Arts
As Executive Chef of Urban Farmer in Denver, Chris Starkus curates a locally focused, sustainably sourced steakhouse menu influenced by the bounty of Colorado. Chris highlights his seasonally-driven menu with nose-to-tail cuts of naturally-raised meat, executed with finely honed French techniques. Overseeing the whole animal butchery in-house, charcuterie program.He also enjoys tending to the restaurant’s rooftop apiary and state-of-the-art Urban Cultivators featuring homegrown mushrooms, microgreens, and sprouted grains. Inspired by America’s European ancestry, Chris unites ingredients grown on-site with those harvested from closely regarded purveyors to offer rustic brunch, lunch, and dinner preparations with bold, straightforward flavors. That love for cuisine developed during his upbringing in Santa Clarita, CA, thanks to the influence of his great grandmother, Mini, and grandmother, Mary. The matriarchs’ from-scratch family meals—a tradition of their Italian heritage After completing his culinary studies in 2001, Chris found work at Wolfgang Puck’s Chinois, and a year later, he made his way onto the opening team of Puck’s Postrio Las Vegas, first as tournant and later as assistant pastry chef, a yearlong apprenticeship position. His experience and dedication to the brand made him an obvious choice for the opening Executive Chef at Urban Farmer’s fourth location in Denver. Since joining the Sage Restaurant Group team, Chris has competed on Food Network’s Chopped, and has even studied beekeeping at Oregon State University, contributing to his work on the restaurant’s rooftop apiary.Click to view: show page on Awesound