2014 RH 25: Crafted Concepts

Headquarters: Denver

Annual Sales: $10.2 million

Number of Units: 4

Key Personnel:
• Jennifer Jasinski, chef/owner
• Beth Gruitch, owner

SINGLE CONCEPTS:
• Rioja (a menu inspired by Mediterranean ingredients)
• Bistro Vendome (classic bistro fare featuring local seasonal ingredients)
• Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen (an American tavern featuring innovative pub food)
• Stoic & Genuine (multicoastal seafood, oyster house and granite bar)

WHY IT’S COOL: We’ve been fans of Jennifer Jasinski ever since she opened her first restaurant, Rioja, 10 years ago. Her ability to coax monster flavors out of ingredients is astonishing. “This chick is going places,” we said to ourselves way back when. And she has, creating differing and exciting concepts all along the way. Each is as varied as the one before it and each is as good as it gets. It’s no wonder the James Beard Foundation gave her its award last year for Best Chef in the Southwest. Our eternal love for Jennifer was sealed late last year watching her on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters, which pits the country’s best chefs against each other. It’s a tremendous pressure cooker that makes even the toughest chefs wilt. Not Jennifer. She finished a very close second. This is what Top Chef Masters judge James Oseland said about her after weeks of competing: “I thought I had a handle on Jennifer’s excellence as a cook, and then during the finale meal, she served us her paella gnocchi. My God, it was the single best dish I ate all season—so perfectly balanced, so beautifully executed, so lovely to look at.” He could have been describing Jennifer, herself. When your company has a LeBron James like Jennifer, it’s hard to lose.

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