Westword Food Editor Molly Martin Is Ready for Her Next Course

It’s been nearly five years since I walked into the Westword‘ office for my first day as the new food editor, following in the footsteps of Mark Antonation, my friend and colleague. Now, I’m handing the reins to Antony Bruno, a talented writer who should already be a familiar name to Westword’s readers — he’s been a freelance contributor to our food section for the last year and a half, spending much of that time eating his way up Aurora’s Havana Street.

I’m excited about this change. Being this publication’s food editor was a longtime dream for me, and I not only achieved that, but excelled: learning, growing and gaining a lot of confidence in myself, my reporting skills and my writing voice along the way. But lately, I found myself developing new dreams, and I hope you’ll continue to follow along on my personal Instagram account, @mollydbu, as I pursue other ventures this year. You’ll still see my byline in Westword, too, as I plan to continue contributing as a freelancer.

Before working at Westword, I’d covered the food scene as a part-time freelancer for around a decade, mainly as the Denver correspondent forThrillist, a gig that was 95 percent list writing, so while I was confident in my knowledge of the scene and ability to write a blurb, I was nervous about going beyond that to focus on more in-depth story telling, interviews and tracking down breaking stories.

But there wasn’t much time to be nervous, because there was an important journalistic mission to attend to on day one: Editor-in-chief Patricia Calhoun was nearly done with an update to a list of the city’s best dive bars and needed to confirm the status of one of the most beloved dives of all, Bar Bar.

So, I hopped in Calhoun’s car and off we went, happy to find the doors unlocked and the same gritty, cash-only charm Bar Bar had long been known for.

In the years since, I’ve gone on countless missions like that, zig-zagging through the city’s bars and restaurants and following their stories. I’d find myself back at Bar Bar often, too, covering its story as it fought to stay open. Sadly, we lost Bar Bar for good last September after a car crashed into the building, causing damage that left it too unstable to repair.

Unstable is a good way to describe the last year or so of my own life.

As many readers know, I was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in March 2025 and spent last summer going through chemo while I was on medical leave. Along the way, the treatment dulled my taste buds, stripping away the pleasure of eating. I tried to find joy in other things, like spending time outdoors. Turns out, that’s no fun at all when you’ve lost all your hair, including your eyelashes, so that even the hint of a breeze caused uncontrollable eye-watering.

In short, 2025 was a sad girl summer for me. But my taste came back in full force after chemo was done and made it through two surgeries, and I was able to return to work in September while I went through the last part of active treatment, radiation.

Now, I’m on a variety of medications to “keep the cancer away,” as my doctor says. My hair and eyelashes are staging a comeback, and it just feels like the right time to begin a new era. Life is, indeed, short, and I’ve got ideas I want to pursue — and more martinis to sip — while I have the time.

But I am damn proud of the work I’ve done as Westword‘s food editor. Here’s a rundown of some of my favorite stories, followed by the real answer to the question I get most often: What’s your favorite restaurant?

Molly’s Favorite Stories

Among all the lists and first looks and revisits to old favorites, the most memorable stories I wrote over the last five years focused on people working in food outside the walls of a restaurant.

October 2021: How Eating Fresh Oysters in Denver Helps Balance Coastal Waterways
It was a small-world moment when I realized my sister lived minutes from the Virginia oyster farm that grows Jax’s signature bivalves. So I hijacked part of my family vacation for a tour of the operation and had the chance to eat oysters steps from the Chesapeake Bay, then try those same oysters back in Denver days later. Getting an inside peek at the food systems that allow a landlocked state to get some of the freshest seafood in the country (it’s true!) is a lesson I revisit often.

March 2022: Dry Storage’s Milling Mission Goes Far Beyond Colorado
I got a deep dive into more hyper-local food systems when I drove to Boulder in 2022 for what I thought would be a quick story on Kelly Whitaker’s growing grain business. Instead, I got a full-on education that left me with a deep appreciation for Whitaker and the Id Est team’s passion for building a real restaurant ecosystem that has a far-reaching impact.

April 2023: Former Restaurateur Goes to the Goats (and Cows and Sheep) With New Cheese Company
I have a video from this day of me being surrounded by baby goats and…need I say more? I love a story of someone following their passion in a second (or third) life chapter — much like the one I’m embarking on — and Tim Veldhuizen’s turn from restaurateur to cheesemaker is one of many stories that have inspired me to take more risks.

May 2023: There’s Something Fishy About Duffy Fanganello’s Town & Country Market
No interview subject made as memorable an impression as Duffy Fanganello, the salmon man of East Colfax. His Town & Country Market is a true Denver original, and the salmon he slings for both home cooks and restaurants remains the best in town.

Molly’s Favorite Restaurant

Ask anyone who works in food media to name their favorite restaurant, and you’ll be peppered with follow-up questions. For what occasion? Vibe? Cuisine? Part of town? Our brains start to index meals differently and we rarely get to be regulars anywhere, which makes picking favorites difficult…both for personal consumption and annual lists.

I stand firmly by the current edition of our Top 50 Restaurants list, and I’m excited to have more free time to revisit some recently opened eateries like Florence Supper Club. But there’s one restaurant that was among my favorites when I started the job and remains the one I return to when I need a meal at a spot that’s as familiar as home: Sam’s No. 3 in Glendale.

I’ll grab a seat at the bar during off hours and a bowl of Tex-Mex chili or a $4 happy hour chili cheese dog or maybe the wedge salad, which arrives garnished with onion rings. While I love to be surprised and challenged by a tasting menu and appreciate the buzzy excitement of a new spot that catches my attention, Sam’s remains my restaurant happy place.

It’s where I met with friends when I celebrated getting the job at Westword, and it’s where I’ll cheers to the beginning of my next course now.

But remember, this isn’t goodbye. I’ll see you around!