Creativity is an essential but overlooked component of delicious food. While many chefs develop a culinary equation that results in a dish that falls into a classic category, others like Gemini’s Chef Brian Pierce take the cooking process a step further to push culinary standards by adding nuance to food.

Pierce began dabbling with cuisine in college using a blend of curiosity and guidance from his mom to master a handful of dishes. But it wasn’t until he moved to New York City that he began taking his calling seriously. It was there where he gleaned inspiration from the cultural diversity.

“I spent a lot of time going to farmers markets. I would also go to ChinaTown and buy dried shrimp, sweet potato leaves, and dried mushrooms that we used in integral ways. We went to a Spanish store in SOHO because it was right there,” explained Pierce. The food diversity was a key component to his culinary development. It was also in New York where his understanding of farms became integral to how he thought about food.

Eventually he landed in Estela — an iconic modern American eatery that’s under the creative supervision of Chef Ignacio Mattos. Then he began working for Andrew Tarlow for five years, a man he describes as the “Alice Waters of Brooklyn.”

“Andrew Tarlow owns several different concepts in Brooklyn and Manhattan. I worked at Marlow and Sons, Romans, and Reynard (which is now closed),” explains Pierce. He credits Tarlow for ushering in a new era of Brooklyn food. Borgo, Tarlow’s newest restaurant, even received a Michelin star shortly after opening, demonstrating the standards under which Pierce worked for many years.

Although New York molded Pierce into the chef he is today, he eventually made a homecoming in 2017. In 2021, Gemini opened its doors for the first time, taking a contemporary spin to traditional Spanish dishes and tapas to captivate the palate of Pearl Street passersby. Busy even at 12:00 on a Monday afternoon, Gemini’s menu features classic dishes like seafood paella with lobster stock, PEI mussels, and chorizo for a hearty, delicious meal. But the menu’s tapas are more prone to shift with the seasons and to garner attention with their flavors.

“The change keeps me engaged and people in the community engaged,” he says.

He adds, “I think the creativity in appetizers is more playful. Restaurants can take more risks there. I think that’s where the underlying excitement came from.”

Beginning on Valentines day, Pierce is ushering in a new change to the restaurant as well. Gemini will begin featuring a number of menu items from a raw bar like oysters, and some type of crude fish. Despite a common assumption that claims Colorado’s land-locked location make seafood an uncommon and unsafe delicacy, Pierce explains that Denver is actually a travel-hub that’s a convenient stop over for food from both the east and the west coast. As a result, a raw bar like Gemini’s may feature some of the best seafood in the nation.

As Gemini continues to captivate foodies across Boulder, Pierce added another project to his culinary empire: a new restaurant called High Country, which is located right next to Gemini and brings a laid back atmosphere with elevated dishes like the vaquera flank steak and poached salmon and appetizers like cast iron cornbread.

Both restaurants are operated by Chef Pierce, managing partner Michael Mehiel, pastry chef Catherine Neckes, and Elizabeth Neckes. High Country opened its doors for the first time in April of 2024, and it continues to carve its space out amongst Pearl Street’s classic restaurants. With decades of combined culinary experience, Pierce, Mehiel, and the Neckes sisters are bringing new and unique flavors to Boulder. 

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Rullo Romo Antonio

Say hello to Rullo Romo Antonio, the current head chef of Dagabi Cucina in Boulder, Colorado. Antonio grew up in Toledo, Spain. “I grew up cooking with my mom and grandma in the kitchen. They were both excellent cooks but they cooked traditional Spanish food.” As Antonio looked back at his childhood he smiled and said, “I remember cooking around the holidays. We did a lot of baking. Spain is a traditional Catholic country, so for Christmas we would make certain things. With my family it was a time to make big preparations for Spanish donuts, pastries, and other desserts. That was my first experience in the kitchen, just spending time with them.”

Antonio’s family was a part of the farming community. The country’s seasonal harvest was a major part of Antonio’s childhood. “I would participate in the harvests; there were the harvests for grapes, olives, and for saffron. Around that time we would make a lot of different food that you really can only do at that time of the year. It’s all about the fresh ingredients that you’d have at that time. I learned a lot from that back then.”

“I didn’t know when I was young that I would end up working in the kitchen. I thought it would end up just being a hobby because I liked to do it.” Antonio eventually drew from the knowledge he gained in his childhood and applied it to his future. The aspiring chef moved to Madrid to attend culinary school and then, “In 2004 I moved to Boulder. I found this restaurant when it was owned by someone else, he was an Italian man. The owner taught me a lot of new traditional Italian techniques while I was in training. I learned how to make everything. Homemade ravioli, pasta, and bread.”

As the years went on Antonio mastered Italian cuisine. It was then that Antonio reinvented the restaurant’s dishes, making them his very own. “When I got here the restaurant was strictly Italian food. But as time went on it began to change bit by bit.” Antonio chuckled.

“The new owner, Noah, bought this restaurant and I got to start working with him.” Noah allowed Antonio to put a Spanish flare on his menu. “At first it was difficult to introduce people to Spanish food. This location makes us a traditional neighborhood restaurant. We had customers that had already been coming here for pizzas, pastas and other Italian dishes. We started slowly introducing Spanish food to the clientele.”  Noah eventually allowed Antonio to take the reins, and he began to introduce tapas to get people more familiar with his traditional flavors. “Eventually I began to introduce a lot of recipes from my mom and grandma. I have made their traditional brie and my grandma’s Spanish ratatouille. I try to cook a lot of traditional food but at the same time I need to take a tiny bit to make it more appealing to the American palate.”

Ingredients on the other hand, is something that Antonio is not willing to compromise on. “Quality ingredients are very important.” As Antonio’s traditional cooking became a staple part of the restaurant he began to outsource for the best ingredients. “I have my saffron rice shipped in from Spain. The rice is very important for my cooking and there really isn’t anything like it available here.” Authenticity and quality is essential to Antonio. The Dagabi Cucina restaurant holds the key to his heart’s passion.

“I am so lucky to be here, we have a nice community of Spanish and American people and they all come here for our traditional Spanish food.” Antonio has truly made Boulder his home.

Kierstin W. family of the owner chuckled and said, “We’ve been here for 18 years and Antonio came with the restaurant. He will probably always be here.” We can only hope so. 

The post Off Menu with: Rullo Romo Antonio | Dagabi Cucina appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.