There’s nothing subtle about chef Matt Vawter’s presence, he’s literally a big guy. Yet he has quietly made his way to the top as one of Colorado’s best chefs. Last year he took home the prestigious James Beard Award for Best Chef Mountain for his restaurant Rootstalk in Breckenridge, though he’s been cooking with some of Denver’s top talent for over a decade.
“I am appreciative and humbled they recognize what we are doing in a small little town,” said Vawter shortly after receiving the honor last June. “It helps bring some relevance to what’s happening up here from a dining perspective.”
During the 35 years the James Beard Awards have been going on, there’s only been five Colorado chefs to get the “best chef” honor before Vawter. The list includes George Mahaffey (The Little Nell, 1997), Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson (Frasca Food & Wine, 2008), Jennifer Jasinski (Rioja, 2013), Alex Seidel (Mercantile Dining & Provision, 2018), and Caroline Glover (Annette, 2022).
Vawter opened Rootstalk in 2020, a move he made in order to get back to Summit County, where he grew up. Previously the chef helmed Seidel’s Mercantile in Denver, which also received James Beard recognition while he was there.
But Vawter’s passage in the culinary world didn’t start with high-end dining. First, he worked the line making breakfast when he was a teenager.
“I immediately fell in love with the speed and pace and excitement of the kitchen, but I knew I didn’t want to flip pancakes and make eggs forever,” said the chef. “I always wanted to be a great chef, but I didn’t know what that was or looked like.”
In order to learn, the teen bought cookbooks, read food magazines, and paid attention to what was going on in the restaurant world. By the age of 15, Vawter had entered the fine dining realm, taking a job at The Ranch in Keystone. At the time, he said, it was the best restaurant in the area.
“When I was 15 the chef [David Welch] gave me a shot and took me under his wing [so I could] learn and grow and make a lot of mistakes,” said Vawter, who recognizes the importance of that opportunity and the subsequent apprenticeship that followed. “A lot of people took chances on me and later, in Denver with Alex [Seidel], he gave me opportunities to grow and make mistakes and lead teams.”
Vawter started at Seidel’s now shuttered (as of January 12) Fruition restaurant in 2007, roughly a year after it opened. When Seidel launched Mercantile Dining & Provision in 2014, he gave Vawter the chance to lead the kitchen as a partner and chef de cuisine. Six years later the chef decided to move even further by moving back to Summit County, where he grew up and started his career.
“I needed a change professionally and this [the Breckenridge area] has always been home,” said the chef over the phone. The only problem, the sleepy ski down didn’t have a place for him to grow his career. So, he decided to build it. “I wanted to create the environment for other cooks too, while also being in the mountains to watch my kids grow up and learn to ski.”
As Vawter grew Rootstalk, Breckenridge evolved too. Now, said the chef, there’s plenty to eat depending on the diner’s mood and desires. He even opened a second place in June 2022 called Radicato. While Rootstalk offers elevated American fare, Radicato leans into the comfort of Italian with hand-made pastas, a whole branzino on the menu, and traditional antipasti. Items are sold a la carte, or diners can opt for the tasting menu experience.
“We really wanted to create something different in terms of cuisine, cocktails and wine program, that had its own identity [from Rootstalk],” explained Vawter. “We didn’t want someone to go to both and say they are the same, and for the residents, we wanted to create different experiences.”
Even though the chef is running two busy and beloved restaurants, he still remains true to his main reason for moving back to the mountains. Most mornings he is either on the slopes, fly fishing, or hiking, and he gets to see his kids enjoy nature at the same time. It’s good to know that fame hasn’t changed Vawter at all, he’s still a great guy, making great food, quietly in the mountains.
