Our Food & Beverage Team

Lawn games, craft beers, a tap room opening to the outdoors, live music, food truck—The Eddy Taproom & Hotel is a quintessential kicked-back Colorado dining concept, and one that suits local chef Ben Shapiro as easy as breathing. He’s the kind of chef who loves Denver’s walkable neighborhoods and indie restaurant scene, appreciates a high-concept pierogi or low brow taco, and waxes poetic about pairing the right craft pour with the mood. Shapiro graduated from Denver’s renowned Johnson & Wales University, and worked alongside Chef Justin Brunson at Brunson and Co. Here, he created charcuterie, utilized whole-animal butchery, and worked with local farms and providers. As the executive chef of Steuben’s Arvada, his culinary experience took a twist as he managed not only a bustling staff and huge dining volume, but a busy food truck as well, prepping him to take on the Eddy’s mobile eatery. After a successful run as executive chef at El Camino, Shapiro has been tapped to open the Eddy Taproom, where he’ll oversee the culinary culture and mobile food truck (and the occasional beer and lawn game as well).

Chef Ben’s BBQ Tips

Good BBQ is the stuff of legend—inspiring grudge matches, competitions, secret recipes, and epic road trips to out-of-the-way joints in search of the best. Lucky for the at-home chef, the difference between “good” and “lord have mercy!” BBQ can be surprisingly small and easy to accomplish. Chef Ben Shapiro shares his secret for out-of-this-world ’cue.

1. Buy high-quality meat. Get to know your local butcher and ask for the best cuts available—quality meat can turn your finished product from good to unforgettable.
2. Take your time. A brisket can take anywhere from 10 to 14 hours. If you’re trying to rush things, the end result suffers. Need it for a Saturday lunch? Put brisket on the night before and it will perfect by the time lunchtime rolls around.
3. Season, season, season. Whatever kind of rub you’re using, be sure to season every inch of the meat.
4. Savor it. Part of the tradition of BBQ is to slow down the fast pace of life and not only enjoy what’s on your table, but also the people who are around it.

From the shores of Palm Beach, Florida to the pristine mountain village of Telluride, Colorado, John Drugan’s career has taken him to some of the country’s most fabulous resorts—and he manages to leave each one a little more fabulous than he found it. Drugan made his mark as a leader in F&B and hospitality management and has carved out a career loaded with AAA 5 Diamond and Forbes 5 Star properties, including Palm Beach’s Breakers Hotel and an award-winning run at The Four Seasons. His legacy includes increasing profit margins, streamlining efficiency, and implementing new, creative programs that have consistently raised the standards at every property he has served. Recently he spent time as the general manager of The Historic Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he developed and implemented glitch system, quality assurance process, and Show Me You Know Me Program resulting in growing the guest satisfaction score to the top 5% from bottom 50% in the Marriott Autograph Collection.

Despite working side by side with some of the finest chefs in Europe and the U.S., it was Giorgio Ferrero’s family who first taught him the love and respect for food and wine that is part of their tradition. Born in Turin in Piedmont, Italy, Ferrero went on to study oenology as well as food and beverage management, and to become a level three sommelier. He opened two acclaimed restaurants of his own in Northern Italy with his wife, and has opened and served as the general manager for numerous restaurants throughout Europe and the U.S., including a career highlight working with Charlie Palmer and acclaimed Star Michelin chef Vincent Pouessel at Aureole, where he oversaw a 6,000-bottle wine list. He served as GM and sommelier for L’Hostaria Ristorante in Aspen, Colorado, and Valentino in Las Vegas, Nevada, where his passion for wine and food led to accolades, annual Wine Spectator Grand awards, and outstanding guest experiences.

Chef John Shelton’s penchant for coastal fare dates back to his childhood spent surfing and fishing off of the iconic Southern California coastline. He has spent more than 30 years at the helm of some of the top kitchens in hospitality, including Ritz-Carlton, the famous Hotel del Coronado and Hawaii’s Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, where he took full advantage of the shores and turned his lunch breaks into surf breaks. Starwood Hotels leveraged his expertise to lead culinary teams and to oversee the openings of multiple hotel restaurants. Today, Shelton is lending his culinary vision to the multi-million renovation of Town and Country and designed the resort’s food concepts, menus and operations for a collective fresh, modern and accessible approach.

A recipe from Chef John:

Citrus Provencal Broiled Vermillion Rockfish

10 to 12 oz. portion of Vermillion rock fish fillet or a piece big enough for two people
1 medium onion chopped
1 large Beefsteak tomato- peeled seeded and chopped
10 Kalamata olives pitted
1 orange segmented with the peel of 1/4 of the orange grated
1/2 cup basil springs
1 bay leaf
4 garlic cloves crushed
1/4 cup dry white wine
Olive oil for drizzling
Chopped parsley for garnish
Sea salt
Cracked black peppercorn

Preheat the oven to the broiler setting, at 425 degrees F. Oil a 12 inch baking or broiler pan. A heavy small paella pan works fine as well. Arrange the chopped onions, tomatoes, olives, orange segments and orange zest, herbs and garlic on the bottom. Add in the dry white wine season with a bit of sea salt and cracked black peppercorn. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the fish, and arrange the fillet on top of the vegetables. Place the pan under the broiler. Broil for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the fish is done and vegetables have softened.

Serve immediately.

Growing up in Long Island, New York, Chef Mouzakes discovered a deep passion for the culinary arts at just 13 years old. He began his culinary career just five years later at The French Laundry, the famed three-Michelin-starred restaurant often touted as one of the finest restaurants in the world. A graduate of Johnson and Wales University, one of the nation's top culinary programs, Mouzakes has trained under some of the brightest French-trained chefs including Guy Reuge at New York's Mirabelle Restaurant in The Three Village Inn as well as Joël Robuchon at his restaurant in the MGM Grand Las Vegas. Prior to his role at ARLO, Mouzakes spent four years as chef de cuisine of fine dining and was also the executive banquet chef at the Hotel del Coronado. Today, Chef Mouzakes leads the ARLO team in delivering a celebration of San Diego lifestyle and its thriving culinary culture – serving scratch-made dishes using fresh local ingredients and a mosaic of flavors from both sides of the border.

A recipe from Chef Josh:  Crispy Rabbit Fritters 

• 2 lbs. Confit Rabbit (pulled & cut)
• 1,000 g chicken breast
• 540 g white pepper
• 2g mace
• 18 g salt
• 10g polyphosphate
• 2 shallots
• 800g Crème Fresh
• 150g mustard
• 2 bunches tarragon

Blend it all together to mollify it. Form the mixture into little balls (about 1 inch in diameter) and poach them. Bread and fry the balls. Serve with a vegetable dish or rice on the side or they are a great appetizer. 

Jack Fisher has been at the helm of the Town and Country San Diego pastry department for the past five years. A San Diego native, Jack has more than 30 years of experience in both sweet and savory cuisine, including positions at the Sheraton Marin and top San Diego restaurants Nine-Ten, Michelin Star-rated Addison Del Mar and Cucina Urbana. In 2008 Jack launched his own line of fine chocolates, Jack Fisher Confections, and in 2010 was awarded the Best San Diego Chocolatier by Riviera Magazine. He has also had the opportunity to cook at the James Beard House in New York City as well as work as a sous chef on the Food Network’s show Iron Chef. As part of the Town and Country’s renovation, Jack is developing a “chocolate lab” where he will create fine confections to compliment the hotels’ dessert offerings.

A recipe from Chef Jack:

Pumpkin Crème Brulee 

4 cups heavy cream        
¾ cup sugar        
8 ea egg yolks     
½ cup pumpkin puree    
1 teaspoon vanilla extract            
1 teaspoon cinnamon
*for an adult version add ¼ cup dark rum or brandy

Heat cream until hot and temper into yolks/sugar mixture. Whisk in puree, cinnamon and vanilla.  Stain through fine mesh strainer.  Portion and bake at 300F for 45-50 in a covered water bath minutes, or until set.