Chef Johnny Curiel almost couldn’t believe it when he learned that his Denver restaurant Alma Fonda Fina had been awarded a prestigious Michelin star in September. “Is this real?” he recalls thinking. “We had no idea and no expectations.”
But as the shock began to wear off and the news began to sink in, Curiel realized the award was a resounding endorsement of all the hard work he and his team have put in over the last year. “It was the biggest pat on the back that anyone could ever give me,” he says. “It reinforced that we’re doing the right things in the right way.”
And it’s been quite a busy year. Curiel and his wife, Kasie, opened Alma Fonda Fina in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood in December 2023. Roughly six months later, Curiel opened another eatery, Cozobi Fonda Fina, on Pearl Street in Boulder. And he wasn’t done yet: Up next, he opened Mezcaleria Alma, a Mexico City-inspired eatery in the space next door to Alma Fonda Fina.
We sat down with Curiel to learn more about his journey and his ambitions—here’s what he had to say.
You grew up in a family of chefs in Guadalajara and Breckenridge. How did that influence your passion for food and cooking?
My upbringing has everything to do with who I am and the career I wanted to pursue from a young age. I grew up in a house full of chefs who love to cook and take care of other people. So, naturally, hospitality was a huge part of what shaped me to be who I am today. I always knew that this is who I am and this is who I’m supposed to be.
What’s your philosophy as a chef and restaurateur?
My sole focus is to share the beauty and greatness of Mexico through food—the food I ate as a kid in the way I grew up eating it. In the world we live in, it’s easy to lose sight of the beauty of other cultures, so I am honored to be able to share my Mexican pride with others through food – the one thing that brings everyone together.
What’s your approach to leadership? And how have you cultivated your leadership style?
My family instilled leadership in me from a young age, so I’d say it comes pretty naturally to me. I’ve been lucky enough to surround myself with other natural leaders like Richard Sandoval and Troy Guard who helped shape me as a leader. I carved out my own lane and leadership style as I moved around in the industry—taking some insight from the people I was surrounded with and learning important lessons—to become who I am today.
It’s obvious that you really value your team at Alma Fonda Fina and Cozobi Fonda Fina. How have you cultivated the workplace culture in these two kitchens?
Our biggest thing as a team is respect. We all respect each other and understand the importance of each person’s role. It truly takes a village, and acknowledging that really helps our kitchen and dining room teams come together and work symbiotically.
We’ve built a culture where everyone listens to each other, takes feedback with grace and talks about their wins and failures transparently. We can all agree on having the same goal and putting our best foot forward to get there. It’s one team, one dish at a time. We all push toward the same goal collectively.
Diners have a lot of choices these days. What do you think is really resonating with them at Alma Fonda Fina and Cozobi Fonda Fina? Why do they keep coming back?
Guests go out to have great food, but the level of service and hospitality is what makes them feel valued. When you come into (the restaurants), you’re treated like family. We make a conscious effort to remember guest notes and memorize faces to welcome people back time and time again. Excellent hospitality makes someone feel truly a part of the community, and we believe that is what sets us apart.
Opening two restaurants in roughly six months is a major undertaking. What do you do to take care of yourself and your team?
We have an incredibly strong team. We’re grateful to have the best chefs, best cooks, best managers and the best wait staff who are all equally hardworking and dedicated. We always encourage the team to take care of themselves. We listen to our employee’s needs and give them the tools to succeed. We’re proud to be able to say that everyone on our team has gone away at some point in the past six months for a seven- to 10-day vacation, including myself and Kasie.
What do you like to cook on your days off?
Nothing! Although I do cook for my son, Junior. I cook him a killer egg, ham and cheese breakfast sandwich in the mornings. Besides that, our favorite takeout spots are Mile High Thai and Mizu Izakaya.
Why did you decide to open your second restaurant in Boulder? What do you love about this community?
Boulder is really where I started my career in Colorado. My last role in Boulder was at Centro as the executive chef. And while that was a great experience, I was still cooking someone else’s food. The Boulder community had always been so great to me, so I felt like I owed it to them to come back to cook my own food and be 100 percent myself. When the opportunity came up, I thought, why not go back to where it all started? Cozobi Fonda Fina fits really well into Boulder’s dining scene. There are a handful of great restaurants but no one is cooking authentic Mexican in a contemporary way. It felt like the perfect fit at the perfect time.
