Inside Alma Fonda Fina: How Johnny and Kasie Curiel Are Beating the Odds As Many Restaurants Close
After racking up two Michelin stars and opening six restaurants in less than three years, Johnny and Kasie Curiel are the Denver restaurant industry’s biggest success story. So how, at a time when so many other restaurateurs are struggling, closing, or calling for minimum wage reform, did they pull this off? And how long can it last? Producer Paul Karolyi sits down with the married co-owners of Fonda Fina Hospitality to talk about how they met, how their company was inspired by a national restaurant chain, and why they “literally put their lives on the line to follow their dreams,” as their friend and fellow chef Michael Diaz de Leon put it to the Denver Post. Plus, their favorite local spots to try today!
Paul referenced his interview with Chef Michael Diaz de Leon from back in March 2024, when he had just stepped away from the restaurant where he earned a Michelin star. Also mentioned in this episode are Molino Chido, Diaz de Leon’s new taco spot at Stanley Marketplate; El Tule; Heretik; Hillstone; Cherry Creek Grill; and Panadería el Alamo.
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