The GrowHaus Cultivates Inaugural Harvest Nights

Giselle Diaz Campagna, the executive director of The GrowHaus, knows the challenges of providing fresh, healthy food for those who don't have access to it. She also knows about the challenges of serving food in Denver's sometimes chaotic, up-and-down restaurant scene. She and her husband, Carlo, own Toro Food Concepts in Capitol Hill, which opened in 2023 and struggled until business exploded when she posted an emotional video on TikTok bemoaning the couple's struggles.

"Being in the nonprofit world with a focus on feeding people, I know that food can bring us together," she said to Westword at the time. She's right: food can bring people together.

The GrowHaus has done just that since 2009. The nonprofit organization has helped to bring food justice to over 6,000 people every month through a network of 24 food access points across Denver, thanks to strategic partnerships with the Denver Public Library, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the City of Denver, and other organizations in some of Denver’s most vulnerable communities. The group provides fresh, no-cost food access, as well as nutrition and wellness education, and leadership and economic opportunities for youth and adults.

The GrowHaus started out in an old greenhouse at 4751 York Street, turning it into an urban garden and community gathering place. But just before COVID, the city closed the facility, citing structural issues.

For almost two decades, the GrowHaus held an annual fundraising event in partnership with EATDenver, a nonprofit restaurant association focusing on the hospitality side of the food and beverage industry. The two organizations' iconic event, Harvest Week, ended its run in 2024; the GrowHaus is going it alone this year with Harvest Nights, from September 9-11 at Mountain Crust Event Venue, while EatDenver has its own series, Savor the Season.
The solo ventures seem to be working out fine. Harvest Nights was organized with the help of Michelin-star chef Byron Gomez of BRUTØ (formery of the world-famous Eleven Madison Park in New York City) and features an all-star cast of local restaurant stars and celebrity chefs, including Kendall Flores of Mountain Crust, Justin Freeman of Somebody People, Corina Johnson of Butter Punk Cookies, Nate Hein of BRUTØ, David Corboy of Alpine Eatery, Yna Zuniga of Sari Sair, Justin Fulton of Margot, Silvino Sanchez of Sana Sana, Ismael Desausa of Reunion Bakery, Manny Barella from Riot BBQ, Cannon Beasley of Minnie Beasley, Vivi Lemus of Convivio, Diego Coconati of Lucina, Nookie Lipsey from Olive and Finch, Rema Maaliki from Bear Leek, Paydut Bansal of Chawaala and Emily Thompson from the Wolf's Tailor. That's an all-star lineup.

Campagna admits she wasn't expecting such public support. "It's so humbling, honestly," she says. "So we wanted to start with this one, but I had this idea of 'Hey, we've never done this tactic and this plan, but let's go ahead and do it.' And we basically sold out. It really warmed our hearts, and it blew our mind. It just blew our mind."

She knew the split from EATDenver risked losing the event's following. "In the past, we've done it in collaboration with EATDenver," she recalls. "We've decided to move separate ways and and the Growhaus decided to take this opportunity to really do an event that lines up with our community-led values and really leans in on what it is that we do for the community, which is food access."

Access to Harvest Nights itself has gotten tight. Two of the three days are completely booked at $150 a head, and fewer than a dozen spaces are still available for the first night, Botanical Feast, a celebration of locally-grown produce with a vegetarian menu. But there's some hope for latecomers. "We are keeping a wait list. I think as things come up, I could maybe, like on the back end, see if I can squeeze one or two seats," she says. "So I think it's maybe just sending in an email or contacting the GrowHaus."
"We're really, really proud to be leading this, just like we do our work. It's just a real honor to know that this work matters to so many people right now, at a time where food insecurity in Denver alone has skyrocketed. And we know we're heading into uncertain ground so intensely," says Campagna.

"So I think this event for us is to show the community that there's light at the end of the tunnel, and to get a sense of all of these different stakeholders coming together for this one cause that is so universal, because there is no one alive in this world that doesn't need sustenance, that doesn't need healthy nutrition, and now we know that in so many parts of the world, including here right in our own backyard, that is the case," she continues.

"I think it's a good opportunity for us to remind ourselves that we can do this," Campagna concludes. "This is going to be the time that we're excited to celebrate each other and celebrate the work in a time that's hard to celebrate."

After all, food can bring people together.

Tickets for the GrowHausHarvest Nights may be sold out; learn more at thegrowhaus.kindful.com/e/harvest-nights-tickets.

EATDenver's Savor the Season will run September 15-18 at RiNo Art Park; tickets are available through EATDenver.