A decade ago, before there was the Squeaky Bean and Old Major, there was Adega. The restaurant, located across the street from Union Station in a space that now houses Venice, brought Denver a giant 7,500-bottle above-ground wine cellar and upscale cuisine from Bryan Moscatello. Unfortunately, Adega was short-lived and with it went the chef's Franco-inspired innovative American dishes.
For those who remember Moscatello's food, there is good news: the chef is back in Colorado. For those unacquainted with him, there's a reason to go to the Little Nell's Element 47 restaurant. Moscatello took the executive chef position at the Aspen restaurant and he is not exactly new to the property: he previously served as chef there from 1992 to 2000.
Moscatello just left Chicago where he has been the chef-partner at Storefront Company and has earned three stars from the Chicago Tribune during his tenure. Prior to that, among others, he was the executive chef/general manager at Bistro Toujours, Levy Restaurants in Deer Valley and executive chef at Stir Food Group in Washington, DC. In 2003, Moscatello was recognized by Food & Wine Magazine as one of America's Ten Best New Chefs.
What prompted the return to Aspen? "The timing was right. I always felt Colorado was my home and I wanted to return. Things just worked out really well timing-wise," the chef said. He replaces Robert McCormick, who accepted a position with Emma Farms Cattle Company as vice president of sales and marketing. McCormick will work to expand the current 150 head of Wagyu cattle into 5,000 by 2020. He will continue to collaborate closely with The Little Nell as a purveyor of the local product.
Moscatello began working at the Little Nell on this past Monday, December 2. "We are looking forward to expanding the menu soon. It will start with an evolution of the dinner menu, then continue with the rest of the restaurant's menus," the chef shared.
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