Meet Eric Vollono | Chef Owner
We had the good fortune of connecting with Eric Vollono and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Eric, what do you attribute your success to?
Adaptability, with the amazing chefs I’ve worked for, I’ve been able to pick up a wide variety of styles and techniques. I do 3-9 course custom tasting menus for private dinners, crawfish boils, and homemade pasta classes, All types of styles and occasions can be brought to the table for my guests.
I love taking recognizable food and reimagining it through a high end lens, adding fun embellishments throughout the meal.
Food should be fun and I want to offer tight execution and make it memorable, approachable and fun for my guests
I take food inspiration from the restaurants I’ve run as well as my travels throughout the world. I’ve run Michelin restaurants in Chicago, James Beard restaurants in New Orleans and spent time in Italy, France, Japan, South Korea and Mexico and I come back with new inspiration and techniques with every new experience.
When I moved to Denver it was just as Covid had started, restaurants were shaky and I was new to the city. I had done private events in Chicago and New Orleans with friends and figured it was a good way to provide people with a restaurant quality experience they couldn’t get anymore in the safety of their own homes.
Starting a new business was daunting but you have to approach it with a can do attitude. Problems need solutions so handle everything as it comes building a business is like building a house one brick at a time. Think small precise solutions to whatever comes up keep things precise and manageable and you have a strong foundation. When you have that you have flexibility and adaptability then you can go where you want to take the business and not the other way around.
It’s been amazing, helping people celebrate right now during all of this has been so rewarding. I’ve met some amazing chefs here in Denver and we’re all working towards the same goal. Build up the Denver food scene. I love the environment out here.
It’s never felt like I was working for anyone but that I am working with them to provide a special moment for their guests.
It’s been great having the flexibility of schedule. I’ve been eating out more, sharing meals with my beautiful wife and had a lot more time to focus on my food. I’ve been able to stage and travel, to do cooking competitions, read and test new recipes and really grow what I am capable of.
I’ve also been able to be the center of a business, for the first time. I’ve been the account manager, point of contact for all of my guests, web designer, head of marketing, and chef. It’s been amazing applying the lessons learned in restaurants into something I can call my own.
It opened up a lot of opportunities and variety in menu development. A lot of my guests, because of covid, had to cancel their travel plans so I offered travel getaways. I ask them where they want to go and create a dining experience around that destination. Luckily, with my chef network, if I want to get more specific about the cuisine I have people who are just phone calls away to steer me in the right directions as far as flavor profiles.
A huge part of the Chef Eric Vollono’s Private Dining’s success has come from being adaptable enough to jump into different opportunities and being flexible enough and knowledgable enough to make them successful.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve been working in high end kitchens for over 20 years and when I moved to Denver it was just as Covid had started. Restaurants were shaky and I was new to the city. I had done private events in Chicago and New Orleans with friends and figured it was a good way to connect with people and share a a restaurant quality experience they couldn’t get anymore, we were all struggling with the changes and as restaurants were shutting down, I was able to feed people who needed a break in the safety of their own homes.
I figured the business would last as long as the pandemic…3 months tops, right?
It was and continues to be an adventure. I keep growing my brand and business and taking advantage of the opportunities that come my way. You have to have thick skin and you have to be willing to push. I had a chef friend who told me “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard” So in the spirit of those words I’ve tried to constantly refine my skills and never stay idle.
About 3 months into starting Chef Eric Vollono’s Private Dining, I was selected by AirBnB to be the brand ambassador for the state of Colorado. We started as a pilot program in 15 cities worldwide and I’ve been directly involved with recruiting and experience management. We have now grown to over 150 cities.
I have also been lucky enough to do some amazing multi course tasting menus and Crawfish & Crab Boils with some local breweries. I’ve partnered with AJ’s BBQ, Fiction Brewery, Banded Oak Brewery, Ratio, and Bear Creek Distillery among others to host crawfish boils throughout the city.
Last summer we did a 6 course tasting menu with snacks as part of a resin tasting menu with Puff CO. It was amazing seeing the pairings from Olio and Leiffa. Pairing things like my 72 hour short ribs with garlic cake resin. And local palisade peaches peaches with melon resin. It had all the feelings of a wine dinner but there was also the secondary sense of smell to the room. Tons of fun and a lot of happy guests. I feel like these dinners are the future of cannibis pairings.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve taken from owning and operating my own business is understanding that you can create things for your own future. When you feel that things could be busier you can use what you know and what you are confident in to create opportunities in that space. We are here and we are ready to take care of you. No opportunity is too large or too small. I’m here to feed Denver and any part of Colorado that’s hungry.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Visit: Red Rocks for the yoga
See the mountains but not lose the day: Head to Idaho Springs and walk around Echo Lake
Downtown: Walk around the Dairy Block and Union Station catch a ballgame
Drinks:
Breweries for sure: Oasis, Banded Oak Brewery, Fiction Brewery, WestFax BreweryRatio
Distilleries: Bear Creek is my favorite
Bars: Death and Co, TrashHawk, Honey Elixir Bar
Food: (go to order)
Pho King Rapidos Pho Bahn Mi
Street Feud – Two Taco’s One Shell
Senor Bear – The Picnic Basket
The Greenwich – Roasted Clams
Zoe Ma Ma –Za Jiang Mian
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The job that changed how I thought about food was Table 52. One of my friends who I had worked with in those front of the house days back in RI had moved to Chicago before I did and was the Executive Sous Chef for Art Smith (Oprah’s former personal chef)
John Vermiglio (Owner/chef of Grey Ghost, Second Best Bar, Basan) he offered me an opportunity that would change my culinary direction forever. I started from the bottom working the line at Table 52 but I worked my way up. I had some amazing chefs and cooks in front of me to show me the way. Those people shared their passion for food and the dedication to be great at what they do everyday. It really taught me how to work and how to be part of a strong team, to lead from the bottom as well as the top.
Website: www.chefericvollono.com
Instagram: @EricVollono
Linkedin: Eric Vollono
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eric.vollono
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
