsor Recycling Center is closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Windsor

he city of Windsor is closing its recycling center after an analysis showed it was being somewhat lightly used and was costing the town more money than it was worth. Windsor public works director Eric Lucas said the town expected to save about $120,000 annually with the move, money that it desperately needed to reallocate elsewhere as the pandemic ravaged the town’s budget. “We’ll save, but those dollars, with COVID and not knowing the economy, we’re able to not spend that money but we’re fully expecting a decrease in revenues on other lines,” Lucas said. “So it’s not like we’re sticking it in a bank account. It’s going to offset some other areas where revenues are down.” Lucas said the town had been looking at the recycling center critically since at least 2018, when they closed the old brush dumping site because they determined that was costing the town about $100,000 a year just to chip brush. 10 |

mywindsor | MAY 2020

“We got out of the brush business and moved the recycling over to the public services campus where parks and public works are housed,” Lucas said. “Reopened in ‘19 and again started tracking usage. Resident-only, free to drop off glass and cardboard, all that. We really averaged, on the low side, about 20 cars a day, and high side about 40. A lot were repeat visitors, and, really, doing the math, it was about 4% of the households coming here to the site.” Lucas said the town reached out to private recycling companies Waste Management and Bunting to ask about their recycling coverage via their curbside recycling services. “They’re serving a vast majority of neighborhoods,” he said. “So we looked at dollars and cents, knowing it’s not popular — we want to do the right thing with cardboard and plastic, glass, not just landfill it. But the commodity market is basically zero. You could spend all the money you want on recycling but it doesn’t go anywhere. Nobody’s turning it into

something else anymore. It used to be, but that’s gone away. All we’re doing is spending money, there’s no revenue back at all.” Lucas acknowledged it was a shame on a larger scale to do this, but said it was just good sense. “We want people to recycle,” he said. “Help save the Earth, help our environment, but nothing’s happening with the product. I hope maybe one day somebody will figure out a way to do it that makes sense.” The town owns a compactor that was set to be replaced this year, and avoiding that cost is a positive for the department, too, Lucas said. “The rest is just big trash bins and we have fencing that we’ll repurpose,” Lucas said. Lucas said he’s seen the frustration after the announcement Tuesday from those who have appreciated the center. “We recognize it’s an impact,” he said. “And we still want people to recycle, but to use a private service and not the town’s anymore.”

ALEX McINTYRE

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mywindsor | 11

Question & Answer with new Windsor mayor PAUL RENNEMEYER By Bobby Fernandez

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PAUL RENNEMEYER WAS ELECTED MAYOR EARLIER THIS MONTH BY THE TOWN OF WINDSOR AFTER HAVING SERVED AS A TOWN BOARD MEMBER. HE DEFEATED FELLOW BOARD MEMBER DAVID SISLOWSKI AND HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR HUNTER RIVERA. RENNEMEYER WAS SWORN IN AS THE SUCCESSOR TO OUTGOING MAYOR KRISTIE MELENDEZ MONDAY, APRIL 27. THE GREELEY TRIBUNE SPOKE WITH RENNEMEYER OVER THE PHONE TO ASK HIM A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF WINDSOR, HIS PLANS AS MAYOR, AND WHAT DRAWS HIM TO PUBLIC SERVICE. THESE ARE HIS ANSWERS, EDITED LIGHTLY FOR SPACE. WHAT ARE YOUR FIRST PRIORITIES AS MAYOR OF WINDSOR? First priorities are to begin my relationship with the new town board members that are just coming on. One, Victor Tallon has been on our planning commission like 25 years, not necessarily new to Windsor or new to the intergovernmental workings, but he obviously is new to the town board starting next Monday. He’ll bring a fresh perspective. He has history on land uses of Windsor, code issues as they’ve pertained to planning commission, and he’s been pretty familiar with how Windsor’s been built out over 25 years. The other new board member, Scott Charpentier, runs his own mortgage business in fort Collins, lives in Windsor, so my goal is to get to know them, what makes them tick. I’ve actually already begun that process, but I think it’ll continue more when I’m official. I’ve sat down or talked over the phone with all the current board members that I’ll have on the town board, to get a grasp of what their goals are, what liaison positions they want to have, advisory boards that we all serve on, to get their feedback. I’m very much about collaboration and seeking common ground and I know that all starts with the relationship that we all have. We won’t all agree on 100% of everything, that’s unrealistic. I really believe it has a lot to do with where we’re coming from. Our goal for Windsor is to move it forward in the same direction. I’m optimistic about that, my conversations with the five other guys I know of right now, it’s looking very promising to collaborate and have a like minded approach to the different topics we have to encounter. ALEX McINTYRE

Windsor mayor-elect Paul Rennemeyer stands for a portrait outside Town Hall in Windsor

WHO ARE YOUR ROLE MODELS IN THIS POSITION? WHO DO YOU LOOK UP TO? I have had a deep respect for anybody who’s held this position before me. Whether we have the same management approach, which we don’t, I do have a great respect for those who have endured what this position means and what it entails. I have a close relationship with Kristie Melendez, the current mayor that will be exiting. I know I can pick her brain at any point in time. I’ve sat down with her already and she’s already a phone call away. When it comes to a history on a topic or what her point of view might be, what she might add. She’s also been on the council for 10 years, six before I got here. I have a great admiration for her and the job she’s done over 10 years. I’ll also never forget it, four years ago the very night i was starting on the board, I was approached by the exiting mayor at that time, John Vasquez, who said, ‘Hey if I can be of any assistance to you, I see great things for you, I think you’ve got everything it takes to go far with the town,’ and he and I meet once a quarter to talk about everything under the sun, getting history and perspective on different projects.

He served as mayor for 8 years, so having the ear and ability to contact those who’ve had this position for 12 years — Windsor’s come a long way in 12 years, the tornado hadn’t hit 12 years ago. (Vasquez) started as mayor one month before that tornado hit. Windsor’s come a long way. A lot’s gone well, and Windsor’s always very thoughtful on how processes go. Where we’ve been, what’s been spent, how fiscally frugal the town’s been run, and the mayor’s very influential in that regard. Those are my top two individuals that I have no problem bouncing ideas off of and asking their perspective, not so I’m headed necessarily in that direction, but that I would be able to glean from them any wisdom that might be possible.

WHY DO YOU FEEL DRAWN TO PUBLIC SERVICE? Not to be cliché, but Windsor is nothing without the people, and the people put me in this position. They entrusted me to be their leader for the next four years, and I believe that, with some of the major decisions we will have in the next four years, these are generational decisions that our board is going to be faced with. Not just in how we get Windsor strong again after COVID, how we rebound from that, but projects like we’re already dealing with — for example, NISP, we expect in 6 to 9 MAY 2020 |

mywindsor | 13

months we’ll have a decision on that, and it’ll lead to us getting the town secured potentially in their water future for 50 plus years. Some stuff falls onto our board that’s never fallen onto boards before us. Not that they haven’t had big decisions — every board and every mayor do — but I see that the people are what make Windsor great, and it’s the people we remember to serve at the pleasure of. I don’t take that lightly at all. It’s a very humbling thought, and, even though you look at what percentage voted and it’s still a fraction of the total population, you look at the enormity of the whole scope of

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the position and realize it’s much bigger than anything you ever thought you’d be getting into — in a good way, but a humbling sense. For that reason I’m grateful to the people of Windsor. Me, my family, my wife and I, we’re fully committed to whatever sacrifice as far as family life, relationships, we’re willing to give it everything we have to make sure the next four years are a success.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU SEE FACING WINDSOR RIGHT NOW? Windsor mayor-elect Paul Rennemeyer stands for a portrait outside Town Hall in Windsor

I want to put a little twist on that. I get that question often, ‘Why are you doing this, what are the issues?’ I want to be known — and I don’t say this from a legacy perspective, I could care less what people think of me four years from now, I’m not doing this for me, I’m doing it for Windsor — I want our board to be known as the board that took some bold, decisive action to get some projects implemented. I could tell you water or transportation infrastructure or affordable housing, the list of all the list of what we are going to work on. But these are things our board was talking about four years ago in strategic planning, and the fact is very little has been done to implement this grand strategy. Granted, that involves working with CDOT, because highway 392 and 257 are our major routes, but we can’t let that stop us, we can’t let that slow us down in our approach to being able to get major infrastructure projects done in Windsor. Windsor will require bold decisions to say, ‘Hey, we need to make a stand, get this project done.’ It may mean spending some reserves. It may be a financed project, but we have to look at this as an investment in our community. Because boards in the past have talked about this, how they could see that transportation is a major problem because of how fast we’ve grown, and we’ve talked about enlarging certain roads, making sure traffic flow is better in certain pinch points, but very little’s been accomplished in getting that done. That is NOT a slam against our current mayor or the last two to four years plus; we just need to get serious. I don’t want to have 25 different things to accomplish; I want to have like four to five. What we work toward is checkmarking those boxes. When these projects, if not completed, are underway, are funded and are in the process of being completed by

ALEX McINTYRE

the time I’m done in four years, that feels like success to me. I want to be the board of implementation. I said that in my campaign. I want to be known that we got some things rolling if not completed.

WHEN YOUR TIME AS MAYOR IS OVER, WHAT ARE THE TOP THINGS YOU HOPE TO HAVE ACCOMPLISHED? My three big focuses are water, housing and transportation. There’s lots of facets to these major three projects or initiatives. One I haven’t talked about as much is affordable housing. The situation we have in Windsor is, due to our rapid growth and due to what the housing market allows, homebuilders are charging what seems to be a fairly abundant amount for homes, making these homes not your starter homes but making them typically what most likely would be a dualincome household to be able to afford. That being the case, we have a big gap in our community between those that work in our community and those that can afford to live in our community. That’s a big disconnect, because the baristas at our coffee shops can’t afford to live in Windsor. The people working a lot of the hourly positions at King Soopers or Safeway can’t afford to live in our community. They may, but probably have a dual-income situation when the average price of a house is still like $425, $450 thousand. Lending requirements the way they are, how much you have to have down, etcetera, it makes it very difficult unless you have a perfect scenario to move into Windsor. So there’s this big disconnect between those that want to live in Windsor and those that are able. Affordable housing is something our board has talked about, but unfortunately when people think of affordable housing they don’t have a very pretty picture. We have two different forms of affordable housing in Windsor right now: We’ve got lower-income government subsidized by our Windsor housing authority, and we’ve got workforce housing, for which the rent is still decent but the amount of the rent is based upon income. And then the other form of housing that we’re championing right now is senior affordable housing, because a big segment of our population, baby boomers, are averaging into their 70s, 65 to 75 right now. That’s the demographic I work with in my job, so I know it very well. The majority of seniors are social security check-to-check.

ALEX McINTYRE

Windsor mayor-elect Paul Rennemeyer stands for a portrait outside Town Hall in Windsor

Unfortunately the average social security check is not enough to live on. Even in my own family, when my grandfather, my grandmother, when her check went away she got just his, she still couldn’t afford to pay the bills between taxes and utilities and food, even though he wasn’t around any more and she didn’t have his directly related expenses, she still was a few hundred dollars short to be able to live on her own. That’s not everybody’s scenario, but I personally deal every day of the week with seniors that are barely able to get by from month to month. We have a large wave of seniors between 65 and 75 right now who are coming into that senior population where we don’t have enough housing to provide at affordable rates — based upon monthly income, which may be social security only. And it needs to be respectable living conditions, too, where people aren’t thinking, ‘Boy that’s run down, but that’s a respectable housing situation for each of them.’ The project currently underway within the town is on North 15th Street north of King Soopers. There’s a workforce housing development that’s been there three to four years, but just north of there there’s I believe just over 100 units to be there of affordable senior apartment housing, and the neighbors right there completely welcomes them. It’s welcoming because everybody knows a

senior in their life that has struggled with the ability to live a respectable retirement because of their limited income. It’s unfortunate that our seniors are left in that position, but the town is trying to partner, and has been to the best of our ability, with the Windsor Housing Authority to be able to waive permit fees and the like, where we can make it affordable for the Windsor Housing Authority to go get federal grant money and low interest rate loans all on their own. My biggest heart is for seniors. My heart is behind that — for 18 years that’s been the population that I’ve always worked with. I can tell you first-hand that there’s a lot of need. That’s a role that everybody, all age demographics should be welcome within your community. And we want to make it, the way we’ve partnered, if we’re helping them get established, we want Windsor residents have first priority to get in. So instead of them having to find another community where they spend their tax dollars in other communities, they’ll be able to stay in Windsor. It’ll be better for Windsor, plus they’re staying in the community where they’ve lived in possibly their whole life. It’s a segment that needs to be looked after, and I know that a large segment of that population put me in this position.

MAY 2020 |

mywindsor | 15

local help

| WINDSOR LAKE COFFEE

Windsor Lake Coffee amps up efforts to help others, and themselves, during COVID-19 pandemic BY BOBBY FERNANDEZ

Windsor Lake Coffee, 430 Main St., in Windsor.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has put a temporary freeze on indoor dining throughout Colorado, the ice cream window at Windsor Lake Coffee, 430 Main St., in Windsor, has been a popular destination.

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mywindsor | MAY 2020

uring a time in which so many local small businesses are focused on helping themselves, Claire Brogden and her “skeleton crew” at Windsor Lake Coffee are still finding time to help others. Through a program called Feeding Our Windsor Heroes, Brogden and her condensed staff at Windsor Lake Coffee cooked a quiche for the Good Samaritan Society-Water Valley Senior Living Resort, 805 Compassion Drive, in Windsor. The lunchtime gesture was part of a Feeding Our Windsor Heroes program in which donations are collected to provide meals to nurses and health care workers on the frontlines in Windsor. Windsor Lake Coffee has been bundling orders to make them more affordable to people who want to donate to the Feeding Our Windsor Heroes program. In addition to Windsor Lake Coffee, other Windsor restaurants like Hearth Restaurant and Pub, Okole Maluna Hawaiian Grill, the Windsor Mill Tavern, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit and Pelican Lakes have taken part in the program. April 9, Brogden and the staff at Windsor Lake Coffee provided lunch for 40 staff members at the Water Valley Senior Living Resort. “I’ve just been wanting to help out in any way possible,” said Brogden, a 27-year-old Windsor resident. “Since we’re local, we depend on everyone locally. It’s just a complete circle when everyone helps everyone locally.” Financially, local small business

owners like Brogden have felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic — and the restrictions that accompany it — perhaps more than anyone. After Gov. Jared Polis mandated on March 16 that restaurants may allow only delivery and takeout orders, Brogden had to slice her staff of 16 in half, as many of the restaurant’s operations moved online. In between charitable trips to the Water Valley Senior Living Resort, Brogden and her small staff have adjusted their business model in an attempt to endure this trying time. While customers can’t come inside the coffee shop and sit down while sipping a cup of joe and perhaps flipping the pages of their favorite book right now, the shop’s ice cream window has become an increasingly popular destination. In addition to serving coffee, tea, smoothies, crepes and breakfast and lunch items, the restaurant is well known for serving ice cream from Denver’s famous Little Man Ice Cream. Claire’s mother, Elaine Huot — who owns the shop along with her daughter and her husband, Claire’s father, Ian Brogden — said with the shop’s close proximity to the walking trail around Windsor Lake, the ice cream window has garnered a decent amount of walkup traffic from those looking to have a cool treat after a brisk walk. Walking, running, hiking and biking are among the outdoor activities allowed under the stay-at-home order. “Establishing a connection with our regular customers — and now not seeing some of them — has been hard,” CLAIRE BROGDEN

FEEDING OUR WINDSOR HEROES Feeding Our Windsor Heroes is a fundraiser in Windsor in which people can donate money to purchase meals from Windsor restaurants, which will then be delivered to nurses and healthcare workers on the frontlines in Windsor.

LEFT: Windsor Lake Coffee owner Claire Brogden delivers meals as part of the Feeding Our Windsor Heroes program. RIGHT: Okole Maluna Hawaiian Grill owners Andy and Juliet Higa deliver meals as part of the Feeding Our Windsor Heroes program.

Huot said. “But, we’re also seeing an influx of new customers who have discovered us, while taking walks when the weather is beautiful, next to a beautiful lake that is right behind our building.” Windsor Lake Coffee — located at 430 Main St. — has been open for just a little more than a year, since December 2018. And by being proactive during this pandemic, Claire Brogden and company hope it will remain in business for years to come. While most other small businesses are cutting back on hours during the pandemic, Windsor Lake Coffee has actually added a day of business. It originally wasn’t open Tuesdays but is now open seven days a week. Also, Windsor Lake Coffee did so many

Easter brunch preorders, Brogden had to cut off the orders because she simply couldn’t accommodate any more. In addition to encouraging social distancing — even right outside its shop — the people at Windsor Lake Coffee have also been very vigilant with sanitization, cleaning and disinfecting almost constantly, while employees wear masks and gloves at all times. The shop is also implementing a no-touch system with credit and debit card payments. “I always live by the motto, ‘Improvise, adapt and overcome,’ “ Brogden said. “So, we’ve just been doing whatever we can. ... And everyone has been super awesome. I can’t thank the community enough for supporting us at this time.”

People can help by writing checks for any amount of money, payable to Feeding Our Windsor Heroes, Points West Bank, 1291 Main St., Windsor, CO, 80550. Or, they can make online donations (or read more about the organization) at gofundme.com/ feeding-our-windsor-heroes People may also call any one of the participating restaurants — Hearth (970-460-0193), Okole Maluna (970-686-8844), Pelican Lakes (970-460-1710), Windsor Lake Coffee (970-445-4124), the Windsor Mill Tavern (970-8335124) or Dickey's (970-686-2227). While placing your own takeout order, ask for a "meal, plus one" to donate to Feeding Our Windsor Heroes.

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OPPOSITE, Left to right: Vegan German chocolate cake, cinnamon rolls and carrot cake created by Jessica West at Esher Bakery.

LOCAL WOMAN RELIES ON FAITH TO SOW SEEDS FOR VEGAN BAKER BY KATHLEEN DUFF

A misspelled word and some divine intervention laid the foundation for a new type of bakery in Greeley. Jessica West, 35, said her journey toward creating her Esher Bakery began when she realized that she had been misspelling the word “coffee’’ for most of her life. She had been responsible for coordinating a coffee event Fridays at her former workplace. One day, she received an email from a co-worker asking a question about the coffee, and the word jumped out at her. Had she really been misspelling that word all along? Soon, thereafter, she had what she calls a God Dream that initially focused on her providing locally roasted coffee. As part of her Christian faith, she began a dream board to honor the message and put it into action. With more thought and inspiration, her plan evolved to creating a plan for her own bakery. It wasn’t going to be just a run-of-the-flour mill enterprise — it would be a vegan bakery. And it had to be in Greeley, where, she said her heart lies. West remembers thinking, “Lord, this seems impossible.” “And the answer I got, was, ‘Exactly.’

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mywindsor | MAY 2020

That’s why it’s so important for me to do this.” Vegan baking means using no eggs and no dairy products — no butter, milk or cream, While West does use sugar, she often uses less than called for in traditional baking. She started her business three years ago baking from her home via the Colorado Cottage Foods Act, which allows limited types of food products that are non-potentially hazardous (do not require refrigeration for safety) to be sold without licensing or inspection, according to www.colorado.gov. West also is working toward her real estate license and works for C3 Real Estate Solutions in Fort Collins. Angannette Smith of Greeley can attest to West’s baking skills. She found out about Esher via Facebook and ordered a cake and cupcakes for her daughter’s first birthday. “I saw some of her photos and reached out. She’s creative and had some good ideas and helped set up a cupcake display,” Smith said. “She was fun to work with and really sweet.” Currently, West is testing recipes out of her home kitchen, making adjustments as needed to create ESHER BAKERY

the best treats possible. And she has met with small-business groups to hone her business acumen. She believes she has the flavors down, but she is working hard to ensure the texture of each baked good is just right. “Cinnamon rolls — that’s going to be my specialty,” she said. West said her love of baking began as a child with her mother; she remembers sitting on the kitchen counter with a huge bowl of oatmeal raisin cookie dough. For the short term, she is planning on creating some pop-up events in Greeley to further introduce her cinnamon rolls, cakes and cookies to the public. But, like many young entrepreneurs, she wants to do more than focus on profits. While the COVI-19 pandemic might cause a delay, her God Dream includes creating a place where the community can gather. Perhaps the location will have a place for kids or invite different speakers; maybe there will be a book exchange.

ESHER BAKERY

Reach Esher Bakery via Facebook at www.facebook.com/ esherbakery or call Jessica West at (970) 324-0155.

West admittedly becomes emotional when talking about her plan and what prompted it. Esher is a Hebrew word for blessedness and happiness. She hopes to find other likeminded entrepreneurs to join in her vision of a community plan. She added, “My baked good are an avenue where I can love my community and bring the community together. I am doing this for the love of people ... and an outpouring of God’s love.”

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ason Shaeffer started Chimney Park Restaurant and Bar in Windsor because it happened to be a good, available location, but now the restaurant has become synonymous with the town that is proud of its small but tight-knit community. Though the establishment is closed to dine-in customers due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, it is offering online orders with curbside pickup for some items. When it does reopen, Shaeffer recommends calling first to make a reservation, as the restaurant offers a variety of dishes he hopes can warm the soul and bring people together.

MAKING CHOICES In July 2007, when Chimney Park opened, Shaeffer was mainly focused on the chance to be the head chef at a restaurant where he could make choices and grow. But, he said, all the chefs at Chimney Park have that opportunity, especially because one of its most popular menu items is solely based on the chef’s choice. After asking guests a few questions, the chef chooses what to prepare based on the weather and how they feel. In the fall in Colorado, when it could be 70 degrees one day and snowing the next, the ability to cook off-menu means they can prepare a light fish meal on the warm day, but something “hearty and soul-warming” when it snows, Shaeffer said.

COMFORTABLE FINE DINING While food is understandably a focus for the long-time chef, Shaeffer said he also hopes it’s a place people can come for happy hour, just to hang out at the bar or spend time with friends. “It’s kind of refined dining without all the fuss,” he said. “It’s fairly approachable for fine dining.” The atmosphere can be casually classy, it’s also a place Shaeffer said many will go for date nights, special occasions and the big holiday dinners the restaurant hosts each year. “It is what you make of it,” he said. Chimney Park, Windsor’s elegant yet cozy restaurant on Main Street brings out the best of the Christmas confections in this coupe filled with candy-coated goodies. 20 |

mywindsor | MAY 2020

ALEX MCINTYRE

REPUTATION The restaurant has regularly received awards through OpenTable, a website where customers and restaurant reviewers can vote for and post comments about restaurants. In 2015, the restaurant was named one of the best 100 in the U.S.,and in 2017 it was named number one for food in the state in September, in addition to several other high rankings in different categories. It just happened to be that the building was for sale, but for now, most people know about the restaurant and associate it with Windsor. I feel like Windsor is a good destination to begin with but to have us here as a dining destination, I think it’s important for the town of Windsor, great place for us to do what we do. Almost 13 years. It’s great to be in such a small place with a well known Chimney Park celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2017, around the same time it celebrated the completion of a facade improvement, which Shaeffer said included adding insulation as well as updating its appearance, while still honoring the history of Windsor’s Main Street. When people leave his restaurant, Shaeffer said he hopes they remember it as a place that has always provided great food and great service, and as a place for people to share special moments and make memories.

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