By Andra Zeppelin
At Element 47, The Little Nell’s flagship restaurant, seasonality fuels everything Executive Chef Keith Theodore cooks. In summer, he sources elderberries, sorrel, and vibrant cherries to pair with a duck breast and leg he’s aged for 30 days. Slices of pickled rhubarb along with green rhubarb, juiced and reduced, balance the richness of Wagyu beef, while Colorado peaches, apples, tomatoes, and corn round out other savory dishes.
Theodore found his calling at the age of 10, when his first foray into cooking—a cappellini pomodoro made with his father—was a success. “I had no hesitation about my career after that moment,” he says. After high school, he became an apprentice in the award-winning kitchen at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. But it took just one visit to Aspen, in 2009, for him to fall in love with the mesmerizing wilderness and food scene of the Roaring Fork Valley.
Theodore seeks out purveyors who are as passionate about quality as he is. “I feel incredibly lucky to have access to great local suppliers and also to have the luxury to buy from top suppliers all over the world,” he says. “We support our local community and also realize that our clientele at The Little Nell is part of a global community.”
Staples of the menu at Element 47 include Colorado-raised, Wagyu beef from Cross Creek Ranch; Rohan duck, supplied by D’Artagnan and bred on a small family farm in upstate New York; and Pennsylvania-raised Golden Chicken, sourced through acclaimed purveyor Regalis. “I look carefully for the absolute best flavor,” Theodore says. “Our Wagyu beef is 100 percent genetically pure and undiluted—and that shows in its taste.”
These proteins are constantly transformed throughout the year. “The seasons are different on the Western Slope, about 50 days behind the Front Range,” Theodore says. “We know it’s spring when we get our peas in about the third week of June, and when the peppers and tomatoes arrive, summer is over.” Thanks to Theodore’s passion for preserving, Element 47’s menu can hold on to summer well past the time the leaves turn gold. Tasty condiments like concentrated tomato conserva, tart preserved rhubarb, and smooth apple butter allow him to add a hint of summer to his cooking in the fall and winter months. “I like to surprise guests with a taste of summer when they least expect it.”