The menu at Wildflower in LoHi blooms with the season, showcasing not only what’s fresh on the Colorado scene, but what chef Aiden Tibbetts can pick from his family garden. Wildflower opened in 2020, located inside the Life House hotel.
Tibbetts has been there from the get go, navigating the pandemic, to-go foods, and taking over the kitchen after the original chef left. It remains one of the prettiest restaurants in town, where the elegant Victorian-style setting is just as stunning as the intricately plated, vegetable-driven menu items that arrive at each table.
The Chef
Chef Aiden Tibbetts didn’t start out wanting to be a chef, he originally decided to pursue a career as a professional soccer player. However, after numerous injuries he realized it wasn’t going to happen. Lucky for us, cooking was what he loved second best.
However, getting work in the kitchen wasn’t as easy as he imagined. Tibbetts started his culinary path at Johnson & Wales when he was just 17. Previously he had been home schooled, which allowed him to graduate early and pursue a career. Only, no one wanted to hire a teenager.
“Not even Olive Garden would hire me at 17-years-old,” said the chef over the phone. “Then this French guy was like, of course you can work here, I became good friends with him and we still talk.”
Said chef was Jean-Claude Cavalera, who owned Stillwater Grill in Grand Lake. After a summer there Cavalera sent Tibbetts to The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, Cali. to work with his friend at the esteemed Andrea. While Tibbetts marveled at the celebrity clientele and enjoyed the experience, it wasn’t quite the Kansas-and-Colorado-raised chef’s scene.
Back in Colorado he completed the four-year program in three years. When Tibbetts left Johnson & Wales he made his way to France and the Alain Ducasse Centre in Argenteuil. There, he said, his whole perspective on cooking changed.
“It focused less on proteins and more on sauces, and there are so many techniques,” he said. “The majority of the day is focused on the vegetables and sauces, and I have huge respect for the saucier position.”
Tibbetts transferred that education back to Denver and to Morin, a short-lived French concept by the Culinary Creative Group (CCG) that, frankly. Denver just wasn’t ready for at the time. When COVID hit Morin closed, but now the space is home to A5 Steakhouse, also owned by CCG. After that Tibbetts worked as a line cook at Rioja for over a year before getting the call that would bring him to Wildflower and his current position.
Home at Wildflower
It was at Wildflower where Tibbetts really blossomed in more senses than one. By the age of 23, approximately six years after taking to kitchens, he became the executive chef of the restaurant. He has grown it ever since, specializing in whole foods, fresh foods, and the best ingredients he can source. One of his purveyors is his own mother, who has a lavish garden in southeast Aurora and grows herbs, tomatoes, and edible flowers for Wildflower.
“The whole thing was happenstance. In 2022 a big heat wave hit California and none of our purveyors had flowers because they all got whacked,” said the chef. “This is Wildflower, they want flowers, and I was like, ‘my mom has them growing right here.”
Aside from mom’s produce, the restaurant only uses the protein-rich A2 milk from Origin Milk, which milks the Guernsey cows on Wednesday and delivers the milk on Friday. The housemade focaccia uses regenerative Kernza grains, and the rest of the flours are sourced from Italy and France. The halibut on the menu gets flown in overnight from Alaska, and other fish is sushi grade and imported from Japan.
The menu constantly changes, though currently a Morel Tart ($35) with pea puree, smoked trout roe, lemon curd, caramelized onion, and thyme is speaking to us. The aforementioned halibut ($42) comes with sunchokes, lentil, lemon, spring garlic, and calamansi. Gnocchi alla Genovese Asparagus ($31) showcases pine nuts, a kale pistou, calabrian chili, and a touch of Parmiganio.
For dessert the Pomegranate Granita ($8) speaks to Wildflower’s original plan to tap into the spirit of Marigold de la Rosa, a woman raised in LoHi in the 19th century. As the story goes, she wished to explore the culinary traditions of her parents. Her mother was a horticulturist from Mexico and her father was a beekeeper from Italy. She used these influences to work the land and grow ingredients. The dessert, like many of the dishes, illuminates this heritage. In this case the granita, it comes spiked with mezcal, hibiscus, lime, and sprinkling of bright marigolds.
Yes, the menu is vast and intricate. But if you don’t feel like making decisions there’s also the Wildflower Bouquet option. It’s a tasting menu running $75 or $92 per person, depending on the amount of courses desired. Add on a wine pairing for $65 or $75 to match the meal. Make sure to also check out the botanically-inspired cocktail menu.
The Takeover
Imagine a week in chef Tibbetts’ life, then compile it into a day of social media stories. He wants to show viewers what it’s like on his mom’s farm, and what gets harvested there. The chef may give a glimpse of his new baby, and other things personal to him and his family. Of course you can expect to see the kitchen at Wildflower, and enjoy tidbits on prepping for the day and final dishes.
Join along as Tibbetts shares on our Instagram stories throughout the day on Thursday, May 22. Make sure to follow DiningOut Denver’s page as well as Wildflower’s for a chance to win a $100 gift card to the restaurant. Tag a friend and get an extra entry for each tag, bonus if they don’t follow us yet.
Visit Wildflower Tuesday through Saturday from 4:30 to 10 p.m. 3638 Navajo St., Denver, lifehousehotels.com
