Kevin and Ryan Taylor to Open Hickory & Ash in Broomfield's Arista Development

Chef/restaurateur Kevin Taylor has been helping shape Denver's dining scene for decades, opening Zenith American Grill downtown in 1987 at the age of 25. He continued with a string of culinary hits, from the still-running Palettes in the Denver Art Museum and Kevin Taylor's at the Opera House to the fondly remembered Brasserie Z and Restaurant Kevin Taylor. His son, Ryan Taylor, inherited the chef gene, most recently serving as At the Opera House's executive chef. Together the two are launching a new venture, Hickory & Ash, which is scheduled to open in the spring of 2017 in the new Arista development alongside the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield.

The new 5,000-square-foot eatery will be centered on a hickory-wood-fired grill, with Ryan as executive chef overseeing a menu of shared plates, à la carte steaks and other dishes focused on local, sustainable meats and produce. "It will be incredibly approachable," explains Kevin, who adds that Hickory & Ash will move away from white tablecloths to a more rustic, casual setting in keeping with the lifestyle of neighborhood residents.

Taylor says that working with his son has been amazing. "He's been developing his own style...and we're like two peas in a pod," he notes. "The working relationship couldn't be better."

The interior space, designed by Kevin and Riddick Semple, will seat 120, with an additional sixty-seat patio and two private dining rooms. Lunch, dinner and weekend brunch are part of the plan, along with craft cocktails, local beers and a deep wine cellar.

Taylor is also one of the owners and developers of the Stanley Marketplace, the 100,000-square-foot restaurant and retail space built in a former aviation manufacturing facility. He had planned to open a modern beer hall with a beer-centered food menu there, but has pulled out of that project, citing the lack of a kitchen planned in stage one of the buildout as a major barrier. Taylor is still active in the development of the overall marketplace, but he will not be running his own place.