“Chopped” winner opens modern Indian concept in Denver

The goal that chef — and former “Chopped” winner — Dave Hadley had for his Samosa Shop always revolved around setting up in a permanent (or semi-permanent) brick-and-mortar space.

Now, after three years of haunting farmers markets and peddling his classic and innovated samosas, tots topped with tikka masala, and sweet-and-spicy mushroom sandwiches, he has a place to settle into over the winter and beyond.

“This is something I have been waiting to do for some time,” said Hadley, who just spent a month in Europe to research restaurant and food concepts. “The trip was eye-opening, as I saw what Indian food was out there. It’s so respected and known all over the UK, and they have many fast-casual Indian concepts.”

Now, Hadley has officially taken over the kitchen at Honor Farm, a horror-themed bar at 1526 Blake St. in downtown Denver. From Wednesdays to Sundays, he will be slinging out a menu featuring mushroom nuggets with hot honey and curry leaf aioli, vindaloo chicken birria tacos, and a lamb kebab smash burger with fresh dill and American cheese. The samosas that helped put Hadley on the map will also be available, including the classic potato and pea, a weekly special flavor, and for dessert, a s’mores samosa. Even the bar has started working with Indian ingredients in some cocktails.

“I will be here every day and I want to teach everyone I do hire to do what I do,” said Hadley, who plans on having a family-friendly happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. each day it’s open. “Finally, this is my space and I have a kitchen that I can chill in and throw all my stuff in.”

Despite not having a solid kitchen for the last few years, working in the back-of-house isn’t new for the chef. The first part of Hadley’s culinary education started with his grandmother, who taught him recipes and cooking techniques from India. Straight out of high school, the New Jersey-raised Hadley pursued a professional chef career, attending the Culinary Institute of America and taking an internship at the now-shuttered Six89 in Carbondale.

He later moved to Denver to work at Acorn, Biju’s Little Curry Shop and The Preservery, all now closed, and staged with Lon Symensma, at the restaurateur’s downtown hotspot, ChoLon.

While all of these notable venues helped solidify Hadley’s education and reputation, it wasn’t until he appeared on — and won — the cooking show “Chopped” in 2017 that he made a name for himself. He used the prize money to travel to Bangkok, Thailand, and cook at award-winning restaurants Gaggan Anand and Nahm. While there, he visited his family’s home in Kerala, India, where he was inspired by the various street foods and snacks served there.

When Hadley returned to Denver, his plans got waylaid by COVID-19 and the pandemic. But instead of hunkering down, the chef launched Samosa Shop, a pop-up food stall serving classic and globally inspired samosas, the everything-in-bowl salad called bhel puri, and other Indian dishes with a twist.

Hadley debuted his first vegan samosa in September 2020 after setting up a little fryer and a cooler of 60 hand-made samosas to sell at an outdoor market. His pop-up Samosa Shop gained traction as the chef added on mango lassie, Indian-inspired disco fries, jarred sauces and Kerala fried chicken sandwiches.