5280 Magazine – August 2019

Sa

ra

h^ B

oy

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& AROUND TOWN

on Eighth Avenue.

We love the fiery

jerk chicken, but you

shouldn’t miss the

whole fried fish, based

on the West African

culinary tradition of

cooking in hot oil; it

comes with rice and

peas plus your choice

of fried plantains,

potato salad, “smoth-

ered” (steamed, then

sautéed) cabbage, or

coconut-milk-infused

rice. Also try a glass of

“sorrel,” a refreshing

drink made from the

flowers of the hibiscus

plant, which enslaved

West Africans brought

to Jamaica.

BONEY’S SMOKEHOUSE BBQ

Downtown

One whiff of the hick-

ory smoke wafting out

of 14-year-old Boney’s

on Champa Street

lets carnivores know

they’re close to great-

ness. Lamont and Trina

Lynch (who hail from

Florida and Maryland,

respectively) share the

Southern tradition of

slow-cooked barbecue

by serving customary

smoked meats such as

beef brisket, chopped

chicken, hot links, and

tender, spice-rubbed

pork spareribs with

flavorful accompani-

ments like collard

greens, hush puppies,

macaroni and cheese,

and sweet tea.

NOLA VOODOO TAVERN

AND PERKS

Cole

The French Quarter

vibe is strong at this

funky four-year-old

restaurant, thanks

to New Orleans na-

Out Of Africa

Where to find Denver’s best African-heritage cooking.

WELTON STREET CAFE

HOME OF MONA’S

Five Points

In the heart of one of

Denver’s historically

black neighborhoods,

Welton Street Cafe

owner Mona Dickerson

and her family have

dished up spectacular

soul food—and some

of the city’s best

Southern-style fried

chicken—since 1999.

Accompany your main

dish with Dickerson’s

fried okra, candied

yams, and cabbage. A

thick slice of Welton’s

potent rum cake is the

ultimate sweet finish.

JAMAICAN GRILL

Lincoln Park

Family recipes in-

spire the dishes at

this six-year-old spot

Fried chicken

with yams,

cabbage, and

okra at Welton

Street Cafe

Home of Mona’s

African Grill

and Bar owners

Theodora

and Sylvester

Osei-Fordwuo

F

our hundred years ago this month, enslaved Africans arrived in what would become

Virginia. Enslaved people were brought to Colorado, too, in the 1840s and 1850s, to work

in the mines and as servants—and as cooks. We know that a woman called Charlotte

Green made food at Bent’s Old Fort, a trading post in modern-day La Junta named

after Green’s former master and New Mexico Governor Charles Bent. After emancipation

in 1863, Denver attracted freed culinary professionals, including one Barney Ford, who ran

Mile High City restaurants from 1863 to 1872. To honor the legacies of Green, Ford, and

countless other cooks of African heritage, give these five local spots a try. —ADRIAN MILLER

tive and owner Henry

Batiste. The menu is full

of dishes based on his

grandmother’s Creole

recipes (which have

origins in France, Spain,

and Africa). The stand-

out? Batiste’s gumbo,

which we adore for its

light, chocolate-colored

roux loaded with pieces

of tender chicken, sau-

sage, okra, and just

enough cayenne pepper.

AFRICAN GRILL AND BAR

Green Valley Ranch

and Lakewood

Sylvester and Theodora

Osei-Fordwuo operate

Denver’s only full-service

African restaurants—the

original Green Valley

Ranch location opened

in 2013, and the Lake-

wood outpost followed

this past January. Both

cheery spots offer a

plethora of traditional

dishes from across Africa,

with a special emphasis

on the Osei-Fordwuos’

native Ghana. We always

start with “kelewele,” an

addictive mix of fried,

ginger-marinated, diced

plantains and salted,

roasted peanuts. The

spinach stew, flavored

with ginger, onions, and

tomatoes, is rich and

comforting, and if you

crave a little kick, all you

have to do is add some

of the Osei-Fordwuos’

fiery house-made

habanero-ginger relish.

60 |^5280 |^ AUGUST^2019