December 3, 2025 • 40 mins
On this episode presented by Meraki Cannabis & NOBO Dispensary
Saturday: Colfax Crawl - Support local restaurants & catch a buzz in the process. (12-3PM, Starting at NOBO. Tickets availble through EatDenver).
Sunday for Tacos 4 Toys (Bear Leek: 2611 Larmier St. 3PM Sunday), Free to attend, bring gifts or donate to participate.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stoned-appetit--3077842/support.
- We Gear Up for the Colfax Crawl This Saturday with EatDenver, WeedMaps & Toast.
- Chef Brandon Soto joins the pod to talk about the Tacos 4 Toys Campaign
- Life Advice & Fun Ish with a remarkable human & Chef.
Saturday: Colfax Crawl - Support local restaurants & catch a buzz in the process. (12-3PM, Starting at NOBO. Tickets availble through EatDenver).
Sunday for Tacos 4 Toys (Bear Leek: 2611 Larmier St. 3PM Sunday), Free to attend, bring gifts or donate to participate.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stoned-appetit--3077842/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
The suppression of the use of marijuana, and these is
running behind.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
It are the most important jobs is talking the records
on marijuana and the Washington an Arconic Division gstually build
a small former like that. Today they built a pattern.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Welcome ladies and gentlemen, Coloradians and everyone that's mort enough
to listen from the outside. One of the most amazing
plants we've ever discovered, the pott talking, the trippers, the
glass ops, the hip books, all gathered in secrecy, and
the Flying Eye.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
As a country.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
All right, Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. Usually you would
hear Chris and I do a quick intro before we
dive into it the nitty gritty of interviews. But Sebee's
got fatherly duties and we respect that wholeheartedly. I believe
we still count this as paternity leaves, so he's allowed
to be away. But we've got a great episode for
(01:12):
y'all today. We're sitting down with Chef Brandon Sodo, who
is talking a little bit more about the details for
Tacos for Toys, as well as his journey and the
state of the industry not only in Colorado but from
where he grew up to where the industry is now.
It's a riveting, riveting interview, Like I want to sit
(01:33):
there and have coffee with this dude and just chat
for hours on end. But he was so methodical as
well as articulate, and he thinks before he speaks, which
is something that is rare for me. But at the
same time, we've got a great episode for y'all today.
Before we dive into any of that, I want to
give a shout out to our sponsors, Nobo Dispensary. They
(01:55):
are the home ship for this weekend's food crawl, presented
by our friends at Toast and weed Maps. That's right. Obviously,
it's the season for supporting local businesses. Holiday season it
is kind of tough on everybody. Everyone's watching what they spend.
So if you are going to spend, support local businesses,
(02:16):
support people in your community and those in your neighborhood.
This weekend eat Denver, where we've kind of curated this
fun little food crawl that will be full of munchies,
dank food, and good smoke, large in part thanks to
our friends over at Nobo Dispensary. They're there for you
beyond just the food crawl. You can find them at
(02:39):
nine to seventy Lincoln Street, right there in downtown Denver
on the verge of Cap Hill. They're perfect sbout to
stop in on your way to work or on your
way home, especially when you have the family in town
tis the season. But at the same time, when you're
looking for specific products, ask for the fat Gram's cartridges
when you're there. We've called it the unofficial vight pen
(03:01):
of the hospitality industry, and I stand by that. And
you can get that product at Nobo as well as
a litany of restaurant or a litany of dispensaries across
the Colorado region. So if you're looking for fat Grams
and you like what you see, you can also find
their products in the uh Muraki family. They have glacier concentrates,
(03:24):
they have unbelievably award winning flowers. They have a litany
of brands and genetics underneath their umbrellas. So shout out
to our friends at Muraki, Fat Grams and Nobo. Without y'all,
not only would we not be able to do this
weekend's bad Ass fundraiser for the local restaurants along Colfax,
(03:46):
presented by Toast and weat Maps, I didn't forget where
my bread is buttered. But at the same time, they're
also the reason that we're able to do this podcast.
We're thankful for them, and we're also thankful for what
they give to the community. Y'all check them out local
support those that also support other businesses in our industry.
We can't tell you how much we appreciate them enough.
(04:07):
That's like a three minute ad read. We've got to
be good to get let's do it. I told you
all we have an inspirational interview today and we're sitting
down with a culinary wizard in the community, Cheff Brand
and Soto, to talk about Tacos for toys as well
as all the gnarly stuff he's been up to in
(04:27):
the community. We were just talking off air about, you know,
ways to make a difference during the holiday season. We've
seen throughout the month of November that times are tough
on those in the community. And that's the key word
there is community, and so folks are stepping up to
help out however they can. Chef included through doing things
(04:50):
for the holiday season, but also trying to help just
raise awareness about, you know, things going on in the
industry and in the Society and so we're excited to
sit down with Chef brand In today. Our interview is
presented by our friends over at Nobo Dispensary and our
friends over at Muraki Cannabis. We did the long ad
read earlier with Chris and I's the intro. If I
(05:11):
didn't get it in there, you'll know where to shop.
Go to Nobo at nine seventy, grab your muraki and
your fat grams. They obviously have a litany of other products,
but we love our friends at Muraki and Nova. So
thank y'all for sporting this interview in this podcast. It's
a it's a hell of a job. Chef. How are
you today, brother?
Speaker 2 (05:30):
I'm doing great, Kip, how are you brother?
Speaker 1 (05:34):
I see we're both like we're bundled off. We've got
our sweaters on. It's the season, you know, it's now
fallen and the trees are now rising. We're starting to
see them around the community and the city. It's it's
that time of year again.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
It is indeed, you know, it's beautiful and you know
hopefully the trees, you know, have an understanding of permanence
and return just in the way that we can you know,
instill for ourselves.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
God, that is you're so wise. You're gonna be like,
twenty minutes into this episode like the fuck am I
doing here? I'm just a dude, many, I get it, brother, Okay.
So we like to start every interview in episode the
same way, which is tell us a little bit about yourself.
Are you a local to Colorado? Are you a transplant
like the ninety percent of us? Where did you come from?
(06:22):
How'd you fall in love with working in kitchens? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Man, I grew up in New York' Hudson Valley, spent
some time in northeastern Pennsylvania, diet some beautiful stints in
New York City restaurants, and found myself at Devil's Thumb
ranch in Tabernash, And then by way of some incredible people,
found myself on this side of the front range about
nine years ago. And in that timeframe, I've you know,
(06:48):
found myself in you know, many beautiful environments around incredible
figureheads in our industry. And now I'm very grateful to
have the space to be able to, you know, share
what my message and what my impact is going to
bring to the table.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
So with that Tabernash like a winter park kid, are
you a snowbomb.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
You know, I'm actually not a snow bomb. I've never
even gone skiing once. The draw was for one a
chef who's now passed, very dear to my heart, my chef,
Evan Treadwell, formerly of some incredible California restaurants Alice Waters, Alum,
and he happened to be a very instrumental in you know,
(07:33):
my career, in personal life and that development. But Devil's
Thumb happens to raise some high lineage to gema black
wagu cattle hybrids and the closeness to food and being
a New York kid who didn't really have that access
to you know, rural comforts, it was a huge draw
and it frankly changed my life. I'll always remember stepping
(07:56):
off of the shuttle and seeing the magic Steve the
mountains and it's, you know, as clich as it may be,
it's called me ever since. And you know, I'm very
grateful for the space that we have in Colorado and
our community, in both food and outside of that as
it's directly raised me and helped me find a path
(08:17):
that you know, brings joy in my heart and hopefully
can bring more to others too.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
I love it, and I mean that's the ethist like
it feels. We've often used kind of like the podcast
treat we treat it like a sports talk radio when
Chris and I are goofing off. But at the same time,
you know, the kitchen is very much like a like
a locker room where you know, people come from all
different backgrounds, have different you know, upbringings and lifestyles and
things of that nature, but they kind of have to
have that cohesion where they can work with one another.
(08:44):
And it should be a microcosm for society. But sadly
it seems that we've strayed away from it. But you've
been able to keep that ethos. You know, you've been
able to kind of you know, like you see the
good in everybody, and sadly, sometimes you know it's like shit,
we have to do a little bit more then we
ask of. You know, someone that works, you know, whether
it's front of house, back of house, they're now taking
(09:05):
up and being like the community directors we're being. You know,
someone that's doing secret shopping or you know the angels
from the tree. You may be one of those angels,
but you're also a wizard that's in the kitchen. Also
riddlely this as someone who just loves food as much
as we do. Where have you been eating recently that
everybody needs to go dine at?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Ooh, that's a great question.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I'm keeping you on your toes because i know I'm
going a hard end the hospitality here in a second.
But every time I see you, it's always I see
you out and about when dining.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
So h well, I mean, the last place we ran
into each other was that Barely And these guys are awesome.
Rema is just a blessing to have in the community,
and Harrison is an enigma. They're incredible folks and seeing
them work together, Carlos and Tera, they are all stars
in local industry. I'm really loving them. But to be honest,
(09:59):
one my haunts I have to go like at least
once a week is Rosenberg's. You know, Josh, Dustin and
Danny really you know, keep a tight ship. And that's
really close to my heart.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
I like being the nor New Yorker and you know, yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
You know, I need a bagel and cream cheese. You know,
it just fills the heart. But like yesterday, like my
my new rotation is hitting fits for coffee and five points,
then rolling over to Rosenberg's and you just get the
best of both worlds. You know, get a nice cup
of coffee, good vibe, chill, and then you go and
grab a bagel and schmear and you know everything's in
the clear.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Dude. Okay, So you, being a New Yorker, I'm sure
you'll take a umbrage even with this price point. But
Rosenbergs announced that they were doing like you know, they
called it the bodega, which is their breakfast sandwich which
is either a bacon, egg and cheese or a tailor
pork roller, Taylor Ham, whatever you want to call it,
egg and cheese for six or seven dollars. And people
were up in arms. They were like, first off, this
(10:55):
isn't New Yorker, this isn't New Jersey. I know you're
gonna secretly charge me knight teen dollars, but they really are.
They're a great little slice of the East Coast. And
I know that Josh takes great pride in that, and
I know I'll love here and that you know, for
you being a New Yorker that being your institution, that's great.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Oh, it certainly is. I've had the opportunity during the
pandemic to work with those guys too, So they're all
very close to my heart. And you know, frankly, have
you know, shared a section of you know, the journey
with me that I was instrumental. So very grateful for
those guys and even more grateful to the fact that
they have nostalgic food for me.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Well, I'm grateful for you taking the time because that
actually has me hungry. Even like in the middle of
the day, I'll easily slide through resumes and when they
do the late night slider minus once ever in a while,
I mean, you can't beat it with a stick. They're
keeping themselves on their toes over there.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Oh, I'm a big, big fan of the smash burger,
and I'm a bit of like a sandwich historian in
a way. So showing homage to white Manna and the
kind of like you know, the groundbreaking kind of fast
food burger service, it's incredible. Not only is it really lovely,
but also it's an incredibly intelligent homage to the path
(12:13):
of our food service history in the country.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
White Man of two ends White Man on one inn
because I know there is two different delis out there
that people will take umbrage. If you're going to the
wrong one and swearing by that one.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
You know you want to be the one that cost
to your heart. God, not the wrong answer.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
You're a fucking politician. What if that wasn't the most
non answer that it was wrong answer? No, you know
you mentioned grateful and you know appreciation, and I can't
say enough that we appreciate what you've been doing, not
only in the community, but also in the kitchens in
the industry. We had you on today because we wanted
(12:52):
to talk a little bit about your campaign that you're doing.
So while I may have gone on a tangent, that's
what happens when I get high with my I wanted
to have you on to talk about our fundraising efforts
that we have coming up in two weeks on December seventh.
You're hosting an event that not only will raise money awareness,
(13:13):
but also we're trying to load up to maybe three
truckloads of toys or kids in the community. Can you
tell everybody a little bit more about what we've got
on the docket, and then we'll dive more back into
the food I don't want to lose people with us
nerding out on East Coast Snacks.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
No doubt. Well, we have an incredible opportunity to steward
one of my favorite local organizations called the Denver Santa
Claus Shop. They are the longest running female lad nonprofit
in Denver history, and they do an incredible job giving
a bespoke experience for shoppers to effectively walk through their space.
(13:51):
They're currently located at the corner of Colorado, and I
believe that's first in the Cherry Creek area. They typically
take over an old department store to give a a
space for people who wouldn't otherwise be able to give
their you know, children or their you know, little ones
(14:12):
incredible gifts and a large array, and they have an
incredible opportunity to give a very as I was saying,
bespoke experience to shop select things that would be you know,
lovely for each of their you know loved ones. And
then also they do incredible book donations where kids can
come in during their shopping hours and choose as many
(14:35):
books as they would like. They're extremely impactful and have
been operating for over sixty years. But essentially what we'll
be doing is hosting a Toys for Tacos event. This
is our second annual and a little bit more dialed
in than last year. We're showcasing a few different local chefs.
Currently we have three locked in and our tickets will
(14:58):
be for seventy five dollars fifty if you bring two
or more toys. All of that information will be available
on bare leaks Open Table, and we have an incredible
opportunity to just impact our community, and you know, be
sure that we can be instilling joys in every corner
that we can.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
I love it. I love it, and you know you're
using your platform and you're working within your network to
help a greater good, which is something that really gets
us excited. And so that's why we want to talk
a little bit more about it. You know, I know
some of the chefs that will be participating are friends
of ours as well as those that move the needle
just as yourself in the community. Like you have a
star studed team that are coming out to make some dankness,
(15:39):
including some of our friends from the distribution and supplier
side as well. So while it may be a toy drive,
we may have a silent auction on site, you'll also
be eating good for a good.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Cause exactly right. The silent Auction is really incredible and
this year we having like remarkable commitments so far. We
have dinner for two at Margo courtesy of Chef Justin,
so that's a huge situation, a lot of.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Fun Michelin Star meal right there, I.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Know, and Chef Justin and his team, they're remarkable. We
also have two beautiful prints being donated by the founders
of Vino out the trunk. Armando Gineo and Third Division
will also be showcasing a Haye Kiddo gift card and
incredible representation from Molino Cheto. My friend Michael, we spent
(16:32):
a good bit of time at Bruto together doing some
lovely work and really excited to see what him and
Tommy and some of our Bruto lum have in store
at Molino Cheto. They're going to be donating the masa,
so of course all of the proteins in the street
taco style formatting are going to be delicious because we
have killer people. Josh Bedner from work bench serving wag you,
(16:54):
Den Wag you. The folks that dost caught us like
slinging their Carneita's de covid. Kevin Chew from a seat
serve and a bit of a local legend from Chilan
and Boracho and really cool concepts. But furthermore, all the
tortillas are going to be made by fresh Masa, produced
by the Molino Cheto crew, So every aspect is going
(17:17):
to be just elegant and really lovely. Way to celebrate
the season and you know, get our energies high and
able to promote it to the community.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Okay, so you mentioned a couple of things. For those
that don't know, Melino Cheeto as we are recording this
episode is opening their doors this weekend. I'm going to
swing through a Friday, and I can vouch that everything
Michael Touches does in fact turn to gold, whether it's
a star are just you know, a fucking banger of
a taco. He's going to put his best foot forward.
And now that he's back in a kitchen after traveling
(17:51):
the world, I bet you we see some fun stuff
coming out of it. But the fact that he has
his own tortilla station inside the Stanley, it's very choice war.
And then obviously all those other chefs you mentioned that
will be providing, you know, their dank recipes and making
up some slaughter tacos it's gonna be immaculate and I
love to see it. Y'all. We all have posts on
(18:12):
our social media where you can find links to bear
Leaks open table, so that if you want to buy
tickets to the festivities, remember you get discounted pricing if
you bring toys as well, but also bring your pocketbook.
You can enjoy, you know, Michelin Star dining experiences, you
can win, you know, dining with the Eds family, things
(18:32):
of that nature. It's going to be a hoot a
holler and offer a great calls. Brandon, You've got a
pretty deep network. Your rolodex kind of runs pretty real
far in the community. Let's talk a little bit about
some of the restaurants that you've worked with and why
folks should be like, fuck, this guy knows what he's
talking about. He's sourcing only the best. What have you
been up to? Like, I mean, I see you goofing
(18:53):
off with Justin. There's picture stuff here with Byron. I mean,
you're a star student chef yourself. Any chance we're gonna
see you get your hand dirty or will you be
shaking hands and kissing babies on the night of the evening?
Speaker 2 (19:03):
You know, I wanted to be sure that we can
you know, draw a lot of impact and be able
to you know, connect. So I feel like I'll probably
be able to uh, you know, step away from the
shaking hands and kissing baby side of things to uh,
you know, mixed master. I'm the tortilla station, so I'm
pretty down for that. Always down to SLINKs and masa,
(19:24):
but you know, the real treat. I'll be able to
fashion some coquito. I happen to be partially of Puerto
Rican heritage, so that's very close to me. And Carlos,
the beverage director at bare Leakey, and I are gonna
work out some remarkable coquito and make sure that we
can be flowing that. So there's gonna be some opportunities
for me to you know, share not only like my culture,
(19:45):
but also some of the you know, aspects of things
that I've learned, which masa before working with Michael at Bruto,
I had very minimal exposure to. It was a catalyzing
opportunity to uh connect with my Latino roots as well
as just see how much we are the same rice
and a different being. I like to say, you know,
whether we're considering the Caribbean or Southeast Asia, any part
(20:08):
of the path of Hispanic influence. You know, we're all
we're all doing very similar things and we all get
to have this beautiful coalesced culture that we can revel
in today. And through the time at Bruto, we had
some awesome opportunities really elevating that culture to a stage
where we can share it with a very wide audience.
(20:31):
And there's been titans in our local industry that have
really been like taking that baton and bringing it far
beyond those means. And you know, from there, just again
grateful and excited to be doing some lovely stuff. Regarding
some other previous experience I found myself in, you know,
several different environments. My first little space in town was
(20:55):
working as part of the opening team at Tavernetta. Again
very catalyzing and just learning a lot about life. And
as we made we had spoke briefly off record like
our community is something that has really raised me and
helped me give a sense of direction that has led
to impact both in the philanthropic sense for toys for
(21:17):
tacos and some other ideas that are conjuring, but then
also in sustainability and food and my current mission with
Blue Sun Food is effectively turning waste into revenue for
local organizations and finding ways that we can take by
products of food and beverage industry and elevate them to unique,
(21:39):
calorie dense and nutritious also delicious products. For instance, we
make chocolate alternatives based off of espresso grounds that are
decaffeinated and then also the byproducts of Colorado sake companies
sake leaves and really lovely vegan white chocolate alternatives. We've
even gone into the realm of producing all purpose flowers
(22:02):
from beer grain waste that is supplied by Long Table
brew House Nate and his team of remarkable stewards of
fermentation and having credible products, and I'm grateful to making
incredible products from their byproducts. We have also landed on
a thirty five percent utilization of bread waste in a
(22:24):
pasta that is extruded, so both fresh, frozen and dry
will be on hopefully on stores storeeshells soon and we'll
be doing some lovely stuff.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
I love it, And let's do a thirty thousand foot
view of what Blue Sun Food is. You kind of
give us the rundown, and you know, the nitty gritty
of what you are converting of the food waste, especially
as we see more of it in you know, today's
day and age, and we're trying to be you know,
more impactful but also more resourceful to help our communities.
What is what all is Blue Sun Food and how
(22:56):
did it come to fruition?
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Yeah? So, Blue Sun Food is a manufacturer of upcycled
food products. The genesis of the project arrived towards the
end of my stint at Bruto, where a colleague was
toying with chocolate alternatives based on you know, corn and
(23:21):
amazake he had made and other really incredible things, and
together we were able to jump down a rabbit hole
that I was able to continue to follow through with
considering what available resources we have in our community that
would otherwise be considered waste. And as much as I
would like to say that that's the true genesis, Like frankly,
(23:42):
I come from an environment where doing what we have
with what we have available, or doing the best we
have and with what we have available, is very important.
And you know, without that, it's just an extension of
the path that others have walked to get me where
I am. And with that effectively We're just looking to
(24:04):
reconsider our resources and reconsider our perspectives. That's why Blue
Sun has named it what it is, as we're all
under the same sun. Many of us like chocolate, many
of us like pasta, A lot of us bake with flour,
and you know, finding a way to just show a
sense of ubiquity and connection. I feel can shine a
(24:25):
light on something new and something bold.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Hearing that it came from the ds family, you know,
like with when your time over at Bruda is the
least surprising ever. Obviously, you know Green Star initiatives with
how Byron and Barra with her fermentation programs. Kelly was
trying to grow you know, his own corn and grains
and things of that nature for dry storage. To see
this evolution and you know making it your own while
(24:52):
also sourcing from other businesses in the industry and in
the community. It really is. That's just that's fucking awesome
and it pretty much a mad scientist. So Wizard in
the Kitchen still holds as true as it did fifteen
twenty minutes ago.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Yeah, I mean, ask my girlfriend. It looks like Stanley
Yilnatz and Holes trying to concoct his formula in our
home most days.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
I love it. I love it. Okay, So you obviously
know your way around the Colorado dining community. Your resume
is star studded. We spoke a little bit about breakfast
and those guilty pleasure meals and coffee shops, but you
also spoke a little bit of your Latino or Hispanic
heritage as well. Let's give a little insight for someone
that obviously knows fine dining. Let's talk a little bit
(25:36):
more about our speed. We love things like taco trucks,
hole in the walls, restaurants that don't get nearly enough love.
As we shift into more of the personal questions from
Blue Sun, give us some recommendations of restaurants that you
feel are deserve it of a shout out that maybe
don't get enough love, that you know are different beans,
same rice, but also excellent tacos and things of that
(25:58):
in the community. Because I personally that's what I that's
my forte will. Everyone loves a tasting menu. I love
a two dollars taco or a twelve dollars plate of
you know, papoosas and everything under the sun. Give us
a little inside of where you're dining, you know, for
some of those sleepier spots or kicking over rocks.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
Absolutely the best place anyone can go to. It's a
bit of a pilgrimage as it's in the most far
southeast corner of Aurora. Cuba Bakery and Cafe. You you know,
that's it, the Croquetta's the whole nine. They just do it.
They do it right. There's not a lot of places
like that out here. It's very close, very similar to
(26:40):
how Rosenbersus is equally nostalgic going to grab a plate
and fried like tasty things like that's just the move.
Like when I'm back home in New York, that's the
first thing I'm gonna do. But that being Cuba Bakery Cafe,
everyone needs to go if you haven't gone. And also
a little bit like more centralized to Denver, but still
in like an offshoot off of Alameda La Kaye, Like
(27:05):
oh yeah, like you know, Michael might be opening Molino Cheeto,
but when we would do all of our menu collabing
and such and post bruto kind of pow wows, it
always was hosted at La Kaye. That's the spot there.
Pace is fire. Everything they do is remarkable. Their tortillas
are good. And also it's just like a fun, little
homie spot, you know, very cozy, very comfortable, and it
(27:28):
really it hasn't changed in the past like five ten years,
other than just you know, I'm slightly extended offerings to
their space.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
And it's great. Oh my dad, I took him there,
and you know, obviously sometimes when the spicy salsa you
want a beer to wash it down. But ye, you
know that with a Mexican coke sitting in the back room.
My dad was like that just so good. And then
every time I post something about a taco, he's like,
is that the taco spot we went to? Like it
(27:59):
is Lacaia is wonderful. And talking about Cuba bakery and cafe, well,
you know, we love a good Cuban and I go
to elba Heo on the West Side for the sandwich
Cuba Bakery when they do the the hotel pans of
like the hot bar, and every day has a different
menu every time because I don't go out there nearly enough,
ause I'm out here in Arvada. Like every time I'm like,
(28:22):
fuck yeah, if it's goat, if it's just like whatever,
the dish of the day is It's like, okay, I'll
grab that. Let me grasp some croquettes as plantains, let
me grab a couple of sweet treats, and then I
grab one of them or two of those coffees, and
I just sit there and eat lunch by myself for
like two hours. I fucking love that spot. Oh, I
had them all my power rankings of sandwiches and like
(28:44):
Cuban eateries in town. That's a great find and.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
Also another killer spot that's going to be opening super soon,
Cape Thrace. I'm sure everyone who goes to a farmer's
market knows about Cape Thrace. Mike is remarkable. Talk about
an alchemist in a wizard. He has some of the
tastiest pastelios I've ever had in my life, the guayaba
and cheese. His morenos are money. Everything he does touches
(29:12):
like everything he touches, his gold and beautiful golden crust flaky.
They're killing it. I think they're set to open by
the end of this month as well, so a lot
of the.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Location and since we're dropping this episode and a week
or two as we get closer to the festivities of
toys for tacos, I mean should we just tell him
to go check out social media because I'm already my
mouth is watering, just like drooling over here, like fuck,
I want that.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
I'm in the same boat. I'm not exactly sure where
they're located, although if you follow cafe trees on Instagram
you can absolutely find what they're doing. And they're just awesome.
And Mike is just such a wholesome dude, very kind
and if you, you know, have the honor of trying
his cafe seat though it's proper.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
It's probably I mean, take it from chef that knows, y'all,
this is fucking awesome, Brandon, I love the insights. Hey,
we like to ask all of our guests a couple questions,
especially on their first time through. I did not preface
you with these questions before the interview. We were just
chatting up a storm, so I figured i'd shoot from
the hip a little bit. If you were if you
were an appetizer on a menu, what menu are? What
(30:18):
item would you be?
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Oh, that's a great question. If I was an appetizer
on a menu, you know I would be a little
chili Riano from Laaloma bathing and green chili.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
Okay, if you are a green If you had to
pick a green chili in town which loans Loloma lo Looma.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Oh yeah, I love.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Their fluffy tortillas too. You can kind of just like
you can create it's almost like a it's almost like
a dip, you know, with the you can make your
own like fluffy chip with.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
A little I like, I'm not gonna throw shade on
anyone's green chili. There's some good stuff, but Laloma there's
a sense of just kishness and a sense of joy
that there's space like you know, just offers and you know,
there's something fun about having a chili rianno that's wrapped
with an egg roll wrapper.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
You know. Yeah, if you were a dinosaur, what dinosaur
would you have been? Yeah? That's because they're bad ass, all.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Those cool little armor plates. You know, like they're ready
for war, but they're not trying to. You know, it's
better to be a gardener or a warrior and a
garden than a gardener in a warter.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
I love that answer. That's great, and that's a proper
answer as to why as well, not only the armor plates,
but you know, amidst war. Okay, so this is the
last question. It's a little bit of a thinker, so
feel free to take your time. It's called our last Supper.
You've obviously have a long history of working in the
hospitality industry, have probably met a lot of chefs through
(31:50):
kitchens over the years. But this is for those that
maybe you always look to, whether it was from you know,
inspiration growing up on the East Coast, or maybe you
know you're time here in Colorado. It's called you have
to pick three people to join you for your last
supper on Earth. They cannot be friends or family, but
we want to know who you They can be dead
or alive. You can pick Prince, you can pick JFK.
(32:13):
You can pick mom Donnie. You know, as we're recording this,
we don't know if he's going to be the new
mayor of New York or not. But fingers crossed, you
can have any three folks join you, and we want
to know what would be on the table, what are
we eating, drinking, et cetera for your last supper.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
Totally, this is a good one. This is a really
good one. Keeping it true to my roots. At one
point in time, I had, you know, helmed the Bokouse
namesake restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America, so his
own I would have to say, Paul Bocuse, and he's
(32:53):
just you know, he's set the paradigm for what we
have now. And when it comes to fine dining. I
would also pick Jerry Garcia on a big deadhead and uh,
you know Jerry, Jerry's the man man. And then our
our third, that one's a little tough. I would probably say,
(33:19):
you know, bad Bunny. Yeah, I think that would be sick.
I think that would be really rad. He seems like
the coolest dude. His sense of humor is remarkable. His
whole Shrek skit that he did on like SNL, that
would just I was in tears. I was like ugly laughing, crying.
(33:40):
He is the funniest guy and also he happens to
just be groovy as hell. I think he's super rad. Yeah,
I would love the three of those to dine with.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
I couldn't agree more. He seems like he's just a fun,
down to earth person despite man worth you know, zillions
of dollars, and everybody like kind of comes for him
for you know, whether it's the Super super Bowl or not,
you know, participating and you know, North America are an
American tour with the current state of the world, and
it's just like no, he just like practices what he preaches.
(34:13):
And also every time you see him online or on television,
he seems down to earth in like a fun hang
like that's a great call.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Yeah, and thank you. And you know it's I think
it's important as a Puerto Rican in the diaspora. You know,
our space has been you know occupied by various people
and various supportive you know governments that have given the
space the identity that it has. And knowing that Bad
(34:43):
Bunny is showcasing the initiatives for independence and you know,
really bringing a lot of value to the island so
that we can be a bit more like, you know,
self supportive. I think it's incredibly impactful for millions of
Puerto Ricans on the island, on the islands and in
the diaspora. So that's you know, very huge and you know,
(35:06):
very important for you know, moving ideas forward and yeah,
very and also all of those individuals have done exactly
that and really have cast a movement, whether it's you know,
considering more you know, social environmental causes of today's day
and age or considering like the mass shift in consciousness
(35:29):
that arose in the late nineteen sixties that was then
stewarded by you know, a band of fellas just doing
groovy stuff. You know, we're all we're all doing the thing,
and it's very important to just honor the path that
others followed. And with that being said, the thing I
think we would eat, actually the thing I know we
would eat is my mom's egg clamp parmesan and my
(35:50):
father being of Puerto Rican heritage, my mother of Italian,
like a true New York or yeah, yeah, man, And
it's a blessing. And you know, my mom's amazing, and
that's the true genesis of this project. You know, she
was a woman who could feed five mouths off of
minimal and would make it delicious. And I'm very grateful.
(36:12):
She's actually going to be in town next week. We're
gonna hit Cheeto on the opening. It's going to be killer.
But she's remarkable and her food is even better.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
I love it. That sounds so fucking good, and right now,
especially you know it's just cold outside. An egg plant
parm sounds absolutely scrumptious, But so do fucking tacoutely you know,
I know, we went kind of full circle and talked
about all sorts of different things. That's kind of the
tangents of what happens when I do these episodes without
Chris as the anchor. For those that are still with us,
(36:43):
let's give a subtle reminder how folks can get involved
with Toys for Tacos, how folks can find you on
social media because it sounds like your food. I mean,
everyone should know your food adventures are as delicious as
the ones that you speak about, and you know how
they can get or involved, whether it's with Blue Sign
from a restaurant tours perspective, but also how they can
(37:05):
be just better people in the community and rally around
the industry itself.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
Absolutely, so to recap, you can find any information about
Toys for Tacos coming from my personal Instagram at Sandon
Broto as well as at bar Leak. We'll be operating
that day on December seventh from three to nine pm,
and again all information on regarding tickets will be available
(37:32):
on baar Leak's open table account. Also, when it comes
to Blue Sun Food, you can find us on Instagram
as well at Blue Sun Food and if any questions
arrive with how we can you know, utilize what we
have available. I'd always love to chat and you know, effectively,
(37:53):
when we look at our industry right now as a whole,
there's you know a lot of opportunities for us to
you know, show a sense of reclamation and reprise, and
you know, looking at our available resources is incredibly important
and giving a sense of utilization in their totality. So
whether that's looking in your you know, your compost, been
(38:16):
looking in your trash, or just looking around you and
seeing what we have to offer, Like, the answers are there,
and you know, nature speaks in interesting ways, you know,
sometimes with a thought or idea, or sometimes with you know,
a beautiful pink streak in the uh in the sunset.
They just have to be listening.
Speaker 1 (38:35):
Dude, you're kind of you're a poet over here. Not
only is your vocabulary bast as fuck, especially by comparison
to the host of this podcast, but at the same time,
you speak eloquently about so many things that it just
paints a gorgeous picture. And I just can't tell you
how much I appreciate you taking the time to not
only talk about toys for tacos or tacos for toys. Wait,
say tacos for toys. Tacos for toys. But at the
(38:58):
same time, just for you know, in a beaming light
in the community and in the industry. You're just a
joy and I can't tell you how much I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (39:06):
I thank you for the same, Kip. It's a blessing
to have gone from a viewer to a participant and
seeing all of the things that you steward in the community,
from eat Denver to all the lovely things in Stone Appetite.
You make sure everyone's smoking and drinking good and eating.
It's so lovely and I'm very grateful for that. You know,
it's people like you that give the voice to many,
(39:30):
So thank you for that, Liaison.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
I appreciate you. Chef. Thank you so much, not only
for taking the time, but what you're doing in the community. Y'all.
You can find all of the details on bear Leagus
Open Table. You can find them on our social and
all the channels that Chef just mentioned. Dude, we cannot
tell you how much we appreciate it enough. I hope
you have a wonderful holidays. Please enjoy time with the family,
if you get that eggplant parm you must send picks
(39:54):
so that we can live vicariously.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
Three well invite you over man.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
Challenge accepted. I love a home coaked meal. It's soup
season over here, so as often and as much as
I love going out to eat, every time I'm just
radio silent on social media. It's because I'm just sitting
at home, stewing over a room or a boxed male.
So I mean, any chance I can get to go
eat other home cooked meals, I love it to pieces
for our listeners at home. We hope you'll have a
(40:20):
wonderful holiday as you'll stay warm, stay high, and stay hungry. Cheers.
Speaker 2 (40:28):
That's it.
The suppression of the use of marijuana, and these is
running behind.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
It are the most important jobs is talking the records
on marijuana and the Washington an Arconic Division gstually build
a small former like that. Today they built a pattern.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Welcome ladies and gentlemen, Coloradians and everyone that's mort enough
to listen from the outside. One of the most amazing
plants we've ever discovered, the pott talking, the trippers, the
glass ops, the hip books, all gathered in secrecy, and
the Flying Eye.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
As a country.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
All right, Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. Usually you would
hear Chris and I do a quick intro before we
dive into it the nitty gritty of interviews. But Sebee's
got fatherly duties and we respect that wholeheartedly. I believe
we still count this as paternity leaves, so he's allowed
to be away. But we've got a great episode for
(01:12):
y'all today. We're sitting down with Chef Brandon Sodo, who
is talking a little bit more about the details for
Tacos for Toys, as well as his journey and the
state of the industry not only in Colorado but from
where he grew up to where the industry is now.
It's a riveting, riveting interview, Like I want to sit
(01:33):
there and have coffee with this dude and just chat
for hours on end. But he was so methodical as
well as articulate, and he thinks before he speaks, which
is something that is rare for me. But at the
same time, we've got a great episode for y'all today.
Before we dive into any of that, I want to
give a shout out to our sponsors, Nobo Dispensary. They
(01:55):
are the home ship for this weekend's food crawl, presented
by our friends at Toast and weed Maps. That's right. Obviously,
it's the season for supporting local businesses. Holiday season it
is kind of tough on everybody. Everyone's watching what they spend.
So if you are going to spend, support local businesses,
(02:16):
support people in your community and those in your neighborhood.
This weekend eat Denver, where we've kind of curated this
fun little food crawl that will be full of munchies,
dank food, and good smoke, large in part thanks to
our friends over at Nobo Dispensary. They're there for you
beyond just the food crawl. You can find them at
(02:39):
nine to seventy Lincoln Street, right there in downtown Denver
on the verge of Cap Hill. They're perfect sbout to
stop in on your way to work or on your
way home, especially when you have the family in town
tis the season. But at the same time, when you're
looking for specific products, ask for the fat Gram's cartridges
when you're there. We've called it the unofficial vight pen
(03:01):
of the hospitality industry, and I stand by that. And
you can get that product at Nobo as well as
a litany of restaurant or a litany of dispensaries across
the Colorado region. So if you're looking for fat Grams
and you like what you see, you can also find
their products in the uh Muraki family. They have glacier concentrates,
(03:24):
they have unbelievably award winning flowers. They have a litany
of brands and genetics underneath their umbrellas. So shout out
to our friends at Muraki, Fat Grams and Nobo. Without y'all,
not only would we not be able to do this
weekend's bad Ass fundraiser for the local restaurants along Colfax,
(03:46):
presented by Toast and weat Maps, I didn't forget where
my bread is buttered. But at the same time, they're
also the reason that we're able to do this podcast.
We're thankful for them, and we're also thankful for what
they give to the community. Y'all check them out local
support those that also support other businesses in our industry.
We can't tell you how much we appreciate them enough.
(04:07):
That's like a three minute ad read. We've got to
be good to get let's do it. I told you
all we have an inspirational interview today and we're sitting
down with a culinary wizard in the community, Cheff Brand
and Soto, to talk about Tacos for toys as well
as all the gnarly stuff he's been up to in
(04:27):
the community. We were just talking off air about, you know,
ways to make a difference during the holiday season. We've
seen throughout the month of November that times are tough
on those in the community. And that's the key word
there is community, and so folks are stepping up to
help out however they can. Chef included through doing things
(04:50):
for the holiday season, but also trying to help just
raise awareness about, you know, things going on in the
industry and in the Society and so we're excited to
sit down with Chef brand In today. Our interview is
presented by our friends over at Nobo Dispensary and our
friends over at Muraki Cannabis. We did the long ad
read earlier with Chris and I's the intro. If I
(05:11):
didn't get it in there, you'll know where to shop.
Go to Nobo at nine seventy, grab your muraki and
your fat grams. They obviously have a litany of other products,
but we love our friends at Muraki and Nova. So
thank y'all for sporting this interview in this podcast. It's
a it's a hell of a job. Chef. How are
you today, brother?
Speaker 2 (05:30):
I'm doing great, Kip, how are you brother?
Speaker 1 (05:34):
I see we're both like we're bundled off. We've got
our sweaters on. It's the season, you know, it's now
fallen and the trees are now rising. We're starting to
see them around the community and the city. It's it's
that time of year again.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
It is indeed, you know, it's beautiful and you know
hopefully the trees, you know, have an understanding of permanence
and return just in the way that we can you know,
instill for ourselves.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
God, that is you're so wise. You're gonna be like,
twenty minutes into this episode like the fuck am I
doing here? I'm just a dude, many, I get it, brother, Okay.
So we like to start every interview in episode the
same way, which is tell us a little bit about yourself.
Are you a local to Colorado? Are you a transplant
like the ninety percent of us? Where did you come from?
(06:22):
How'd you fall in love with working in kitchens? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Man, I grew up in New York' Hudson Valley, spent
some time in northeastern Pennsylvania, diet some beautiful stints in
New York City restaurants, and found myself at Devil's Thumb
ranch in Tabernash, And then by way of some incredible people,
found myself on this side of the front range about
nine years ago. And in that timeframe, I've you know,
(06:48):
found myself in you know, many beautiful environments around incredible
figureheads in our industry. And now I'm very grateful to
have the space to be able to, you know, share
what my message and what my impact is going to
bring to the table.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
So with that Tabernash like a winter park kid, are
you a snowbomb.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
You know, I'm actually not a snow bomb. I've never
even gone skiing once. The draw was for one a
chef who's now passed, very dear to my heart, my chef,
Evan Treadwell, formerly of some incredible California restaurants Alice Waters, Alum,
and he happened to be a very instrumental in you know,
(07:33):
my career, in personal life and that development. But Devil's
Thumb happens to raise some high lineage to gema black
wagu cattle hybrids and the closeness to food and being
a New York kid who didn't really have that access
to you know, rural comforts, it was a huge draw
and it frankly changed my life. I'll always remember stepping
(07:56):
off of the shuttle and seeing the magic Steve the
mountains and it's, you know, as clich as it may be,
it's called me ever since. And you know, I'm very
grateful for the space that we have in Colorado and
our community, in both food and outside of that as
it's directly raised me and helped me find a path
(08:17):
that you know, brings joy in my heart and hopefully
can bring more to others too.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
I love it, and I mean that's the ethist like
it feels. We've often used kind of like the podcast
treat we treat it like a sports talk radio when
Chris and I are goofing off. But at the same time,
you know, the kitchen is very much like a like
a locker room where you know, people come from all
different backgrounds, have different you know, upbringings and lifestyles and
things of that nature, but they kind of have to
have that cohesion where they can work with one another.
(08:44):
And it should be a microcosm for society. But sadly
it seems that we've strayed away from it. But you've
been able to keep that ethos. You know, you've been
able to kind of you know, like you see the
good in everybody, and sadly, sometimes you know it's like shit,
we have to do a little bit more then we
ask of. You know, someone that works, you know, whether
it's front of house, back of house, they're now taking
(09:05):
up and being like the community directors we're being. You know,
someone that's doing secret shopping or you know the angels
from the tree. You may be one of those angels,
but you're also a wizard that's in the kitchen. Also
riddlely this as someone who just loves food as much
as we do. Where have you been eating recently that
everybody needs to go dine at?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Ooh, that's a great question.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I'm keeping you on your toes because i know I'm
going a hard end the hospitality here in a second.
But every time I see you, it's always I see
you out and about when dining.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
So h well, I mean, the last place we ran
into each other was that Barely And these guys are awesome.
Rema is just a blessing to have in the community,
and Harrison is an enigma. They're incredible folks and seeing
them work together, Carlos and Tera, they are all stars
in local industry. I'm really loving them. But to be honest,
(09:59):
one my haunts I have to go like at least
once a week is Rosenberg's. You know, Josh, Dustin and
Danny really you know, keep a tight ship. And that's
really close to my heart.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
I like being the nor New Yorker and you know, yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
You know, I need a bagel and cream cheese. You know,
it just fills the heart. But like yesterday, like my
my new rotation is hitting fits for coffee and five points,
then rolling over to Rosenberg's and you just get the
best of both worlds. You know, get a nice cup
of coffee, good vibe, chill, and then you go and
grab a bagel and schmear and you know everything's in
the clear.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Dude. Okay, So you, being a New Yorker, I'm sure
you'll take a umbrage even with this price point. But
Rosenbergs announced that they were doing like you know, they
called it the bodega, which is their breakfast sandwich which
is either a bacon, egg and cheese or a tailor
pork roller, Taylor Ham, whatever you want to call it,
egg and cheese for six or seven dollars. And people
were up in arms. They were like, first off, this
(10:55):
isn't New Yorker, this isn't New Jersey. I know you're
gonna secretly charge me knight teen dollars, but they really are.
They're a great little slice of the East Coast. And
I know that Josh takes great pride in that, and
I know I'll love here and that you know, for
you being a New Yorker that being your institution, that's great.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Oh, it certainly is. I've had the opportunity during the
pandemic to work with those guys too, So they're all
very close to my heart. And you know, frankly, have
you know, shared a section of you know, the journey
with me that I was instrumental. So very grateful for
those guys and even more grateful to the fact that
they have nostalgic food for me.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Well, I'm grateful for you taking the time because that
actually has me hungry. Even like in the middle of
the day, I'll easily slide through resumes and when they
do the late night slider minus once ever in a while,
I mean, you can't beat it with a stick. They're
keeping themselves on their toes over there.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Oh, I'm a big, big fan of the smash burger,
and I'm a bit of like a sandwich historian in
a way. So showing homage to white Manna and the
kind of like you know, the groundbreaking kind of fast
food burger service, it's incredible. Not only is it really lovely,
but also it's an incredibly intelligent homage to the path
(12:13):
of our food service history in the country.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
White Man of two ends White Man on one inn
because I know there is two different delis out there
that people will take umbrage. If you're going to the
wrong one and swearing by that one.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
You know you want to be the one that cost
to your heart. God, not the wrong answer.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
You're a fucking politician. What if that wasn't the most
non answer that it was wrong answer? No, you know
you mentioned grateful and you know appreciation, and I can't
say enough that we appreciate what you've been doing, not
only in the community, but also in the kitchens in
the industry. We had you on today because we wanted
(12:52):
to talk a little bit about your campaign that you're doing.
So while I may have gone on a tangent, that's
what happens when I get high with my I wanted
to have you on to talk about our fundraising efforts
that we have coming up in two weeks on December seventh.
You're hosting an event that not only will raise money awareness,
(13:13):
but also we're trying to load up to maybe three
truckloads of toys or kids in the community. Can you
tell everybody a little bit more about what we've got
on the docket, and then we'll dive more back into
the food I don't want to lose people with us
nerding out on East Coast Snacks.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
No doubt. Well, we have an incredible opportunity to steward
one of my favorite local organizations called the Denver Santa
Claus Shop. They are the longest running female lad nonprofit
in Denver history, and they do an incredible job giving
a bespoke experience for shoppers to effectively walk through their space.
(13:51):
They're currently located at the corner of Colorado, and I
believe that's first in the Cherry Creek area. They typically
take over an old department store to give a a
space for people who wouldn't otherwise be able to give
their you know, children or their you know, little ones
(14:12):
incredible gifts and a large array, and they have an
incredible opportunity to give a very as I was saying,
bespoke experience to shop select things that would be you know,
lovely for each of their you know loved ones. And
then also they do incredible book donations where kids can
come in during their shopping hours and choose as many
(14:35):
books as they would like. They're extremely impactful and have
been operating for over sixty years. But essentially what we'll
be doing is hosting a Toys for Tacos event. This
is our second annual and a little bit more dialed
in than last year. We're showcasing a few different local chefs.
Currently we have three locked in and our tickets will
(14:58):
be for seventy five dollars fifty if you bring two
or more toys. All of that information will be available
on bare leaks Open Table, and we have an incredible
opportunity to just impact our community, and you know, be
sure that we can be instilling joys in every corner
that we can.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
I love it. I love it, and you know you're
using your platform and you're working within your network to
help a greater good, which is something that really gets
us excited. And so that's why we want to talk
a little bit more about it. You know, I know
some of the chefs that will be participating are friends
of ours as well as those that move the needle
just as yourself in the community. Like you have a
star studed team that are coming out to make some dankness,
(15:39):
including some of our friends from the distribution and supplier
side as well. So while it may be a toy drive,
we may have a silent auction on site, you'll also
be eating good for a good.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Cause exactly right. The silent Auction is really incredible and
this year we having like remarkable commitments so far. We
have dinner for two at Margo courtesy of Chef Justin,
so that's a huge situation, a lot of.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Fun Michelin Star meal right there, I.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Know, and Chef Justin and his team, they're remarkable. We
also have two beautiful prints being donated by the founders
of Vino out the trunk. Armando Gineo and Third Division
will also be showcasing a Haye Kiddo gift card and
incredible representation from Molino Cheto. My friend Michael, we spent
(16:32):
a good bit of time at Bruto together doing some
lovely work and really excited to see what him and
Tommy and some of our Bruto lum have in store
at Molino Cheto. They're going to be donating the masa,
so of course all of the proteins in the street
taco style formatting are going to be delicious because we
have killer people. Josh Bedner from work bench serving wag you,
(16:54):
Den Wag you. The folks that dost caught us like
slinging their Carneita's de covid. Kevin Chew from a seat
serve and a bit of a local legend from Chilan
and Boracho and really cool concepts. But furthermore, all the
tortillas are going to be made by fresh Masa, produced
by the Molino Cheto crew, So every aspect is going
(17:17):
to be just elegant and really lovely. Way to celebrate
the season and you know, get our energies high and
able to promote it to the community.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Okay, so you mentioned a couple of things. For those
that don't know, Melino Cheeto as we are recording this
episode is opening their doors this weekend. I'm going to
swing through a Friday, and I can vouch that everything
Michael Touches does in fact turn to gold, whether it's
a star are just you know, a fucking banger of
a taco. He's going to put his best foot forward.
And now that he's back in a kitchen after traveling
(17:51):
the world, I bet you we see some fun stuff
coming out of it. But the fact that he has
his own tortilla station inside the Stanley, it's very choice war.
And then obviously all those other chefs you mentioned that
will be providing, you know, their dank recipes and making
up some slaughter tacos it's gonna be immaculate and I
love to see it. Y'all. We all have posts on
(18:12):
our social media where you can find links to bear
Leaks open table, so that if you want to buy
tickets to the festivities, remember you get discounted pricing if
you bring toys as well, but also bring your pocketbook.
You can enjoy, you know, Michelin Star dining experiences, you
can win, you know, dining with the Eds family, things
(18:32):
of that nature. It's going to be a hoot a
holler and offer a great calls. Brandon, You've got a
pretty deep network. Your rolodex kind of runs pretty real
far in the community. Let's talk a little bit about
some of the restaurants that you've worked with and why
folks should be like, fuck, this guy knows what he's
talking about. He's sourcing only the best. What have you
been up to? Like, I mean, I see you goofing
(18:53):
off with Justin. There's picture stuff here with Byron. I mean,
you're a star student chef yourself. Any chance we're gonna
see you get your hand dirty or will you be
shaking hands and kissing babies on the night of the evening?
Speaker 2 (19:03):
You know, I wanted to be sure that we can
you know, draw a lot of impact and be able
to you know, connect. So I feel like I'll probably
be able to uh, you know, step away from the
shaking hands and kissing baby side of things to uh,
you know, mixed master. I'm the tortilla station, so I'm
pretty down for that. Always down to SLINKs and masa,
(19:24):
but you know, the real treat. I'll be able to
fashion some coquito. I happen to be partially of Puerto
Rican heritage, so that's very close to me. And Carlos,
the beverage director at bare Leakey, and I are gonna
work out some remarkable coquito and make sure that we
can be flowing that. So there's gonna be some opportunities
for me to you know, share not only like my culture,
(19:45):
but also some of the you know, aspects of things
that I've learned, which masa before working with Michael at Bruto,
I had very minimal exposure to. It was a catalyzing
opportunity to uh connect with my Latino roots as well
as just see how much we are the same rice
and a different being. I like to say, you know,
whether we're considering the Caribbean or Southeast Asia, any part
(20:08):
of the path of Hispanic influence. You know, we're all
we're all doing very similar things and we all get
to have this beautiful coalesced culture that we can revel
in today. And through the time at Bruto, we had
some awesome opportunities really elevating that culture to a stage
where we can share it with a very wide audience.
(20:31):
And there's been titans in our local industry that have
really been like taking that baton and bringing it far
beyond those means. And you know, from there, just again
grateful and excited to be doing some lovely stuff. Regarding
some other previous experience I found myself in, you know,
several different environments. My first little space in town was
(20:55):
working as part of the opening team at Tavernetta. Again
very catalyzing and just learning a lot about life. And
as we made we had spoke briefly off record like
our community is something that has really raised me and
helped me give a sense of direction that has led
to impact both in the philanthropic sense for toys for
(21:17):
tacos and some other ideas that are conjuring, but then
also in sustainability and food and my current mission with
Blue Sun Food is effectively turning waste into revenue for
local organizations and finding ways that we can take by
products of food and beverage industry and elevate them to unique,
(21:39):
calorie dense and nutritious also delicious products. For instance, we
make chocolate alternatives based off of espresso grounds that are
decaffeinated and then also the byproducts of Colorado sake companies
sake leaves and really lovely vegan white chocolate alternatives. We've
even gone into the realm of producing all purpose flowers
(22:02):
from beer grain waste that is supplied by Long Table
brew House Nate and his team of remarkable stewards of
fermentation and having credible products, and I'm grateful to making
incredible products from their byproducts. We have also landed on
a thirty five percent utilization of bread waste in a
(22:24):
pasta that is extruded, so both fresh, frozen and dry
will be on hopefully on stores storeeshells soon and we'll
be doing some lovely stuff.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
I love it, And let's do a thirty thousand foot
view of what Blue Sun Food is. You kind of
give us the rundown, and you know, the nitty gritty
of what you are converting of the food waste, especially
as we see more of it in you know, today's
day and age, and we're trying to be you know,
more impactful but also more resourceful to help our communities.
What is what all is Blue Sun Food and how
(22:56):
did it come to fruition?
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Yeah? So, Blue Sun Food is a manufacturer of upcycled
food products. The genesis of the project arrived towards the
end of my stint at Bruto, where a colleague was
toying with chocolate alternatives based on you know, corn and
(23:21):
amazake he had made and other really incredible things, and
together we were able to jump down a rabbit hole
that I was able to continue to follow through with
considering what available resources we have in our community that
would otherwise be considered waste. And as much as I
would like to say that that's the true genesis, Like frankly,
(23:42):
I come from an environment where doing what we have
with what we have available, or doing the best we
have and with what we have available, is very important.
And you know, without that, it's just an extension of
the path that others have walked to get me where
I am. And with that effectively We're just looking to
(24:04):
reconsider our resources and reconsider our perspectives. That's why Blue
Sun has named it what it is, as we're all
under the same sun. Many of us like chocolate, many
of us like pasta, A lot of us bake with flour,
and you know, finding a way to just show a
sense of ubiquity and connection. I feel can shine a
(24:25):
light on something new and something bold.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Hearing that it came from the ds family, you know,
like with when your time over at Bruda is the
least surprising ever. Obviously, you know Green Star initiatives with
how Byron and Barra with her fermentation programs. Kelly was
trying to grow you know, his own corn and grains
and things of that nature for dry storage. To see
this evolution and you know making it your own while
(24:52):
also sourcing from other businesses in the industry and in
the community. It really is. That's just that's fucking awesome
and it pretty much a mad scientist. So Wizard in
the Kitchen still holds as true as it did fifteen
twenty minutes ago.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Yeah, I mean, ask my girlfriend. It looks like Stanley
Yilnatz and Holes trying to concoct his formula in our
home most days.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
I love it. I love it. Okay, So you obviously
know your way around the Colorado dining community. Your resume
is star studded. We spoke a little bit about breakfast
and those guilty pleasure meals and coffee shops, but you
also spoke a little bit of your Latino or Hispanic
heritage as well. Let's give a little insight for someone
that obviously knows fine dining. Let's talk a little bit
(25:36):
more about our speed. We love things like taco trucks,
hole in the walls, restaurants that don't get nearly enough love.
As we shift into more of the personal questions from
Blue Sun, give us some recommendations of restaurants that you
feel are deserve it of a shout out that maybe
don't get enough love, that you know are different beans,
same rice, but also excellent tacos and things of that
(25:58):
in the community. Because I personally that's what I that's
my forte will. Everyone loves a tasting menu. I love
a two dollars taco or a twelve dollars plate of
you know, papoosas and everything under the sun. Give us
a little inside of where you're dining, you know, for
some of those sleepier spots or kicking over rocks.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
Absolutely the best place anyone can go to. It's a
bit of a pilgrimage as it's in the most far
southeast corner of Aurora. Cuba Bakery and Cafe. You you know,
that's it, the Croquetta's the whole nine. They just do it.
They do it right. There's not a lot of places
like that out here. It's very close, very similar to
(26:40):
how Rosenbersus is equally nostalgic going to grab a plate
and fried like tasty things like that's just the move.
Like when I'm back home in New York, that's the
first thing I'm gonna do. But that being Cuba Bakery Cafe,
everyone needs to go if you haven't gone. And also
a little bit like more centralized to Denver, but still
in like an offshoot off of Alameda La Kaye, Like
(27:05):
oh yeah, like you know, Michael might be opening Molino Cheeto,
but when we would do all of our menu collabing
and such and post bruto kind of pow wows, it
always was hosted at La Kaye. That's the spot there.
Pace is fire. Everything they do is remarkable. Their tortillas
are good. And also it's just like a fun, little
homie spot, you know, very cozy, very comfortable, and it
(27:28):
really it hasn't changed in the past like five ten years,
other than just you know, I'm slightly extended offerings to
their space.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
And it's great. Oh my dad, I took him there,
and you know, obviously sometimes when the spicy salsa you
want a beer to wash it down. But ye, you
know that with a Mexican coke sitting in the back room.
My dad was like that just so good. And then
every time I post something about a taco, he's like,
is that the taco spot we went to? Like it
(27:59):
is Lacaia is wonderful. And talking about Cuba bakery and cafe, well,
you know, we love a good Cuban and I go
to elba Heo on the West Side for the sandwich
Cuba Bakery when they do the the hotel pans of
like the hot bar, and every day has a different
menu every time because I don't go out there nearly enough,
ause I'm out here in Arvada. Like every time I'm like,
(28:22):
fuck yeah, if it's goat, if it's just like whatever,
the dish of the day is It's like, okay, I'll
grab that. Let me grasp some croquettes as plantains, let
me grab a couple of sweet treats, and then I
grab one of them or two of those coffees, and
I just sit there and eat lunch by myself for
like two hours. I fucking love that spot. Oh, I
had them all my power rankings of sandwiches and like
(28:44):
Cuban eateries in town. That's a great find and.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
Also another killer spot that's going to be opening super soon,
Cape Thrace. I'm sure everyone who goes to a farmer's
market knows about Cape Thrace. Mike is remarkable. Talk about
an alchemist in a wizard. He has some of the
tastiest pastelios I've ever had in my life, the guayaba
and cheese. His morenos are money. Everything he does touches
(29:12):
like everything he touches, his gold and beautiful golden crust flaky.
They're killing it. I think they're set to open by
the end of this month as well, so a lot
of the.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Location and since we're dropping this episode and a week
or two as we get closer to the festivities of
toys for tacos, I mean should we just tell him
to go check out social media because I'm already my
mouth is watering, just like drooling over here, like fuck,
I want that.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
I'm in the same boat. I'm not exactly sure where
they're located, although if you follow cafe trees on Instagram
you can absolutely find what they're doing. And they're just awesome.
And Mike is just such a wholesome dude, very kind
and if you, you know, have the honor of trying
his cafe seat though it's proper.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
It's probably I mean, take it from chef that knows, y'all,
this is fucking awesome, Brandon, I love the insights. Hey,
we like to ask all of our guests a couple questions,
especially on their first time through. I did not preface
you with these questions before the interview. We were just
chatting up a storm, so I figured i'd shoot from
the hip a little bit. If you were if you
were an appetizer on a menu, what menu are? What
(30:18):
item would you be?
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Oh, that's a great question. If I was an appetizer
on a menu, you know I would be a little
chili Riano from Laaloma bathing and green chili.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
Okay, if you are a green If you had to
pick a green chili in town which loans Loloma lo Looma.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Oh yeah, I love.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Their fluffy tortillas too. You can kind of just like
you can create it's almost like a it's almost like
a dip, you know, with the you can make your
own like fluffy chip with.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
A little I like, I'm not gonna throw shade on
anyone's green chili. There's some good stuff, but Laloma there's
a sense of just kishness and a sense of joy
that there's space like you know, just offers and you know,
there's something fun about having a chili rianno that's wrapped
with an egg roll wrapper.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
You know. Yeah, if you were a dinosaur, what dinosaur
would you have been? Yeah? That's because they're bad ass, all.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Those cool little armor plates. You know, like they're ready
for war, but they're not trying to. You know, it's
better to be a gardener or a warrior and a
garden than a gardener in a warter.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
I love that answer. That's great, and that's a proper
answer as to why as well, not only the armor plates,
but you know, amidst war. Okay, so this is the
last question. It's a little bit of a thinker, so
feel free to take your time. It's called our last Supper.
You've obviously have a long history of working in the
hospitality industry, have probably met a lot of chefs through
(31:50):
kitchens over the years. But this is for those that
maybe you always look to, whether it was from you know,
inspiration growing up on the East Coast, or maybe you
know you're time here in Colorado. It's called you have
to pick three people to join you for your last
supper on Earth. They cannot be friends or family, but
we want to know who you They can be dead
or alive. You can pick Prince, you can pick JFK.
(32:13):
You can pick mom Donnie. You know, as we're recording this,
we don't know if he's going to be the new
mayor of New York or not. But fingers crossed, you
can have any three folks join you, and we want
to know what would be on the table, what are
we eating, drinking, et cetera for your last supper.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
Totally, this is a good one. This is a really
good one. Keeping it true to my roots. At one
point in time, I had, you know, helmed the Bokouse
namesake restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America, so his
own I would have to say, Paul Bocuse, and he's
(32:53):
just you know, he's set the paradigm for what we
have now. And when it comes to fine dining. I
would also pick Jerry Garcia on a big deadhead and uh,
you know Jerry, Jerry's the man man. And then our
our third, that one's a little tough. I would probably say,
(33:19):
you know, bad Bunny. Yeah, I think that would be sick.
I think that would be really rad. He seems like
the coolest dude. His sense of humor is remarkable. His
whole Shrek skit that he did on like SNL, that
would just I was in tears. I was like ugly laughing, crying.
(33:40):
He is the funniest guy and also he happens to
just be groovy as hell. I think he's super rad. Yeah,
I would love the three of those to dine with.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
I couldn't agree more. He seems like he's just a fun,
down to earth person despite man worth you know, zillions
of dollars, and everybody like kind of comes for him
for you know, whether it's the Super super Bowl or not,
you know, participating and you know, North America are an
American tour with the current state of the world, and
it's just like no, he just like practices what he preaches.
(34:13):
And also every time you see him online or on television,
he seems down to earth in like a fun hang
like that's a great call.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Yeah, and thank you. And you know it's I think
it's important as a Puerto Rican in the diaspora. You know,
our space has been you know occupied by various people
and various supportive you know governments that have given the
space the identity that it has. And knowing that Bad
(34:43):
Bunny is showcasing the initiatives for independence and you know,
really bringing a lot of value to the island so
that we can be a bit more like, you know,
self supportive. I think it's incredibly impactful for millions of
Puerto Ricans on the island, on the islands and in
the diaspora. So that's you know, very huge and you know,
(35:06):
very important for you know, moving ideas forward and yeah,
very and also all of those individuals have done exactly
that and really have cast a movement, whether it's you know,
considering more you know, social environmental causes of today's day
and age or considering like the mass shift in consciousness
(35:29):
that arose in the late nineteen sixties that was then
stewarded by you know, a band of fellas just doing
groovy stuff. You know, we're all we're all doing the thing,
and it's very important to just honor the path that
others followed. And with that being said, the thing I
think we would eat, actually the thing I know we
would eat is my mom's egg clamp parmesan and my
(35:50):
father being of Puerto Rican heritage, my mother of Italian,
like a true New York or yeah, yeah, man, And
it's a blessing. And you know, my mom's amazing, and
that's the true genesis of this project. You know, she
was a woman who could feed five mouths off of
minimal and would make it delicious. And I'm very grateful.
(36:12):
She's actually going to be in town next week. We're
gonna hit Cheeto on the opening. It's going to be killer.
But she's remarkable and her food is even better.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
I love it. That sounds so fucking good, and right now,
especially you know it's just cold outside. An egg plant
parm sounds absolutely scrumptious, But so do fucking tacoutely you know,
I know, we went kind of full circle and talked
about all sorts of different things. That's kind of the
tangents of what happens when I do these episodes without
Chris as the anchor. For those that are still with us,
(36:43):
let's give a subtle reminder how folks can get involved
with Toys for Tacos, how folks can find you on
social media because it sounds like your food. I mean,
everyone should know your food adventures are as delicious as
the ones that you speak about, and you know how
they can get or involved, whether it's with Blue Sign
from a restaurant tours perspective, but also how they can
(37:05):
be just better people in the community and rally around
the industry itself.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
Absolutely, so to recap, you can find any information about
Toys for Tacos coming from my personal Instagram at Sandon
Broto as well as at bar Leak. We'll be operating
that day on December seventh from three to nine pm,
and again all information on regarding tickets will be available
(37:32):
on baar Leak's open table account. Also, when it comes
to Blue Sun Food, you can find us on Instagram
as well at Blue Sun Food and if any questions
arrive with how we can you know, utilize what we
have available. I'd always love to chat and you know, effectively,
(37:53):
when we look at our industry right now as a whole,
there's you know a lot of opportunities for us to
you know, show a sense of reclamation and reprise, and
you know, looking at our available resources is incredibly important
and giving a sense of utilization in their totality. So
whether that's looking in your you know, your compost, been
(38:16):
looking in your trash, or just looking around you and
seeing what we have to offer, Like, the answers are there,
and you know, nature speaks in interesting ways, you know,
sometimes with a thought or idea, or sometimes with you know,
a beautiful pink streak in the uh in the sunset.
They just have to be listening.
Speaker 1 (38:35):
Dude, you're kind of you're a poet over here. Not
only is your vocabulary bast as fuck, especially by comparison
to the host of this podcast, but at the same time,
you speak eloquently about so many things that it just
paints a gorgeous picture. And I just can't tell you
how much I appreciate you taking the time to not
only talk about toys for tacos or tacos for toys. Wait,
say tacos for toys. Tacos for toys. But at the
(38:58):
same time, just for you know, in a beaming light
in the community and in the industry. You're just a
joy and I can't tell you how much I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (39:06):
I thank you for the same, Kip. It's a blessing
to have gone from a viewer to a participant and
seeing all of the things that you steward in the community,
from eat Denver to all the lovely things in Stone Appetite.
You make sure everyone's smoking and drinking good and eating.
It's so lovely and I'm very grateful for that. You know,
it's people like you that give the voice to many,
(39:30):
So thank you for that, Liaison.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
I appreciate you. Chef. Thank you so much, not only
for taking the time, but what you're doing in the community. Y'all.
You can find all of the details on bear Leagus
Open Table. You can find them on our social and
all the channels that Chef just mentioned. Dude, we cannot
tell you how much we appreciate it enough. I hope
you have a wonderful holidays. Please enjoy time with the family,
if you get that eggplant parm you must send picks
(39:54):
so that we can live vicariously.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
Three well invite you over man.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
Challenge accepted. I love a home coaked meal. It's soup
season over here, so as often and as much as
I love going out to eat, every time I'm just
radio silent on social media. It's because I'm just sitting
at home, stewing over a room or a boxed male.
So I mean, any chance I can get to go
eat other home cooked meals, I love it to pieces
for our listeners at home. We hope you'll have a
(40:20):
wonderful holiday as you'll stay warm, stay high, and stay hungry. Cheers.
Speaker 2 (40:28):
That's it.
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