Colorado Puts Sustainable Dining on the Plate

"Inspired by the seasons and the land, this Boulder restaurant is fueled by Chef Eric Skokan’s 425-acre, certified-organic Black Cat Farm—home to 500 sheep, 100 hogs, and 250 varieties of vegetables—so the team harvests the best of what they have today for service today and writes the menu entirely around it. Skokan revels in constant experimentation (think tackling 1,000 pounds of Hakurei turnips) and grows for diversity—14 kinds of carrots and 20 tomatoes—as insurance against Colorado’s swings from -20 winters to 100-degree summers, when beets, Swiss chard, and spinach become otherworldly sweet. The cooking aims for “simple, direct, delicious” results, epitomized by porchetta slow-cooked over a wood-fired oven, where farm-raised pork and salt become buttery and mesmerizing. Sustainability is foundational: ingredients come straight from the farm, compost heat warms the greenhouse, and the ethos centers on animal welfare, soil health, and a smaller carbon footprint; soon, guests can even dine at the farm under weather-resistant cabanas with tours." - Michael He