Meet Louise and Jeff Derengowski | Restaurant owners and food lovers

We had the good fortune of connecting with Louise and Jeff Derengowski and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Louise and Jeff, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
To put it simply, it is doing what you love. We love to cook and share our wonderful food with people. In addition, owning a business, specifically a restaurant, has always been a goal of ours. There is nothing like the satisfaction of creating a business from scratch and being successful. We also love to work together and we make a great team.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Earlier in our lives, we were both involved in all aspects of the restaurant business from waiting tables and bartending to cooking and management. We then moved on to other careers in banking/accounting, teaching, and county government. Though we gathered a vast amount of experience dealing with people and working through business plans, we always knew we wanted to be our own boss at some point. In order to accomplish this goal, we had to start taking a few risks. We soon gave up our high-paying, stressful careers for a more laid-back life in the mountains. It was the best decision we ever made! It was definitely a huge adjustment living in a small cabin with little money, but the happiness more than made up for it. We eventually began to save money in order to buy a small roadside cheeseburger stand, The Hungry Moose Caboose. At first, we continued our regular jobs while running the restaurant, which was extremely difficult. But with hard work, we were soon able to take on the restaurant full-time and we have not looked back. All of our friends and family admire the risks we took to be healthy, happy, and successful. We would tell anyone that it’s the experiences in life that matter most with the ones you love, you deserve to be happy, and without risk, there is no reward.

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.
Well, first we would have lunch at the greatest little cheeseburger spot in the state. The area is rich in history so we could start with a visit to some of the old ghost towns, train depots, and other historic buildings in South Park. For the outdoor enthusiast, there is world-class fly fishing and hunting throughout the park, and hiking on the Colorado Trail is just minutes away. Shopping is available in the old mining town of Fairplay and just a short drive to the ski town of Breckenridge. There are also several local breweries and distilleries nearby.

Instagram: @thehungrymoosecaboose and @jefferson.train.depot

Other: Google Maps