What used to be The Woods in RiNo has become more of a Peruvian rainforest with the opening of Cimera, coming this November to The Source Hotel. Consulted by Peruvian chef Diego Muñoz and overseen locally by executive chef Geoff Cox, the remodel offers Denver pan-Latin food and drink paired with a killer view.
“There’s great Peruvian food around town and great Peruvian chefs in Denver, but none downtown,” said Cox, adding that the menu will showcase foods from all over South America, though a big focus centers on Peru. “If we can make the food, beverage, and hospitality match the views, we have a winning recipe.”
For Cox, Cimera (pronounced SIM-era) not only opened him up to a new cuisine to work on, but signified a big change in his career. For the last decade, the chef has led Hop Alley in RiNo alongside owner Tommy Lee. It was the kind of opportunity, he said, that he couldn’t pass up even though he loved what he did at Hop Alley and working with Lee.
“Chinese food will always have a piece of my heart, but looking at Peruvian food and what it means, I just started falling in love,” said Cox over the phone. “I also didn’t realize there is a whole cuisine known as Chifa, a Chinese and Peruvian fusion, so it felt like a natural progression.”
Like he did with Chinese food, Cox embraced as much Peruvian food and culture as he could while preparing for the new role. Not only did he start researching it, but the owner of Cimera sent him to Lima to meet chef Muñoz and eat at all the best restaurants.
“Chef Diego and his lovely wife brought me to some restaurants that blew my mind,” said Cox, who ended up visiting during Fiestas Patrias, Peru’s independence day. During that time every place was closed, but Muñoz invited him to an unforgettable barbecue where Cox ended up meeting some of the country’s top talent. “As I continued to eat around town I kept running into people that were there at the party, and I was like, ‘I didn’t even know I was hanging out with you and how awesome you are until now’.”
Diners at Cimera will taste some of the excellent foods Cox discovered, thanks both to his travels and the thick binder of recipes chef Muñoz shared. While Peruvian food definitely resides at the forefront, the overall menu features dishes from around Latin America, which may include empanadas, arepas, tacos, ceviche, and other staples one thinks of when considering theses southern countries and regions.
“It’s a pretty big menu, and as we start test kitchen-ing everything we will see what’s working and what’s not,” added the chef, mentioning the plan is to section off the menu into easy-to-follow categories such as raw, corn and potatoes, street food, large plates, and more. “I am excited by it all, so it’s hard to take things off the menu.”
While the cuisine proves novel for Cox, the space also experienced a shift. When The Woods opened up in The Source Hotel in 2018, the restaurant proved dark and moody, not unlike a walk in a thick forest where sunlight barely broke through. Now the sun has come out to illuminate warm terracotta hues, comfortable chairs covered in pretty patterns, cobalt tiles, and a stunning mural of a Peruvian village scene. There’s also a nod to the past, and the thick woods transformed into tropical trees and verdant foliage greeting diners as they exit the elevator and into the restaurant.
The bulk of Cimera opens in November, but shortly after that the outside patio will also launch. While celebrating a patio in the winter months may sound odd, this one will offer cozy views all year long thanks to a glass-enclosed space equipped with heaters. There’s also two private dining rooms, a full bar, and plenty of seating on the top-floor space.
Based on a sneak peek inside the restaurant and the excitement Cox shared over the menu, we’re also eager to dine at Cimera when it finally opens. We have a feeling that, like the meaning of the Spanish name, it will hit the top in more ways than one.
