Cook With The Top Chef from Denver’s Hippest Hotel

Colorado’s Hotel Born arrived stylishly to downtown Denver’s thriving Union Station neighborhood last summer, with a striking alpine-modern aesthetic and thoughtful touches from local makers that reflect the city’s up-and-coming arts scene.

It also happens to have a buzzy restaurant, which has quickly become known as one of Denver’s best thanks to its regionally inspired fare that highlights seasonal fruits and veggies. The restaurant’s executive chef, Christian Graves, even uses hard and fruitwoods native to the Mile High City in his wood-firing techniques. This summer, Citizen Rail is rolling out a hands-on program for hotel guests to fully experience farm-to-table cooking, led by Graves himself.

The experience starts off with mimosas before heading to the Union Station Farmers Market, a 40-plus vendor event in the historic Beaux Arts train station, for fresh produce and other ingredients for the evening’s menu. Back at Citizen Rail, Graves will lead an interactive cooking demonstration and will serve three courses starring the day’s market finds, accompanied by wine and cocktail pairings. The menu might include a spring veggie salad of roasted beets, baby basil and grilled bread, or savory, hickory smoked yellow beans dusted with kimchi and toasted sunflower seeds.

The program kicks off this month and is available to up to eight guests from the first weekend of June through September.