Summer 2011 UNIVERSITY OF MAGAZINE UNIVERSITY OF MAGAZINEUNIVERSITY OF MAGAZINE UNIVERSITY OF MAGAZINE DU-licious Our food issue celebrates the sweet successes of alumni in the restaurant business and beyond. REFLECT. Contents Features DISCOVER. 26 Food for Thought Featuring cookbooks spanning more than 100 years, the Husted Culinary Collection is a fascinating history of the way we eat. LEARN. By Cindy Sutter 32 Knoebel Calling Students need passion, know-how and real-world experience to succeed in DU’s school of hospitality management. By Richard Chapman 36 Hard Rock Life Peter Morton created the world’s most popular rock ’n’ roll restaurant. Then he opened a hotel that changed Las Vegas forever. Now what? The fifth annual By Valli Herman and Greg Glasgow 40 Eat Like a Pioneer From north to south, breakfast to dinner, pancakes to pizza, these 26 Alumni Symposium alumni-owned restaurants are putting DU on Denver’s culinary map. By Kathryn Mayer SEPTEMBER 30 – OCTOBER 1, 2011 Departments 44 Editor’s Note 45 Letters 47 DU Update 8 News Children’s health 11 History Classic cocktails 13 People Restaurateur Frank Bonanno 15 Views Nelson Hall 16 Arts Vintage lunch boxes 19 Research The science of taste 20 People Yard House founder Steele Platt 22 Q&A Cookbook author Susie Heller 25 Essay The soul’s food 51 Alumni Connections On the cover: This DU-themed cake, created by cake artist John Spotz of Denver’s lé Bakery Sensual, features edible replicas of the Mary Reed Building, the Ritchie Center for Sports & Wellness and Johnson-McFarlane Hall. Photo by Wayne Armstrong. alumni.du.edu This page: The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is part of the Hard Rock empire co-founded by DU alumnus Peter Morton; read the story on page 36. Photo by Erik Kabik/Retna Ltd./Corbis. 2 University of Denver Magazine Summer 2011 University of Denver Magazine Update 3 UNIVERSITY OF MAGAZINE www.du.edu/magazine Editor’s Note UNIVERSITY OF Letters Volume 11, Number 4 MAGAZINEUNIVERSITY OF MAGAZINE PublisherUNIVERSITY OF It was my co-worker Kathryn Mayer—since MAGAZINE departed for a managing-editor gig elsewhere in Jim Berscheidt Denver—who first had the idea for a food issue of the Managing Editor The next world power Nothing affirma- Jazzed up University of Denver Magazine. We were turning up so Chelsey Baker-Hauck (BA ’96) I greatly enjoyed the article “China on the tive there. But is there By no means can I compare many stories about alumni doing interesting things in Assistant Managing Editor Rise” [winter 2010]. It reminded me of a doubt that even myself with Neil Duncan, the restaurant world, both in Denver and around the Greg Glasgow my first quarter at DU (fall of ’64). I had with some cost sav- the brave young veteran who country, that she figured we could easily fill an issue enrolled for a class called The Rise of the ings through reform, appears on the cover and with them. As an avid diner-outer, if not much of a Associate Editor West. I had no idea what I was in store premiums are only likely to keep rising out whose heroic story of recovery is detailed Tamara Chapman cook, I agreed. for; it just sounded interesting. I took of reach and keep more Coloradans from within the pages [“Climbing Back,” spring spending on health care? Who or what can We knew we had to profile Frank Bonanno, a real Editor myself over to a large lecture hall (maybe 2011], but I too am a combat veteran. in Boettcher) and realized that there were stop this? After reform is fully implemented, I too returned to the United States and estate grad who owns six of Denver’s highest-profile Kathryn Mayer (BA ’07, MA ’10) upperclassmen and underclassmen in the will there be genuine, compelling incentive pursued my degree at DU. The thing that restaurants, so I sat down with him at the bar of his Editorial Assistant same room. A very distinguished-looking for insurance companies to keep the rate of stuck with me the most is the fact that it restaurant Mizuna, where he chewed tobacco and told Amber D’Angelo Na (BA ’06) British man started lecturing on the price increase lower than what it is now? seems as if DU is acknowledging our cur- me about his journey from pizza cook to gourmet chef decline of the West. Will the proposed penalties make insurance rent crop of brave volunteer servicemen Jeffrey Haessler (page 13). Staff Writer It took me a few classes to get accus- any more affordable for the bloke just out of and women. This show of gratitude and Richard Chapman I also thought it would be fun to go behind the scenes at the Knoebel tomed to his heavy British accent. He range of the subsidies but still having trouble respect will certainly go a long way toward School of Hospitality Management. Everyone knows DU has a great hotel and Art Director was, in fact, the famous historian Arnold making ends meet? helping in the healing process. Thank you It just doesn’t seem like the math restaurant management program, but what do the students there actually do? Craig Korn, VeggieGraphics Toynbee. I was thoroughly shocked when he for that. told us that China would be the next world checks yet. I thank the team at DU who Reading about the TEDxDU program We put staff writer Richard Chapman on the case, and he turned in a typically Contributors power. I enjoyed the class, and my interest in points out that a rework of our health made me wish that I was not stuck on the entertaining and informative report (page 32). Wayne Armstrong • Laurie Budgar • Kim DeVigil • China had been piqued. care system—some kind of rework— East Coast so that I might be able to attend But the best part of putting together our food issue was the alumni-owned Katelyn Feldhaus • Jeff Francis • Kristal Griffith • A few years ago I was fortunate enough could provide compound benefits for in person these up-to-the-minute and excit- restaurant roundup you’ll find on page 40. Reading about all the cool places Jeffrey Haessler • Blake Harrison (JD ’01) • Valli to travel to China. I found his words fre- Coloradans. But perhaps the reform, as ing presentations. The current crop of DU Herman • Cindy Hyman • Shaw Nielsen • Nathan that DU folks have opened made me so hungry I immediately put them on my quently echoing in my ears. Here was, currently defined, will not be so great for students are so lucky to have this sort of pro- Solheim • Chase Squires (MPS ’10) • Samantha our economy as they say. to-eat list, starting with a Sunday-morning trip to Snooze for a Bloody Mary Stewart (BA ’08) • Cindy Sutter • Jill Wilson indeed, the next world power, and I could gram being made available to them. and some corned beef hash. Next on my list are ChoLon Asian Bistro, which I see the evidence for myself. David Reusch I noted with sadness the passing of Anne Gumbiner Ney (BA ’68) DU neighbor Murray Armstrong. When I was a student at first wrote about for our DU Today website (www.du.edu/today), and two other Editorial Board Bettendorf, Iowa DU, Murray used Keith Magnuson as the alumni-owned restaurants I’ve heard great things about: Gene Tang’s 1515 and Chelsey Baker-Hauck, editorial director • hockey team’s “hatchet man,” and I fondly Blair Taylor’s Barolo Grill (page 54). Jim Berscheidt, interim vice chancellor for University Communications • Explosive journalism recalled what an exciting time it was every Fortunately I was already familiar with the hearty brunch fare and tasty Thomas Douglis (BA ’86) • Health care questions remain What do you get when you cross femi- game that the 1968–69 Pioneers were on the beers at the Bull & Bush and the awesome sandwiches at Vert Kitchen, Jeffrey Howard, executive director of alumni How will Colorado’s economy benefit nism with multiculturalism and a dash of ice! located just a few miles from DU. And for two years in a row, our University relations • Sarah Satterwhite, senior director of from health care reform if people still Marxism? You get the article in the spring Lastly, as I read the letters, I was also advancement communications • Communications office has held our Thanksgiving eve happy hour at Jim simply can’t afford rising insurance pre- 2011 edition of your magazine [“Beyond struck by Barbara Nelson’s comments [about Amber Scott (MA ’02) • Laura Stevens (BA ’69), the Veil”], which features Rebecca Otis, Wiste’s Campus Lounge, which puts out a free turkey-and-all-the-trimmings director of parent relations miums? The article [Research, winter the winter 2010 issue]. I have to agree with 2010] doesn’t say, and neither does the an aspiring, well-intentioned gradu- her on this current issue. Wow! spread the night before the big day. study preview posted on the Center for ate student who must disguise her own The same evening that I devoured this As author Susie Heller says in our Q&A (page 22), “Everyone has an Colorado’s Economic Future (CCEF) Jewishness to live among people who have issue (cover to cover), I then recalled several opinion on food. It’s our unifier.” I hope our special food issue gives you a lot Printed on 10% PCW recycled paper website. But this seems exactly the kind demonstrated many times they are not articles to my wife during our evening meal.