Send me a Text Message. I'd love to hear from you.
What happens when food becomes more than sustenance—when it transforms into a vehicle for social change?
In Denver's vibrant culinary landscape, two organizations have been quietly revolutionizing how we think about restaurants, community, and access for nearly two decades.
Kristen Rauch, Executive Director of Eat Denver, and Carrie Shores, owner of Same Cafe, join us to discuss their groundbreaking work and their upcoming collaboration: Savor the Season.
Since 2006, both organizations have approached food justice from different angles—Eat Denver by supporting the independent restaurant community as they navigate challenges and opportunities, and Same Cafe by pioneering a pay-what-you-can model that ensures everyone has access to chef-driven, nutritious meals regardless of their financial situation.
The magic happens when these missions converge in Savor the Season, Denver's premier farm-to-table celebration featuring 24 restaurants including James Beard and Michelin Award winners. Over five spectacular nights at Rhino Art Park, guests will enjoy craft beverages and multi-course meals while supporting six nonprofit beneficiaries working in food justice and community advocacy.
What makes this event truly special isn't just the extraordinary food—it's the spirit of collaboration and community that permeates every aspect. Chefs who rarely get to work together find themselves side by side in the kitchen, guests from all walks of life share communal tables, and the simple act of enjoying a meal becomes a powerful force for change.
Through heartfelt stories and behind-the-scenes insights, Kristen and Carrie reveal how restaurants can be catalysts for creating more equitable, connected communities—one plate at a time.
Ready to experience this celebration with purpose? Grab your tickets at eatdenver.com/savor before they're gone, or visit Same Cafe at 2023 East Colfax Avenue to see firsthand how dignity doesn't have to come with a price tag.
P.S. Ready to take your restaurant to the next level? Here are 3 ways I can support you:
- One-on-One Coaching - Work directly with me to tackle your biggest leadership challenges and scale your operations with confidence. Learn more at christinmarvin.com
- Multi-Unit Mastery Book - Get the complete Independent Restaurant Framework that's helped countless owners build thriving multi-location brands. Grab your copy at https://www.IRFbook.com
- Group Coaching & Leadership Workshops - Join other passionate restaurant leaders in transformative group sessions designed to elevate your entire team. Details at christinmarvin.com
Podcast Production: https://www.lconnorvoice.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Hey everybody, welcome back to the show.
Very excited to spend some timewith you today and highlight
one of my favorite organizations, eat Denver, as well as Same
Cafe.
So Kristen Rauch, the executivedirector of Eat Denver, is
joining us today, in addition toCarrie Shores, who's the owner
of Zame Cafe.
(00:28):
These incredible organizationshave been around since 2006.
Their missions are absolutelyextraordinary and we are going
to talk about a very specialevent that they are
collaborating on, called Savorthe Season.
So for those of you that havebeen in the Denver dining scene
or in the Denver community for awhile, you might remember
Harvest Week.
That was around for 16 years,an extraordinary event.
(00:50):
Savor the Season is HarvestWeek 2.0.
So we're going to talk aboutwhat you can expect from the
event.
There are tickets availableevery single night still, which
is crazy, so go get them beforethey're gone.
And we're going to talk abouthow these two missions, two
nonprofits, are aligned andthere's six beneficiaries this
(01:11):
year for Savor the Season, whichis extraordinary.
So major, major event happening.
It's going to be at Rhino Parkhere in just a couple of weeks
and just going to have a hugeripple effect throughout the
community.
So hope you enjoy this episode.
Learn a bit more about the goodwork that these two are doing
(01:32):
in the Denver community and staytuned as we dive into a feast
of stories and flavors andcommunity spirit.
Welcome to the RestaurantLeadership Podcast.
Welcome to the RestaurantLeadership Podcast, the show
where restaurant leaders learntools, tactics and habits from
the world's greatest operators.
I'm your host, kristen Marvin,with Solutions by Kristen.
(01:58):
I've spent the last two decadesin the restaurant industry and
now partner with restaurantowners to develop their leaders
and scale their businessesthrough powerful one-on-one
coaching, group coaching andleadership workshops.
This show is complete withepisodes around coaching,
leadership development andinterviews with powerful
industry leaders.
(02:20):
You can now engage with me onthe show and share topics you'd
like to hear about leadership,lessons you want to learn and
any feedback you have.
Simply click the link at thetop of the show notes and I will
give you a shout out on afuture episode.
Thanks so much for listeningand I look forward to connecting
.
All right, let's set the stagefor our amazing conversation
(02:47):
that we're going to have today.
Let's start with the beautifulalignment between your two
organizations.
Kristen, would you tell us alittle bit about Eat Denver's
mission to support Denver'sindependent restaurant community
?
And then, carrie, I'm going toask you how Same Cafe's so All
May Eat model embodies foodjustice in action.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah.
So Eat Denver was started in2006.
A group of independentrestaurateurs saw a lot of
chains and franchises cominginto the city and realized, you
know, we should really begetting a dedicated group
together to advocate for thelittle guys, the mom and pops,
the full service restaurants,the next generation of
hospitality and kind of theheartbeat of our communities.
(03:31):
What that's now evolved into isa community of over 450.
We say food and beverageconcepts across the region, and
so there's this shared mentality, back from 2006 through today,
of a rising tide lifts all boats.
How can we best support owners,operators, staff, the
communities they serve?
How are we advocating forequitable and inclusive
(03:54):
communities and how do we keepevolving in scale to better
serve the people who are servingour community, who are
nourishing our communities?
And so Same Cafe is just such agood model of that.
Carrie is now on our board aswell, and so we're really trying
to take the Same Cafe ethosthrough Eat Denver as well.
(04:16):
Like, you get into hospitalitybecause you enjoy service to
people, and Same Cafe just doesthat so perfectly.
I it.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Thank you.
I think, kristin, you were myfirst phone call when I found
out I was moving back to denver.
I was like, can I get backinvolved with you?
Dead need?
How do I do this?
Welcome back, thank you.
It's just such an amazingorganization.
I haven't found anything elselike it in the nation.
And um, yeah, I just you know,obviously, shameless plug, but
anybody that's listening to this.
That's not a part of theorganization, absolutely should
(04:45):
be.
But, carrie, what you're doingat SAME Cafe is a model that
I've never heard of, I've neverseen.
I mean, obviously I knew aboutyou when I lived in Denver the
first time, but give us a littlebit of insight into your
mission.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Yeah, thank you, and Kristen, thank you for the
lovely recognition.
Little plug here SAME was alsostarted in 2006 in Denver, so
pretty cool that we're bothcoming up on our 19th year in
operation, so kudos to both ofus.
But yeah, same Cafe was builton the belief that everyone,
(05:25):
regardless of ability to pay,deserves access to healthy,
delicious food served in a warm,welcoming space.
Same has operated on apay-what-you-can model for
almost 19 years and it's just asmuch about community as it is
about health and nutrition, andI think you know Eat Denver's
commitment to not only the localfood ecosystem but their
(05:48):
support.
Uplifting restaurants kind ofplays into the food-focused
nonprofit like ours, and so youknow, together we're addressing
systemic inequities and accessto healthy food in our community
.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, it's so great.
I was watching a five-minutelittle video that you have on
your website this morning andit's just, it's beautiful,
beautifully done.
Anybody should take a chanceand take, you know, five minutes
and watch it.
But just really touching, thankyou, and it's just, it's yeah,
it like made me tear up.
It was really, really cool tosee the people that you're you
know, that were beinginterviewed and loved what you
(06:25):
said about you know, some peoplecome to just our guests at same
cafe and then they end upvolunteering which is just
really really beautiful, so lovethat, thank you.
Yeah, kristen, would you talk alittle bit about the Savor the
Season event, what guests canexpect?
And Carrie, you know, amazingly, is joining us today as one of
(06:46):
the beneficiaries, but she's notthe only one.
Would you talk a little bitmore about who else this is
benefiting and how you chosethem?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
So Savor the Season is an evolution of the
longstanding Harvest Week event.
We've had a 16 year run as kindof Denver's premier
farm-to-table celebration.
We're carrying a lot of whatyou loved from Harvest Week into
Savor.
So we're featuring 24 differentrestaurants, everyone from
James Beard Award winners likeRootstock and Breckenridge to
(07:18):
Michelin Award winners like AlmaFonda, fina and best of winners
, um kind of the people who areleading the food scene, who are
doing super creative things withthe food scene.
Same cafe is cooking as well onour vegan night.
Um, all complimented by an openbar of local craft beverage,
all benefiting culinary andcommunity advocacy.
(07:38):
And so you're eating a greatmeal and it's for a great
intention.
The whole model of it is basedaround community.
The chefs are each cooking adifferent course but they're
helping each other out withtheir courses, and then on the
attendee side, you're sharing acommunity table, family style
meal and just really celebratingthe harvest season through
(07:59):
local ingredient sourcing andjust feeling good.
I don't know, I always leftharvest week feeling just so
uplifted and inspired, and weare leaning into that even
harder this year with sixdifferent nonprofit
beneficiaries, including EatDenver.
And so on Monday night we'vegot same cafe.
Tuesday we have we Don't Waste.
(08:20):
Wednesday we have Work Options.
Thursday we have Ciao, and then, kind of underwriting the whole
event, we're giving 1% back tothe planet through Zero Food
Print, who issues regenerativeagriculture grants, and so
there's always an element eitheryou're supporting culinary food
, insecurity and food justice,work food redistribution,
(08:42):
accessible workforce development.
There's some element ofculinary and community advocacy
which I think is just soessential to we're preaching
that we're helping community andwe're building community.
Let's put money into that workas well.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Yeah, here's the thing 80% of restaurants fail
because they don't have thesystems, not because they have
bad food or service.
If you're ready to stop beingthe bottleneck in your own
business and start buildingsomething that can actually
scale profitably, I want you toput Multi-Unit Mastery, my new
book, directly in your hands forfree.
(09:17):
Go to IRFbookcom right now andgrab your copy.
When you do, you're going toget access to some additional
tools that are not availableanywhere else.
This is about building a legacy, not just another location.
Stop putting it off and go getyour book Again, that's
(09:38):
IRFbookcom.
Book Again, that's IRFbookcom.
What else can guests expecteach of those nights?
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Yeah.
So each night is structuredwhere you walk into the event
and we do about an hour longcocktail, past app hour, and so
one of the restaurants everynight is doing past apps.
The menus are insane.
We always kind of tease alittle, we like doing a little
bit of a secret.
And local craft beverage again,everything from there's a local
distillery who's featured everynight Ratio Beer Works,
(10:11):
blanchard and Carboy Wines, stemCiders, and then we have some
non-alcoholic partners as well.
And then you go into TrussHouse we're doing it at Rhino
Art Park this year and there'sseated farm style tables and
then there's a course dinner, sofive courses, salad through
dessert with mains, throughoutflowing drinks, horses you see a
(10:41):
face behind the name andthere'll be a community advocate
about halfway through the nightto just deliver a quick hey,
here's who I am, here's who Irepresent, and to really ground
us in the intention of the night.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Nice Carrie.
What does this event mean toSane Cafe?
What could the impact be here?
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yeah, I mean, when I think of Savor the Season, first
thing that comes to my mind isSavor the Season is a
celebration with purpose, and Iknow that for SAME Cafe the
funding will be transformational, but also believe that it will
be transformational for allorganizations involved.
Same it really means that we'reable to continue to provide
(11:21):
chef-driven meals with dignity,increase our outreach meals that
go out into the community forfolks who don't have access to
come to the cafe and then reallyjust continue our mission where
people can eat regardless oftheir ability to pay.
So, ultimately, being a part ofthis, the visibility we get
(11:43):
through Savor the Season forSAME, it really just means that
more people will eat well andfeel valued at our cafe.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Love it.
So, Carrie, instead of a cashregister, you guys use a
donation box, right where dinerspay what they felt like their
meal was worth or exchange for30, I think it's 30 minutes of
volunteer work if they can't pay.
Can you share a story thatillustrates how this model
creates dignity and community?
Speaker 3 (12:12):
Yeah, I'd love to.
Well, yeah, at SAME we alwaysbelieve that dignity shouldn't
come with a price.
That's why we don't have a cashregister.
We offer a donation box as anoption for guests to really pay
what they can.
And one story that reallycaptures the spirit of our model
is about someone who came todine at same during a rough
(12:37):
patch in their life recentlylost their job, job and
eventually moved intohomelessness.
And the first time he came inhere he said I was really
nervous when I first walked inthe door, but quickly relaxed
when he realized that there wasno pressure to pay money and so
he got to enjoy a healthy,nutritious meal.
(12:58):
And then afterward he said I'dlove to do some dishes for you.
He began building friendshipswith staff and other volunteers
coming in every day, leading toan eventual sense of purpose
becoming part of our community.
He came back a few months laterand said hey, I found a job and
(13:19):
a place to live, but stillcomes in somewhat regularly to
volunteer and just share a meal.
But really, that's the power ofour model it transforms the act
of eating into kind of a sharedhuman experience, not a
transaction but more like aconnection, and I believe that
people who participate at SAMEare nourished not only by the
(13:42):
food, but the community thatthey find here.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Yeah, love that.
Thank you for sharing that,kristen.
How does this align thatstoryline with Eat Denver's
belief that, like you saidearlier, rising tide lifts all
boats in the restaurant industry?
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Yeah, as we're advocating for owners and
operators level and their staff,we're also looking beyond the
restaurants.
The things that sustainrestaurants are the community,
and so we also don't believethat the food community is only
limited to people who can affordthat.
Access to healthy, nutritious,culturally appropriate food is a
(14:23):
human right, and so the factthat Same Cafe is doing that
work and it's so in the heart ofDenver on Colfax it's next to
other restaurant members it'sjust really this like beacon of
everything we believe in as faras, like, what food means and I
love what Carrie said is is thatthe experience at same cafe is
(14:44):
about community, um, and it'sabout the act of eating, and I
feel like anytime I go there, Ilove that you can just sit down
and you have no idea what walksof life people are coming from
and there's no distinguishersLike what.
I don't know who's paid, Idon't know who's volunteering, I
don't know, like why they'revolunteering.
You just walk in and you feellike we're all here for the same
(15:05):
purpose to eat good food and tohelp nourish community.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
Love that Carrie.
What are you most excited aboutfor this year's event?
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Oh gosh, so many different things.
First and foremost, the food.
I, uh, as a vegan, I don't getto experience a lot of events
where the food is exclusivelyvegan, and so that was something
that I was super excited aboutwhen Eat Denver decided hey,
let's make this night vegan.
(15:34):
It also opens the door forpeople who may not feel like
they had a place at the tablebefore the community of the
evening.
I'm really excited to be a partof all the community
represented there, working withthe other chefs and restaurants
and then, yeah, meeting newpeople.
Any opportunity for visibilityfor not only Eat Denver and SANE
(15:58):
is going to just boost ourorganizations in a positive way.
So, yeah, I'm just.
This is besides the Big Eat.
This is my second favorite foodevent of the year.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Yeah, kristen, what about you?
Speaker 2 (16:14):
I love all of these events.
My favorite part is going backinto the kitchen and seeing.
I think sometimes chefs arejust so in their lane,
especially in independentrestaurants where you just don't
have enough staff to do everyjob.
So you barely leave the officeand you're getting out in the
community and you're cookingalongside people who you might
(16:35):
never have cooked with or thatyou admire, and you're rubbing
shoulders with other chefs andyou get to just be in a space of
positivity.
I think that's another thingwith our industry.
Like you're doing what you love, you're here to cook, you're
passionate, you'repurpose-driven and they're all
helping each other out.
Like we'll have someone on pastapps that's at like 6 pm and
(16:57):
they will stay through 9 3030 tohelp plate dessert and they're
there throughout the night andjust going back into the kitchen
and everyone's laughing andhaving a great time.
And then you go out into theattendee facing side and
everyone's just like so gentlyeating and chatting and meeting
new people, just the flow of theevent.
You leave feeling so I don'tknow, you feel very uplifted.
(17:19):
I already said that, but I justlove watching all the chefs get
to hang out with each other andin a really intentional space.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Yeah, that's so exciting.
I second what both of you havesaid.
I mean being a part of HarvestWeek for years behind the scenes
, to be able to see that chefand front of house community
come together and help washdishes, help, you know, do
whatever needed to be done forthe greater good, was just
awesome.
I can't wait to be a guest thisyear, which for the first time
(17:49):
which would be great.
It'll feel weird, I'll probablywant to get up and run some
food.
I can't help it, but it'll beso exciting to see the evolution
and what Savor the Season, kindof you know grows into be this
year and the ripple impact thatthis will have on all of these
beneficiaries.
So super fun and amazing to seewhat's next for this amazing
(18:12):
event, for anybody that'sinspired, that's listening to
this and they are eager to getinvolved in the event.
Or with Same Cafe.
Carrie, let's start with you.
How do people get involved withSame Cafe?
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Great Love that People can either join us for
lunch Monday through Friday atthe cafe, which is located at
2023 East Colfax Avenue inDenver.
We are open for lunch from 11to 2.30 pm, monday through
Friday, or you can visit us atthe City Park Farmers Market on
(18:47):
Saturdays from 8 am to 1 pm.
Or you can visit our websiteand you can learn how to get
involved in other ways, bybecoming a sustaining monthly
donor or picking up a volunteershift.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Awesome and Kristen tell people how they get
involved with Eat Denver.
How do they buy tickets to thisamazing event?
Speaker 2 (19:06):
If you go to eatdenvercom, slash saver, or if
you just go to eatdenvercom, Iinstalled a pop-up so you can't
miss it.
Check out the website.
We have our full restaurantlineup on there, our full
beverage lineup.
If you're interested inpartnership opportunities, we've
got a deck there.
I do want to plug.
We recently started doing afour-pack promo.
(19:27):
So if you're trying to treatsome clients, if you've got a
group of friends, if you'regoing on a double date, a
four-pack of tickets for theprice of three.
So really cool deal.
Again, some of these lineupsare restaurants that you can't
get a reservation at.
So come to this event andexperience six restaurants all
(19:48):
in the same place.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Awesome, yeah, I don't think we.
The four pack is a first timeas just exclusive to this event,
so super exciting yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Yeah, the four pack.
We're trying to.
We love the feel of peoplesitting in community at the
tables and trying to takeadvantage.
There's so many people who havebeen long-time supporters who
come with their friends, um,trying to reward that, trying to
attract more corporate groupsas well.
I think this is such a coolevent to reward teams or expose
(20:17):
people to the culinary talent ofthe city and so trying to take
advantage of larger groups whomight want to attend a
co-culinary event.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
Yeah, absolutely All right everybody.
Thank you so much for listening.
Go into Same Cafe, sign up forEat Denver, buy your four-packet
tickets to savor the season.
Can't wait to see you there.
Experience what Denver has tooffer from the culinary scene
and give back to your community.
Do good out there and thank youboth for your time.
(20:46):
I know you're both really,really busy and thank you for
all that you are doing for thecommunity of Denver and we will
talk to you very, very soon.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Thanks, Kristen all right thanks everybody, bye.
Hey everybody, welcome back to the show.
Very excited to spend some timewith you today and highlight
one of my favorite organizations, eat Denver, as well as Same
Cafe.
So Kristen Rauch, the executivedirector of Eat Denver, is
joining us today, in addition toCarrie Shores, who's the owner
of Zame Cafe.
(00:28):
These incredible organizationshave been around since 2006.
Their missions are absolutelyextraordinary and we are going
to talk about a very specialevent that they are
collaborating on, called Savorthe Season.
So for those of you that havebeen in the Denver dining scene
or in the Denver community for awhile, you might remember
Harvest Week.
That was around for 16 years,an extraordinary event.
(00:50):
Savor the Season is HarvestWeek 2.0.
So we're going to talk aboutwhat you can expect from the
event.
There are tickets availableevery single night still, which
is crazy, so go get them beforethey're gone.
And we're going to talk abouthow these two missions, two
nonprofits, are aligned andthere's six beneficiaries this
(01:11):
year for Savor the Season, whichis extraordinary.
So major, major event happening.
It's going to be at Rhino Parkhere in just a couple of weeks
and just going to have a hugeripple effect throughout the
community.
So hope you enjoy this episode.
Learn a bit more about the goodwork that these two are doing
(01:32):
in the Denver community and staytuned as we dive into a feast
of stories and flavors andcommunity spirit.
Welcome to the RestaurantLeadership Podcast.
Welcome to the RestaurantLeadership Podcast, the show
where restaurant leaders learntools, tactics and habits from
the world's greatest operators.
I'm your host, kristen Marvin,with Solutions by Kristen.
(01:58):
I've spent the last two decadesin the restaurant industry and
now partner with restaurantowners to develop their leaders
and scale their businessesthrough powerful one-on-one
coaching, group coaching andleadership workshops.
This show is complete withepisodes around coaching,
leadership development andinterviews with powerful
industry leaders.
(02:20):
You can now engage with me onthe show and share topics you'd
like to hear about leadership,lessons you want to learn and
any feedback you have.
Simply click the link at thetop of the show notes and I will
give you a shout out on afuture episode.
Thanks so much for listeningand I look forward to connecting
.
All right, let's set the stagefor our amazing conversation
(02:47):
that we're going to have today.
Let's start with the beautifulalignment between your two
organizations.
Kristen, would you tell us alittle bit about Eat Denver's
mission to support Denver'sindependent restaurant community
?
And then, carrie, I'm going toask you how Same Cafe's so All
May Eat model embodies foodjustice in action.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah.
So Eat Denver was started in2006.
A group of independentrestaurateurs saw a lot of
chains and franchises cominginto the city and realized, you
know, we should really begetting a dedicated group
together to advocate for thelittle guys, the mom and pops,
the full service restaurants,the next generation of
hospitality and kind of theheartbeat of our communities.
(03:31):
What that's now evolved into isa community of over 450.
We say food and beverageconcepts across the region, and
so there's this shared mentality, back from 2006 through today,
of a rising tide lifts all boats.
How can we best support owners,operators, staff, the
communities they serve?
How are we advocating forequitable and inclusive
(03:54):
communities and how do we keepevolving in scale to better
serve the people who are servingour community, who are
nourishing our communities?
And so Same Cafe is just such agood model of that.
Carrie is now on our board aswell, and so we're really trying
to take the Same Cafe ethosthrough Eat Denver as well.
(04:16):
Like, you get into hospitalitybecause you enjoy service to
people, and Same Cafe just doesthat so perfectly.
I it.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Thank you.
I think, kristin, you were myfirst phone call when I found
out I was moving back to denver.
I was like, can I get backinvolved with you?
Dead need?
How do I do this?
Welcome back, thank you.
It's just such an amazingorganization.
I haven't found anything elselike it in the nation.
And um, yeah, I just you know,obviously, shameless plug, but
anybody that's listening to this.
That's not a part of theorganization, absolutely should
(04:45):
be.
But, carrie, what you're doingat SAME Cafe is a model that
I've never heard of, I've neverseen.
I mean, obviously I knew aboutyou when I lived in Denver the
first time, but give us a littlebit of insight into your
mission.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Yeah, thank you, and Kristen, thank you for the
lovely recognition.
Little plug here SAME was alsostarted in 2006 in Denver, so
pretty cool that we're bothcoming up on our 19th year in
operation, so kudos to both ofus.
But yeah, same Cafe was builton the belief that everyone,
(05:25):
regardless of ability to pay,deserves access to healthy,
delicious food served in a warm,welcoming space.
Same has operated on apay-what-you-can model for
almost 19 years and it's just asmuch about community as it is
about health and nutrition, andI think you know Eat Denver's
commitment to not only the localfood ecosystem but their
(05:48):
support.
Uplifting restaurants kind ofplays into the food-focused
nonprofit like ours, and so youknow, together we're addressing
systemic inequities and accessto healthy food in our community
.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, it's so great.
I was watching a five-minutelittle video that you have on
your website this morning andit's just, it's beautiful,
beautifully done.
Anybody should take a chanceand take, you know, five minutes
and watch it.
But just really touching, thankyou, and it's just, it's yeah,
it like made me tear up.
It was really, really cool tosee the people that you're you
know, that were beinginterviewed and loved what you
(06:25):
said about you know, some peoplecome to just our guests at same
cafe and then they end upvolunteering which is just
really really beautiful, so lovethat, thank you.
Yeah, kristen, would you talk alittle bit about the Savor the
Season event, what guests canexpect?
And Carrie, you know, amazingly, is joining us today as one of
(06:46):
the beneficiaries, but she's notthe only one.
Would you talk a little bitmore about who else this is
benefiting and how you chosethem?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
So Savor the Season is an evolution of the
longstanding Harvest Week event.
We've had a 16 year run as kindof Denver's premier
farm-to-table celebration.
We're carrying a lot of whatyou loved from Harvest Week into
Savor.
So we're featuring 24 differentrestaurants, everyone from
James Beard Award winners likeRootstock and Breckenridge to
(07:18):
Michelin Award winners like AlmaFonda, fina and best of winners
, um kind of the people who areleading the food scene, who are
doing super creative things withthe food scene.
Same cafe is cooking as well onour vegan night.
Um, all complimented by an openbar of local craft beverage,
all benefiting culinary andcommunity advocacy.
(07:38):
And so you're eating a greatmeal and it's for a great
intention.
The whole model of it is basedaround community.
The chefs are each cooking adifferent course but they're
helping each other out withtheir courses, and then on the
attendee side, you're sharing acommunity table, family style
meal and just really celebratingthe harvest season through
(07:59):
local ingredient sourcing andjust feeling good.
I don't know, I always leftharvest week feeling just so
uplifted and inspired, and weare leaning into that even
harder this year with sixdifferent nonprofit
beneficiaries, including EatDenver.
And so on Monday night we'vegot same cafe.
Tuesday we have we Don't Waste.
(08:20):
Wednesday we have Work Options.
Thursday we have Ciao, and then, kind of underwriting the whole
event, we're giving 1% back tothe planet through Zero Food
Print, who issues regenerativeagriculture grants, and so
there's always an element eitheryou're supporting culinary food
, insecurity and food justice,work food redistribution,
(08:42):
accessible workforce development.
There's some element ofculinary and community advocacy
which I think is just soessential to we're preaching
that we're helping community andwe're building community.
Let's put money into that workas well.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Yeah, here's the thing 80% of restaurants fail
because they don't have thesystems, not because they have
bad food or service.
If you're ready to stop beingthe bottleneck in your own
business and start buildingsomething that can actually
scale profitably, I want you toput Multi-Unit Mastery, my new
book, directly in your hands forfree.
(09:17):
Go to IRFbookcom right now andgrab your copy.
When you do, you're going toget access to some additional
tools that are not availableanywhere else.
This is about building a legacy, not just another location.
Stop putting it off and go getyour book Again, that's
(09:38):
IRFbookcom.
Book Again, that's IRFbookcom.
What else can guests expecteach of those nights?
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Yeah.
So each night is structuredwhere you walk into the event
and we do about an hour longcocktail, past app hour, and so
one of the restaurants everynight is doing past apps.
The menus are insane.
We always kind of tease alittle, we like doing a little
bit of a secret.
And local craft beverage again,everything from there's a local
distillery who's featured everynight Ratio Beer Works,
(10:11):
blanchard and Carboy Wines, stemCiders, and then we have some
non-alcoholic partners as well.
And then you go into TrussHouse we're doing it at Rhino
Art Park this year and there'sseated farm style tables and
then there's a course dinner, sofive courses, salad through
dessert with mains, throughoutflowing drinks, horses you see a
(10:41):
face behind the name andthere'll be a community advocate
about halfway through the nightto just deliver a quick hey,
here's who I am, here's who Irepresent, and to really ground
us in the intention of the night.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Nice Carrie.
What does this event mean toSane Cafe?
What could the impact be here?
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yeah, I mean, when I think of Savor the Season, first
thing that comes to my mind isSavor the Season is a
celebration with purpose, and Iknow that for SAME Cafe the
funding will be transformational, but also believe that it will
be transformational for allorganizations involved.
Same it really means that we'reable to continue to provide
(11:21):
chef-driven meals with dignity,increase our outreach meals that
go out into the community forfolks who don't have access to
come to the cafe and then reallyjust continue our mission where
people can eat regardless oftheir ability to pay.
So, ultimately, being a part ofthis, the visibility we get
(11:43):
through Savor the Season forSAME, it really just means that
more people will eat well andfeel valued at our cafe.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Love it.
So, Carrie, instead of a cashregister, you guys use a
donation box, right where dinerspay what they felt like their
meal was worth or exchange for30, I think it's 30 minutes of
volunteer work if they can't pay.
Can you share a story thatillustrates how this model
creates dignity and community?
Speaker 3 (12:12):
Yeah, I'd love to.
Well, yeah, at SAME we alwaysbelieve that dignity shouldn't
come with a price.
That's why we don't have a cashregister.
We offer a donation box as anoption for guests to really pay
what they can.
And one story that reallycaptures the spirit of our model
is about someone who came todine at same during a rough
(12:37):
patch in their life recentlylost their job, job and
eventually moved intohomelessness.
And the first time he came inhere he said I was really
nervous when I first walked inthe door, but quickly relaxed
when he realized that there wasno pressure to pay money and so
he got to enjoy a healthy,nutritious meal.
(12:58):
And then afterward he said I'dlove to do some dishes for you.
He began building friendshipswith staff and other volunteers
coming in every day, leading toan eventual sense of purpose
becoming part of our community.
He came back a few months laterand said hey, I found a job and
(13:19):
a place to live, but stillcomes in somewhat regularly to
volunteer and just share a meal.
But really, that's the power ofour model it transforms the act
of eating into kind of a sharedhuman experience, not a
transaction but more like aconnection, and I believe that
people who participate at SAMEare nourished not only by the
(13:42):
food, but the community thatthey find here.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Yeah, love that.
Thank you for sharing that,kristen.
How does this align thatstoryline with Eat Denver's
belief that, like you saidearlier, rising tide lifts all
boats in the restaurant industry?
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Yeah, as we're advocating for owners and
operators level and their staff,we're also looking beyond the
restaurants.
The things that sustainrestaurants are the community,
and so we also don't believethat the food community is only
limited to people who can affordthat.
Access to healthy, nutritious,culturally appropriate food is a
(14:23):
human right, and so the factthat Same Cafe is doing that
work and it's so in the heart ofDenver on Colfax it's next to
other restaurant members it'sjust really this like beacon of
everything we believe in as faras, like, what food means and I
love what Carrie said is is thatthe experience at same cafe is
(14:44):
about community, um, and it'sabout the act of eating, and I
feel like anytime I go there, Ilove that you can just sit down
and you have no idea what walksof life people are coming from
and there's no distinguishersLike what.
I don't know who's paid, Idon't know who's volunteering, I
don't know, like why they'revolunteering.
You just walk in and you feellike we're all here for the same
(15:05):
purpose to eat good food and tohelp nourish community.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
Love that Carrie.
What are you most excited aboutfor this year's event?
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Oh gosh, so many different things.
First and foremost, the food.
I, uh, as a vegan, I don't getto experience a lot of events
where the food is exclusivelyvegan, and so that was something
that I was super excited aboutwhen Eat Denver decided hey,
let's make this night vegan.
(15:34):
It also opens the door forpeople who may not feel like
they had a place at the tablebefore the community of the
evening.
I'm really excited to be a partof all the community
represented there, working withthe other chefs and restaurants
and then, yeah, meeting newpeople.
Any opportunity for visibilityfor not only Eat Denver and SANE
(15:58):
is going to just boost ourorganizations in a positive way.
So, yeah, I'm just.
This is besides the Big Eat.
This is my second favorite foodevent of the year.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Yeah, kristen, what about you?
Speaker 2 (16:14):
I love all of these events.
My favorite part is going backinto the kitchen and seeing.
I think sometimes chefs arejust so in their lane,
especially in independentrestaurants where you just don't
have enough staff to do everyjob.
So you barely leave the officeand you're getting out in the
community and you're cookingalongside people who you might
(16:35):
never have cooked with or thatyou admire, and you're rubbing
shoulders with other chefs andyou get to just be in a space of
positivity.
I think that's another thingwith our industry.
Like you're doing what you love, you're here to cook, you're
passionate, you'repurpose-driven and they're all
helping each other out.
Like we'll have someone on pastapps that's at like 6 pm and
(16:57):
they will stay through 9 3030 tohelp plate dessert and they're
there throughout the night andjust going back into the kitchen
and everyone's laughing andhaving a great time.
And then you go out into theattendee facing side and
everyone's just like so gentlyeating and chatting and meeting
new people, just the flow of theevent.
You leave feeling so I don'tknow, you feel very uplifted.
(17:19):
I already said that, but I justlove watching all the chefs get
to hang out with each other andin a really intentional space.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Yeah, that's so exciting.
I second what both of you havesaid.
I mean being a part of HarvestWeek for years behind the scenes
, to be able to see that chefand front of house community
come together and help washdishes, help, you know, do
whatever needed to be done forthe greater good, was just
awesome.
I can't wait to be a guest thisyear, which for the first time
(17:49):
which would be great.
It'll feel weird, I'll probablywant to get up and run some
food.
I can't help it, but it'll beso exciting to see the evolution
and what Savor the Season, kindof you know grows into be this
year and the ripple impact thatthis will have on all of these
beneficiaries.
So super fun and amazing to seewhat's next for this amazing
(18:12):
event, for anybody that'sinspired, that's listening to
this and they are eager to getinvolved in the event.
Or with Same Cafe.
Carrie, let's start with you.
How do people get involved withSame Cafe?
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Great Love that People can either join us for
lunch Monday through Friday atthe cafe, which is located at
2023 East Colfax Avenue inDenver.
We are open for lunch from 11to 2.30 pm, monday through
Friday, or you can visit us atthe City Park Farmers Market on
(18:47):
Saturdays from 8 am to 1 pm.
Or you can visit our websiteand you can learn how to get
involved in other ways, bybecoming a sustaining monthly
donor or picking up a volunteershift.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Awesome and Kristen tell people how they get
involved with Eat Denver.
How do they buy tickets to thisamazing event?
Speaker 2 (19:06):
If you go to eatdenvercom, slash saver, or if
you just go to eatdenvercom, Iinstalled a pop-up so you can't
miss it.
Check out the website.
We have our full restaurantlineup on there, our full
beverage lineup.
If you're interested inpartnership opportunities, we've
got a deck there.
I do want to plug.
We recently started doing afour-pack promo.
(19:27):
So if you're trying to treatsome clients, if you've got a
group of friends, if you'regoing on a double date, a
four-pack of tickets for theprice of three.
So really cool deal.
Again, some of these lineupsare restaurants that you can't
get a reservation at.
So come to this event andexperience six restaurants all
(19:48):
in the same place.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Awesome, yeah, I don't think we.
The four pack is a first timeas just exclusive to this event,
so super exciting yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Yeah, the four pack.
We're trying to.
We love the feel of peoplesitting in community at the
tables and trying to takeadvantage.
There's so many people who havebeen long-time supporters who
come with their friends, um,trying to reward that, trying to
attract more corporate groupsas well.
I think this is such a coolevent to reward teams or expose
(20:17):
people to the culinary talent ofthe city and so trying to take
advantage of larger groups whomight want to attend a
co-culinary event.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
Yeah, absolutely All right everybody.
Thank you so much for listening.
Go into Same Cafe, sign up forEat Denver, buy your four-packet
tickets to savor the season.
Can't wait to see you there.
Experience what Denver has tooffer from the culinary scene
and give back to your community.
Do good out there and thank youboth for your time.
(20:46):
I know you're both really,really busy and thank you for
all that you are doing for thecommunity of Denver and we will
talk to you very, very soon.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Thanks, Kristen all right thanks everybody, bye.
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