THEY’VE GOT
THE CHOPS

Dana Rodriguez

If you met Dana Rodriguez on the street, you’d never know that she grew up on a farm without any running water or electricity, or that she helped her mother grind corn down to masa to make tortillas almost every day at mealtime. You certainly wouldn’t guess that she studied computers or owned her own clothing boutique in her native Chihuahua, Mexico. Indeed, Dana has made quite a journey.

What you WOULD know if you met her, is that she is immediately engaging—her friends and nearly everyone in the restaurant industry know her simply as “Loca.” Loca is the kind of woman who fills a room the instant that she enters it—her laugh carries above the noise, and you know immediately that you are in the presence of a salt-of- the-earth woman who knows above all else how to cook, and how to work hard.

After vacationing and visiting family in Colorado twenty years ago, Dana decided to stay in the state and applied for a job at Panzano, an upscale Italian restaurant in the Hotel Monaco. It was there she met Jennifer Jasinski, the chef who took Dana under her wing, focused on her strong work ethic and intelligence, and helped to develop Dana into the talented chef she is today. From dishwasher to prep cook, through pasta making and the bakeshop, and finally as a sous chef at Panzano, Dana worked her way through the ranks learning from Jasinski and others the skills necessary to excel at each job and how to manage staff.

Dana continued working with Jasinski and her partner, Beth Gruitch, for many years, going on to become a sous chef at Rioja and Chef de Cuisine at Bistro Vendome. It was in these roles that Dana learned what it was to truly run a kitchen.

In late 2012, Dana’s path crossed with Tony and Tabatha again (Tony and Dana had been friends for nearly fifteen years, since the days of Panzano), and Work & Class was born. In her role as owner and Executive Chef, Dana is excited about cooking food that reminds her of home—food that is close to her heart.

Beth Gruitch

When people say the restaurant business is in your blood, Beth Gruitch is a believer. Her great grandparents, three generations before her, must have passed down the gene. They owned and ran a diner, setting the standards that have led to Beth’s record of critical acclaim. “It doesn’t matter if you’re running a gastropub or a five-star restaurant,” she explains, “it’s all about being proud of the product you put out, and to that end, I have no tolerance for shortcuts – no matter what the restaurant concept.”

While Gruitch claims she simply “fell into” the restaurant business, destiny probably played more of a hand. After high school, the Colorado native learned the business from the ground-up, bussing and waiting tables, washing dishes, bartending and managing a restaurant office. The long hours and backbreaking work temporarily dissuaded her from pursuing a restaurant career, so she moved on to explore other options. She tried retail sales (drawing on her penchant for shopping) and taught pre-school (testing her infinite patience), until she was finally drawn back to the restaurant business.

Gruitch decided to supplement her hands-on experience with academic training before she seriously entered the competitive restaurant world. She earned a four-year business degree in Restaurant Hospitality from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and graduated with several offers on the table. She first took a job managing Boogie’s in Las Vegas, a fun and wild upscale diner, then managed DIVE!, the kitschy submarine-themed restaurant partnership between Steven Spielberg and Levy Restaurants.

Deciding it was time to expand her culinary horizons beyond diner food, Gruitch officially joined the ranks of Levy Restaurants in Chicago, managing some of the group’s high-end concepts like Bistro 110 and Voila. This was the turning point in her career where she realized she only wanted to work with people who shared her passion for food and wine and took pride in the product and service they offered.

Gruitch found herself back in Colorado and accepted the general manager position at Panzano in the Kimpton Monaco Hotel in February 1999, where she met chef Jennifer Jasinski. During their tenure at Panzano, the duo led the restaurant to the top of Denver’s culinary mountain – consistently named one of the top 5 Denver restaurants for food and service.

In 2003, Gruitch and Jasinski decided to leave their posts at Panzano to begin their first venture into restaurant ownership. The following year they opened Rioja, a restaurant in Denver’s Larimer Square with a contemporary design and Mediterranean menu influenced by local and seasonal Rocky Mountain ingredients.

Perhaps her business partner, Jasinski says it best. “Beth assures that all the best happens for the guests in all our restaurants. She makes sure we hire the best service staff, give them complete and thorough training and coaches them to perform. She’s the reason people rave about our service.”

In April 2006, Jasinski and Gruitch purchased Bistro Vendôme, a classic French bistro directly across the street from Rioja. The pair opened Euclid Hall Bar and Kitchen in 2010, their third restaurant, focused on international pub food and craft beer. Euclid Hall was one of 5280 magazine’s top 10 new restaurants in 2010. In addition, Gruitch completed her level-one sommelier certification in 2007, continuing to keep her at the top of her game overseeing the beverage programs for all five restaurants. In 2014, the pair opened Stoic & Genuine, their fish house in Denver’s Historic Union Station, named to the Best New Restaurants and Best Restaurants lists at 5280 magazine. Their newest restaurant, Ultreia, features the foods of Portugal and Spain and opened to raves late 2017 in historic Denver Union Station including Westword’s Best Iberian Restaurant.

Over the years, Rioja, Bistro Vendôme, Euclid Hall, Stoic & Genuine and now Ultreia have been listed among the top restaurants in Denver by the Rocky Mountain News, 5280 Magazine and the Gabby Gourmet Restaurant Guide and Rioja has been annually awarded four stars by AAA since 2008 and Wine Spectator Awards. 2011 brought the release of Rioja’s cookbook, The Perfect Bite, 76 recipes from the Rioja kitchen.

Busy with staffing, wine lists, cocktail menus, accounting and logistics for five active restaurants, Beth still finds time to be involved in the myriad charitable events in which her restaurants participate and serves on the executive board of Denver Civic Ventures at the Downtown Denver Partnership and EatDenver. She lives in Sunnyside with her partner David and boss-of-the-house bulldog, Winnie.

Biju Thomas

Chef Biju Thomas is a professional chef known for light, simple dishes bursting with bold flavors. He has designed the menus of many successful restaurants in Denver and Boulder, Colorado and has launched his own restaurant, Biju’s Little Curry Shop, in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood.

In 2009, Chef Biju teamed up with sports physiologist Dr. Allen Lim to improve the everyday diets and performance nutrition of professional cyclists and their teams. In the years since, Chef Biju has cooked for dozens of elite professional cyclists, teaching them the craft of cooking. His Feed Zone series of books with Lim, The Feed Zone Cookbook and Feed Zone Portables, feature 225 easy, healthy recipes and snack ideas for an active lifestyle.

Biju has been a chef for pro cycling teams and coordinated food for one of the sport’s biggest races, the Tour of California. Biju has also been the chef for the Dempsey/Del Piero Racing, a Grand-Am and Le Mans motorsports team. He also contributes recipes to Skratch Labs, Omega Juicers, and Map My Fitness.

Brett Zimmerman

Owner of Boulder Wine Merchant, Chief Wine Officer for Integrated Beverage Group

Born and raised in Colorado, Brett Zimmerman discovered his passion for wine while working his way through the University of Colorado. Following graduation and time spent at two of Boulder’s top restaurants, Zimmerman accepted a sommelier position at the highly acclaimed Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago.

He continued his education after relocating to San Francisco to serve as sommelier for celebrated restaurant Aqua, before ultimately deciding to return to his native state and open his own restaurant, Mateo – a popular Provençal-style restaurant in downtown Boulder, Colorado.

Zimmerman moved from restaurants to distribution and served as the General Manager of the American Fine Wine Division of Southern Wine and Spirits. In the spring of 2007, Zimmerman successfully passed his Masters Examination and earned the highly coveted distinction of Master Sommelier.

In August of 2010, Master Zimmerman purchased the Boulder Wine Merchant from fellow Master Sommeliers Wayne Belding and Sally Mohr. In addition to his ownership role at the Boulder Wine Merchant, Zimmerman oversees quality control for wine production with Integrated Beverage Group. As Chief Wine Officer, Zimmerman works with the winemaking team to produce quality wines sourced from their wineries in Oregon and Sonoma. Zimmerman also contributes with product development, sales, and activation.

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