Meet Ezra Gutierrez | Chef/Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ezra Gutierrez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ezra, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started in fast food working at burger king as well as the local country club. I always wanted to be a chef and I fell in love with the industry ending up in culinary school in Phoenix. After working in restaurants and hotels my entire life I felt I was ready to open my own place. I always wanted to open a place in my hometown, so I started the process. I worked in so many different places and had learned so many things in the 20 years leading up to that moment. I had worked for great leaders as well as horrible ones, I worked one job to pay my bills and I worked another for free to build my skills. After seeing the industry, I had formed my opinions on how I thought it could be done. I reached out to my now business partner EJ Carpenter and told him I was moving back home, and I was going to do something “would he like to be involved”. I had worked for Ej years before and thought with what I had learned and being a little more mature we could really do something special in rural eastern Colorado.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think what sets us apart is the fact that we are the unexpected, we have countless reviews talking about us being a hidden gem and that we make them feel like they are dining in a large city. We embrace our rural Colorado roots and combine that with what we have experienced and learned in the hospitality industry. I am excited to work with great individuals and to create opportunities for people, not just to earn an income but to be creative. I am proud that we have set a new standard for dining in the region, our relentless work at holding a standard and providing great hospitality is awesome. The road to where we are today was not easy it was many years of pain and struggle, the industry is tough the hours are long and the pay wasn’t very good, but I loved it even when I hated it. The profit margin in restaurants is very low, the national average is around 5% so the room for error is very small. Finding staff and retaining staff is near impossible, upscale dining is a human hands-on business, automation is nonexistent every move is by hand, and I hope it stays that way for a little longer. The only way to overcome challenges is to never give up, even when i was poor sleeping on the floor I knew I was going to do something better. Some things I have learned along the way are 1. Patience- I am not a patient person, so this one is hard for me…. things take time and reps there isn’t any way around that. 2. Be Relentless-you have to be obsessed if you want to work at a high level, obsession with the details equals greatness. 3. There will always be more pain-every year or so you get to feel a new level of discomfort or pain, the highs are high the lows are extra low…how you adjust your pain tolerance will be a strong metric that will determine success. 4. Hard Work- there is no substitute for it you get back what you put in and evaluating your efforts daily even hourly can help take you to the next level! I want people to look at our brand and think of not only great food, beverage and hospitality but also that there are great people working very hard all around us every day, (AS THEY SHOULD!) because the ability to give a honest day’s work is a gift. To be the best version of ourselves is our duty and we are stiving for that every day.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are lots of great spots in town. I usually start my day with coffee from The Main Cup then head in to work and pretty much work all day & night. For some sightseeing, Old Town Museum & the Kit Carson County Carousel are must stops. We have lots of great retail/specialty stops down Main Street for people to check out. There are several options for lunch & dinner-just depends on what you’re feeling.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents were the best, I was a wild kid so with their patience they taught me work ethic, attention to detail, and love. They showed me love when I didn’t deserve it and that makes me think of some others who helped along the way. My hometown… and all the great people who lived there during my childhood that guided me in so many countless ways. I couldn’t have had it much better growing up growing up in Burlington was pretty awesome even though I couldn’t wait to leave. Mostly to see what was out there and my own ignorance didn’t allow me to see what I see so obviously now. I came back and was able to work side by side with my dad before he passed away it was the best time of my life.

Website: https://www.thedishroomburlington.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dishroom.burlington/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDishRoomBurlington

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-dish-room-burlington

Image Credits
Jennifer McDaniel Photography