A List of the Black Owners and Chefs Leading the Front Range Culinary Scene

Creative Black entrepreneurs own culinary businesses of all kinds across the Front Range, spanning everything from chic bars and community coffee shops to soul food restaurants and roving food trucks. We hope this list makes it easy for you to find and support Black-owned and -operated establishments from Aurora to Boulder and beyond.

Which spots—and owners or chefs—are we missing? Email us at dining@5280.com; we’ll update this list regularly.

BAKERIES

• HiRa Cafe & Patisserie (Aurora): Hiwot Solomon, owner
• Miss Peabody Southern Tea Cakes (Denver): Pamela Richard, owner

BREWERIES, DISTILLERIES

• Hogshead 54 (Denver): Stephen Kirby, owner
• Novel Strand Brewing Company (Denver): Ayana Coker, Chantel Columna, and Tamir Danon, owners
• Outworld Brewing (Longmont): the Fuller family, including Brian, Brenda, and Jonathan Fuller

CATERING, PRIVATE CHEF SERVICES

• Angels Heavenly Kitchen
• Chef Cool Dre (Denver): DeAndre Smith, owner
• Chicken ’N Da Bag: Ka’Vaughn Crawley, chef-owner
• CME Catering & Events (Aurora): Regina Edmondson, owner
• Gourmet Away: Lisa Givens, chef-owner
• Kalina Poppins (private chef, food and wellness coach): Kalina Ross Peterson, chef-owner
• Konjo Catering & Events (Denver area): Fetien Gebre-Michael and Yoseph Assefa, owners
• Luchals Gourmet Catering (Colorado Springs): Luchals Lucas, owner
• Mama Joy’s Creole Catering (Denver): Joy A. Braud Sims, owner
• Nel’s Downhome BBQ (Denver): Adrian Grace, owner
• Open Fridge Gourmet (Denver): Derrick Cooper, owner
• Po’ Brothers (Colorado Springs)
• SoulNia (Denver): Kamiya Willoughby and Tess Hurlburt, owners
• Sukar’s (Colorado Springs): Je’Rico and Kendra Brown, owners

COFFEE, TEA, AND ICE CREAM SHOPS

• Caffeinated Cow (Colorado Springs): Jake and Harmony Norment, owners
• Coffee at the Point (Denver): Ryan Cobbins, owner
• Herbal Honey: Keisha Mathes, founder and chief herbalist
• Jebena Ethiopian Coffee & Culture (Denver area): Sarah Gebre, owner
• MyKings Ice Cream (Denver): Le’Day Grant, owner
• Pike’s Perk (Colorado Springs): Marc and Elary Johnson, owners
• Smith & Canon Ice Cream Co. (Denver): Curt Peterson, owner
• The Sojourners Coffee & Tea (Denver): Hatem “Tem” Abusadigh, owner
• Sweet Sweetz (Denver): Lodene Turner, owner
• Teelee’s TeaHouse and Bookstore (Denver): Risë Jones and Louis Freeman, owners
• Walia Creamery (Denver): Yeshi and Aster Gebremeskel, owners
• Whittier Cafe (Denver): Millete Birhanemaskel, owner

CULINARY RETAIL AND MARKETS

• Kingston Market (Aurora): Love and Enoch Awoniyi, owners
• Nana African Market (Denver)
• Sun Valley International Market (Denver): Asnake Deferse, owner

FOOD TRUCKS

• Conrad’s Flava Fusion (Colorado Springs): Conrad Champagnie, owner
• The Ethiopian Food Truck (various): Fetien Gebre-Michael and Yoseph Assefa, owners
• Saba’s Ethiopian Food: Madison Yohannes, owner
• The Union Food Truck & Catering (Colorado Springs): Lamar, Tianna, and Devon Taylor, owners

RESTAURANTS

• Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant and Bar (Denver): Henry Baker, owner
• African Grill and Bar (Lakewood, Greenwood Village): Sylvester and Theodora Osei-Fordwuo, owners
• Africana Restaurant & Cafe (Denver)
• Arada Ethiopian Restaurant (Denver): Haime Asfaw, owner
• Axum Restaurant (Denver): Ruth Desta, owner
• Blazing Chicken Shack II (Denver): Leola Gant, Rhonda Banks, and Gail and Ray Moore, owners
• Bonefish Grill (Colorado Springs): Hank Trueblood, propieter
• Boney’s Smokehouse BBQ (Denver): Lamont and Trina Lynch, owners
• Catfish Haven (Denver): Peggy Crispin, owner
• Club Tilt & Grill (Colorado Springs)
• CoraFaye’s Cafe (Denver; temporarily closed): Priscilla Smith, owner
• English Dockside West (Colorado Springs): Thomas and Stephanie Britannia, owners
• The Ethiopian Restaurant (Denver)
• Four by Brother Luck (Colorado Springs): Brother Luck, chef-owner
• Genna Rae’s Wings & More (Denver)
• Gypsy House Café (Denver): Doniece and Dena Derani, owners
• Hot Chick-a-Latté (Denver): Christina Stevens, owner
• Hungry Wolf BBQ (Denver): Angelo and Deja Washington, owners
• Intersections Breakfast, Brunch & Beignets (Denver)
• Island Delight Restaurant (Colorado Springs): Carlene Francis, owner
• Island Woman Shanty (Longmont): Modah Naycha, owner
• J’s Jamaican Flava (Colorado Springs)
• Jabo’s Bar-Be-Q (Greenwood Village): Dwight “Jabo” Lawson, owner
• Jamaican Grill (Denver): Tammy Braziel and Randal Whyte, owners
• Jessie’s Smokin’ NOLA (Centennial): Andrea Rayford, owner; Jessie Rayford, owner and chef
• Konjo Ethiopian Food (Edgwater): Fetien Gebre-Michael and Yoseph Assefa, owners
• Le French (DTC): Aminata Dia, co-owner; Rougui Dia, co-owner and executive chef
• Lil Howard’s (Colorado Springs): James McNeill, owner
• Lucky Dumpling (Colorado Springs): Brother Luck, chef-owner
• Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant (Denver)
• Maandeeq Restaurant & Cafe (Aurora)
• Megenagna (Aurora)
• Mesob Ethiopian (Denver): Letty Zelelew, owner
• Mimosas (Denver): Ryan Cobbins, owner; Corey Smith, chef
• Nile Ethiopian Restaurant (Aurora)
• NOLA Voodoo Tavern and Perks (Denver): Henry Batiste, owner
• Pomodoro’s Deli (Colorado Springs)
• The Queen of Sheba Restaurant (Denver): Zewditu (Zodi) Aboye, owner
• Rae’s & Kay’s Melting Pot (Boulder): Isha Rae Desbin and Char Kay Desbin, owners
• Randall’s (Denver): Randall Borne, founder and chef
• Rass Kassass’s Ethiopian Restaurant (Lafayette): Tsehay Hailu, chef
• Shandelicious BBQ (Colorado Springs)
• Spice Island Grill (Colorado Springs)
• Trina’s Place (Denver)
• Uchenna Ethiopian Restaurant (Colorado Springs): Maya, owner
• Welton Street Cafe Home of Mona’s (Denver): Mona Dickerson, owner
• Wild Bill’s Buffalo Wings Widefield (Colorado Springs): Tre Latham, owner
• Williams Soul Food (Colorado Springs): Ernest and Jackie Williams, owners
• You-Ka Cafe (Colorado Springs): Gregg and Emilou Savage, owners

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