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

Hi Ian, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Who doesn’t want to work for themselves? My love for cooking began at age nine when I started helping my mother make family meals. Opening my business, including three delivery and pick up menus has been a dream of mine since I started cooking professional. The pandemic afforded me the opportunity to do this (as many in my industry, I was laid off) and gave me the time to really develop what we believe to be an exciting and unique dining options.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I honed my skills on the job at various well known gastro pubs in the west country of England and London. When I moved to the US I worked up and down the east coast working for the likes of Stephen Starr and the Mandarin Oriental hotel group to name a few. I landed in Denver in 2019 to be near family and was the Head Chef at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and fell in love with Colorado. I had battled with alcoholism through the middle of my career and now have been sober for 13 years, but I think trying to fit myself into a traditional environment has been one of the tougher challenges of my journey. Having my own rules and standards, and setting them high at my own small business, has made me happier then I’ve ever been. Nerve wracking, but happy.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
A baseball game for sure! I enjoy the gritter underbelly of any city – I have loved Colfax Street from the beginning. The history, people – it’s the true heart of Denver. I also enjoy the city’s many live music venues and thriving underground arts scene. The underground music scene is excellent here in Denver and has so much variety. I would also bring them to the mountains, they are a must and of course outdoor activities (hiking, tubing, sledding). No matter what you do here, you cannot go wrong.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are several people in my life that I am truly thankful for and have helped me become the person I am today. Mum & Dad, my wife Vanessa, and some of the great Chefs that I have worked with including Aaron Chambers (Settler in Salem, MA) & Ollie Pudney (Bull and Last, London, UK). These two have really inspired and shaped me as a Chef. A final shoutout to the owners and Chefs I have worked for that have shown me who I do not want to be and that drive me to be a better Chef and human on a daily basis.

Website: https://www.piratecheffood.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piratechef8/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-reeves-69860a38/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Piratechef8

Image Credits
https://fromthehipphoto.com/

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