Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2024 i 5280 Magazine

A restaurant name like Le French conjures visions of tartare, moules-frites, and other bistro staples. That’s why it may seem strange to go there for Senegalese food. But stick with me here: It’ll all make sense once you consider the owners’ backgrounds. The 9&CO restaurant is a sister eatery to the original Le French, located in the Denver Tech Center and owned by Aminata and Rougui Dia. The siblings’ family is from Senegal (a former French colony whose cuisine was influenced by 300 years of occupation), and they were raised just outside of Paris, where family cooking sessions and visits to farmers’ markets gave the sisters a love of cooking. Rougui stayed in the City of Light, where she became the first Black woman to serve as an executive chef…

A ski-in, ski-out condo on your favorite hill. A log cabin along a stream full of trout. A cozy A-frame nestled in evergreens. Daydreaming about owning a mountain getaway is a classic pastime for many Denverites. “To me, it’s one of the best things you can do, or even aspire to, living in Colorado,” says Bob Graham, a real estate attorney and founding partner at Denver law firm Foster Graham Milstein & Calisher who co-owns a townhome in Winter Park with friends. There are, of course, many metro-area residents who can only fantasize about buying a first home on Centennial State soil. Various reports rank Denver’s housing shortage as one of the worst in the nation, with the biggest gaps on the entry-level end of the spectrum. “Even just to…

Sumer Liebold is no stranger to juggling properties: The Gunnison native operates multiple rentals in Colorado Springs, and she and her husband, Eric, own a gas station on the way to Breckenridge. But until October 2020, they’d never had a getaway of their own. Even with the income from those side hustles, her job with 8z Real Estate, and Eric’s work running a trucking company, buying the kind of mountain place they’d want to take their three kids (ages 13, 10, and six) to on the weekends didn’t seem practical financially. Then, in the first fall of the pandemic, another couple in their neighborhood—friends with similarly aged children—told Sumer that the two families they co-owned a duplex with in Breck wanted to sell their portions of the share. “We were…

Town: Cripple Creek Median home price: $419K Drive time from Denver: 2 hours Selling points: If fourteeners and slot machines are both on your getaway bingo card, Cripple Creek might be your ideal base camp. Situated beneath Pikes Peak, the casino town off I-25 offers entertainment on and off the trails as well as accessible home prices. “There’s a lot of money going into that area, so it has a lot of potential,” Carlson says, noting that Las Vegas–based Full House Resorts recently opened its Chamonix Casino Hotel in the former mining town. Town: Como Median home price: $509K Drive time from Denver: 1.5 hours Selling points: What the tiny town of Como lacks in nightlife and dining, it makes up for in natural splendor. “If you could calculate a…

Martin Lind believed that the Great Recession would destroy him. Between 1985 and 2008, his Water Valley Company had built roughly 4,400 residential units and a 27-hole semiprivate golf property called Pelican Lakes Golf Club in Windsor, northeast of Loveland. The late 2000s housing crisis, however, had crippled his business. “But there’s an old saying,” Lind says, “ ‘If you owe a banker a little bit, you’re screwed when bad times come. If you owe a lot, he’s screwed with you.’ That’s how I survived the recession.” In 2010, before his future was secured, Lind met with a pro golfer named Fred Funk over a potential business deal that never happened. But before Funk departed Windsor, Lind drove him to a nearby parcel of land that he owned. Lind saw…

This list is pulled from the 2024 topDentists database, which is created using peer evaluations and includes listings for more than 900 dentists and specialists in Colorado. To create its list, topDentists asked dentists and specialists a personal question: “If you had a patient in need of a dentist, which dentist would you refer him or her to?” The nomination pool comprised all active dentists listed online with the American Dental Association as well as with dental academies and societies. (Dentists could also nominate others who may not be on those lists.) Respondents were asked to consider experience, continuing education, manner with patients, use of new techniques and technologies, and physical results. After the responses were compiled, dentists were checked against state dental boards for disciplinary actions to make sure…

Freelance Illustrator On the last page of every issue of 5280, you’ll find our Act Like A Local column. Each month, the tongue-in-cheek page serves as a how-to guide, in five oversimplified steps, for navigating a quintessential aspect of life as a Coloradan—such as picking Palisade peaches or training for a marathon (page 168). And for nearly a year, Simone Massoni, an illustrator based in Italy whose whimsical visuals have graced the pages of outlets including the New Yorker and Vanity Fair, has created the accompanying artwork. After pursuing his childhood dream of being a comic book artist and later sketching for children’s books, Massoni has worked in editorial and commercial illustration for the past decade. Although his profession is far from monotonous, he describes his Act Like A Local…

CHOOSE BEAR LAKE ROAD CORRIDOR IF YOU Own An RV Of RMNP’s 327 RV- and trailer-friendly bivouacs, a whopping 220 are found in the corridor’s Glacier Basin and Moraine Park campgrounds. Or at least they will be once Moraine Park reopens this summer after an extensive renovation, which will include the park’s first electric hookups. Plan To Picnic Not only is the 0.7-mile, ADA-compliant Sprague Lake Loop smooth enough for a wagon loaded with delicious perishables, but there are also 27 picnic tables and 16 pedestal grills along the circuit, each with sweeping views of the Continental Divide. Believe In Love At First Bugle Rutting season peaks mid-September through mid-October when the megafauna flock to RMNP’s lush meadows to, um, perpetuate the species. Moraine Park, a giant field located off…

For eight years, diners have sidled up to the counter at RiNo’s Dio Mio to order some of Denver’s most affordable handmade pasta and other fine-without-the-fuss Italian eats. Approachability is a mission to which chef-owners Alex Figura and Spencer White are still faithful, but after a month of renovations in early 2024, the industrial-chic restaurant reopened to reveal a fresh menu and an aesthetic face-lift—courtesy of Regular Architecture’s Kevin Nguyen, who has designed hot spots such as Brutø and Point Easy—that added 15 seats and expanded the bar section. For a taste of the transformation, ask for the Italian gin and tonic spiked with yuzu curaçao. Then dive into the upgraded small plates lineup, which includes options such as crispy-onion-topped charred cabbage and butter-marinated artichoke hearts. Longtime devotees need not…

For when you want classic bistro bites: JACQUES Nicholas Dalton is on a mission to de-stuffify French food. A founding partner at the Cole neighborhood’s Brasserie Brixton, Dalton opened LoHi’s Jacques this past fall. While Brixton offers a French menu with global influences, Jacques’ is more traditional, going heavy on the butter in plates such as escargot in puff pastry and potato pavé with caviar beurre blanc. For when you want all the carbs: CRÊPES ’N CRÊPES In spring 2023, Crêpes ’n Crêpes—a beloved 20-year-old business founded by chef Alain Veratti, a native of Montpellier in southern France—relocated from Cherry Creek to an upgraded space with a bar and patio in Congress Park. There, it offers an expanded lineup of more than 25 crêpes, including savory and dessert varieties. For…

Unlike conventional loans for primary homes, which can require as little as three percent down with lower-end interest rates, second home and investment property loans generally necessitate at least a 20 percent down payment and come with higher rates. And that’s if you can even get one after lenders evaluate your debt-to-income ratio to determine if you can cover both mortgages. An increasingly popular option for people who intend to rent out their additional properties (short or long term), however, is a debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) loan. For DSCR loans, lenders basically ignore your income and appraise the rent potential of the listing instead. “We’re not qualifying you, as the buyer,” says Kate Higgins, loan officer with Denver’s BW Mortgage. “We’re qualifying the property.” DSCR loans still require 20…

If you’ve visited any of Colorado’s marquee resort towns, you’ve probably gazed at the stunning mansions perched on the hillsides and wondered (perhaps with a tinge of bitterness) how often anyone’s actually home. “When I started in real estate up here, the saying was $10 million, 10,000 square feet, 10 days a year,” says Heidi Trueblood, a managing broker with 8z Real Estate in the Vail Valley. “Nothing is worse than having a behemoth of a home like that sit empty most of the time.” So when Pacaso came calling for help finding luxury properties in Vail, Trueblood was happy to assist. Founded in 2020, the international company employs an innovative co-ownership model: It purchases multimillion-dollar homes in vacation destinations around the world, redecorates them to fit its standards and…

One way to pave the financial path to achieving your vacation-home-ownership dreams? Generate extra income by adding a rentable accessory dwelling unit (ADU) to your lot—a supplemental income strategy that was made more accessible after Denver’s Department of Community Planning and Development updated the city’s ADU zoning codes this past summer. (In short, the rules no longer mandate uniform sizes, resulting in ADU designs that are more tailored to individual lots and, thus, easier and more cost-efficient to build.) “An ADU is one of the highest-ROI home improvement projects you can undertake,” says Jeremy Nova, co-founder of Boulder-based Studio Shed, which creates prefabricated backyard ADUs. That reward comes with time, patience, and yes, up-front costs: Studio Shed’s finished units start around $130,000. But for those willing to take the long…

In July 2020, Janice Stitzer came across a Dwell article about Den Outdoors, a New York–based home design startup that sells building plans for small homes, cabins, and ADUs. “It spoke to me,” Stitzer says of the modern A-frame cabin featured in the writeup. “The architectural design and the remote setting were breathtaking, and I immediately felt a calling to make this [my] reality.” Over the next two years, Stitzer—who owns Westminster-based roofing company CIG Construction with her contractor husband, Kelly—bled, sweat, and even broke a toe to realize her newfound dream. After securing a large swath of land in Kremmling (about a half hour west of Granby), she used plans from Den Outdoors to kickstart the build of a two-bedroom, approximately 1,400-square-foot A-frame nestled in the foothills of the…

“Make mini goals throughout the round, like trying to go even par over the next three holes or just hitting the fairway on the next drive. Especially on a tough hole, these goals help me stay positive.”—Sophia Lee (pictured above), the Colorado PGA Cup Series Player of the Year for the 14 to 18 age group in 2023 (when she was only 13) “I like to talk trash on the golf course—typically before I swing, because afterward, I usually hit it so bad I can’t say anything. In the event I hit a really good shot, I ask if my opponent wants to raise the wager. The biggest thing is to have a few laughs and not take yourself too seriously.—Tad Boyle, men’s basketball head coach at the University of…

DENTAL ANESTHESIOLOGY PAGE 82 Manages pain and anxiety during oral surgery or other dental procedures using general and/or local anesthesia ENDODONTICS PAGE 82 Treats issues related to nerves and the inner portions of the tooth; root canals are a common procedure GENERAL DENTISTRY PAGE 83 Performs preventive dental care and basic upkeep of teeth, including cleanings and X-rays ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY PAGE 161 Removes impacted teeth (such as wisdom teeth) and performs reconstructive surgeries, like rebuilding broken jaws ORAL MEDICINE PAGE 162 Identifies and treats disorders of the mouth like ulcers and growths and performs nonsurgical procedures ORTHODONTICS PAGE 162 Modifies bites or coaxes unruly teeth into alignment using braces and other devices PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY PAGE 164 Provides therapeutic and preventive care for kids PERIODONTICS PAGE 166 Specializes in…

When Connie Benavidez’s teenage daughters wanted to learn baile folklórico, a traditional Mexican dance known for its heel stomping and skirt twirling, they found that existing schools had strict age limits. So in 1994, the family started a nonprofit that welcomed everyone—regardless of age or income. Colorado Springs–based Ballet Folklórico de la Raza accomplished the latter by charging just $10 a month. Plus, Benavidez created the dancers’ dresses herself, which often meant stitching until dawn after her shift at Peterson Air Force Base but saved participants hundreds of dollars per outfit. Now 85, Benavidez has retired but still crafts the group’s gowns, a task that’s complicated by the fact that each of Mexico’s 31 states has a unique design. “Chiapas has a black dress to represent the darkness of the…

Nicki Gonzales gets strong reactions whenever she assigns her students essays on Los Seis de Boulder—the Boulder Six. “First, they’re shocked,” says the Regis University history professor and former Colorado state historian. “They’ll be like, ‘This happened in our state? How come I never heard of this before?’ ” Even more surprising is that the May 1974 car bombings that killed six young leaders of the state’s Chicano Movement—a Mexican American civil rights campaign—remain unsolved 50 years later. “It was like a tinderbox,” Gonzales says of the atmosphere surrounding the University of Colorado Boulder leading up to the explosions. Earlier that May, protesters had occupied a building on campus after financial aid the school had promised never arrived (administrators blamed lost applications) and funding for a Chicano student group was…

The invaders weren’t traveling so much by the dark of night as under the cover of ice. Packed inside coolers, the wily interlopers would soon infiltrate graduation parties, charity fundraisers, and backyard picnics across the Centennial State. At least, that’s what would’ve happened if Ty Petersburg hadn’t flashed his badge and ruined all the delicious fun. As assistant chief of law enforcement for Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), Petersburg was tipped off in February 2023 about a person who was moving banned wildlife into Colorado. When CPW stopped this person—who had been yo-yo-ing back and forth from Louisiana—to issue a ticket for transporting pounds of red swamp crawfish and selling them pop-up-shop style, the state wildlife management agency had no idea its investigation would uncover not just one lawbreaker but…

The first thing Bob Graham—a real estate attorney with Denver’s Foster Graham Milstein & Calisher who has co-owned multiple mountain properties over the years—tells clients considering going in with friends or family? “Especially if you’re renting these properties out to help defray costs,” Graham says, “you want to hold them in an LLC [limited liability company].” That way, if anyone were to, say, slip on your wet-with-snowmelt tile, break their leg, and sue you, Graham says, “the only thing at risk is the assets of that entity. It’s not your personal home or your other personal assets.” Beyond that, Graham recommends using the LLC’s operating agreement to set house rules: Can owners bring friends or pets? Who pays for cleaning and when? What happens if someone loses their job and…

As Christine and Andrew Hall began searching for a mountain getaway in 2022, their wish list was short but firm: They wanted a quintessential Colorado log cabin with enough room to host family and friends, plus the ability to open the home to short-term renters to help cover their mortgage payments. But the Denver couple knew that finding those attributes within their $550,000 budget meant they needed to broaden their search geographically. “We looked pretty much everywhere besides Summit County because we were already priced out of that area,” Andrew says. “I would love to be at the bottom of Peak 7 in Breckenridge, but our price point would’ve only gotten us a 300-square-foot studio anywhere near there.” While perusing Zillow one evening, Andrew stumbled upon a three-bedroom cabin set…

Spend $13,900, and you can get a .33-acre lot in Idaho Springs near Saint Mary’s Glacier. Drop $48,000, and 4.55 acres close to Nederland’s Hessie trailhead could be yours. But should you? “The very first thing is diving into the vision of what you desire,” Kelly McCallister, an agent with 8z Real Estate who specializes in Boulder County, says. “Do you want to park an RV? Build a tiny house or container house? Buying a log cabin kit is always very romantic, but you have to check with the county; some, because of fire hazards, won’t allow those.” Septic, electric, well drilling, natural or propane gas: The costs of developing a rural property can add up quickly, which is why McCallister recommends a longer due diligence period than you’d have…

ACE UP YOUR SLEEVE Known for its crazy headcovers, such as a deceased Kenny from South Park, Arvada-based Pins & Aces also makes a line of beer sleeves ($20), a convenient way to keep seven brewskis cold on the course. Also available: the Liquor Stick ($100), a shaftlike container capable of concealing 25 ounces of any beverage (wink, wink) discretely in your bag. PUTT FOR SHOW There’s nothing ugly about the custom putters (starting at $450) Jonathan Tenkely mills in his Highlands Ranch garage. Working under the name Legacy Goods, he spends weeks turning a single block of steel into a club that’s perfectly weighted to its owner’s specifications. Plus, he’s often asked to add unique design flourishes, such as “This Ain’t No Hobby,” the personal mantra of one customer.…