Chef James Mazzio Now at The Edge at Timberline

Last October, chef James Mazzio left Denver's Red Star Deli and Studio F, which has since closed, and now the chef is spending all his time at a farm-to-table restaurant called the Edge at the Timberline in Snowmass. The restaurant opened two ski seasons ago and Mazzio consulted on the menus from the very beginning. Now, he is involved in the day-to-day operations and nightly cooking.

"We are doing farm-to-table probably about 90% or more," Mazzio says. "Most of everything we use is either grown in Colorado, raised in Colorado, or coming from a Colorado company- those are my three rules," he adds. The menu features global mountain fare with Mazzio's creative touch, but with very little fuss and fanfare. There is fresh fish, pasta, burgers, soups, and salads all prepared with care and thoughtfulness but kept approachable both in preparation and the pricing.

Mazzio was a 1999 Food & Wine Magazine Best New Chef winner when he was cooking at the now defunct 15 Degrees in Boulder. He spent time in numerous Denver kitchens, including the Ice House Tavern and Via Trattoria. Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley are home for the chef who is adamant that he will be staying up in the hills for the foreseeable future. "I moved up here and have no plans of going anywhere. I have another project coming up in down valley in October with a gentleman I worked with in Maui so I will stay in these parts for a while," Mazzio explains.

The Edge Restaurant & Bar is open for dinner nightly on a seasonal basis. A fall seasonal will occur in September with a reopen for the ski season on December 15.

· James Mazzio Exits, Red Star Deli Taps New Chef
[EDen]
· Red Star Deli and Studio F shutter in the Icehouse [Cafe Society]