By definition, mavericks often take the road less traveled, which may be why they are pleasantly surprised when their journey reaches the top of the world. Kelly Kawachi and Nick Winden, graduates of CMU Tech's Culinary Arts program, were recognized as Colorado's top performers in their chosen fields late last year.
Kawachi ('10), one of the few female butchers in the United States, was celebrated in September as a 2023 Michelin Guide Professional Award recipient. In 2005, Winden was named Chef of the Year by the Colorado Her Restaurant Association at an awards ceremony in November 2023. Both men admit to being blindsided by their awards.
“When I got that call, it was almost like a cheat,” said Winden, who has been the chef de cuisine at Landry Kitchen & Cocktails, one of Steamboat Springs' most popular restaurants, for eight years. said. “In fact, I don't think any of us really understood it until we went to the awards ceremony in Denver with our entire staff and a lot of our families.”
“When we got that call, it almost sounded like a hoax. In fact, I don't think any of us really understood it until we went to the awards ceremony in Denver.” – Nick Winden, Landry Kitchen & Cocktail Chef
Kawachi said when she heard her name announced, she took a quick look around the room to pay homage to the other candidates, who she respects as giants in the industry.
“I was in complete shock. I didn't really know how to react. I was like, 'Wait…what?' What is happening? '' said the Hawaii native who has been a manager butcher at Blackberry Market in Boulder for almost three years. “When I glanced at her boss' wife, she said, 'Oh, Kelly, you need to go there!'
Becoming a chef may have been destiny for Winden. Winden was obsessed with cooking from an early age, so when he was in first grade his mother bought him a crème brûlée kit that included a small torch.
“I thought it was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said of the memorable gift. “She always gave me random dishes because I was really interested in cooking.”
A former high school runner and avid hiker and snowboarder, Kawachi thrives on his physical nature as a butcher. Her future was inspired by Hawaii, where she enjoyed working with her father cleaning fish until a local rancher brought in lamb ribs for sawing. Since then, she has become interested in butchering.
“It was so much fun!” she recalls.
She considered becoming a baker, then trained as a sous chef, and then considered going into butchering.
“I learned a lot about cooking as a sous chef, but it was labor intensive, long weeks, many hours, and I was burnt out,” she said. With her mother's encouragement, she eventually headed to Colorado State and then CMU Tech.
“The culinary program was great and I fell in love with Colorado. If I could go back in time, my experience there would be no different.”
“The culinary program was great and I fell in love with Colorado. If I could go back in time, I wouldn't change a thing about my experience there.” Kelly Kawachi, Head Butcher at Blackberry Market
Winden, who considered multiple culinary schools in Colorado before enrolling at CMU Tech, has similar high praise.
“A lot of people in my industry say they didn't get much out of culinary school, but I feel quite the opposite,” he said. “What I learned at Mesa and what it has contributed to my culinary career is invaluable.”
