Business Matters is a monthly column featuring business news in the Life on Capitol Hill and Washington Park Profile coverage areas, which is roughly central and central-south Denver.
If you are a local business that would like to announce any updates to your operations, email Christy Steadman at csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com.
New openings
Korean BBQ Chef
A new at-home dinner service offering authentic Korean cuisine has launched to serve the Denver-metro area.
The business is the brainchild of mother-son duo, Sunny and MJ Hong, who are Korean-born American immigrants.
How it works is the client collaborates with the chef “to organize a customized menu in accordance with your preferences,” states the website. “The chef will arrive to your home at the agreed-upon time on your service date.”
The menu includes a variety of meats, soups, appetizers and traditional Korean side dish options. Options for gluten free, vegan and other dietary restrictions are also available upon request.
The Korean BBQ Chef also offers catering and meal prep services.
To learn more about the Korean BBQ Chef, visit thekoreanbbqchef.com.
Westword originally reported this story.
Closings
Sugar Bakeshop
Sugar Bakeshop, 277 Broadway in Denver’s Baker neighborhood, has closed. It opened in 2008.
According to Westword, “the lease was up on the space, and owner Natalie Slevin decided it was time to make a shift; she’s planning to focus on her popular creation ot vegan popsters, with a goal of making them a national hit.”
Turin Bicycles
A longtime bike shop that borders Denver’s Speer and Capitol Hill neighborhoods is closing in April after more than 50 years in business.
Turin Bicycles, 700 Lincoln St., made the announcement in early March on social media and its website.
“The ride has been amazing for every one of us who have had the honor of serving you at Turin,” states the post. “We all thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
According to the post, the closure comes as Alan Fine, founder and owner, is preparing for retirement. Fine opened Turin Bicycles in 1971 near Denver’s Grant and Sherman streets area, and relocated to the bike shop’s Seventh Avenue and Lincoln Street location in 1991.
Turin Bicycles carried a wide variety of bikes and gear, and also offered various bike services.
Though the shop is closing at its current location, two longtime employees, Mike Stejskal and Dave Wileden, “are working to re-home the business and hope to return next year in a new location,” states the post on Turin Bicycles’ website.
To learn more about Turin Bicycles, visit turinbikes.com.
Milestones
Denver Beer Co.
As Denver Beer Co. celebrated the one-year anniversary of opening its third taproom — which is located at 2425 South Downing St. in Denver’s Rosedale neighborhood — the brewery made a mid-March announcement that it would be opening a fourth location in Lowry.
“The Rosedale neighborhood is an underappreciated gem of a community in Denver,” said the brewery’s co-founder Charlie Berger. “We love our neighbors, our beer garden and our team. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see how we have been welcomed in this part of town.”
Berger and Patrick Crawford opened their first Denver Beer Co. brewery and taproom in Denver’s Highland neighborhood in 2007. That was followed with Denver Beer Co.’s production brewery called Canworks in Sunnyside, then Olde Town Arvada’s Denver Beer Co. in 2017.
The Rosedale location features Denver Beer Co.’s craft beer — including year-round favorites and seasonal brews — and a variety of food options from DBC Eats Comfort Food as well as the onsite ice cream shop, Yum Yums Ice Cream. An additional amenity is a large, dog-friendly outdoor patio.
The recently announced fourth taproom will be located at 7070 E. Lowry Blvd. within the Exchange at Boulevard One development in Denver’s Lowry neighborhood. It will include a brewery, taproom, an outdoor patio and garden and an in-house restaurant concept.
“This fourth taproom will be really special due to its location on the park within the Exchange at Boulevard One,” Crawford said in a news release. “Ever since traveling to Germany, I’ve always dreamt of having a taproom adjacent to open space where you can sip beers in between yard games.”
A groundbreaking is expected to take place in April with plans for a grand opening in late 2022.
To learn more about Denver Beer Co., visit denverbeerco.com.
Miscellaneous
Native Foods
Native Foods has announced that Chef Chris Bertke will assume the role of executive chef for the vegan fast-casual restaurant brand.
Native Foods has a location in Glendale at 680 S. Colorado Blvd., and in Lone Tree and Boulder.
Bertke is a St. Louis native. He has a background in fine dining and experience in a number of vegan kitchens. Bertke, who is vegan, specializes in creating meat-like products using his own recipes — versus using fillers such as soy or tofu — for house-made meat substitutes.
“Joining Native Foods as executive chef is so exciting because I have the opportunity to create plant-based meat alternative recipes for our already innovative menu,” Bertke said in a news release.
Native Foods’ spring menu launches in April and will feature new creations by Bertke.
To learn more about Native Foods, visit nativefoods.com.
Twist & Shout
In early March, Westword reported that the Twist & Shout owners sold the record store to a longtime manager.
Paul and Jill Epstein decided to retire after owning and operating Twist & Shout for 33 years, Westword reported.
In a March 7 Facebook post, Paul Epstein wrote: “We have understood for a while that our ability to retire had to dovetail with a plan to keep Twist & Shout going far into the future. We believe that the store has become part of Denver life, and if it were to disappear, a huge hole in the cultural and musical life of our city would appear.”
Patrick Brown, the new owner, was hired to work at Twist & Shout 30 years ago. He has been the store’s manager for 29. In the above-mentioned Facebook post, Epstein added that Brown “assured me that nothing would change. The employees, product mix, special events, policies and overall vibe of our beloved Twist & Shout will remain the same … his energy will carry the store way into the future. I’m excited for the store and have no trepidation about this move.”
Twist & Shout is located at 2508 E. Colfax Ave., which borders Denver’s Congress Park and City Park neighborhoods. To learn more about the record store, visit twistandshout.com.