All trails lead to Chair 8, the hip new retro-ski-lodge restaurant and bar at the base of the mountain between Chair 8 and the Gondola. Jake Linzinmeir has done it again, and you can tell he had a blast creating the stylish ambiance, the creative menu and the warm gathering place where you can share food and drink, and even play a little bocce ball or croquet out front in the Gondola Plaza. A local for 15 years, Jake started as a dishwasher in town and now owns and runs The Excelsior Restaurant, The Noir Bar, The Bluepoint Grill, Wildflour Bakery, and the new Wildflour Market & Catering Company. Jake and co-owner Tony Kalyk have done it once more by creating Chair 8, another Telluride restaurant with a far-out personality.
With help from interior designer Catherine Frank, Jake transformed the space below Camel’s Garden into a classy, retro ski lounge with plush leather sofa booths, furry loungers, 1960s art from San Francisco, and a live DJ spinning tunes from the 60s for happy hour. The food is sensational and unique. You could label it “amplified American comfort food gone healthy.” It’s a gourmet twist on truck stop dining. There is nowhere else in town you can get a 100% all-natural beef burger on an organic locally baked bun.
Chef/Owner Jake Linzinmeir and Chef de Cuisine Jason Peterson whip up unheard of combinations of organic ingredients to create what was once a generic meal. For example, mac ‘n’ cheese becomes a delicacy made with smoked gouda and quality cheddar. The Guinness stew is made with locally farmed all-natural lamb. This is progress in the slow-food revolution, where an All-American menu finally turns to locally grown meats and produce, using quality ingredients to enhance menu classics. For example, Chair 8’s PB&J pairs roasted pecan-butter and homemade fig jelly with freshly baked foie gras and serves it up on grilled Wildflour bread. “Group Therapy” is a special on the menu that includes a pitcher of beer and a heaping stack of nachos to be shared among friends with the intention to lift the spirits. Chair 8 also has a special menu with 15 varieties of chocolate drinks. Sample this: a dark-chocolate with caramelized banana and whipped cream served in a chocolate-orange flavored glass. Yum, yum! At Chair 8, the prices are reasonable, the ambiance casual and you are assured to leave with a happy belly.
Jake was a chef in Los Angeles, New York, Oregon and Italy. Jake feels lucky to pursue his professional passions while living in Telluride, and loves seeing his visions turn into realities with the help of his second family, who make up his staff. To him, running a restaurant is like theater: cast, audience, mood, lights and music are always changing. And just like the skier hoping for the perfect powder day or the surfer looking for the ultimate wave, Jake gets a rush from blending a theater of ingredients to make the perfect dining buzz.