Kelly Whitaker
id est | Denver
july 2022
Kelly Whitaker has a degree in hospitality management from Colorado State University, but his real schooling came from international kitchens. He studied abroad at Hotel Institute Montreux in Switzerland, which led him to his first culinary stint in Italy on the island of Procida. It was there that he fell in love with simple, wood-fired eateries, and the joy of taking care of guests. He changed his focus and moved to Los Angeles, where he cooked at Michelin-starred restaurants Hatfield’s and Providence. With a dream of opening a restaurant of his own, Whitaker moved to Boulder, Colorado in 2019 and co-founded id est hospitality group.
In partnership with id est, Whitaker’s wood-fire-focused Basta opened its doors in 2010. Since then, he’s been named Eater's “Chef of the Year,” twice, he received a StarChefs “2017 Colorado Rising Star Community” award, and founded the Noble Grain Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting domestic milled-to-order grains. In 2019, Whitaker launched Boulder’s first commercial milling operation, Dry Storage, which has added a bakery and R&D department to highlight the complexities and flavors of local grain. Later that year, his progressive, fermentation-forward restaurant, The Wolf’s Tailor, opened its doors and landed on Bon Appétit’s “Hot 10.” He followed that up with BRUTØ, the 16-seat chef’s counter located within Denver’s Free Market. Whitaker is an active member of both the local and national hospitality community, participating in the Blue Ribbon Task Force, the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, and the Chefs Collaborative.
2022 StarChefs Denver Mentor Award Winner
2017 StarChefs Denver Rising Stars Award Winner
