Former Bistro Vendôme Chef Is Going Southern

Even though it’s a challenging time in the industry, culinary creatives are still finding ways to open new ventures. The Easy Vegan recently launched its more upscale dinner concept, Mother Other, as a pop-up series hosted at its commissary kitchen –  a workaround to opening a traditional brick-and-mortar.

Chefs Harrison Porter and Rema Maaliki are set to debut their first venture as owners, Bear Leek, after finding an ideal second-gen space in the former Osaka Ramen.

Jeremy Wolgamott, who was most recently the executive chef at French restaurant Bistro Vendôme, is also looking for a space for his first solo venture, Argot. In the meantime, it will debut as a pop-up on Tuesday, April 1, at Create Kitchen & Bar inside Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace. Tickets to the Southern-inspired dinner are $60 and include hors d’oeuvres and three family-style courses; drinks will be available for purchase from Create’s bar.

“I’ve always loved Denver. I grew up here, and the plan was always to move back and open a restaurant here,” says Wolgamott, who lived in New Orleans for a time, cooking at Southern spots such as High Hat Cafe and Coquette.

When he returned to Denver, he started cooking at Bistro Vendôme. In 2023, that French mainstay moved to Park Hill, where it opened next to the brand-new Lucina, a Latin eatery. That’s how Wolgamott connected with Erasmo “Ras” Casiano and his team, who also own Xiquita and Create.

“I feel like the food scene here is very up-and-coming-especially compared to New Orleans, which is way more established,” he explains. “There are a lot of great restaurants here, but it seems to be a ton of Mexican, Italian and steakhouses.”

And not many places focusing on Southern fare. Six months ago, Wolgamott left Bistro Vendôme, with an eye to starting his own place. He envisions Argot as an “upscale casual” eatery “bordering on fine dining. I really want to focus on America in general but the South specifically, but not necessarily strictly Southern food,” he says, referring to the traditional meat-and-three joints.

Wolgamott plans to host Argot pop-ups at Create regularly as he continues to look for a permanent home for the concept, ideally “near the foothills, in the Lakewood or Arvada area,” he says.

For the pop-ups, guests can expect “community-style dining,” Wolgamott notes, with everyone sharing dishes like hushpuppies with butter and smoked trout roe, white barbecue chicken, fried trout, and pimento mac and cheese. “The whole point is to make new friends, eat together and talk about the stories behind the food.”

Argot means “a secret language that friends speak or that siblings speak,” Wolgamott says. “I always thought that was a really cool name. In the South, especially New Orleans, a lot of the culture is based around talking about food – what you ate yesterday and what you’re eating tomorrow and who you met when you were having dinner. I want to bring that same experience to the Denver area.”

For more information about Argot and to reserve a spot for its first pop-up, restaurantargot.com or follow it on Instagram @restaurant_argot for details on future pop-ups as it prepares to open.