Chef Johnny Curiel Opening His First Tasting Menu Restaurant in RiNo

In just two years, chef Johnny Curiel and his wife, Kasie Curiel, have grown Fonda Fina Hospitality from one small upscale Mexican eatery in LoHi to four restaurants in the metro area with a fifth set to open very soon — but they’re not slowing down. Next spring, the Curiels will open Maize, their first tasting menu concept in the Taxi development in RiNo.

The group’s track record so far is incredibly impressive. The chef’s first eatery, Alma Fona Fina, earned a Michelin star last year, less than a year after its debut. That marked a departure for the guide, which had only awarded stars to tasting menu spots when it released its first Colorado edition in 2023.

At the time, diners wondered if the accolade would prompt changes at Alma Fonda Fina. Would the prices go up? Would a tasting menu takeover? “No,” Johnny told Westword. “We’re going to keep our feet on the ground. We do what we do, and we’re gonna keep doing it. If we change who we are, I’m breaking the promise I made to the team when I told them that we’re not going after accolades. I wanted to open a restaurant where I can share my story. Changing our format or our pricing would not be staying true to our vision.”

And he has stayed true to that vision since. Alma Fonda Fina remains an à la carte favorite, as does its sister restaurant next door, Mezcaleria Alma, which earned a star of its own in this year’s Michelin Guide. His Boulder spot, Cozobi Fonda Fina, is a Michelin Bib Gourmand pick, and Alteño, which opened inside the Clayton Hotel & Members Club in March, is Michelin-recommended.

Soon, the Curiels will debut their first eatery not focused on Mexican cuisine, Mar Bella Boqueria, a Spanish neo-bistro and wine bar, which will also be located inside the Clayton Hotel. They also have plans to debut their first project out of state as well, a yet-to-be-named Mexican eatery expected to open in Charleston, South Carolina, this summer.

Maize, Opening Spring 2026

Fonda Fina Hospitality’s first tasting menu restaurant will be located at 3455 Ringsby Court, in the former original home of Comal Heritage Food Incubator. The space had already been converted into a tasting menu counter by 86ed Chicago chef Jacob Bickelhaupt, who attempted to open a restaurant dubbed Thirteen20 there in January of this year. But Bickelhaupt brought a lot of baggage with him, and the project never really got traction. (In August, Konro, Bickelhaupt’s Michelin-starred restaurant in Palm Beach, Florida, closed after he landed in jail for attempted second-degree murder and false imprisonment following a domestic violence incident.)

Maize will include sixteen seats but will serve just eight guests at a time for an intimate and personalized experience with chef Curiel. The meal will begin in a “dedicated welcome antechamber, where guests are greeted with a libation that sets the tone for the story to come,” according to a press release.

That will be followed by raw specialties at a cold counter and a trip through a glass-enclosed wine and fermentation room to learn more about house ferments such as pulque, tejuino, cremas, vinegars, and atole agrio. Finally, the experience will move to a hot counter where masa nixtamalized in-house will star in dishes such as a tamal de mar with Hokkaido uni, salsa verde de quelites and hoja santa chlorophyll. The space also includes a butcher’s block where the chefs will break down dry-aged fish and meat.

Maize’s first menu will feature six different moles, including mole amarillo paired with squab, as well as dishes like carne asada made with Colorado lamb, mole manchanteles, bean and caviar sauce and chochoyotes.

Fona Fina Hospitality has also partnered with mezcal brand Bozal to produce Bozal Maize, a vegan corn pechuga-style mezcal made exclusively for the restaurant using its recent first harvest of ancestral Mexican corn grown southeast of Boulder via a partnership with Masa Seed Foundation.

With all the Michelin love the Curiels have gotten so far, Maize seems likely to be among the guide’s additions in the future.