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Recent Articles from Laura Newman
Chef Laura: Bobby's unspoken rules of the kitchen
Every chef worth their salt has done a stint as a breakfast line cook. If culinary school is like boot camp, then orchestrating a griddle full of flapjacks, hash browns and eggs is a cook’s first tour of duty.
Got dinner plans this Thursday?
Your part in Dining Out For Life is the easiest of them all! Take a break from rattling those pots and pans in your kitchen and check out the dining guide instead. With more than 250 participating restaurants in the Denver/Boulder market alone, specializing in every type of cuisine from Anchovy p...
Best of CoBiz: Trying customers: A side order of snark
I tell my kids to “try” things all the time: try some sushi, try using your chopsticks, try not to smear wasabi on your sister. They’re on the younger side, so I try to give them the benefit of the doubt as these requests are new territory for them. But as adults and more importantly, as employee...
Earning my wings
The menu read: “Roast Pork Loin with French Herbs, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans. Louisiana-style baked Fish with Zucchini. Roasted Chicken with Pumpkin Gravy, Rice and Poulette sauce.” I must be inside one of Denver’s newest white table cloth restaurant, right? In the heart of Denver’s histo...
Chef Laura: Peak performance
Although Coloradans wear “hiking a fourteener’ like a badge of honor, it is in fact not a requirement to maintaining residency. What kept me scrambling up jagged rocks to the 14,368-foot summit was the fact that it was my idea. This got me thinking about work. You know when the boss assigns you a...
Chef Laura: A baker’s dozen
Calm, cool and collected perfectly describe Chef Alex Figura, 30, Executive Chef of Lower48 Kitchen. This mod yet unpretentious restaurant hit the ballpark neighborhood eight months ago and has been delighting its customers ever since with an innovative and constantly evolving menu. Having worked...
Chef Laura: Punctuality through pastries
It was my first time managing teen-agers who had never had a job before, let alone a job in food service. Their naiveté combined with their Gen Y mentality showed in their lackadaisical work ethic. My biggest challenge was getting these newbies to understand the importance of punctuality. Initiall...
Crafty bean scene
Brothers Tommy and Tim Thwaites of Coda Coffee Co. – named “2014 Roaster of the Year” by Roast Magazine – owe much of their success to people. And not just the 45 employees at their Denver location, but also the team of global farmers they work with to ensure that every element of the supply chain...
Chef Laura: FIFO that FOMO!
Chefs understand the importance of FIFO – “First In First Out”. It’s the way we stay on top of our inventory – especially the perishable product – by using up the old stuff before the new stuff. It’s a food safety basic that helps maintain freshness. But a new acronym is causing some queasiness...
Chef Laura: The lollipop trick
When a carrot is dangled in front of a customer, they become better customers than when that carrot is given to them outright. This lesson was reinforced when I worked for a snack company. We had several display racks, ranging in size and sophistication, we were able to give to customers, gratis....
Chef Laura: An urban legend revealed
A group of 25 people loiters around the magazine section of LoDo’s Tattered Cover. They secretly eye each other assessing the overall vibe and outfit choices – some men looking quite dapper in vests and fedoras, some women wearing bold necklaces and shabby chic get-ups. With quiet fanfare – the g...
Chef Laura: The waiting game
The following scenarios occur during three different visits to the same restaurant. Imagine all variables like size of the party, day of the week, and time of day are consistent; the only thing that changes is the quoted wait time. Scenario 1: You arrive and are informed there’s a 20-minute wait....
