Kitchen Cred From a young age, Moore helped his grandmother in the kitchen or bussed tables at her Boulder restaurant, Lucile’s Creole Cafe. Chef dreams took him to San Francisco, where he planned to attend culinary school. Instead, he found himself at Stars restaurant, working under Jeremiah Tower, one of the great chefs and innovators of California cuisine. After working closely with Tower for several years, Moore worked at MacArthur Park and Prego in San Francisco before moving back to Denver in 1995. He opened Deluxe in 2003 and Delite in 2008.

Quick Tip “I keep fresh herbs growing at home. It’s a great thing to have—to just be able to pick a little rosemary or thyme and throw it on chicken or a potato. You can put them in your window, and you can have them year-round.”

5280 July 2009
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Like Father, Like Son “I have a six-year-old son named Jackson. When it comes to food, my boy’s pretty adventurous. He’s a meat guy—he likes steak tartare. He’ll sit down and kill a pile of raw meat.”

Global Collection Rare antique globes adorn the shelves and cabinets in his kitchen. Moore, who once co-owned the shabby-chic Decade boutique, used to fly across the country, rent U-Hauls, fill them up with antique goods, and road trip back to Colorado. “This is the crème de la crème that I didn’t sell; I’ve got a thing for the globes with black oceans.”

Stocked Up With so much time spent at the restaurants, Moore’s fridge is barren of all but the basics. But on days off, Moore relies on a stash of “really kick-ass” homemade chicken stock to make a sauce or a quick dish.

Kitchen Tool “I love the mandoline, for french fries, vegetables, whatever,” Moore says. “My son Jackson is into cucumber, so it’s great to have the mandoline for really quick slicing.”

Prosciutto, Gruyère, and Fig Jam Panini

  • 2 slices ciabatta bread
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 slices or three ounces sliced Gruyère
  • 1 tablespoon fig jam
  • 1 cup baby arugula
  • 1 slice prosciutto

Preheat panini grill. Rub olive oil on cook side of bread. Place cheese on both pieces, spread jam, sandwich arugula and prosciutto between both pieces, and grill. Served with mixed green salad.