Aurora City Council approves purchase of Crowne Plaza Hotel property for homeless navigation campus

The city of Aurora plans to buy the Crowne Plaza Hotel and turn it into a “regional navigation center” that provides temporary housing and services for people who are homeless. Aurora City Council members approved the purchase Monday night 7-3 for the 255-room hotel and convention center at 15500 E. 40th Ave. near the airport … Read more

Aurora community greenhouses plan aims to fill gaps in food system

For more than a decade, two city-owned greenhouses in Aurora largely have sat empty. A community group wants to put them to use, with plans to turn the greenhouses into spaces for urban agriculture. A partnership between the city and Food Justice NW Aurora soon could launch an operation that supplies food-producing plant starts and … Read more

Canada’s Drag Race crowns season 4 winner

Canada’s Drag Race has crowned its new queen after a glitzy season filled with heated moments thanks to cast members who weren’t afraid to speak their minds. On Thursday night’s season finale, Vancouver’s Venus joined the ranks of past winners Priyanka, Icesis Couture and Gisèle Lullaby after weeks of fashion, acting and comedy challenges against the … Read more

Meet Aurora’s unofficial mayor of Korea Town: J.W. Lee

J.W. Lee’s first restaurant in downtown St. Louis sat in an old warehouse with only a glowing green neon sign from a nearby nightclub to illuminate the dark street corner. Customers from a previous sushi bar where he’d worked had pulled the money together to help him get Wasabi Sushi Bar up and running in … Read more

Baba and Pop’s pierogi closes in Aurora

Many of Baba & Pop’s loyal customers now have a freezer full of handmade pierogi. The Polish restaurant at 9945 E. Colfax Ave. in Aurora closed up shop on Jan. 4 after selling off its leftover stock of frozen pierogi packages. Provided by Baba & Pop’s Pierogi Jeremy and Katherine Yurek of Baba & Pop’s … Read more

Milieu Fermentation taking Ursula Brewery space in Aurora

Beer drinkers will find a new brewery in a familiar location this spring when Milieu Fermentation opens in the former Ursula Brewery space at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. Founded by Rob Bessett — the award-winning former head brewer at both Ursula and Loveland’s Verboten Brewing — and Andrew Bergeron, who works as a … Read more

Denver’s 12 hottest restaurant openings of 2023

There’s a buzz in the Denver air, and it’s not just the holiday spirit. The local restaurant scene has been riding high the past year, and new restaurants want to get a taste of the action. Of course, we’ve had some tough closures, but Denver chefs are still taking risks and offering exciting new happy … Read more

Banh & Butter owner competes in Food Network finale

Thoa Nguyen struggles with the feeling that she disappointed her family “by leaving the family business that was built for me,” she said Monday on the final episode of “Holiday Baking Championship,” a competition show that has been airing on the Food Network. But after making it into the final four — and garnering praise … Read more

Denver’s saddest restaurant closures of 2023

Losing a favorite go-to restaurant can feel like a stab to the heart, especially if it was the kind of place that always had an extra smile ready for you, or where everyone knew your name and your order. Saying goodbye to that part of your routine stings. While the city has been riding a … Read more

Denver high-end bakeries are on the rise since the pandemic

Shawn Bergin has risen a long way since he started baking loaves of bread and pastries out of his basement in 2019. The owner of Bakery Four started his patisserie out of his Denver home, selling naturally leavened sourdough loaves and fresh croissants at pop-ups and farmers’ markets. He then moved into a 350-square-foot space … Read more