And afterward, he needed sustenance.
So where did Pollan book a table? Fuel Cafe.
Fuel Cafe chef/owner Bob Blair subscribes to a sustainability mission of his own, bringing in organic ingredients and building a menu based on what he can find. And he's passionate about it: We've never been to Fuel without getting into a lengthy discussion over the virtues of local versus organic, the nitty-gritty details of what it means when beef is labeled grass-fed or why it's important to understand where your food comes from.
That made Blair's restaurant a shoe-in to host Pollan, and last night, he cooked for Pollan's private party with the help of Nate Hamel, Fuel's sous chef, along with Daniel Asher -- chef and raw foods guru from Root Down and Linger -- and Robin Baron, head of the kitchen at Udi's.
The event was extremely under-the-radar: Fuel ran its regular Denver Restaurant Week night and then closed early to host the small group, who dined on a few simple courses to wind down. The $1,000 per person dinner-- which included just ten people -- was a fundraiser for Ekar, a local urban Jewish communal farm and garden.
