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FeedRising Star of the Year
Marc Piscotty
Our Winner: James Rugile
Executive Chef, Venue,
venuebistro.com
Roots:
Queens, NY; Thousand Oaks, CA; Basalt, CO
Classrooms:
Johnson & Wales University, Denver
Kitchens:
Vesta Dipping Grill, Black Pearl, and Venue in Denver
Why He’s Our Winner:
Only 25 years old as this issue goes to press, Rugile is mature beyond his years. Not only because he deftly handles all the duties of any executive chef, but also because of his remarkable attitude about it
all. Since Venue opened in November, Rugile has been showered with praise from food critics, his Highland customers, even his peers. When you ask Rugile about his success, however, he’s quick to credit others and talk about how he doesn’t want to be his own boss forever — that he still has too much to learn. We love that this remarkable maturity doesn’t seem to have stripped him of his youthful enthusiasm. Whether the topic is chefs he respects, the science of braising, or farming and kabocha squash, Rugile has an insatiable passion for what he does. It’s a passion he shares with the rest of us in every single bite.
Where he learned how to peel a lemon:
Grant Achatz’s Alinea in Chicago.
Meal he’s glad he cooked:
Tasting menu for chefs Dan Barber of New York’s Blue Hill and Andoni Aduriz of Spain’s Mugaritz.
Meal we’re glad he cooked:
Tasting menu for Venue owner Holly Hartnett to land his job.
Dream stage:
Barber’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns.
Denver chefs he most respects:
Alex Seidel, Matty Selby, and Benny Kaplan.
Max Mackissock
Executive Chef, The Squeaky Bean,
thesqueakybean.net
Roots:
Laconia, NH; Nashua, NH;
Niskayuna, NY
Classrooms:
Schenectady County Community College
Kitchens:
Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia, NY; Great Northern Tavern in Keystone; Vita and The Squeaky Bean in Denver
Why We Love Him:
Those who follow the restaurant scene already know Mackissock; he was the opening chef at Vita. When management turned its attention to a menu more befitting Vita’s popular roof deck, Mackissock left and spent a year traveling and consulting. The 31-year-old is now back and better than ever. At the brasserie-like Squeaky Bean, Mackissock seems to have the creative autonomy he thrives on. We love that he is as talented as he is inventive, turning out nearly flawless greenmarket fare in the limited kitchen of this one-time coffee shop.
Motivator on days when he’s tired or sick:
How frustrated his mom would be when they’d save up for a meal out only to be disappointed.
Most memorable van:
The one he’d have to hide in when the labor department would check the kitchen at the “I-talian” restaurant he worked in at age 14.
Dish that speaks to how he cooks:
Tuna Tonnato.
Denver chef he most respects:
Jennifer Jasinski, his girlfriend of three years.
Peter Ryan
Chef, Z Cuisine,
zcuisineonline.com
Roots:
Plymouth, MA
Classrooms:
Cook Street School of Fine Cooking, University of Colorado Denver
Kitchens:
Culinary Renaissance in Metuchen, NJ; Z Cuisine in Denver
Why We Love Him:
While older than most rising stars at 38, Ryan is new to the Denver restaurant scene. After eight years as an instructor at Cook Street School of Fine Cooking, Ryan teamed with Z Cuisine’s Patrick DuPays in January. If you feel as if DuPays has been table-hopping a lot lately, you are not imagining it; he knows both the beloved classics and spontaneous specials are in Ryan’s good hands. Don’t tell the Frenchman, but we love that the cassoulet has never tasted better!
How he got a job on the line at Culinary Renaissance:
A glorified resume, “I couldn’t even cut an onion.”
Menu item he’s proud of:
Lamb niçoise.
Wine he’d pair with Z Cuisine’s cassoulet:
2007 Gigondas.
Details of the 50-page business plan he’s written for his own place:
“Small, neighborhood, there’s nothing like it in town,” but that’s all he’s saying.
Denver chefs he most respects:
All the chefs who are elevating Denver’s food scene.
Tony Clement
Chef de Cuisine, Mizuna,
mizunadenver.com
Roots:
Canandaigua, NY
Classrooms:
The Art Institute of Philadelphia
Kitchens:
L’Ange Bleu in Philadelphia; Veritas and Beppe in New York City; Mizuna in Denver
Why We Love Him:
Clement, just 29, cut his teeth in some impressive restaurants, and now, while chef-restaurateur Frank Bonanno is out curing meat, tossing pizzas, and opening Denver’s next hit, Clement is at the helm of Bonanno’s most high-end kitchen. We love Clement’s sheer talent in bringing us one of Denver’s most exquisite menus and can’t wait to see what happens when he decides to try it alone.
Most revealing Christmas gift:
An Easy-Bake oven when he was six.
What brought him to Denver:
Rock climbing.
Most memorable meal:
Dinner at Le Bernardin with the Veritas staff after he gave notice.
Favorite trade magazine:
Urban Garden.
Biggest mentor:
“Ninety percent of what I know about fine dining cuisine is attributed to Scott Bryan” (formerly of Veritas).
Denver chef he most respects:
Frank Bonanno.
See Our Winners
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