Monarch opens its doors in downtown Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, bringing a farm-driven, casual vibe and weekly new dishes
I recently caught up with Monarch Founder and Chef Justin Freeman, who just opened up his new concept at Urban Cowboy while balancing his role as executive chef at Somebody People.
The restaurant and bar are now open daily, serving up a rotating menu of seasonal cuisine with a vibe that toes the line between a western saloon, French bistro and a casual dinner party. The menu changes weekly to ensure they use fresh, local ingredients from local purveyors and farmers, so go in hungry and with an open mind.
You have more than 14 years of culinary experience and have opened some of Denver’s top restaurants. Tell me how you got here. What inspired you to become a chef? And why Denver?
I’ve been in restaurants since I was 16, starting part-time at a local Italian deli in the Hudson Valley where I grew up. I’ve done a little bit of everything, getting my start at Nobu, working with big names like Guy Fieri, Justice Smillie and Steven Starr at Upland. I’ve always had this dream of opening a restaurant, so I moved to Denver to open up the Greenwich on Larimer Street about four years ago with my wife and kids, and I haven’t looked back since. In Denver, I spent some time at a plant-based restaurant on South Broadway and Somebody People, where I still work.
All of my love for food stems from learning to cook from my mom and grandmother. They were both amazing cooks, and I remember my mom cooking dinner for us every night, teaching me as she went. My father is Irish, and my mother is Ecuadorian, and I like to pull from both cultures. Irish hospitality is amazing, and I have fond memories of big meals with my Ecuadorian family.
Monarch ran pop-ups for three years before landing at Urban Cowboy. What did you learn from that chapter?
Doing pop-ups is a lot of fun, and it makes you more adaptable. In that environment, you have to think on the fly. Knowing that, I’ve done a ton of pop-ups to grow that skill of adaptability. It’s also made me more easygoing and ready to roll with the punches.
You mentioned that you source everything you cook from local partners. How do those relationships work? Have you ever gotten a delivery that felt completely random and then ended up being a favorite?
I source from local farms and have been working with many of these farmers for four years now. I’ve been able to really get to know Esoterra Culinary Garden in Boulder, and Christian Tuey is another big partner. Christian typically texts me with what he has available, and I usually say that I’ll take it. He has the best eggplant in the state. I just started working with the Croft Family Farm at City Park Farmers Market and get a lot of produce from there. I go every week in person with my team, and we make sourcing ingredients very collaborative.
Since I’ve been working with a lot of these farmers for four years, I know their ebbs and flows and can base menu ideas on that. The menu at Monarch changes weekly, and it’s fun to stay nimble and creative.
When the menu changes based on what’s available, how do you ensure that Monarch maintains consistency? What is your process for creating new recipes so frequently?
For me, it’s all about having fun. We’ll always be consistent in our product (the pizza dough is the dough), but it’s fun to go to a restaurant and not know what you’re going to have. If you look at French bistro-style cooking, they do with what they have, which is the thought behind Monarch.
I make everything, which keeps our quality consistent. I’ve been working on this idea for seven years, so I know my flavors and know what I want to see and taste. My team has also been with me for four years, so I trust them as well.
I’m thinking about and talking about food 24/7, so my inspiration comes from a lot of different places. I’m frequently inspired by the people who work for me, other places I’ve eaten and my family. My kids love my crispy spinach, and they don’t like anything green. I riffed off an idea from Nobu, and then I figured that if my kids were excited about it, I could get adults excited, too. If I put something on a menu and people don’t like it, I can change it. I’m hoping to hit 90% of my shots, and if I miss, that’s okay. I want to bring an approach of openness and collaboration.
You’ve said the space and ethos at Urban Cowboy were what you were looking for. What about the space and neighborhood felt right?
I live five minutes away and love this neighborhood. After talking to them and seeing the space in action, I could tell that they want to be a part of the community. That is exactly what I want to do as well, I want to be a part of our local food culture and elevate the awesome Colorado farmers who are doing great work.
The space has a cool vibe, but also feels rustic and homey. The idea for Monarch has always been to make people feel like they’re coming to my house and eating. The goal is for it to feel like we’re throwing a fun house party in our living room, and Urban Cowboy fits that ethos.
You’re still Executive Chef at Somebody People in Platt Park while launching this new venture in Capitol Hill. How do you balance that? What does a day in the life of Chef Justin Freeman look like?
My day starts early, I’m usually in by 8:00 in the morning. Today I started at Monarch, and then was on the phone with Somebody People by 9:00 am to see what they’re doing. I’m balancing both and am in person at Somebody People at least three times a week, and go to the farmers market with the staff on Saturdays. I’m very actively involved in menus and Sunday Suppers there.
I also have some people go back and forth between cooking at Monarch and Somebody People. It makes it all collaborative and fun.
You and your operations counterpart, Danny Matthews, have been opening and operating restaurants together for years. How do you work together? Do you each own a lane, or are you very collaborative?
Danny was my barber, and we got to know each other and started going out to eat and hanging out together. I’ve been working on the idea for over seven years, and eventually told Danny about it and asked if he wanted to be part of it. He said yes immediately. Danny has a background in hotels and knows so many people in Denver and in the industry.
We’re as collaborative as we can be, and we talk about what we like and don’t like across the whole menu. My wife also works with us, so we have a small but mighty team here.
