Chef Don Gragg loves cooking with fire. Whether it’s over the flames of glowing charcoal or smoldering wood, live fire invigorates him. Building on Don’s deep knowledge of open fire cooking, coupled with years of research and travel, his menu at The Rotary is a confluence of fresh, season-inspired ingredients, whole foods, healthy fats and impeccably sourced meats. It’s real food that tastes really good.
Under the direction of Gragg, a celebrated chef, and business partners and brothers Brian and Scott Boyd, comes The Rotary, a fine-casual restaurant in the heart of Hilltop trumpeting elevated wood-fired-rotisserie meats, seasonal sides and fresh vegetables in a contemporary-casual setting fueled by passion, creativity and the rustic spirit and intoxicating flavors of open fire cooking. The menu appeals to the full-fledged carnivore, gluten-free, Paleo, vegan and Whole30 regimen followers and everyone in between.
The Rotary —which originally occupied a space inside Avanti Food & Beverage —proudly (and loudly) extols the virtues of healthy food punctuated with bold flavors. As an aspiring young chef, Don landed a coveted cooking position at Chez Panisse, the renowned Berkeley, California-based restaurant from Alice Waters. The restaurant’s elevated approach to rustic cooking inspired Don throughout his illustrious career, which encompasses cooking in the South of France, Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, as well as at Gramercy Tavern in New York City and in prominent Colorado kitchens, including Sacre Bleu, Mel’s Bar and Grill, Mateo, Radda Trattoria and Starfish. Throughout his travels and cooking career, Don has always advocated for allowing high quality ingredients to speak for themselves. He takes styles and flavors from around the world and effortlessly merges them into unique and new dishes.
Don’s culinary wizardry has been lauded in numerous local and national publications, including 5280 Magazine, Eater.com, Westword, the New York Times, Food & Wine magazine, Esquire magazine and Bon Appetit magazine.
The Rotary’s three partners—friends since middle school—welcome you to their locally owned restaurant, where simply prepared wood-fired dishes and stellar ingredients intersect with personalized hospitality, pride of place and a fierce dedication to healthy living and environmental sustainability.
