Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important part of modern cooking. We see it in farm-to-table experiences, plant-based meat substitutes, zero-waste cooking and in Boulder, Colorado.
That’s right: This year, Boulder County won some well-deserved recognition for its dedication to sustainability in the culinary arts. Eleven of the county’s eating establishments were listed on the 2019 Good Food 100 list, according to Boulder Weekly. That’s more than any city other than nearby Denver (and tied with Minneapolis). This is the third annual list, and its goal is to recognize restaurants and other food-service organizations that are actively promoting food-service sustainability.
If you’re a culinary arts student at the Auguste Escoffier Boulder Culinary Campus and you aspire to contribute to sustainable service, then you’re in the right place at just the right time.
About the Restaurants
- Basta: Taking its name from the Italian word for “enough,” Basta is a James Beard Award nominee that serves up pizza, seafood and other Italian fare in an intimate, apartment-like setting.
- Blackbelly: This restaurant and bar prides itself on using locally-grown, pasture-raised Colorado ingredients. The owners also opened up Blackbelly Butcher, which is Boulder’s only whole animal, artisanal butcher shop.
- The Boulder Valley School District School Food Project: The Boulder Valley School District is taking school lunch to the next level with sustainable, organic and artful foods that help children understand the value of healthy, fresh cuisine.
- Corrida: This Spanish food restaurant, which draws inspiration from Northern Spain’s Basque country, prides itself on its seafoods and steaks and only using ingredients that are “sourced with purpose, care and integrity.”
- Flagstaff House: Flagstaff House focuses on fine dining, American fare with French influences. It sits 6,000 feet above sea level, making it a great place to enjoy fresh, whole ingredients and incredible views of Colorado’s mountain scenes.
- Fresh Thymes: This vegetarian- and vegan-friendly winner of 2018 and 2019 “Best of Boulder” County Awards is both a restaurant and a marketplace. It prides itself on fresh, healthy food and a memorable eating experience.
- Next Door American Eatery: This multi-location, American-cuisine restaurant offers up delicious food, and is dedicated to “honesty and transparency” in sourcing its ingredients.
- Santo: Chef Hosea Rosenberg’s New Mexican cuisine restaurant is inspired by his hometown of Taos, New Mexico. The menu highlights fresh, seasonal ingredients, and demonstrates a “good food mentality that sustains proper growing practices, responsible ranching and feeding techniques.”
- Fortuna Chocolate: This food truck and local chocolate operation sources single-estate cacao from Mexico and turns it into delicious chocolate creations that use locally sourced ingredients.
- The University of Colorado Boulder Campus Dining Services: The state’s largest university, which supplies 3.5 million meals every year, sources the ingredients for its salads from the on-campus Village Center Greenhouse.
- The Kitchen: It it’s farm-to-table American cuisine you want, The Kitchen is the place for you. Enjoy a farm-fresh experience in an elegant but warm ambiance.
Boulder was second only to Denver in total number of restaurants on the list.About the Good Food 100 list
The goal of the Good Food 100 list of to pay tribute to restaurants and other eating establishments that are dedicated to “sustainability and transparency” in how they source their ingredients. Good Food Media uses a rating system of “links,” with six links being the highest a restaurant can earn – one for each category of food purchasing:
- Bread, flour, legumes and grains.
- Dairy and eggs.
- Seafood.
- Meat and poultry.
- Fruits and vegetables.
- Other (oils, spices and more).
Exploring Sustainable Cooking in Culinary School
For students at our Boulder campus – and particularly those enrolled in a Plant-Based Culinary Arts program – this local recognition is exactly the type of affirmation needed to keep prioritizing sustainable food sourcing now and for years to come. Are you next on the frontlines of sustainability? Contact us to find out more about our program offerings.
