Folks coming to Winter Park Resort this ski season will be able to taste one of Denver’s most distinct restaurants without ever leaving the mountain.
Tocabe, which specializes in Native American cuisine, has partnered with the resort to bring its fast-casual concept to the Outpost, an on-mountain eatery located at 10,700 feet in elevation at the top of the new Wild Spur Express lift. Winter Park will operate the restaurant and also serve the company’s signature Iko’s green chili stew, bison chili and vegan chili at other dining locations across the resort.
Tocabe’s co-founder Ben Jacobs said the deal is part of his strategy to get native cuisine in front of global audiences. That’s one of the biggest benefits of having a location at Denver International Airport, he said, and because ski resorts draw international tourists, they also present an apt opportunity to achieve that goal.
Last winter, Tocabe worked with Eldora Mountain Ski Resort near Nederland to serve a version of its bison chili. That initiative led to conversations with Winter Park’s operator, Alterra Mountain Company, which sought to source more ingredients from indigenous producers throughout the U.S.
“With the ski resorts, there’s an incredible opportunity not only for us but for Winter Park to tell the narrative of the land that we’re on and for people all over the globe to experience our cuisine and our ingredients,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs, a member of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma, and his business partner Matt Chandra opened Tocabe in 2008 on a mission to make native cuisine more readily available and share the voice of indigenous people through the universal language of food. The restaurant showcases a myriad of products grown by native communities in their food, such as wild rice from Red Lake Nation Foods in Minnesota, beans and berries from Ramona Farms in Arizona, and corn from Bow & Arrow Brand in southwestern Colorado. The duo also operates an online marketplace that connects consumers with these producers.
That ethos aligns with Winter Park Resort’s commitment to honoring its native history as the ancestral lands of the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes, said spokesperson Jen Miller. Last year, for instance, the resort revealed several Native American art installations.
So partnering with Tocabe to advance that awareness was a natural fit, she added.
Jacobs is still finalizing the menu for Tocabe at Winter Park’s Outpost, but said diners can expect to see its Posu wild rice bowls as one option alongside its chilis. The experience will also be similar to visiting the location in Denver, where guests walk through an assembly line to have their dishes prepared.
The Winter Park partnership is so far just for the 2024-25 ski season, but Jacobs hopes it will be extended for more to come.
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