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"Opened in Boulder in 2010, Basta was Whitaker’s ember — his first wave as a scrappy, cerebral newcomer — and laid the groundwork for his culinary identity. That foundation was international, informed by hospitality studies and a formative stint on Procida where he fell in love with wood-fired cooking and the joy of feeding people simply and well, setting the stage for the ecosystem he would later build." - Katie Shapiro