Winner, Winner, HOT Chicken Dinner!

Discover the spicy history of Nashville hot chicken and its arrival in Fort Collins at Music City Hot Chicken. Founded by brothers Sam and Jordan Graf, this popular eatery combines traditional Southern flavors with local green chiles for a unique twist. Enjoy their signature buttermilk-breaded chicken tossed in a special spice blend, paired with sides like creamy mac and cheese and tangy coleslaw. The Post Brewing Company also offers its own gluten-free version of fried chicken, perfect for takeout during the pandemic. Experience the vibrant fried chicken scene in Fort Collins and Denver

A Win: Grab-n-Go Snowfox Sushi Meets Hunger and Art Head On

Grab and Go Sushi at grocery store sushi kiosks, fill both an educational and culinary void in Americans’ sushi consumption. Snowfox offers franchises for sushi entrepreneurs, along with a two week training course at its Houston headquarters. After passing a food licensing examination, franchise investors are granted a certificate. This opportunity offers freedom for many refugees to own their business and develop a lifelong skill, empowering them to be self sufficient.

When Speakeasies See Sunlight

Explore the evolution of speakeasies in Northern Colorado during the pandemic. Fort Collins’ Social bar adapted by offering cocktails to-go and even launched an outdoor space, Social Above Ground, to keep patrons safe while enjoying crafted drinks. The Kress Cinema & Lounge in Greeley also pivoted, serving cocktails alongside charcuterie plates. With ongoing restrictions, these establishments exemplify resilience and innovation in challenging times. Discover how they maintain a unique cocktail experience while ensuring safety and comfort for guests.

Q. & A. with Sonia Riggs, CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association: Taking a measure of today’s restaurant industry

We know we’ve lost hundreds of restaurants across the state. More pressingly, [after the CRA’s October Restaurant Impact Survey] 50% are telling us they will consider closing permanently within 6 months, no doubt because they are worried about ongoing restrictions on capacity and because they have not seen a second round of significant cash relief at the federal level. The Colorado restaurant industry was a $14.5 billion industry in 2019, but it is down billions of dollars in 2020 — we estimate it lost nearly $1 billion in April alone.

OZO Good: Planterra Foods Takes the High Road to Launch Plant-based Food Line-up

OZO Good: Planterra Foods Takes the High Road to Launch Plant-based Food Line-up

Planterra Foods, under CEO Darcey Macken, launched its plant-based OZO product line with a focus on sustainability and innovation. After an open letter controversy in the plant-based protein industry, Macken responded positively, highlighting the contributions of competitors. Planterra’s products, made from a proprietary blend of pea and rice protein fermented with shiitake mycelia, offer a unique taste and improved digestibility. With offerings like burgers, ground products, and Italian meatballs, OZO aims to attract flexitarians. The launch included a $1 million donation to food banks, emphasizing the company’s community commitment.

Big Trouble Little Dumpling Opens with Socially Distanced Driveway Soup Kitchen

If you ask Sam Graf, he’ll tell you dumplings are the perfect food. In fact, he’ll tell you he doesn’t think he’s met anybody who doesn’t like dumplings. This isn’t an idle statement. Graf will also tell you how the dumplings he cooks in his driveway never stick around for long.

Graf has spent ten years exploring dumpling houses. Growing up, he ate potstickers, typically the frozen ones. His first taste of an authentic Asian dumpling was in New York City, in a counter shop lined by steam tables filled with dumplings. You pick out a bunch and they go into a box. From Chicago dim sum to SoHo, Graf has sampled dumplings in big cities and dumplings cooked in shacks to experience the art form. Learning along the way, it reaffirmed he was on the right track but still had to taste more.

RamaMama restaurateur gets what he needs, if not what he wanted

After the pandemic’s arrival and abrupt shutdowns, Lawyer used the CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program to float payroll for his core employee base. But when the non-profit Homeward Alliance reached out with a plan to provide two meals daily to homeless people at the Northside Aztland Center in downtown FOCO, he found an opportunity to coordinate with the rescue mission and Catholic Charities to minimize the downtown FOCO homeless population footprint. For 68 day days straight — the beginning of April and into June —, he woke at 4:30 each morning to prepare individually boxed, ready to serve meals. A tight budget required menu creativity, and with little to no employees, he pulled it all together. Lawyer said he was lucky to have the equipment and the commissary — the hub of his company’s food truck and catering operations.