Colorado Chef Manny Barella Competes on New Season of Top Chef

The first episode airs at 7 p.m. tonight!

March 20, 2024

Manny Barella was a 2022 James Beard semifinalist for emerging chef. Amber Boutwell for Jaguar Bolera

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On Wednesday, March 20, Manny Barella will become the latest chef from Colorado to appear on Bravo's Top Chef. Season 21, which was shot in Wisconsin, will be the first hosted by season ten winner Kristen Kish, who will bring "a fresh perspective, new rules and unexpected twists," a press release promises.

Barella is among the fifteen chefs competing this time around. He previously led the kitchen at the now-closed Bellota inside the Source; during his tenure there, he was named a semifinalist in the Emerging Chef category of the 2022 James Beard Awards and was one of StarChefs' Rising Star award winners that same year.

After leaving Bellota before it shuttered, Barella landed a new role as the culinary director of two concepts from Robert Thompson, the founder of Punch Bowl Social: the upcoming Camp Pickle, a pickleball-centric eatertainment venue set to open locations in Centennial and Globeville, and Jaguar Bolera, which will debut in Raleigh and Atlanta.

“I’m proud and humbled to be the only cheftestant representing Colorado in a season that’s stacked with incredibly talented chefs from across the country," Barella says. "The entire Top Chef experience has been extraordinary and unreal. I can’t wait to watch the adventure along with everyone else.”

click to enlarge

100 layer lasagna is one of the items on Manny Barella's Mientras pop-up menu.

Amber Boutwell for Jaguar Bolera

Ahead of the show's debut, Barella launched a pop-up called Mientras at Cantina Loca, Dana Rodriguez's Highland eatery at 2890 Zuni Street. Now, he's extended the event — reservations are currently available for March 25; March 26; April 1; and April 2.

Tickets for the four-course dinner are available pre-purchase for $110 per person or $160 with cocktail pairings. The menu includes multiple options for each course such as steak tartare with salsa matcha XO sauce to start, a smoked lobster tetela for the second course, beef birria malfadine for an entree, and café con leche y buñuelos to end the meal.

Molly Martin has been the Food & Drink editor at Westword since 2021. Prior to joining the staff, Molly reported on the Denver dining scene for more than a decade and contributed to Thrillist. At Westword, Molly monitors restaurant openings and closings, offers dining recommendations and reports on Denver-area food news and trends. She also publishes such annual lists as Top 100 Bars and Top 100 Restaurants, and contributes to the yearly Best of Denver edition. In 2023, she was recognized with the Colorado Restaurant Association's Outstanding Media Professional award.

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