The Michelin Guide Is (Finally) Expanding to Colorado

Colorado was just shut out of the 2023 James Beard Awards — a big shift from recent years, during which the state had a stacked lineup of finalists for what's often called the Oscars of the food world.

When we spoke with the state's only 2023 finalist, Bruto executive chef Michael Diaz de Leon, he made a prediction about the local scene, stating that it was "just a matter of time" before another culinary powerhouse, the Michelin Guide, expanded to Colorado.

He didn't have to wait long for that to become a reality. On June 14, Michelin and the Colorado Tourism Office announced that the anonymous Michelin inspectors are already eating their way around the state in preparation for the inaugural Michelin Guide Colorado, which will be released later this year and will cover Denver, Boulder, Aspen and Snowmass Village, the Town of Vail and Beaver Creek Resort.

After coming home from the Beard awards ceremony in Chicago, "I needed a new challenge," Diaz de Leon admits. "The universe knows what I need. I have been manifesting this for myself and Bruto since I took over, and I've been pushing Michelin standards since I got to Bruto, because if we do the work, they will come."

But it's not just Diaz de Leon who's been driving the culinary scene forward. "When the Guide comes to a city, it's because there are a plethora of restaurants doing good work," he acknowledges. "It's taken a lot of us to come together and push that standard, and we continue to inspire each other." In addition to Bruto's sister restaurant the Wolf's Tailor, he lists Beckon, Fruition, Tavernetta and Hop Alley among the places he'd like to see get recognition.
According to the Michelin announcement, "Colorado has a rich culinary community that includes both established, notable chefs and innovative up-and-comers. Their restaurant teams are committed to using a wide range of high-quality ingredients, sourced locally and sustainably, with farm-to-table dining being a particular highlight. Colorado’s mountainous terrain has influenced its culinary landscape, with many restaurants offering dishes inspired by the state’s outdoor lifestyle. Colorado’s gastronomy is influenced by German, Hispanic and Native American cultures; the state is home to several Native American tribes, including the Ute, Navajo and Apache."

Technically, only the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes are based in Colorado. But then, in North America, the Michelin Guide focuses largely on the East and West coasts, with editions in New York; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Miami/Orlando/Tampa, Florida; Toronto; California and Vancouver.

The Michelin Guide awards one, two or three stars to restaurants offering "unparalleled cuisine" based on five criteria: 1) quality products, 2) the harmony of flavors, 3) the mastery of cooking techniques, 4) the voice and personality of the chef reflected in the cuisine, and 5) consistency between each visit and throughout the menu (each restaurant is inspected several times a year).

Michelin also publishes its Bib Gourmand selections, "highlighting restaurants that offer great quality food at good prices," it says, while "the Michelin Green Star is given to restaurants that are leaders in sustainable gastronomy."

"I hope Casa Bonita gets a Bib Gourmand," says John Imbergamo, longtime Denver restaurant consultant and president of the Imbergamo Group. And that's certainly a possibility: The food under new executive chef Dana Rodriguez is certainly high quality, though the prices to access it still have not been announced.

No matter which spots end up in the guide, though, the news that it's coming to the state is "really fun, it's really exciting," Diaz de Leon concludes.