Multifaceted Fuel & Iron finally opens
The Steel City gets its long-awaited, first food hall + more food & drink news
“We’ve had so many hurdles. It’s been a long three years. This is going to feel really special for us.”
That’s Zach Cytryn, Director of Brokerage for Fuel & Iron Food Hall, speaking to me last week about F&I’s impending April 28 grand opening. He and project co-founder, Nathan Stern, who’s also Director of Development, originally toured the historic Holmes Hardware Building (that sat vacant for half a century right on busy Union Avenue in downtown Pueblo) back in October 2019. They went under contract in March, 2020, just as the pandemic was about to put a temporary stop to dine-in restaurant service. The sale went through in May, 2021, and as I reported around that time, they’d originally projected to be open by July, 2022.
“Every step took longer,” says Stern, noting their original investors/partners pulled out because of the pandemic, and their initial lender also declined to finance the effort. “We could have given up,” adds Cytryn, “but we went forward… Our belief in Pueblo never wavered… We’re huge believers in the food hall model, and supporting local businesses as an incubator.”
$16 million later, F&I’s finally a reality, with a lot of ancillary programming that’s popped up throughout the process. (That includes a Denver spinoff that’s a tribute to Pueblo.) In addition to the food hall, which I’ll detail in-depth below, the brokers have created a separate commissary kitchen in east Pueblo, named Fuel Kitchen, to support area consumer packaged goods businesses, food trucks, caterers and seasonal vendors. They’ll be creating Fuel Farm over the coming months on 2.5 acres directly south of the food hall, to include an aquaponic greenhouse plus growing, event and arts spaces and an eventual farmers market.
Over the next couple years, they’re developing three different apprenticeship programs to “address food system workforce solutions.” Those will be aimed at creating “a pathway to earning a living wage within each industry.” One apprenticeship will be culinary focused (under F&I Culinary and Education Director Chef Mo Montgomery); the second aimed at food systems and leadership; and the third geared around food manufacturing.
Lastly, if that’s not enough community focus — “we didn’t maximize the revenue potential; we’re mission-driven,” say the guys — the team has opened affordable workforce housing units above the food hall (20 of 28 already occupied, with 24 more slated later on an adjacent half-acre). F&I also earned a grant to build an employer-sponsored childcare center nearby to serve F&I employees’ children as well as wider community members.
Now to the food hall, what you’ve been waiting for — this being a food and drink column, after all. Cytryn says he toured around 50 others across 10 states, often talking with owners and “taking ideas I liked from each.” He says he was always confident about filling the vendor spots, and that they found each in different ways — some being established brands, others being fledgling ideas inside the heads of local culinarians.
One earlier announced vendor that Side Dish partner JL Fields got an early sampling of, The Cutting Board, a vegan concept, has since pulled out of F&I and appears to be opening their own standalone eatery not far away on Union Ave. That leaves for the opening lineup: Diavolo Pueblo Hot Chicken, Mosh Ramen, Santa Fonda, Steel Crescent Kitchen, The Hungry Buffalo, and Solar Roast Coffee & Ice Cream.
At a media preview last week, I met some of the proprietors and received samplings from some others. Here’s what I was able to glean about each, in no particular order:
Solar Roast Coffee & Ice Cream: Man I’ve enjoyed seeing how far Solar Roast has come over the last decade. I first met with and wrote about the Hartkop brothers over a decade ago, when they were literally using a 25-foot tall, 35-foot wide array of 800 IKEA mirrors to roast coffee via a self-constructed solar concentrator. They expanded to the Springs in 2019, and Mike Hartkop, when I run into him at the F&I preview, updates me on their current holdings of six total coffee shops between the Springs, Pueblo and a newer Pueblo West location. Two of those function as ice cream shops, too, including this F&I location, as Solar Roast bought historic Nick’s Dairy Creme during the pandemic in 2020 and incorporated its brand into theirs, with some changeups to modernize the product, says Mike. This new stall in the food hall wasn’t up and running yet during our tour, so it’s on our list for a followup visit.
Diavolo Pueblo Hot Chicken: Two words: Bingo Burger. That’s who’s behind Diavolo. Or the folks behind Bingo, to be more accurate: seasoned chefs Mary Oreskovitch and Richard Warner. As with the Hartkops, I’ve known Mary and Richard for well over a decade, dating back to meals I had at their fine dining spot Steel City Diner in the early aughts, to pilgrimages to Mary’s long-running Hopscotch Bakery, which she sold recently. I reviewed the original Bingo Burger location in Pueblo in 2010, before it expanded to the Springs in 2014. Now, the couple has hacked their own unique interpretation of Nashville hot chicken with something they’re calling a Colorado-style hot chicken sandwich. I’d normally refrain from a critical critique of it until a later date but there’s no need, because from bite one, I was blown away. It’s fucking epic. They spent a year to perfect the breading alone, Mary says. (Yes, she shared the ingredients with me, and I’ll keep that secret for now.) They use boneless, skin-on chicken thighs from Red Bird Farms. There’s a panoply of 15 different dried chiles in the seasoning, including New Mexican red and green, habanero, Guajillo and a Pueblo chile variant (two times hotter than the one you’re familiar with) named the Mirasol Giadone Pueblo Hot Chile. They offer different options for heat levels, and I can confirm the hottest level made my scalp sweat. The sandwich is crunchy, fiery, earthy bliss. I can’t wait to go back for more.
Mosh Ramen: This isn’t your typical ramen concept; it’s a near total departure from traditional Japanese ramen methods. Which makes it damn interesting and refreshing. Owner/chef Chris Doose, who has a lengthy industry background that includes bartending and lots of front-house roles, tells me that when he pitched this concept to Stern, he didn’t bother to mention that he didn’t actually know how to make ramen — yet. So he learned on the fly, watched lots of YouTube, read books, and “made lots of bad bowls” before gaining his footing and vision for Mosh. “I’m a researcher, I work extra hard, this isn’t my natural skill,” he tells me. What he’s done is deconstruct and rebuild the base of ramen broth, removing the kombu, dashi and seafood elements and find umami via other elements like apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and coconut aminos. All his ramen offerings can be made vegan, and two gluten-free. Otherwise, the base includes chicken broth from whole carcasses and lots of vegetables, including leeks and garlic. Another odd sub he’s made: Angry Orchard cider in place of sake. We enjoy our sampling of a “slightly spicy miso” ramen with sliced pork, a pat of butter, toasted corn, marinated egg and kimchi; a pork dumpling; and a chicken banh mi with raspberry-black pepper sauce, carrot, daikon, cilantro and a custom mayo and Mosh sauce.
The Hungry Buffalo: This outfit started as a food truck, which I happened to do a mini review of back in early 2022, when I found them outside Walter’s Brewery. It’s operated by Charles and Sue McKay, who have years of industry experience behind them. They created their menu around bison steak cuts and bison burgers — Charles tells me he buys meat from High Plains Bison, located outside Denver. For Fuel and Iron, they’ve added new items like a green chile bison empanada from house-made dough, which we delight in sampling. We also try some mini skewers, a filet and a sirloin cut, one with a bright chimichurri sauce and another with a zesty Asian ginger-sesame presentation. Over rice with some grilled vegetables, the meats have a nice backyard barbecue feel to them — it’s good steak.
Steel Crescent Kitchen: This tribute to New Orleans comes via Ed Tracey and his wife Dorothy. He notes the symbolic connection between the Arkansas River flowing just blocks away from F&I that eventually meets up with the Mississippi River that flows past NOLA. They also point out the lack of existing Cajun/Creole in Pueblo; hence niche found. Ed tells me he’s been in kitchens since 1984 and has cooked across five continents (including Antarctica); he graduated from Hyde Park Culinary Institute of America in 1992. Having grown up in Pueblo, he moved back in 2008. “I wanted to be authentic to New Orleans but use Pueblo products where possible” he tells me. So he’s snuck Pueblo chiles into dishes like his olive salad. He does ship up Gambino rolls (NOLA-style French bread) for their spotlight sandwiches, and he says they buy high-end cold cuts and some other authentic NOLA products. We aren’t able to sample anything from Steel Crescent during our visit, but I talk to Ed about his po’ boys and Muffuletta and more, including a plan for specials like jambalaya down the road.
Santa Fonda: I learned the least about Santa Fonda during my preview due to a limited sampling and the big man behind the project wasn’t on site that day. But there’s potential for this to be the most exciting/surprising F&I vendor. Why? Because that man I’m referencing is Mexico City native/Denver chef Jose Avila, “who was a 2022 semifinalist for his Sunday-only El Borrego Negro series” explains Westword, and a 2023 semifinalist for “for his RiNo eatery, La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal.” Just to pause on that a moment, that means Pueblo’s landed a chef of this caliber before the Springs has (though the Springs has had chefs invited to cook at the James Beard House). It’s validating, and a feather in the cap for Stern and Cytryn and Fuel & Iron as a whole. The tagline for Santa Fonda is this: “Inspired by the basket-steamed tacos sold by vendors in Mexico City, Santa Fonda serves handmade tacos and side dishes made with locally sourced ingredients.” Yes, you damn well know I’ll be driving back down soon to sample from this menu.
“We feel Pueblo is under-appreciated,” Cytryn tells me at one point during our chat, noting he felt like it was a hidden gem when he first visited in 2017 for work. Stern, born in Denver, took his first job out of college in Pueblo and now lives there. “People in Denver have asked me ‘Why Pueblo?’” says Cytryn, who still resides in Denver. “Well, this food hall has way more impact in Pueblo. In Denver it would just be another project. I think this has much more benefit being here.”
Bagel up
Colorado Springs has a new bagel shop that’s already going somewhat locally viral. Bellas Bagels opened just three weeks ago off North Powers Boulevard, but owner/operator Jason Stele (whose co-owner/wife Michelle is the baker) tells me they’re already selling out of 1,500 bagels on weekends.
The Steles, who’re a pair of technologists from New Jersey, started Bellas at area farmers markets in the Springs and sold online during the pandemic. For her bagels, which she’s been perfecting at home for 20 years, Michelle ferments the dough for three days, “which adds a lot of flavor” says Jason. (He’s not wrong.) Her techniques (between the ferment, boil and bake) lend desirable air pockets to the crumb, which assist the crust’s crunchiness. Jason says they spend “major bucks on high-end flour.”
New Yorkers in town have already given their blessing to Bellas, he says, noting newbie NYC guests will come in and order a single bagel, take it to their car for a sampling, then promptly walk back in to buy a dozen. (Bellas doesn’t offer any seating; it’s grab-and-go only, with online ordering ahead available, if not suggested.)
Bellas makes their own “schmears” by whipping ingredients into big 30-pound cream cheese blocks, resulting in a much fluffier texture. Flavors include garlic and herb, bacon and scallion, and Pueblo green chile. Most all of the bagels are vegan, as I detailed earlier this week in my mini review, which includes tasting notes on the hummus sandwich pictured above.
In order to scale-up their homestyle baking outfit to commercial size, Jason says they first trained with a master bagel maker in New Jersey — which left me imagining a strict kung fu regiment accented by strength training in the form of hauling 50-pound sacks of flour up flights of stairs and perfectly hand-forming bagels blindfolded on a balance beam, or something. Turns out it was more like selecting specialized bagel-making machines and adjusting the recipes for high-volume production. (Less burly.)
Once back in the Springs, they also hired Josh Kelly (former Bonny & Read exec chef) in a consulting chef role to help build out the sandwich menu and streamline back-of-the-house procedures for the new staff.
A couple fun facts to know: 1) The business name come from the couple's youngest dog, Bella; all the sandwiches are named for either family dogs (10 total over the past couple decades) or their children (only two). 2) The reason some of the bagels are less uniform and more crescent shaped is those flavors are hand-formed; because of their ingredients they can’t be fed into the machines for automated dough dividing. Jason calls them their “messy bagels” and those flavors include a unique olive oil and rosemary, as well as the above pictured cinnamon-raisin.
So long (soon), Toad
Side Dish partner Focus on the Beer just launched its own weekly Substack newsletter named Focal Pint, and its most recent post featured a fond sendoff for Smiling Toad, which plans to close on June 3. There’s a little teaser in the writeup regarding what will replace the brewery at that location. Rest assured I’m on top of that news, and have spoken with the mentioned party to stay apprised of updates as they happen. You’ll be the first to know. (Well, aside from them, and then me. So let’s say third. You’ll be a solid third. Not bad.)
Moving mountains
Tough news from Mountainara Cucina Italiana on April 26, as the excellent Woodland Park Italian eatery — whose owners also operate the Swiss Chalet as of recently — announced they’re putting both businesses up for sale. From owner Roberto Calcagno:
“I want to assure you that this was not an easy decision to make, and we have carefully considered all of our options. We are selling the restaurants because my mother is struggling significantly with ongoing health issues associated with the climate and elevation here, and as a family we find they need to return to Italy, at sea level, where she can have more time with us and her grandchildren. … We want to assure everyone that we are committed to ensuring a smooth transition and that the restaurants will continue to be a valued part of the community.
Both restaurant remain open as the family seeks a buyer. So stop by and show your support (and enjoy fine food and drink) while you can.
Events ahead
• The Well, celebrating its first birthday, is hosting a four-course Sunday Supper at 5 p.m. on April 30, offering a taste of “a little bit of everything our diverse vendor lineup has to offer.” Full details are here.
• Salad or Bust will host a Luau style collaborative dinner at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9. Join host chef Erin Bray and Chef Michelle from WildCard food truck and enjoy cocktails made with Black Hat Distillery products. This is an ongoing series, where on second Tuesdays monthly “we come together for a community collaborative dinner with one of the fantastic Colorado Springs Food Trucks and a local distillery or brewery to bring you a paired four-course dinner.”
Sponsor a review
I’m currently seeking businesses (Realtors, financial advisors, doctors, dentists, and so on, I’m looking at you) to sponsor one of my weekly food reviews (or more). Options include dining with the critic (that’s me!), placement of your logo/business info (call it an ad if you must) and of course, bragging rights among your friends. Contact me directly for details.
I write other things!
I contributed a column to the spring 2023 Energies Magazine, which just published. It’s about living deliberately in the city, and I detail my two-year project to construct an earthship-inspired greenhouse/sunroom onto my existing house. I wrote a column for the Indy for a couple years, several years ago, about matters of sustainability. So this is nothing new in my wheelhouse, but my food and drink readers may not know that about me. So, um, now you do. Cheers.
Lastly this week: Gather’s early spring salad recipe
Courtesy our Side Dish partner Gather Food Studio this week, we have a recipe for their Mixed Potato & Heirloom Tomato Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette. “It’s a nice early spring salad that still has some heft with the potatoes, and tons of flavor,” says Cortney. “We sell the finishing salts [listed in the ingredients below] in our retail storefront, and the preserved lemons — those are one of our best sellers.”
Mixed Potato & Heirloom Tomato Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette
For the salad:
2 pounds mixed baby potatoes (look for white, yellow and purple)
4 large heirloom tomatoes or 1-pint mini heirloom tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
10-15 marinated olives
½ cup fresh herbs, chopped (parsley, oregano, rosemary, basil)
¼ preserved lemon, finely chopped
Burrata
Shoots or microgreens
Finishing Salt (such as Maldon or French Grey) and Freshly Cracked Pepper
For the dressing:
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
2 tablespoons honey
¼ cup fresh herbs, chopped
1-2 tablespoons shallot, finely minced
Instructions:
1. Place potatoes in a large pot of cold water. Place on stovetop and bring to a boil. Add salt to water and lower heat to a simmer. Cook potatoes until done, but still firm. Be very careful not to overcook potatoes. Drain, rinse with cold water and place in a bowl to cool.
2. Mince shallot and place in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes to mellow. Drain.
3. Slice, wedge or halve (for cherry tomatoes) tomatoes and place into a bowl. Add garlic, olives and ¼ cup herbs. Toss and let tomatoes marinate until ready to compose salad.
4. For the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard and honey. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking continuously to emulsify. Once emulsified, stir in herbs and shallots.
5. Cut potatoes in halves or quarters. Toss gently with ¼ cup of dressing.
6. On a large serving board or platter, arrange the burrata, tomatoes and potatoes as desired. Drizzle with dressing only if needed. Place dressing in a small bowl for serving on the side.
7. Sprinkle remaining herbs and preserved lemons over salad. Top with microgreens. Enjoy!
Road trip!!!!!!